Looks like Chris' Fishing Trips launched from Monterey on Wednesday and headed south, towards Big Sur. The Caroline posted limits of rockfish and five lings on Wednesday. The Check Mate must have found a different reef, because they counted full limits of the desirable vermilion rockfish, ten lings and 150 assorted other rockfish for the 21 anglers aboard. Having access to the deepwater reefs really makes a difference for our charter fishing outfits, especially in these last two months before season's end on December 31. 

Six-pack charters out of Santa Cruz are targeting the deep reefs as well these days. Rodney Armstrong from Santa Cruz Coastal Fishing Charters and finding rock cod limits for every trip. Coastal's clients are enjoying a great mix of chili pepper, canary, vermilion and yellow rockfish, as well as the occasional lingcod on the deep sea trips. Go Fish Santa Cruz Charters is telling the same story. Get out to the 250-300 foot reefs and start winding them up, folks! JT Thomas, owner of Go Fish reported the catches over last weekend saying, "We fished the deep water today with Kevin and his team. They caught limits of quality rock fish including vermilion and yellow tail. Everyone had fun. You will too."

Always on top of the latest fishing conditions on Monterey Bay, Todd Fraser from Bayside Marine was stoked for this weeks' decent weather and sea conditions. this week, Fraser reported, "The near shore lingcod fishing has been good for the anglers fishing up the coast. The deep water is producing limits of quality rock fish. The crab fishing remains steady for the anglers working hard. There is some swell but the wind is not blowing until the afternoon. The perch fishing has been great."

Perch fishing is actually getting better and better as we near the shortest day of the year. Big waves and heavy storms means picking your days and your fishing spots carefully. At the end of this week, surfcasting broke open in a big way. Waves and swell dropped, winds stayed down and tides were favorable. By Wednesday, surfcasters were reporting nearly a fish per cast at many of our local beaches. Mostly barred surf perch, the average size is growing steadily. Whereas last month most perch were in the7-10 inch range, this week we saw a preponderance of 10 1/2 to 13- inches. There are always some behemoths in the mix, the two to three-pound, 14 to 16-inchers, but you won't find them unless you get out there and go fishing!