Fish Sniffer On Demand Digital Edition Issue 3908 Mar 27- Apr 10 | Page 28

26 Saltwater Mar 27-Apr 10, 2020 VOL.39 • ISS. 8 Saltwater reports: Continued from pg 25 Half Moon Bay cont. in local waters. There is clarity for the start of the ocean salmon season as the local season begins on April 11th and will continue until a brief closure in May is clarified by the Pacific Fisheries Marine Council. However, as the salmon season begins on April 4th below Pigeon Point, the large party boats out of Half Moon Bay Sport Fishing along with the Huli Cat will be willing to make the 18-mile run south below the point if there is enough interest. Traditionally, in a normal year, the first accumulation of salmon is found offshore and south of the harbor near the Deep Reef, but since this is north of Pigeon Point, boats will have to bypass this area until April 11. The salmon openers along with the rockfish opener on April 1st, will bring Half Moon Bay back to life for private and party boaters. The weekend of April 11th should be crowded in the hotels and campgrounds as the local salmon opener is generally a big celebration in the region. In the meantime, limits of crab remain the story for the few boats still pursuing the Dungeness, and Captain Tom Mattusch of the Huli Cat took a crab/sand dab combination trip on Saturday west of San Gregorio in 300 feet of water. He said, “We didn’t have a lot of sand dabs today due to a fast drift, but the ones that did come over the rail were of decent size in the 10/11-inch range with the largest dab landed by Alex Reid of Menlo Park on an Ahi Sand Dab Rig. We only landed 29 dabs, but all ten passengers came home with limits of Dungeness crab.” The boats out of Half Moon Bay Sport Fishing including the New Captain Pete are taking reservations for the ocean salmon and rockfish seasons. Dungeness crab are still available from the commercial boats in the harbor. - Dave Hurley Tough Weather Impacts Baja Fishing “Mostly windy and cold again, as erratic weather north of the border certainly affected conditions south of the border,” reported Jonathan Roldan of Tailhunter International in La Paz. “However, earlier in the week, there were a few windows of opportunity when winds laid down. Or, in some cases some anglers raced to fishing spots, caught fish and then raced back in as the winds got stronger.” This massive snapper gobbled a piece of cut bait during an inshore fishing trip on Baja’s East Cape in late 2019. Photo courtesy of VAN WORMER RESORTS, East Cape, Mexico. Huge stripers are on the chomp in Suisun Bay. This monster was landed on February 25. Photo courtesy of DRAGON SPORTFISHING, Pittsburg. This angler was soaking bait in San Pablo Bay looking for a sturgeon when this impressive halibut decided to feed. Photo courtesy of LOVELY MARTHA SPORTFISHING, San Francisco. Fish ALASKA This fisherman headed out for a day of halibut trolling on S.F. Bay in early March and rounded up this dandy fish on rigged herring. Photo courtesy of RJ SANCHEZ, Sacramento. 3102 www.captainstevesfishinglodge.com P.O. Box 39143, Ninilchik, AK 99639 Official IGFA World Record Lingcod caught here in 2007 Fishing: “Barn Door Halibut” • Salmon • Rockfish • Ling Cod Two 30’ Alumaweld Boats with Cabins and Bathrooms Deep Creek, Anchor Point & Homer Lodging: Alaska (800) 567-1043 Clean & Comfortable, Lounge and Full Service Bar, Great Food, Conference Room, Satellite TV, Sleeps up to 24. trophies@captainstevesfishinglodge.com Fish with the Smith Brothers – Alaska & California’s Finest! GP 1971F Fishfinder/GPS Plotter Powerful technology in the Ultimate Combo unit. 9” Chart Plotter with built in TrueEcho CHIRP Fishfinder. Featuring Multi-Touch Interface, internal GPS antenna, CMAP compatibility, Anti Finger Print and Anti-Reflective glass with excellent readability and brightness. Call for Details and Special Pricing! MARITIME ELECTRONICS 2855 Soquel Ave. Santa Cruz, CA “Basically, earlier in the week, at least for a brief while, it was better and earlier in the day it was better to fish. That being said, I’m surprised by some of the species that did come in when the anglers could get out,” said Roldan. “There were some small jags of dorado which is surprising insofar as dorado are warm water species. However, also several tuna biters as well as wahoo close to shore mixing it up in the same areas as the more seasonal yellowtail,” Roldan disclosed. “The ticket to the tuna and yellowtail was being able to get some live mackerel, especially around the east side of Cerralvo Island all the way near Los Pilis which can be quite a run, especially if it’s windy. The mackerel weren’t always there and, in general, live bait of any kind can be difficult to obtain because of the winds,” said Roldan. “When the bait can’t be obtained, yo-yo iron jigging for the yellowtail has been effective and they will also grab a Rapala as will the wahoo that apparently have come into the area. Additional Tuna were on the bite when these anglers visited the East Cape last fall. Photo courtesy of VAN WORMER RESORTS, East Cape, Mexico. Huge tuna are on the bite for long range anglers fishing off the coast of Baja. This big fish was caught aboard the Red Rooster III in late February. Photo courtesy of RED ROOSTER III SPORTFISHING, San Diego. (800)582-1333 3807 species we saw this week included some big jack crevalle, bonito, barred pargo and cabrilla,” Roldan concluded. Don’t Forget The Fluorocarbon When You Head To Baja! One thing you don’t want to forget when you head down to Baja is a selection of fluorocarbon leader material. One of fluorocarbon’s biggest benefits is it’s nearly invisible underwater. This is because it doesn’t appreciably distort light passing through the line (it has nearly the same refractive index as water), and it’s a huge factor in clear water and when targeting skittish fish. Fluorocarbon’s low visibility characteristics allow anglers to use stouter pound test lines in situations such as heavy cover tactics for bass. As an added benefit, it also has incredible abrasion resistance and as such has quickly become a top choice of the pros when fishing the thickest cover or dragging baits along the bottom. Fluorocarbon is more abrasion resistant than standard nylon monofilament of the same diameter. Plus, while the sun’s harsh ultraviolet rays weaken nylon over time, fluorocarbon shrugs off UV with no ill- effects. Fluorocarbon is about the same diameter as nylon monofilament of the same break strength. But because fluoro is so hard for fish to see, you can upsize pound test for extra strength and abrasion resistance, without spooking line-shy fish.