The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly!

We tried to head out to the deep for our Jurassic Park trip today, but the wind was already blowing pretty good and was only going to get worse. We made the call to turn around and head back to some of our local fishing grounds—and it turned out to be a great move! We whacked the yellowtail, blues, and reds, with plenty of action to keep everyone busy. Sometimes Plan B works out just fine! Another great day of catching aboard the MEGA-BITE!

Out to the deep for another Jurassic Park adventure! The water was a little bigger today and we had some wind to contend with, but that sure didn’t keep the fish from biting. We whacked the reds, chili peppers, yellowtail, and about five other species of rockcod, putting together full limits for the crew. Lots of action and plenty of quality fish coming over the rail. Another great day of catching aboard the MEGA-BITE!

A wonderful day out at Jurassic Park today. The chili pepper rockcod we're biting like crazy. Came home with limits of big rockcod and a nice blue lingcod.

Another beautiful day running out to the deep water, and the fish were ready to cooperate! We had a great group aboard MEGA-BITE today and put together an excellent mixed bag of quality rockfish and lingcod. Lots of beautiful reds and other rockfish coming over the rail, topped off by a *BIG 25 pound lingcod* that definitely made the trip! The ocean was gorgeous, the whales were active, the fishing was excellent, and there were plenty of smiles to go around. Always fun seeing families out there enjoying a day on Monterey Bay together. *Great weather + great people + great fishing = one heck of a day!*

What an honor to fish Jurassic Park in the deep with a Purple Heart recipient "Doc". Doc has quite the history from his Vietnam War tours. He is a brave man and a true hero to us all. So we headed out to the deep with a family of teachers and caught some fantastic big red, canary, yellowtail rockcod. Everyone limited out, and we shared great laughs and stories. See you all again next year.

Started out as a halibut trip in perfect water conditions. Tried for an hour and only one short halibut so we ran out to Jurassic Park for some big yellowtail rockcod. When we got there it was nothing but busy busy hauling in limits of nice yellowtail, canary, brown rockcod.

Great trip out to the deep water today for our Jurassic Park adventure! The ocean was flat, there was zero wind, and we even had some bonus whale watching along the way. Once we dropped in, the catching was awesome! We got into some quality canary, yellowtail, reds, petrale sole, and lingcod. Beautiful weather, great variety, and plenty of fish coming over the rail. Awesome day of catching in the deep!

Absolutely gorgeous day for our local rockcod trip! The water was flat calm and the ocean looked like a pancake. We ran a few miles up the coast, dropped in, and found some fantastic action. It was pretty much nonstop, with fish coming over the rail one after another—and doubles were common! The 5- and 8-year-olds did most of the fish finding, Mom landed the biggest fish, and Dad caught the most. Everybody got in on the action! Beautiful weather, great fishing, and a whole lot of smiles. Fun, fun, fun!

Out for an afternoon of local cod fishing. Wind was blowing pretty hard which made fishing a wee bit uncomfortable and the fish bite was slow. We tried a few areas until we settled in at the Bolina Arena. We caught some nice brown, blue, black rockcod, along with a nice lingcod. We came in an hour early. Fun family trip.

We had a beautiful day on the bay for our Jurassic Park trip yesterday morning with a great group who wanted to try ocean fishing for the first time. The trip did not disappoint! The fishing was excellent; fish came over the rail non-stop. We caught limits of yellowtail, canary, chili pepper, and red rockcod all morning long. The group is now officially hooked on ocean fishing.

Great local cod trip for our family of four. Water was flat calm and made for some comfy fishing. Had early limits of olive, yellowtail, blacks, blues and red rockcod.

Now that summer is in full swing, the afternoon weather has been outstanding! We headed out to the local rockfish grounds and found plenty of hungry blues, blacks, and olives waiting for us. You couldn't ask for better conditions or a better afternoon bite. To top it all off, we boated a beautiful 16-pound lingcod for the grand finale. Awesome day on the water!

Out on another Jurassic Park run to the deep today, and Mother Nature finally cooperated. With calmer seas, the fishing was absolutely on fire! We were slamming quality reds, yellowtail, widow rockfish, canaries, and green-spotted rockfish from start to finish. We wrapped up the day with limits for all six anglers. It doesn't get much better than deep-water fishing like this!

We had a great day out in the deep on our Jurassic Park trip. The water was a little choppy at first, but it cleared up nicely later in the morning. We hooked into almost a dozen lingcod and brought home six, including a couple of 16-pounders. We also caught tons of canary, chili pepper, yellowtail, widow, and red rockcod, making for an excellent deep-water trip.

