It’s now July 2023, and as predicted, this is proving to be one of the hottest years for surf fishing in California!
After the heavy winter rain we saw a massive influx of Striped Bass in the surf zone. Although the hottest bite seems to be over now, we still see Striped Bass caught more frequently than in previous years, now from San Diego all the way up past San Fransisco Bay. While some spots seem to be cooling off, other spots continue to produce wide-open bites. And while some of us are concerned about the ecological implications of a non-native invasion, others are enjoying the best Striped Bass Fishing the California Surf has ever seen! Have at 'em guys!
Here are some Striped Bass our members caught during April-June 2023.
The succession of White Sea Bass populations also makes us smile 😃 Some anglers have reported catching upwards of 200 short White Sea Bass. We hope these native beauties are all being handled gently and kept in good shape. Let them grow into legal keeper size for the future.
We encourage our members to consider this #KEEPFISHINTHEWATER initiative. If you are going to release a fish, don't take it out of the water. Photograph the fish right there in the water, pop the hook out, and watch it swim off. We believe this will help increase fish survival rates, and promote fish populations. Because if you drag a fish up on the beach, it is very probable that the fish will be injured more than if it is kept in the water. So what do ya say? Let's go! #KEEPFISHINTHEWATER Save and share this meme, and please practice #KFITW
Also, please consider purchasing a Catch & Release Fishing Net.
On the Halibut hunt, many of our members are going out to target the flatties, and come back with good reports! Guys who are new to Halibut fishing are coming home with pictures of their first. Experienced halibut fishing addicts are reporting way more quantity and larger halibut than we have ever seen in recent years. If you haven’t discovered halibut surf fishing, this may be a great year to get your toes wet! You can catch halibut in as little as 12" of water. They will eat Jerkbaits in clean water, and when the water is too dirty for a Jerkbait, then you can use Texas Rig Swimbaits to slide through the loose kelp and eelgrass.
Surf Perch fishing has been intermittently explosive in Santa Barbara and Ventura over the second quarter. But, devastatingly slow in South County San Luis Obispo. Some theorize that the recent influx of striped bass pouring out of San Luis estuaries has displaced the Barred Surf Perch from Pismo/Oceano and pushed them south of point conception in droves. Or maybe they have been hiding at Guadalupe where we cannot access them because the road got washed out during the winter rains. While perch fishing reports have been relatively disappointing up in south county San Luis Obispo, we hope that this will turn around soon. Hopefully this summer Oceano will redeem itself. In fact, there have been a few recent reports which suggest that maybe Oceano is on the rebound! Please get out there and let us know how it goes! Post your perch fishing reports in California Surf Fishing (CSF) group on Facebook. Be sure to state your county and the conditions. Thank you for your fishing reports!
Now for some more, and interesting member catches during this second quarter of 2023!
