Well, at least there was one fish report last week. So far this week the only other halibut report besides Gage's was one hookup and almost immediate unintended release. So, there's at least one halibut out there. I'm confident that it was something good because bat rays don't come unhooked by themselves. Other than that, there's a few surfperch and a few jacksmelt, unless you go out deep for rockfish on the rare right day. Another right day might appear before the end of the month, but if not, May will bring an opening of the shallows for rockfish. Not the good for filling the fishbox shallows, but the fun fishing shallows. In two weeks, let the fun begin!

     For those looking for more information about the boat sinking in Tomales Bay on Saturday, sorry, they weren't from Lawson's Landing (for once). I have no information other than what I read online, but in my opinion, seven people in a 14 foot boat seems like the boat may have been overloaded. If they had seven limits of clams and the gear to get those clams, that's a lot more weight in an already overloaded boat in windy conditions. So, while I don't know what happened, I have an idea. Please be sensible out there. If you think that what you're doing may be sketchy, stop doing it. 

 

    Finally, a fishing report! Better, a catching report. Gage says the halibut are biting! Actually, Gage says this halibut bit, but no others in a few hours of trolling way back in the bay. So the one friendly one is gone. It is still early, and based upon the bite in San Francisco Bay, our good bite is still four to six weeks away, but there's hope! Just not much hope. It bodes well for May halibut fishing, though. 

     Salmon season has officially been settled by the PFMC. The first line of the press release: "The Pacific Fishery Management Council has adopted recommendations for ocean salmon fishing along the Pacific west coast in 2024. The seasons provide recreational and commercial opportunities in northern areas of the coast but include significant reductions and closures in southern portions of the coast to achieve conservation goals for goals for both Chinook and coho salmon stocks." The "significant reductions and closures" in the case of California is just closure. It gives a bit more meaning to a single  halibut caught in the bay, as that is our future this year, it seems. And rockfish, and stripers, and bluefin, maybe, when the time is right. So maybe next year for salmon, if enough waster was allowed to flow in the rivers at the right time to allow enough smolts to make it to San Francisco Bay. So, maybe 2025? 

      So, things look very, very bad for a salmon season this year, unless you're a salmon. Then it looks damned good! Here's the current plan as the PFMC sees it : https://www.pcouncil.org/documents/2024/04/e-3-a-supplemental-stt-report-1-salmon-technical-team-report-collation-of-preliminary-salmon-management-alternatives-for-2024-ocean-fisheries.pdf/ Notice around page 11 where it says "Closed" a lot in reference to California recreational fisheries. It ain't over until Wednesday, when they make the final decision, and there are guys fighting for a very, very short recreational season. If you're Catholic (or sympathetic) you should light a candle for Mark Gorelnik, who is fighting the good fight for a sport season of some kind. Tilting at windmills, perhaps, but Don Quijote is still remembered after 500 years, so... I'm actually a "season closer", but I didn't offer my opinion to anyone but Gage and my wife, and while those two are very influential on my actions, not so much with the PFMC, who never knew, nor cared. I figured that we, fishermen, will get blamed for any shortage of fish returning to the rivers if there's a lack of them and we're allowed to fish. No season, not my fault. But if I'm going to get blamed, well, I'm gonna earn it. I would fish every day possible, as there were very few offered, and catch all I legally could, so that when I was told that I did it, I could say, "yup", and mean it. It ain't official yet, but it looks like I'm grateful for the opportunity to be a good person, as enforced by the law. It's not decided, officially, yet, but as the magic eight ball says, signs say no. 

       In actual fishing report news, the only report from the bay was "dinner, and not much more" from a very revered and experienced fisherman. Not too many crab out and about. The decent morning weather has had a few beach casters out giving the crab a shot, but success has been, well, not good. A few crab are going home with folks but mostly it's more casting than catching. But, the seasons are changing, and the catching (of almost everything, really) should increase as we approach the solstice. For Dungeness, it's best at the beginning and second best at the end, and well, the end is nigh. So, second best is coming! If you follow that kind of thing. Or, even if you don't, actually. The crab do what the crab do, not what you want them to do. So go crabbing, soon, or wait for November.

     Mark Dorman pointed out to me, late Wednesday night, that, "Willy, Rick has been going out for the last 2 days and getting limits of rockfish and good numbers of lings so it must be open?" So, the complicated answer (we are in California, where the lawyers say to never let a law get uncomplicated or we may become unnecessary) is that the State is allowing fishing for rockfish according to the Federal rules in Federal waters (outside of three miles). What makes it complicated in my opinion is that the State has a legal opinion about what you do in  Mexican waters, as the State says that, since you're landing the fish in California, the State of California can tell you what you can and can't do with them. So, CDFW is basically giving us the season in recognition that their own lawyers work very slowly, but they technically could ticket you as their website says the season is closed. Since my livelihood doesn't depend on rockfishing, I'm staying home. But since nobody has gotten a ticket yet, and it seems like they probably won't, if you want to, go for it. 99% chance that it'll be fine. Probably. 

   A very few guys are doing well crabbing inside the bay. Outside, well, I'm guessing the commercial guys must have been catching a few in close to Dillon Beach because I can see their buoys from my house, and there's a lot of them. The sport guys that I talked to and that had tried the same area had nothing good to say about catching crab. Not much good to say about about being that close to the surf, either. But, if you want to risk for life for almost nothing, there's a tip for you. In a couple of days the commercial pots will be out and you can fight the surf with your rings for almost nothing all by yourself. Or, give the bay a chance. It sucks, too, but occasionally someone does well and almost nobody gets flipped by waves there. Bonus!

    It seems that the surfperch may be in, as the ospreys are doing well. While actual surf fishermen aren't reporting in, I need to rely on birds, it seems. But today at noon there were three ospreys eating surfperch on power poles. Three seems like a lot, but I stare at the tops of power poles far too much and three feasting birds in a mile is a lot. The fish are in. Whether they're in casting range is a different question which I don't know. But they're close, and soon, the stripers will be too.

   

    So we need to wait for the lawyers, it seems. I said rockfish was open today because the California Fish and Game Commission voted it so. But the Office of Administrative Law hasn't had their say, so it ain't legal, yet. As pointed out by a sharp-eyed reader, "Willie,

 

First, thank you for helping keep everyone up to speed on the latest regulations.  Your last post on March 28^th posted, in part, a Fish and Wildlife statement, “Once the regulations become effective, CDFW’s Summary of Recreational Groundfish Fishing Regulations web page will be updated with 2024 regulations. Before fishing, anglers should refer to this web page for the season openings and other regulatory information.”

 

     You followed with a statement,  “ So, you can fish for rockfish outside of the 50 fathom line starting Monday.”

 

Unfortunately the regulations have not been updated because they have not completed the administrative law review process yet.  I am told that usually takes 10 days, so that would put us around April 8^th before we can legally fish for deep water rockfish.  My 89 year old dad has a limited number of fishing days left in him.  I schedule a day off work to take advantage of Tuesday’s rare April weather off shore.  I now have to cancel because the regulations have not become effective.  I don’t know if wardens are going to be enforcing this technicality, but if they are there is going to be some really pissed off fishermen.

 

Regards,

 

Brad Stompe" Thank you Brad. I guess you have to fish for bluefin, black cod, sand dabs or petrale sole until the administrative lawyers have spoken.