A brief break in the wind was enough of a window to prove productive for at least one boat yesterday. Dimitri Fogal, on advice from Gage, discovered a temperature break across from Marshall in around 20 feet of water. The warmer water was a toasty 59° F and the bait was plentiful. He tacked back and forth across it repeatedly dragging a fluke with a green hoochie slid over the top behind a dodger. He was about to pack up and move on when this halibut heard that Gage's reputation as an information source was on the line if Dimitri didn't hook something pretty quick, so it took the bullet for Gage this time around. And cute as that fish is, it's one of the nicest halibut I've seen to date this season.

Otherwise the halibut front has been mostly quiet. More rumblings than anything else. The recent winds, besides keeping folks off the water, have slowed the water warming, likely postponing the proper start of the good halibut bite, and this week calls for more of it, certainly further offshore. Closer to shore, the wind may be lighter, but between the open water and pinpoint forecasts from NOAA, it is wise to be prepared for the worse of the two. Rockfish are certainly still to be had out there. Though we haven't launched too many boats in the last few days, I know of at least one boat that shot down to Abbott's for a quick limit yesterday, but if one were to try to replicate it over the next few days, they should be prepared for a windy ride home.

So, what exactly does Gage do while he's waiting for the wind to die and the bite to get livelier? Why, he thumbs a ride down to San Diego for another go on the Polaris Supreme with fish slaying regulars Ed Parsons, Steve Werlin, and Eddy Kim. Their quick trip resulted in boat limits of bluefin. Hopefully they left a couple out there for me and the rest of Polaris's next load, and hopefully I can pry my gear away from Gage long enough to hook a fish myself.