OPPORTUNITIES ABOUND ON CENTRAL COAST
by Craig Hanson for Pacific Coast Sportfishing
Transplant the beaches of Southern California, throw in the funky charm of Santa Cruz, drop it on the California coast midway between San Francisco and Los Angeles, and you get a somewhat secluded playground for anglers and their families. Loosely bordered by San Simeon, home of Hearst Castle to the north, and appropriately named Oceano to the south, this portion of San Luis Obispo County offers easy coastal access and weather rarely seen above the 37th parallel.
This section of coast consists primarily of sandy beaches with a mix of rocky outcroppings and offshore reefs. Southern California-like piers, high off the water, stretching into the Pacific stand on many beaches. The offshore reefs support solid numbers of rockfish. While the local inshore fishing focus is perch; mackerel, smelt, shark and halibut occasionally take center stage.
Charter boats operate from Morro Bay and Port San Luis at Avila Beach. Most of their effort is spent chasing rockfish, but spring salmon, late summer albacore and whale watching add spice to their normal operations. In fact, the central coast can be a hot spot for longfins without the problem of congestion.
Traveling anglers find free launch facilities for their trailerable boats at Morro Bay with 72-hour parking an added bonus. Avila Beach has three hoists available depending on the size of your vessel. The 7.5-ton hoist at Portside Marine will manage most boats, while anything under 1,000 pounds can be launched from a hoist near the base of the Port San Luis Pier.
A breakwater protects the harbor at Port San Luis while the geography forms a natural bay. This offers small boaters access to the productive halibut waters within San Luis Bay.
For the halibut, use a standard three-way swivel rig with five feet of 25-pound fluorocarbon attached to a 2/0 hook. A two- to four-ounce pencil weight ticking across the bottom on a 12-inch dropper rounds out the rig. You can jig up your own bait and fish the same area for halibut.
Trolling is a very productive method for putting halibut in the box. The key is keeping the weight bouncing steadily on the bottom. Attach a three-way swivel to your main line and tie the sinker to an 18-inch leader off one of the other ends. Attach another leader to the remaining leg for your lure or bait. The amount of weight you use will vary from eight ounces to two pounds, depending on the depth and current. A one-pound ball works well for anything under 25 feet.
Hoochie rigs, with three various colored skirts, spaced six feet apart, tied to 18 feet of 100-pound test can be dynamite. Personal color favorites are green/white, chartreuse/white and yellow/white – red, blue and purple are other popular colors. Add a worm-tail trailer to the 8/0 hooks used on the skirts for a bit more action.
