Linda Fender of Huntington Harbor with her 1st rooster while Captain decides where to go.

The most predictable thing about fishing in August at East Cape is that before you head out, the decision of what you want to catch needs to be made' this accounts for all the boats hanging out close to shore around the bait guys, hopefully catching a few roosters, jacks or whatever else will bite.

Meanwhile, the savvy Captains have their ears glued to the radio as they flip from one secret channel to another trying to decide in which direction to run. Suddenly the Captain tells the anglers to reel in; the boat speeds up and everyone grabs a rail or sits down.

If the boat heads south, chances are you going have a box full of dorado and maybe a few of the gorilla sized tuna that are being caught right now traveling with the porpoise. If the boat heads straight out from the lighthouse, blue marlin will be the target where there is always the chance of catching a huge one (400 plus); it is more likely however that the blue marlin caught will be much smaller...in the 200 to 300 pound class. If the boat turns north outside of Punta Pescadero chances are it will be a day of trolling...interspersed with a sporadic sail or marlin bite.

If the beach is your venue, go at gray light and carry lots of liquids! I can't promise what the bite will be but I can promise it will be hot. If you fished from a boat the day before, go where ever you found the bait guys selling the sardina. Most of the beach action this week has consisted of small roosters and jacks, along with ladyfish and a few pompano.