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CaptinKirk----- its gettin hot!- fishing report
FrancF
Member Posts: 35,279 ✭✭✭
Anglers at the Santa Cruz Small Craft Harbor say they are catching loads of large albacore as close as 15 miles from shore, fish that in typical years can be 50 to 100 miles out.
"It's probably going to be the best in 50 years," said commercial fisherman Carl "Boccie" Acevedo, who has been fishing from the harbor for 40 years.
"And it's gonna continue. We'll be fishing 'em in November. The weather patterns have changed."
Warmer water surging closer to shore is to thank for the windfall, fishermen say. They say the albacore feed at upwelling areas where the warm water meets the cold,
Acevedo said he caught 3,000 pounds of tuna in three days this week. The fish started showing up en masse about two weeks ago.
And surplus means a drop in price for those who like to pick up fresh tuna dockside, as some local fisherman have dropped their prices from a preferred $2 to $1.50 or $1.25 per pound.
Fishermen at the harbor sell their fish to the public on weekends and some evenings, they said, most around docks R, S and T.
The average tuna in this "wide open" season is about 15 pounds, said Todd Fraser, owner of Bayside Marine tackle shop. He snagged a 38-pounder.
"You can catch as many as you want out here right now," he said, adding that there is no prescribed season or limit on tuna fishing.
And though regulations prohibit fishermen from cutting and cleaning for customers, there are folks around who will lend a hand.
The fish freeze well too, Fraser said, and places like Corralitos Market will smoke fish too.
Fisherman Christian Zajac said Thursday that he just sold 300 pounds of "sushi-grade" tuna.
Tuna are pelagic, or far-ranging, fish who feed on a number of small fish, and crab larvae, he said.
Meteorologists at the Monterey-based National Weather Service said a dearth of typical northwesterly winds during the last month or so have led to the lingering warm water, which was 64 degrees Thursday at a buoy about 20 miles out from the Monterey Peninsula.
Tuna and warm water flooded the area in the El Ni?o years of 1997 and 1982, meteorologist Steve Markkanenn said. Local water temperatures reached 70 degrees in 1997, he said.
The large number of fish can bring supply and demand problems though.
Some commercial fishermen would like to see sports fishermen take less, as too much giving away of fish makes it harder for them and can lead to waste.
"Some of those guys have been catching an insane amount of fish," one fisherman said. "It's crazy on the weekends these days."
Harbor officials said they have been hauling away 60 buckets of fish carcasses and post-cleaning gunk daily.
Jim Rubin, who runs Captain Jimmy Charters, said his clients have been getting plenty of tuna, though they ran into some rough, windy weather this week.
"It's great," he said. "Anybody can catch one. Well, maybe I'd better not say that, or tomorrow I won't be able to catch any."
Rubin says he usually limits his customers to four tuna each, not wanting "Fish and Game to come down on all of us."
Fisherman also are bringing in some halibut now, though not nearly as many as tuna, they say.
Salmon season, which opened March 30 and runs through September, was not great this year, fishermen said, though Rubin hooked a 28 pound beauty Thursday.
"Fishing is like that," he said. "You just never know."
"I know Everything because
my Wife is a Hair Stylist"
"It's probably going to be the best in 50 years," said commercial fisherman Carl "Boccie" Acevedo, who has been fishing from the harbor for 40 years.
"And it's gonna continue. We'll be fishing 'em in November. The weather patterns have changed."
Warmer water surging closer to shore is to thank for the windfall, fishermen say. They say the albacore feed at upwelling areas where the warm water meets the cold,
Acevedo said he caught 3,000 pounds of tuna in three days this week. The fish started showing up en masse about two weeks ago.
And surplus means a drop in price for those who like to pick up fresh tuna dockside, as some local fisherman have dropped their prices from a preferred $2 to $1.50 or $1.25 per pound.
Fishermen at the harbor sell their fish to the public on weekends and some evenings, they said, most around docks R, S and T.
The average tuna in this "wide open" season is about 15 pounds, said Todd Fraser, owner of Bayside Marine tackle shop. He snagged a 38-pounder.
"You can catch as many as you want out here right now," he said, adding that there is no prescribed season or limit on tuna fishing.
And though regulations prohibit fishermen from cutting and cleaning for customers, there are folks around who will lend a hand.
The fish freeze well too, Fraser said, and places like Corralitos Market will smoke fish too.
Fisherman Christian Zajac said Thursday that he just sold 300 pounds of "sushi-grade" tuna.
Tuna are pelagic, or far-ranging, fish who feed on a number of small fish, and crab larvae, he said.
Meteorologists at the Monterey-based National Weather Service said a dearth of typical northwesterly winds during the last month or so have led to the lingering warm water, which was 64 degrees Thursday at a buoy about 20 miles out from the Monterey Peninsula.
Tuna and warm water flooded the area in the El Ni?o years of 1997 and 1982, meteorologist Steve Markkanenn said. Local water temperatures reached 70 degrees in 1997, he said.
The large number of fish can bring supply and demand problems though.
Some commercial fishermen would like to see sports fishermen take less, as too much giving away of fish makes it harder for them and can lead to waste.
"Some of those guys have been catching an insane amount of fish," one fisherman said. "It's crazy on the weekends these days."
Harbor officials said they have been hauling away 60 buckets of fish carcasses and post-cleaning gunk daily.
Jim Rubin, who runs Captain Jimmy Charters, said his clients have been getting plenty of tuna, though they ran into some rough, windy weather this week.
"It's great," he said. "Anybody can catch one. Well, maybe I'd better not say that, or tomorrow I won't be able to catch any."
Rubin says he usually limits his customers to four tuna each, not wanting "Fish and Game to come down on all of us."
Fisherman also are bringing in some halibut now, though not nearly as many as tuna, they say.
Salmon season, which opened March 30 and runs through September, was not great this year, fishermen said, though Rubin hooked a 28 pound beauty Thursday.
"Fishing is like that," he said. "You just never know."
"I know Everything because
my Wife is a Hair Stylist"