Awesome day on our Jurassic Park trip today! We started out in a little fog, but the ocean was flat calm, so we decided to run up the coast instead of heading out to the deep. That turned out to be the right call. The wind picked up later in the morning, but being closer to shore kept the conditions comfortable—and the fish were biting like crazy. It was wide-open action, and everyone finished the day with limits!

We had beautiful weather, calm water, and even some lively bait for today's halibut trip. Everything looked perfect—except the halibut didn't get the memo! Fortunately, we always have a Plan B. We switched gears and went looking for local rockfish. After a little hunting, we found a hungry school and loaded up with limits of quality blue rockfish. Looks like fish tacos are back on the menu tonight! 🎣🌮

Awesome local rockcod trip this morning. Limits of quality rockcod, about a dozen mackerel, and a terrific whale show right off the back of the boat.

The halibut were a little stubborn today with the ground swell rolling through, but we still managed to put together a fun day on the water. We found some hungry lingcod and rockcod to keep the rods bent, so nobody's going home empty-handed. Looks like it's taco night! The swell should settle down over the next few days, and we'll be ready when the halibut turn back on.

Great day on the water with a family of five! We had great halibut action, added a couple lingcod and some rockfish, and released a short white seabass. The bite stayed strong and everyone had a blast aboard the MEGA-BITE!

Great Jurassic Park trip today! We started the run in pea soup fog for the first 8 miles, but once it cleared, the ocean opened up. We dropped in and the action started immediately. When the wind picked up, we moved closer to shore, dropped in again, and it was nonstop action with quality blue, black, and red rockcod. Another great day on the water!

Good fishing on today's Jurassic Park trip up the coast! The action started the moment we dropped our lines, with immediate hookups. We landed a couple of nice lingcod before the ground swell slowed the bite. We then ran out to deeper water, where the rockfish were stacked up, and finished the day with excellent rockcod fishing. Another great day on the water!

Another incredible *Jurassic Park* rockfish trip today! We ran over an hour up the coast, pushing as far as conditions would allow before the swells turned us around. The moment our lines hit bottom, it was pure adrenaline—bent rods, aching muscles, nonstop laughter, and the kind of wide-open action that makes for unforgettable fishing. The bite was absolutely on fire, producing the biggest blue rockfish of the season along with some quality lingcod. It was nonstop action from the first drop, and we had the fish box full in just over an hour. After the rockfish mayhem, we made the hour-plus run back toward Santa Cruz and finished the day drifting for halibut. Another epic day on the water!

Great trip up the coast today in search of some big fish! We got a late start, but the fish were still waiting. We fished hard until the wind picked up, then moved closer to town and finished strong with halibut, lingcod, and limits of rockfish. Another great Jurassic Park day on the MEGA-BITE!

A father and his three sons hit the water today searching for rockcod, and they picked the perfect day to do it. The ocean was flat calm, the weather couldn't have been better, and the local rockfish were hungry. We found the biggest blue rockfish of the season, and once we got on the spot, the action was nonstop. Every drop produced fish, making for an exciting day with plenty of bent rods, full bags, and smiles all around.

Another awesome *Jurassic Park* trip up the coast today! The ocean was flat calm, making for perfect fishing conditions, and the fish were ready to bite. We worked the deep water and put together a great catch of big yellowtail, canary, brown, and vermilion rockfish, along with a nice lingcod. Another fun day on the MEGA-BITE with plenty of bent rods and happy anglers.

What a fantastic day on the water! Beautiful weather, great fishing, and the day's biggest highlight belonged to an 8-year-old Leo who landed an incredible 18-pound blue lingcod. With determination well beyond his years, Leo fought and brought the fish, for ten minutes, to the boat all by himself—an unforgettable accomplishment! The action stayed steady all day, with limits of fish coming over the rail and smiles all around. Days like this are what make fishing aboard the MEGA-BITE on Monterey Bay so special. We can't wait to make more memories like these all season long.

Out looking for some lingcod action today. With the wind up, we started fishing a few local reefs for the big ones, but the bite was pretty slow. So we headed up the coast in search of rockcod and lingcod, and it paid off. We finished the day with half limits of quality rockcod and a couple of nice lingcod. Not lights-out fishing, but a fun day on the water with great people! [gallery]

Headed out this afternoon for a rockfish trip with Dad and his two young anglers. The wind was blowing, but so were the fish! We found some quality rockfish, with doubles coming over the rail more than once. The kids had a blast, and the smiles said it all. Tonight it's fresh fish for dinner, with plenty more headed for the freezer. Great family, great fishing, and another fun day aboard the MEGA-BITE!

