Warm Water And Great Fishing In Santa Monica

SANTA MONICA—On September 8, warmer waters off the coast of Santa Monica have local fishermen and anglers reeling in fish that normally occupy the waters off the coast of Mexico. Marine heat waves brought larger fish such as, bass, perch, mackerel, halibut… The fish normally caught further south are swimming closer to the shore. Water temperatures at the Santa Monica Pier were reportedly between 74 and 75 degrees, well above the normal range this time of year. ABC first reported about local Sea Captain, Tony Villanueva, who caught, “The biggest yellowtail I’ve ever seen up here.” “During an El Niño event, the tropical Pacific Ocean experiences a large pool of warm water that shifts and expands. According to atmospheric scientists at UCLA, coastal currents carry this warmth up along the Pacific coastline, heating subsurface and surface waters off Southern California. Normally, coastal winds drive an ‘upwelling’ process that pulls cold, nutrient-rich water up to the surface. El Niño disrupts this mechanism, leaving the water significantly warmer than the typical seasonal average (such as reaching 75°F off the Santa Monica Pier instead of the mid-60s),” Sunrise Surf Academy stated. “Hi guys, haven’t been posting for a while, figure I dig up the account and post something worthwhile, that something is Yellowtail!!! They are showing up at Oceanside pier, along with too many Bonito, this year fishing is crazy I tell ya. People getting stringer full of Bonito and I got a small Yellowtail on Sabiki rig. I saw them last week and a fishing friend of mine lost one of his Sabiki also. They are chasing bait and are mixed in with the Bonito school.” And the local fisherman closed with some words of encouragement. “Get out there,” was reported on the Pier and Surfing Fishing message board September 7. YouTube says a sabiki, is a multi-hook fishing rig used to catch small baitfish like mackerel, sardines, and anchovies. This fisherman was using his rig, to catch much bigger fish. The SM Pier Surf Forecast and Surf Report announced the best quality surf is September 9 at 2 a.m. PST. Most Powerful Swell is September 10 at 2 p.m. PST at an estimated 2.5 feet. The largest open ocean swell is expected on Friday, September 11, at 8 a.m. PST. By Sharon