Santa Cruz 12/16/03

sturgn · 12-18-2003, 06:47 AM

I was in Santa Cruz for the afternoon and I was sick, the Ocean was flat and it was close to 70 degrees outside and the Albacore where 12-15 miles ofshore! I couldnt beleive it when I talked to the Charter service, he said they had been catching alot of them 12-15 miles offshore! I sure wish I had time and a bot to go down there with I would make a road trip! next year maybe Albacore for Christmas, its not that far of a drive.

[ 12-18-2003, 07:48 AM: Message edited by: sturgn ]

WP · 12-18-2003, 08:56 AM

I am ready! Thye Bay area is my old stomping grounds. Never did fish tuna though. Is this a "normal" year? Maybe next year we can plan an expedition!
Dave

Deepslayer · 12-18-2003, 09:38 AM

HEy guys count me in! I used to fish the Santa Cruz/Monterrey Bay in a wooden row boat when I was a teenager!! Maybe there are some closet salty dogs down there willing to help? :grin:

,Ed

Threemuch · 12-18-2003, 10:05 AM

Not normal, but not that unusual. I have caught albacore off SC and Half moon bay in december, but it was an el nino year.

I still have many contacts down there, and if albies were still available and that close, I think I would hear about it. Nothing on Bayside Marine's webpage, and nothing on the bay area tuna club page, nothing on the Coastside fishing club. That's pretty hush hush for december tuna.

I think the guy was pulling your leg. We had a far superior tuna season up here. Most guys down there are doing nothing but crabbing and sand dab fishing.

As far as the road trip, I would go for sure, and can provide current local info.

sturgn · 12-18-2003, 10:20 AM

Well he seemed sincere and there where tuna catch counts on the chalk board out front from the day before, so I dont know all I do know is it was awsome out there and I would have gone out even if I didnt get any. I guess we'll have to watch and see what enxt year brings, how bout the spring how early could we go down and stand a pretty good chance of getting fish?

Popeye · 12-18-2003, 01:11 PM

I posted a thread on Coastside...They say no

One guy posted this link..
http://www.baysidemarinesc.com/

Threemuch · 12-18-2003, 03:26 PM

I caught albies on the Julie Rose III a month before any of my bay area counterparts scored. They start up the same time we do. I think the fish are all up and down the coast in May/June, but the warm water isn't in range until July.
KB

Nofish · 12-18-2003, 11:02 PM

I too spent my youth in a wooden boat out of Santa Cruz (actually it was out of Soquel). I spent a summer working on my basketball coach's commercial salmon boat out of Santa Cruz. It was during that summer (1973) that I caught my first tuna - have been hooked ever since.

From the looks of the latest Terrafin shot, the closest potential tuna water is at least a 50 mile run. According to the Bay Area Tuna Club posts, they were into some fish just a few weeks ago. It would be pretty unusual to have a shot at tuna out of Monterey Bay in the spring. The way the current ran this past summer, we were into the tuna in good numbers before they were.

The latest El Nino update is still predicting "warm" conditions - but the prognosticators are not yet officially calling it an "El Nino". Cheers...Bob

sturgn · 12-19-2003, 05:21 AM

O.K. Fine :tongue: shoot any of my hopes of early Tuna down the drain..................... Not sure if the guy in Santa cruz was pillin my leg, but oh well!

rockn'reel · 12-19-2003, 04:49 PM

Yea, I was down in Santa Cruz on the 16th and the weather was beautiful. The person I was there with wanted to go surfing but I was in no mood to try that when the water was so flat and looking sooo fishable. Anyway, it was a beautiful day and would have been so fun to go out.