Started the day chasing halibut, but after a couple of hours drifting live bait without so much as a sniff, we made the call to change the game plan. Good decision! We headed offshore and got into some quality rockfishing, boxing beautiful blue, olive, and brown rockfish along with a few nice lingcod. It wasn't the trip we planned, but it turned into a great day on the water with a cooler full of fresh fillets and a happy crew. Sometimes the best fishing comes from knowing when to switch gears! [gallery]

The Monterey Bay delivered today for our crew of five anglers, going 3-for-6 on beautiful king salmon. Through great teamwork, we successfully netted three stunning fish, while the other three earned their freedom after some fierce acrobatic battles. It was a fantastic day on the water with plenty of excitement, and prime fillets headed for the dinner table! [gallery]

A wonderful day fishing close to home today! The water was absolutely perfect—flat calm, whales all around, and hungry salmon. The fish were big too, with our largest tipping the scales at 19 pounds. We limited out and were headed back to the harbor by 10:30. Happy campers all around! Happy Fourth of July everybody. [gallery]

We have been commercial salmon fishing for the past week so it was a nice change to go for a salmon charter today. Water was perfect but all the bait and whales have moved away. We had several hookups today but only managed to land one fat one. We'll try again tomorrow.

Out for a local rockcod trip this morning. There was a little swell from last night's heavy winds but it laid down. We got our lines in the water and it was pretty much a wide-open bite! Came home with limits of quality yellowtail, black and blue rockcod.

Easy going local rockcod trip this morning for our family of five from North Carolina. Fish were biting non-stop. Seven-year-old Jack and four-year-old Jacob were busy all morning hauling fish in. They had a blast! So did mom & dad of course.

The salmon bite is now on! Deep water Jurassic Park is also wide-open!

The forecast called for a breezy day, so we headed to a new Jurassic Park deep-water spot in search of lingcod and rockfish. It took a little while to get them going, but once the bite turned on we picked away at about half our limits before the wind started building. Rather than call it a day, we made one more move to a spot closer to shore—and *WHAM!* The fish were waiting. We quickly finished off six-plus limits of beautiful blue, yellowtail, canary, and red rockfish, along with a couple of nice lingcod. Another great day on the water with a cooler full of fresh fillets!

Perfect conditions for our Jurassic Park trip today. To start we headed out to the deep for lingcod. Lingcod bite was slow but the rockcod were on the bite! Decided to move up the coast to find chili pepper rockcod and we nailed 'em! Came home with five limits of canary, chili pepper, red rockcod and three lingcod.

Another run to the deep produced nonstop action on big yellowtail rockfish. Singles and doubles kept the rods bent all morning. A great day on the water for two fathers and a special 16th birthday celebration for Alex!

Flat-calm seas and not a breath of wind made for perfect conditions on today's Jurassic Park trip. We headed out to a new spot, and as soon as the lines hit the water, it was game on! Big canaries, bright reds, and jumbo yellowtail rockfish came over the rail one after another, and a lot of doubles, in a steady bite. To top it off, we even found some Petrale sole mixed in with the action. Great fishing, great weather, and an even better group of people. It doesn't get much better than that!

What started out as a halibut trip turned into a wide-open Jurassic Park bite, with some of the biggest canary and blue rockfish we've seen in a very long time! The action was nonstop, with fish coming over the rails all day long. Limits, big smiles, and plenty of heavy sacks of fillets heading home. Great fishing, great weather, and a boat full of happy campers! 🎣🐟😎

We planned a nice, easy local rockcod trip for Grandpa, two dads, and grandkids. The plan was simple: stay close to home and put some fish in the boat. Unfortunately, after a solid hour of fishing, we hadn't had a single bite. The south swell rolled back into town and really put a damper on the nearshore action. Rather than wait it out, we made the run offshore to deeper water—and that's when the fun started. The crew got into the fish in a big way, and they were quality fish too! By the end of the day, the cooler was loaded with canary rockfish, widows, yellowtail, browns, red rockcod, and two beautiful lingcod. There will be plenty of fresh fish fillets heading home tonight, along with a few tired kids who are feeling a little older, a little tougher, and a lot happier after a full day on the water. Great group of people and a pleasure to fish with. And a special thank-you to Will for the Willy Willy Hot Sauce. That stuff is outstanding!

