Tom Treadway, Isiah Machado and Tito Machado won the salmon fishing today at Lawson's Landing. The largest weighed in at 28 pounds and the smallest pictured, while not weighed in, hardly qualifies as small. Their experience today captures the salmon situation right now. When they landed their sixth salmon (not pictured; legal but not as impressive as these beasts) a neighboring fishermen yelled at them that they had to leave as they were limited on salmon. Two takeaways: First, that's not the law. You are allowed a 20 fish limit, two of which can be salmon. You may continue to fish, just not for salmon (even though you must still conform to salmon rules as you have salmon on board). As the Treadway group caught salmon, rockfish and halibut in the area they could continue to fish. Second, If a neighboring boater knows how many fish you have caught it's because he hasn't any. Nobody catching fish pays that much attention to another fisherman. And if you are paying that much attention, maybe you should be concentrating on your fishing. It is also indicative of the fact that most fishermen came up short today. Even Gage (gasp!) couldn't catch a keeper salmon today (he quit and caught halibut instead). A few guys whomped 'em and a lot of guys didn't. Fishing....

   Speaking of guys that were whomping 'em. Woodrow Deloria of Placerville caught this 32 pound slug today. His personal best, I think I heard him say, and for sure the largest salmon on our bragging board. So far. Gage has you in his sights, Woodrow. But you probably shouldn't worry. That's a damn nice fish.

  Here's another two-for-the-price-of-one picture. When your son is sending you pictures of his bait it means the fishing is slow. But when your son sends you pictures of a sardine he caught while trying for live bait near Hog Island it get's you excited for the possibilities. Live sardines are like halibut catnip. And yes, this sardine caught a halibut. 

    I heard a rumor today that somebody fishing out of Lawson's Landing caught two bluefin out at Cordell and got spooled by another. That's a damn fine rumor and I'd like everyone to close their eyes and picture me catching a couple of 150 pound bluefin tuna. That's what I'm doing. It's all I've got, as, to the best of my knowledge, nobody from here even got close to going out there in the last few days. Onemore posted a report from a Tuesday reconnaissance in the comments on Sunday's post. Good signs, but no fish. By the way, thanks for looking. From the scattered reports it appears the bluefin have slipped back south of Monterey, for the moment. Things change, as they always do. They'll change again. Maybe even for the better.  Don't worry, if history is any indicator I will blab about any tuna caught here, and if I catch a big one I will talk about it until you're sick of hearing it. And then keep talking...