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Santa Cruz Fishing

Beautiful beaches and weather make Santa Cruz a popular tourist destination. Fermín de Lasuén from Spain established Mission Santa Cruz in 1791. Some time after the Conquest of California, Santa Cruz was incorporated as a city. In 1907, the city constructed the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk, and Santa Cruz soon became recognized as a seaside resort community. Monterey Bay and the San Lorenzo River are two major bodies of water, where you can go fishing.

Popular inshore species you may catch while Santa Cruz fishing include Bluefin Tuna, Cabezon, Flounder, Halibut, Lingcod, Rockfish and Sea Bass. King Salmon is a highly sought after fish that you could target nearshore. Other species that you have a good chance of catching while nearshore Santa Cruz fishing are Cabezon, Halibut, and Lingcod. Albacore Tuna and Bluefin Tuna are plentiful much of the season offshore. If you are in Santa Cruz during fall, you may want to head to the mouth of the San Lorenzo River to target Silver Salmon. In 2011, a record White Sea Bass was caught off of the Santa Cruz shore that weighed 79 pounds. It was also one of the largest Sea Bass to be caught on rod and reel.

Fishing Forecast

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Santa Cruz Fishing Forecast

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Based on historical data for fishing {{ locationText }}, you should target one of the following species for this time of year:

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*** PLEASE NOTE ***

Please check local, state/province, and federal laws before fishing for any species found on this site. All data is based on historical data found for this area, and in some cases as far back as the year 1600.

View full Santa Cruz Fishing Forecast to see all species.

Latest Santa Cruz Fishing Reports

2025
Our fishing season kicks back in on April 1. Get ready for some great fishing action. Click here to see our Latest Newsletter for a 2025 fishing forecast and a special discou
That’s a Wrap!
Thanks everyone for a fantastic 2024 season. We had a lot of great times and a lot of great fishing! Looking forward to seeing you next fishing season. We start back up April
October 27
As good as it gets! Jurassic Park deep reef for lingcod and reds with a great group. Thanks for making this a very special trip. The post October 27 appeared first on Montere
October 26
Wow what a day. Steady hauling in big reds to 10 pounds and lingcod to 18 pounds. Awesome weather too. Here’s a pic of some of the fish caught. The post October 26 appeared f
October 23
Jurassic Park deep reef today for some lingcod and rockcod action. After getting live bait dropped in our lines and 13yo Cruz had the biggest Ling of the day at 19 pounds. We
October 20
Much better water conditions today and it was fish on all day long. Lingcod reds and chili peppers Oh My! The post October 20 appeared first on Monterey Bay and Santa Cruz Fi
October 19
Great time at Jurassic Park deep reef today. Lings and things! The post October 19 appeared first on Monterey Bay and Santa Cruz Fishing Charters.
October 17
We have perfect weather for Saturday through Thursday to fish Jurassic Park. Jurassic Park fishing closes after October 31st so if you’ve been wanting to get into big fish th
October 14
Awesome Jurassic Park trip and awesome crew. Water was pretty big and bumpy but the guys toughed through it and smashed the lingcod using live bait. Also caught vermillion (r
October 12
Jurassic Park Deep Reef again today and the lingcod were biting! Also brought home reds and chili pepper and petrale sole.` Flat as a pancake water today. The post October 12

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Top Santa Cruz Fishing Spots

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The Top 10 Fishing Spots for Santa Cruz are the following:

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Bait & Tackle

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Top Santa Cruz Bait & Tackle Stores

Coyote Discount Bait & Tackle
A local tackle shop with deep roots in the fishing community for over 40 years. Swing by and test our knowledge!
Fisherman's Warehouse
In 1982 we started as one small store, Delta Bait & Tackle, in Manteca, California. Since then, we’ve changed our name and grown into the largest tackle outfitter in Northern California. At Fisherman’s Warehouse you’ll find our staff are experien
Sportsmen's Supply

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Top Santa Cruz Fishing Charters & Guides

Monterey Bay Charters
MEGA-BITE is the premier 6-pack charter boat located in the Santa Cruz Yacht Harbor and we fish the Monterey Bay. We provide all types of charters aboard our spacious 32x12 foot 630 horsepower Sport Sedan. We can take up to six people fishing for sa
Capitola and Santa Cruz Boat Rentals
Santa Cruz Boat Rentals and Capitola Boat and Bait have the only motorized ocean skiffs for rent on Monterey Bay, so if you want to get out there, you want to come here! Our shops are located on the Santa Cruz and Capitola wharves, making them the pe
Chartle Charters
Premier All-inclusive Santa Cruz Sport Fishing Charters for groups up to 6 anglers aboard the comfortable 34' Hatteras Yacht "Taylor-Gene".