26 July 20 - Aug 3 , 2018 VOL . 37 • ISS . 16

Saltwater reports : continued from page 25

HALF MOON Bay cont . The 25 anglers on the latest trip by the Kahuna to Point Sur returned with 21 lingcod up to 18 pounds , 20 canary rockfish , 35 copper rockfish , 55 vermilion rockfish and 140 rockfish .

Chris ’ Fishing Trips in Monterey confirmed the solid fishing for rockfish and lingcod on the Monterey Coast . On July 8 , the 21 anglers aboard the Checkmate landed 15 lingcod and limits of rockfish while 19 passengers on the Caroline bagged one lingcod and limits of rockfish .

“ The fishing is still great in Santa Cruz ,” reported Todd Fraser of

Bayside Marine . “ There were good scores of halibut , lingcod , and rock fish reported in front of the harbor and on the west side of Santa Cruz . The winds stayed down in front of the harbor , but it was blowing up the coast .”

“ There was a confirmed catch of albacore a few days ago at the Pioneer Sea Mount ,” noted Fraser . “ The anglers caught them while trolling and then the wind came up . The water looks great about 35-40 miles out . The winds may come down this week and we hope to see some anglers out

Small Groups • Great Rates

The Bay ’ s Best Crew ! there looking .”

Ken Stagnaro of Stagnaro ’ s Fishing Trips in Santa Cruz said the 20 anglers on the latest half-day trip on the Velocity caught limits of blue , yellowtail and other rockfish while enjoying nice weather .

- Dan Bacher

Peninsula Shoreline

Surf Fishermen Lay Into Stripers , Halibut

SAN FRANCISCO - Striped bass and halibut continue to be the top target for city anglers , while others hop on local charter boats to take advantage of smoking hot salmon fishing . Area beaches continue to provide anglers with scrappy striped bass and tasty halibut , though fishing for both can be spotty , according to Stephanie Scott , at Gus ’ Discount Bait and Tackle in San Francisco .

“ Baker Beach and Ocean Beach are both good places to try , but it ’ s either they ’ re catching a whole lot , or whole lot of not ,” Scott joked .

“ I think it ’ s been better on the full moon and at night . Guys are using the Daiwa SP Minnow , big Kastmaster or a white bucktail jig .” she tipped .

For halibut , Scott recommended fishing with swimbaits at Crissy Field , “ Incoming tide is the best time to get out there ,” she tipped .

“ Other than that , they ’ re catching a lot of salmon out there . The guys are leaving and coming back early with limits ,” she related .

Big smiles and chrome bright kings … That ’ s been the situation outside the Golden Gate as anglers continue to nail limits of kings . This beautiful fish was caught on June 24 .

Photo courtesy of NEW EASY RIDER SPORTFISHING , Berkeley .

- Roland Aspiras

Excellent Sturgeon , Bass and Shark Fishing !

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707-342-8481 • www . crocsport . com

This angler was all smiles after landing this pair of quality California halibut during an S . F . Bay live bait potluck adventure on July 4 .

Photo courtesy of CALIFORNIA DAWN SPORTFISHING , Berkeley .

This is also true in fishing . Whether or not fish have gotten smarter . Fshermen have gotten smarter ( especially through information channels such as YouTube ) or a combination of the two , catching a fish is now a seemingly more challenging endeavor ; one in which information may hold the key to success .

For the inquisitive angler , the questions that arise after a fish is caught include : “ How far did you cast ?”, “ How deep was that fish ?”, “ How far back were you trolling ?”, and “ How much line

did you let out ?” In this age of monochromatic line , the answer usually is , if honest , “ I don ’ t know .” For truly , most of the time , it is only a bad guess .

That is why , in the last couple of years , I have made an effort to use metered braided lines . I don ’ t think I have to go through all the advantages of using the new super braided lines vs . the nylon monofilament lines , but the super braided lines are thinner , softer , stronger per diameter , have much less stretch , and are more sensitive than the monos . Make no mistake , I still use monos , but more of my

fishing has been shifting to the metered braids .

Every company that produces a metered braid has their own standard for the length before there is a color change . The color change is what is key to how easy it is to tell how much line is out there .

For instance , Berkley ’ s ProSpec metered braid has a color change every twenty feet . PowerPro ’ s Depth Hunter has a color change every 25 feet with a marker every five feet . Daiwa ’ s Saltiga Boat braid and their more economical J8 marked braid both have a change of color every 10 meters with markings at the five and one meter marks for a very accurate line .

Because these marked braided lines are very similar in quality and feel to their monochromatic cousins , they fish just as well , under a greater variety of circumstances , unlike marked monos which are relegated to trolling purposes .

Knowing how much line you have out can dramatically increase your fishing “ luck ”. Being able to repeat a successful technique with a successful location can give you a winning edge .

Next time : Examples of using metered lines to your advantage !