“It is local, deep, mysterious, and full of more life than we even know about,” said Capt. Tiffany Vague (owner of Vague Custom Fishing Rods about the Santa Cruz Basin, south of Santa Cruz Island and less than 30 miles from Santa Barbara, as the crow flies. Capt. Vague served as captain on many charter boat trips to the area.
As our leading local custom fishing rod maker, Capt. Vague has made fishing rods designed for battling many of the region’s sportfish including one of the most famous denizens of the deepwater basin, swordfish. These big fish call the big basin home, and they are absolutely delicious.
Several miles off the south side of Santa Cruz Island is a topographic feature so pronounced that it has a profound effect on the entire local food chain. Within the span of a half dozen miles, the topography rises from the depths of the 6,000-foot-deep Santa Cruz Basin, to the peaks of the nearby island mountains … an elevation gain of better than 8,000 feet.
This dramatic rise makes the mountain behind Santa Barbara look small. It causes major upwelling and channels great quantities of water along impressive and well-defined current breaks.
The upwelling feeds the lower end of the food chain, and the current breaks attract the upper end of the food chain which includes our favorite target species like the swordfish which likes to feed at roughly 1,400 to 2,000 feet deep along the sides of the underwater mountainside or escarpment.
This mysterious basin also holds Humboldt squid at times, which is yummy to the swordfish, and is the favorite bait of people fishing for the sworded predators. Market squid hold in the depths, come up to the surface and move into the island and mainland shallows to spawn around full moons. The deep basin is a major resource for our complex food web.
If you love spending hot days exploring or perhaps in pursuit of the glory fish of summer, such as yellowtail, dorado, marlin, shark, and maybe even tuna, then the Santa Cruz Escarpment is a good place to go prospecting. Trolling along the long current breaks is an effective technique for marlin, shark, and tuna.
Those current breaks tend to gather kelp paddies, so have a rig ready to cast to paddies as they come to bear, in search of yellowtail or dorado.
Closer to the island, white seabass, yellowtail, and surface gamefish, such as bonito and barracuda are on tap. Chasing bird activity and skittering baitfish is a really fun way to target the surface feeders.
Capt. Vague reports getting into some really good bonito bites at Santa Cruz Island by chasing surface activity. White seabass and yellowtail are best fished for in water ranging from 30 to 120 feet. Meter around until concentrations of baitfish, squid, or big fish are metered, then anchor or drift the area and soak whole squid or sardines on sliding sinker rigs and dropper loops.
White jigs near the bottom are effective for white seabass, while blue/white and scrambled egg colors cranked up through the water column at high speed are intended to hook hungry yellowtail. Hotspots for seabass and yellowtail will be east of the Gull Island MPA, Pink Ribbon, Yellowbanks, and Sandstone Point.
— Capt. David Bacon operates WaveWalker Charters and is president of SOFTIN Inc., a nonprofit organization providing seafaring opportunities for those in need. Visit softininc.blogspot.com to learn more about the organization and how you can help. Click here to read previous columns. The opinions expressed are his own.
