There have been only a few opportunities for boats to venture out over the past three weeks but between storms there is some calmer periods with white sea bass, good squidding and crabbing to be found. The Checkmate out of Chris' Landing reported a continued fantastic squid bite with 82 Humboldt squid on Thursday 2-4 for 14 anglers to go with 55 Dungeness and 23 rock crab from the pots. The wind was coming up, so they didn't fish for sand dab or mackerel today. Tinker said there were several boats out today working about a mile from the Monterey Beach Hotel that reported picking up 3 or 4 white sea bass and 6 halibut drifting dead squid on the beach. These were the first halibut of the year to date. The white sea bass are still hanging around the bay with a nearly a half-dozen landed per day in the last three days. They will be staying inside the bay tomorrow with the weather conditions, but they plan on fishing for squid again on Saturday and Sunday.
Ly Tu said the swell has brought in a load of seaweed into the south Santa Cruz beaches, making things tough for the shore anglers. Be sure to check conditions before you go!

Politics and 2010 Salmon
Next year we don't expect to see a salmon opener due to the far less than expected returns on the Sac Valley rivers this fall. Given the lack of angler support to help out the groups fighting the Govenator's canal plan, 2007 could well be the last year of ocean salmon in Central California in our lifetime.
Maybe the next generation will get it right but we sure F&*%@! it up for them. YOU aren't fishing  salmon this year because the politicos in Sacramento and Washington DC decided it was better to grow cotton in the California desert and put a subside check on a millionaire cotton farmer's pocket (and a contribution to their campaign) than keep fish swimming in our rivers. Anglers are the last line of defense but we are so unorganized that  we are going to get blitzed by the water contractors.
There is only one way out of this mess and it's through the courts and the hard work of California Sportfishing Protection Alliance Please consider supporting them as they are pushing the lawsuits that will ensure a future or at least a hope of us ever salmon fishing in California again.
Our salmon runs didn't die, they were stolen from us by a 40% increase in water diversions from the Delta beginning in 2002. Unless water diversions are rolled back (through court order and the litigation of CSPA) salmon don't have a chance of making it to sea or you or your children to ever fish for them.
No group has done more over the past two decades to protect fisheries than CSPA. In the past two months USAFishing readers have raised nearly $10,000 for the CSPA but much much more is needed. Please visit their website and learn more about all the great work they are doing.
Become part of the solution and support the California Sportfishing Protection Alliance today!