Aside from some crab in the bay and a very few surfperch there's not much catching to report on. It sounds like the herring spawned in Richardson Bay last weekend but I haven't heard about a spawn here in Tomales Bay.
    On February 21 the California Fish and Game Commission will consider rules about using hand-operated water pumps for clams. Here's what those pumps look like:

   Their use is at least a two-person operation with one person operating the pump and another laying down using the "wand" to liquefy the sand over and around a clam and allow the clammer to reach into the sand and pull out the clam. It isn't quite as easy as it sounds but it is quicker than digging a hole. The water intake on the bottom of the pump requires it to be used in the water, so actually having the clam beds submerged by 4 inches to a foot of water is a necessity. Many of the days that don't have tides low enough to dig a clam have tides low enough to pump clams. That, to me, is the biggest problem. The clams get hit pretty hard by shovel-wielding clammers but the tides low enough to dig clams only happen on maybe 160 days per year. How many clams will be left if everyone can get clams 300 days per year? It seems to me that a gear restriction or a season would be a good thing for all of us. If you feel strongly about it, either way, send your comments to:

• E-mail to fgc@fgc.ca.gov
• Mail to California Fish and Game Commission, P.O. Box 944209, Sacramento, CA 94244-2090

   Also on February 21 there is a petition to shorten the grunion season and place a limit of ten on them. I only know of a couple of guys that get grunion up here, but wrybread, please note that the proposed closed season here would only include the months in which you could actually get a grunion. The rest of the year is wide open.