Joe Winn and crew limited on halibut today by Hog. All fish ate live anchovies except for the first one that ate a tray anchovy. I take this to mean that it wasn't super easy to catch anchovies. Joe tells me it's worth the trouble, though. Big fish weighed 26 pounds. It was also their last fish, and after boating it they gave their remaining liveys to another boat. These are gentlemen. I wonder what it's like to be one?

    On the salmon front, out of several boats trying, there was only one caught and it was out in 200 feet of water off of the middle of Ten Mile in a mess of jellyfish. One. The fishermen tried for a few hours for a repeat but were only rewarded with more jelly. I think they caught the salmon. I know you wanted it. Heck, I wanted it. But the Riffles caught it.

  

     Cameron sent me this picture yesterday and I forgot to post it for him. It is part of the SBS series. As some readers of this blog are educated in the Navigation Rules, this picture brings up the question: What is the proper day shape to be deployed here? Also: When does a boat become a train? Is the operator of the towing vessel a captain or engineer? Why was the person in the last boat paddling astern? So many questions, and only one with an actual answer.

    Finally, here's a definitive answer to why I'm wrong about my interpretation of the Navigation Rules:

"Thanks for the safety remarks.  Most of the Bodega commercials avoid the shallows when the sporties are there, going where there may be less fish but also less headaches. When I troll shallow with the sporties, I only have my 2 forward lines out so I can make fast turns when the unexpected happens.  I know a couple of my compatriots do the same.  A troller with his floats out cannot make tight turns.

In addition to the hazards you mentioned: 

There are a very few crusty old commercials on the coast (none in Bodega, fortunately) that have a reputation for never turning when approaching another boat, sports or commercial.  One from up north was down several years ago and caused enough problems that we reported him to the coasties.  Bullheadedness can be found everywhere.

When we troll the shallows, we usually have our 50 lb. leads near the bottom, and troll the contour lines on the chart.  From the bird to the elephant that means we have to turn out when avoiding another boat.  Sometimes that means crowding a boat outside us. Looks bad, but but unavoidable.  We have to crowd each other sometimes for the same reason. Locking a lead in the rocks is costly at best, and can result in breaking a pole and worse. I switch to Ch. 9 in there, so I have a chance to explain what I will have to do if that comes up, and hope the guy I’m crowding is listening. Usually I try to fish outside the sports fleet but not out into the jelly. On the beach it is less of a problem, dragging in sand rarely causes a problem, and who knows, maybe catches a halibut.

One of my pet peeves is when a sporty is running along, watching his plotter for a bait ball, and stops to mooch right in front of me.  Happens a couple of times each year.  I do the best I can, and haven’t yet hit anyone.  Some people are just clueless.

I guess the bottom line is to accept that some people are ignorant, stupid, inexperienced, or just plain aggressive, and try to avoid them.  Like the asshole who rides your bumper on a narrow road, or runs a late yellow or red light in front of you.  Do your best, and try not to let those types get to you. As one old commercial years ago would say on the radio, “Take it easy, take it light”.

As a former sporty I can see both worlds, and at I’ll soon have to give up commercial and return to a sports boat. I’ll be on my beloved ocean as long as I can."  Thank you, Anonymous Commercial Fisherman, for educating me and anyone else that needed it. I get it. Apologies to Local Legend and Tyeebones. I have read the book and got my Boater's Safety Card, and I've spent some time on the water (and lived! So far...), but clearly I have things to learn from the more knowledgeable, of whom there are quite a few. I will say, though, that when two guys that are waiting for the other one to turn actually hit each other, that's awesome. The ocean is large, not infinite, but comedy is where you find it.