CENCAL SALT REPORTS

CENCAL SALT REPORTS: Anglers score on Monterey seabass BY BUD NEVILLE/WON Staff WriterPublished: Mar 09, 2010

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CENCAL BUD NEVILLE Weekly Reports MONTERREY — The crews on the party boats out of Chris’ Sportfishing have been taking some busman breaks lately, targeting white seabass outside the Monterey breakwater, with some good success. Captain Harry “Tinker” Neece on the Checkmate went out twice and scored some seabass, as well as a couple other “surprises.” “We stop and catch market squid on the way out, and use it for bait,” said Chris Arcoleo, who joined Neece on the Checkmate with Nick Lemon, another skipper on Thursday. “We caught three from about 30 pounds to 45 pounds,” said Arcoleo. He claimed the smallest, saying both Neece and Lemon caught seabass in the 45-pound class. “Earlier in the week, Tinker caught one that went 60 pounds,” said Arcoleo. “He also caught a 25-pound halibut, and released a 10-pound salmon.” The seabass have been breezing in and out chasing the market squid; while the action might entice some paying customers, the timing of the bite makes planning a trip difficult, so the crews have been running and gunning when they have some free time. Private boats have also tapped the bite, with one of Arcoleo’s friends landing three on a recent try. Squid numbers dwindle for Monterey boats MONTERREY — The Humboldt squid season end just may be in sight for Northern California anglers, with counts dwindling on the Monterey boats. After several months of wide open surface action on the Humboldts, last weekend’s counts were very low. “We had five anglers who caught four squid on Friday,” said Captain Brian Cutting on the Chubasco. “On Saturday, 13 anglers caught 12 squid, and on Sunday, five anglers caught nine squid.” Fortunately, there have been plenty of sand dabs and mackerel around to fill the gap in squid action. The Chubasco’s anglers caught around 15 to 20 sand dabs each, and another 10 or so mackerel each. “The sharks really ate us up on Sunday,” said Cutting. Spiny dogfish sharks were the main reason for the low numbers of Humboldt squid on Sunday, anglers often seeing three or four attacking the squid as they brought them to the surface. Captain Harry Neece on the Checkmate reported the same type of action on his trip Sunday, said Chris Arcoleo at Chris Sportfishing. “I think he said they caught about 20 squid, plus plenty of sand dabs and mackerel,” said Arcoleo. A strong downhill current made checking crab pots difficult. The pot buoys were forced underwater by the current, making them impossible to spot and retrieve.