Brian Miller caught this 27 pound halibut today, making him the winner. He and Swampy limited on halibut, catching them on live "whatever we could catch", which included anchovies, shiner perch, jacksmelt, and even a random juvenile rockfish. They couldn't catch much bait (a common theme, lately) but the bait they caught worked. There were a few caught on dead bait today as well. Other than that I heard of only one salmon caught (Tim) off of Tomales Point. The weather was about as unpredictable as it gets with winds randomly shifting directions, blowing hard then hardly blowing, rain, lightning, but no snow. 

   As to the comments in yesterday's post about two vessels possibly colliding, I hadn't heard about that but it probably happened. It happens every year. I realize that commercial guys, especially guys that fish alone, have a hard time working the pit and driving the boat at the same time. But the rule is, you need to watch out. It is literally Rule 5. And commercial trolling does not make you a "vessel engaged in fishing." That's defined in Rule 3. We all need to watch out for each other and move out of each other's way. It's not just polite, it's the law. If someone is a jackass and not looking where they're going then you need to avoid having them hit you. It's actually Rule 8. Everyone is responsible for collision avoidance. And two guys trolling into each other is generally just hot jackass on jackass action. There's a lot of rules (you can see them here) but Rule 8 is the one to take to heart. Stay out of each other's way. Nobody has the right of way, there's just some boats that have a harder time avoiding you so you need to do a good job of avoiding them. 

RULE 3 General Definitions For the purpose of these Rules and this Chapter, except where the context otherwise requires: ......... (d) The term “vessel engaged in fishing” means any vessel fishing with nets, lines, trawls, or other fishing apparatus which restricts maneuverability, but does not include a vessel fishing with trolling lines or other fishing apparatus which do not restrict maneuverability;

RULE 5 Look-out Every vessel shall at all times maintain a proper look-out by sight and hearing as well as by all available means appropriate in the prevailing circumstances and conditions so as to make a full appraisal of the situation and of the risk of collision.