Santa Cruz Wharf pics — halibut and pink salmon

[Ken Jones]

Caught by Q3fishboy and yes, apparently a few pink salmon do reach down into the area every other year. Although previously working at the Love Lab at Santa Barbara with Dr. Lpve, Roy is now at UC Santa Cruz and enjoys fishing the wharf. He said there was a time last summer at the wharf when several of the regulars limited out on the halibut. Bait? Live anchovies caught from the wharf.

 

[Charro]

Are Pink Salmon a type of salmon, such as Chum or King salmon?

 

[Ken Jones]

Yes, pretty much all of the salmon have been caught in California:

King Salmon (San Diego to Bering Sea)
Silver or Coho Salmon (Baja California to Bering Sea)
Pink Salmon (La Jolla to Alaska)
Chum Salmon ( Del Mar to the Artic)
Sockeye Salmon (Sacramento River system to Bering Sea)

But none are really commonly caught in California with the exception of King Salmon (although Silver Salmon were once common and many are still caught each year). I had never heard of a pink being caught from a California pier but Roy generally knows his fish.

 

[Sin Coast]

Whoa thats crazy! During salmon season, using proper gear, it would be allowed to keep too! There have been more pink & chum salmon than normal appearing in various CA systems during the last 2yrs. But I haven’t heard of anybody catching one in the ocean! Very cool catch.

 

[avidangler]

I saw a pink salmon caught off the Monterey Pier some years back.