Welcome to wintertime. Seems like the season came a bit early this year. We had a significant storm in October, a few wet days last week, and this weekend we get to enjoy up to three inches of rain along with gale-force winds in the forecast.  Oh yeah, let’s add some giant waves to the mix. The NOAA forecast on Thursday called for a dominate swell from the south, with seas from nine to 12 feet. Meteorologists have confirmed we are in a La Nina condition, which can mean a wet or dry winter.  We’re betting on wet. That is great for our water table and parched river systems in the long run but not so great for getting out to fish in the short.

Monterey Bay anglers that fished over the weekend and up to Wednesday this week did very well. the charter boats in Monterey and Santa Cruz all reported limits of rockfish, mostly from the deep reefs. So, they saw a great mix of yellows, chilipeppers, vermilion and greenspotted rockfish. Ling cod are decisively on the bite, with Chris’ Fishing Trips reporting 45 lings caught on Monday’s trip aboard the Checkmate.

A few lucky (or perhaps more talented) anglers from Monterey Bay harbors are finding their limits of hoop-net Dungeness crab. A greater number of boats are pulling up 1/2 limits, some even heading in sporting a white stripe and a distinctive odor. The sand flats adjacent to our giant submarine canyons still seem to be the best bet for crab, though there are some rumblings around the dock that crabbers plan to expand the hunt to our wild north coast. The crab definitely moved deeper in the bay last week, more towards the 220 or even 240 foot-depths. Savvy anglers who have the ability to trailer their boats are heading up to Half Moon Bay for crab limits. Those crab are big and full, with shorter soaks in much shallower water.

Rain is in the forecast  for the next ten days, off and on. We want to gently remind our readers to be very careful on or near the ocean under these conditions. In other words, DON’T BE AN IDIOT! Significant rainfall supercharges our stream and river flows. Water can get junky with down trees, branches and logs. Boat navigators need to be super observant. Beachgoers have to stay well clear of waves flowing up the beach. Remember that up-flow can occur on either side and the back flow can take you unawares. You can be standing on dry sand one moment and waist deep or knocked down in an instant. Nearshore currents can be deadly. Stay safe and live to fish another day.