Flat as a pancake out there today, with only a whisper of wind. We spent a couple of hours trolling around in search of salmon, but they just weren't in a cooperative mood. With Plan A not panning out, we made the switch to Jurassic Park deep-water fishing—and the action was nonstop! Doubles were common, and the fish averaged a solid 4 pounds. Lots of bent rods, lots of fish hitting the deck, and plenty of smiling faces all around. Happy Birthday, Trevor! Thanks for spending your special day on the water with us.

Out to the salmon grounds today with high hopes. Started hooking fish as soon as we dropped in. Hooked into eight fish. At least one got taken from a sealion and five others got off the hook. Managed to bring home two nice kings.

Made a run for the deep today, but large waves and building wind had us stop halfway. We ended up fishing in some pretty nasty conditions, but the crew stuck with it and earned every one of them. Despite the rough ride, we still managed limits of rockcod. Tough crew today—and a fish box full to show for it!

Beautiful flat calm water today with more than 20 whales swimming near and far. Sadly not many salmon were caught today. Storm coming in tonight.

Went out on a local rockcod trip today in beautiful smooth water. The fish were a little slow to bite at first, but with some patience—after all, that’s what fishing’s all about—we got into some really nice reds, canaries, and olives. Danielle topped it off by putting her first lingcod ever on deck… and then went right back and caught another one! Pretty hard to beat that. Happy campers and a fun day on the water!

Out to the Jurassic Park grounds today with our dear friends Julie and Dave and their kids for their 15th year of fishing with us—hard to believe it’s been that long. As always, we had a blast spending the day on the water together. The fish were a little slow to get going, but with some patience we managed to put together a nice catch and pick away at some quality fish. The water was nice and comfortable, which made for a beautiful day offshore and another fun trip with great company. Always a pleasure fishing with you guys—already looking forward to year 16!

Weather was a bit off for our planned halibut trip today, so we decided to start on rockcod and then shift inshore for halibut if conditions improved. Unfortunately, the nearshore conditions never cleaned up, so we stayed offshore and got into some great black, canary, and red rockcod action instead. Lots of quality fish headed home for dinner tonight!

A little change of pace today as we headed out locally for rockcod. The swell made things a bit challenging, and the bite was slower than our usual action, but we still managed half limits of quality reds, blacks, blues, and a mixed bag of other tasty rockfish. Taco time on the MEGA-BITE!

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Another beautiful day on the salmon grounds today. The fish were still scattered, but we found some willing biters and put three nice salmon in the box. Happy campers all around. [gallery]

Gorgeous day on the water for today’s salmon trip. We ran up the coast with our good friend Debbie, her family, and coworkers. After about an hour of trolling—*Fish On!* Seventeen-year-old Jackie jumped in to help Grandma Debbie land her salmon—her first in 50 years! Not long after, we hooked up again, and Jackie took the rod once more, bringing in an even bigger fish. Beautiful day, quality fish, and great company all around. [gallery]

Out to the salmon grounds today in fair weather. We trolled for about an hour before four of the six anglers started feeling seasick, so we called it early and headed back to the harbor.

Nice day on the salmon grounds—plenty of sunshine, light winds, and a crowded fleet. The bite was slow for everyone. We had four hookups but managed to land one.

Beautiful day on the water for our salmon trip. The fish are still a bit scattered, but they’re definitely getting bigger—a good sign the main body is moving in. We stayed off the Moss Landing chaos and worked a quiet zone with my buddy Art. Paid off nicely—three quality salmon and a bonita in the box. Great group of brothers and sons, and a great day all around. [gallery]

Great day on the salmon grounds. Fish are still scattered across Monterey Bay, with an early bite down near Moss Landing. We started elsewhere, then slid into the fleet after the radio chatter—but arrived a little late to the party. Still, we had three hookups, lost a couple at the boat, and landed our biggest fish of the season—a solid 17-pounder.

Back on the salmon hunt! It’s been a grind for the whole fleet trying to locate fish, and we were right there in the mix—until we made a move up the coast. That call paid off in a big way. Rod goes off deep… long battle… and boom—17 lb bonito on deck! Stayed with it, picked up a couple more bites, and boxed a 15-pounder king salmon. Seas were up more than usual, but it didn’t slow down the fish—or the crew from Boston… still rocking shorts out there. Great group, great attitude, and a great time on the water.

Back out for salmon at the Soquel Hole, but the place was overrun with pyrosomes (aka sea pickles). They were fouling the lines nonstop, making it tough to keep gear fishing. After a couple hours of frustration, we pulled the plug and headed for the deep reef—Jurassic Park. And WOW… the fish were there and they were big! Turned what was shaping up to be a tough day into a great comeback.

Back out to the salmon grounds for another shot at the Soquel Hole. The weatherman missed the mark—agitated seas and even a little rain made for a bumpy ride. The salmon didn’t seem to mind, though. We hooked five, released one short, lost a couple, and still put two nice kings on deck. BuMpY, but productive.

Found a small weather window ahead of the incoming storm and decided to take another shot at salmon. The ride out to the grounds was a bit rolly with some confused seas, but once we dropped the commercial floppers, the boat settled right down. We set the gear and worked the tip of the Soquel Hole, hooking four fish and putting two solid king salmon on deck. Timed it just right and made it back to the harbor before the wind came up.

Best water conditions we’ve seen so far this season out on the Soquel Hole today—flat seas and beautiful water. Plenty of boats working the area, but it was a tough bite overall. We managed to put one salmon on the deck, while most boats came up empty. Not wide open yet, but the conditions are lining up—shouldn’t be long before things turn on.

Absolutely beautiful day on the Jurassic Park grounds with flat calm seas and perfect conditions. We were able to fish an area that’s been off-limits for the past four years—and it definitely paid off. These fish were hungry! Wide open action with quality reds, yellowtail, and canary rockfish hitting the deck, along with some nice lingcod up to 13 pounds. Non-stop action and smiling anglers all around. Doesn’t get much better than that out there!

Out to soquel hole again for salmon with about 100 other boats. Another day of slow catching. We did relatively great with four hookups and one nice one in the boat.

Ran back out to the salmon grounds and were treated to an incredible whale show on the ride—always a highlight out here. We set up our troll right where we left off after yesterday’s success with four salmon. Today proved to be a tougher bite for most of the fleet, including us, but the crew stayed on the grind and kept lines in the water. Looking forward to getting back on the fish tomorrow and turning it right back around.

Beautiful day on the salmon grounds with the coaching staff from a local high school. Plenty of boats around, but not much action—nets were pretty quiet. We managed to scratch out four king salmon and picked up some bonito for fresh poke on the ride home. Great group, lots of laughs, and a fun day on the water. [gallery]

Water and wind conditions were perfect, but the salmon weren’t cooperating. We put in a solid effort and managed to land one salmon and one bonito for the day.

We had awesome weather today on our first salmon charter in over three years. While there were a lot of boats out fishing, it seemed that not many fish were being caught. We managed to hook into seven fish and got two in the boat. The fish and the baitfish are currently scattered due to the storm over the weekend. However, we expect the fish will start schooling up again tomorrow, and the fishing should be good for a while.

Another *perfect day on the water* with light overcast skies and flat calm seas—couldn’t have asked for better conditions. We ran back out to the Jurassic Park deep grounds and absolutely *smashed the rockcod*. It was *non-stop action* from the first drop, with steady hookups and plenty of double-ups keeping the rail hot all morning. The bags filled quickly with a quality mix of *big reds, yellowtail, canary, and bocaccio rockcod*, and we topped it off with *six lingcod up to 16 pounds*! Epic fishing, great weather, and a full load of happy anglers—days like this are what it’s all about.

We made the run out to the Jurassic Park rockcod grounds today in flat calm, picture-perfect conditions with a full crew of six. The bite was absolutely wide open from the start, with steady action and plenty of double hookups all morning long. Quality fish across the board—big reds, canaries, bocaccio, and yellowtail rockfish hitting the deck nonstop. The boat was alive with hootin’ and hollerin’ as limits stacked up fast. By the end of the trip, we had two jumbo fish boxes loaded down with over 200 pounds of beautiful rockfish. Another epic day on the MEGA-BITE.

Great trip to Jurassic Park today. Weather was good and the fish were waiting! Nailed the big reds, canaries and chili peppers today. Mom, Dad and the kids did great working gear in 330 to 360 feet of water with electric reels.

Our first trip out to the deep this season was stellar! We caught Lingcod, chilipepper, reds, canary rockcod, and petrale sole throughout the day. The water was a bit bumpy this morning, but it laid flat calm around 10:00 AM. It was a great day on the water.

We had our first charter of the season today with Mark, Johnathan, and Marlin. Although we tried for halibut, we didn't have any luck, so we shifted our focus to lingcod and rockcod. The wind and water conditions were a bit challenging today, but we still managed to come home with near limits of lingcod and some nice fat red rockcod.