What's up? I hope you had a good Christmas or whatever solstice holiday you're in to. The days are getting longer now! No fimbulwinter for you! Hopefully not for me, either. Dungeness continue to be caught inside the bay and out, although getting out has been hard (read: impossible) for a bit with swells over 15 feet shutting down the mouth of the bay. For the next week the forecast doesn't look much better between the swell and the wind. It looks like the rockfish will be safe for a few months. We have a few more weeks of crabbing without the use of traps, at least that many, but the commercials haven't started dropping pots en masse yet, so if the weather gives us an unpredicted break it might be worth quick run to Salmon Creek. 

    Brad Stompe sent over a report from last Thursday. My apologies for the late post but there have been a few things going on and I get easily distracted. "Hey willie,

I was fishing out of Bodega on Thursday and heard the call from Coast Guard about the capsized boat.  Good on ya for stopping and helping that poor soul out.  I'm mostly fishing the coast in my Grady 228 these days, but still have my trusty 17' Montauk that I have spent many hours in off the Sonoma and Marin coast.  Fortunately I have yet to swamp it, but I always believed that it would float a little higher above the water line than what was shown in your pictures.  I'm curious to know what size Whaler that was and do you think the hull was already water logged.

That off shore wind was a challenge for us trying to get a straight up pull on our rings and hoops, but we did manage 3 limits of decent crabs and then scooted up to Ft. Ross Reef for a couple limits of medium rockfish (no lings damn it) before heading back to beat the minus tide at the boat ramp.

I always enjoy reading your reports and depend on them as a source of information for that area.  I wish you tight lines and a safe and productive new year.

Regards,

Brad Stompe

Battled ship grey Grady 228 "Mary Frances"" It was a 13 foot Whaler with a 50hp motor. Unsinkable and unrollable are two different things. 

     So the CDFW has spoken on the decision on traps and commercial crabbing. Official statement to follow, but the bottom line is that the commercial guys get to drop traps for Dungeness starting on December 28, statewide. From Gualala south, commercials can only use half of their pots. They can regulate that by the tags that are issued to each fisherman for their pots. Half of those tags, which are normally attached to the buoys, shall be onboard the boat. Non-tagged buoys and pots may not be fished. Us sporties get to stick with hoops for a while, as we aren't allowed to use traps, yet. Maybe later. Here's the official word: "

Risk Assessment and Mitigation Program Update -  December 22, 2022

California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) Director Charlton H. Bonham has assessed entanglement risk under the Risk Assessment Mitigation Program (RAMP) and continued the temporary trap restriction for the recreational crab fishery in Fishing Zones 3-6 due to elevated entanglement risk. The commercial Dungeness crab fishery will open statewide on Dec. 31, 2022. Fishing Zones 3-6 (all areas south of the Sonoma/Mendocino county Line) will open under a 50 percent trap reduction on Dec. 31, 2022 at 12:01 a.m., with a 64-hour gear setting period to begin on Dec. 28, 2022 at 8:01 a.m. This trap reduction will help reduce risk of entanglement as humpback whales continue to migrate to winter breeding grounds. Commercial Dungeness crab vessels operating in Fishing Zones 3-6 must understand and comply with the restrictions by reviewing the CDFW Declaration. Any commercial Dungeness Crab vessel fishing in or transiting Fishing Zones 3-6, regardless of fishing location, is subject to the 50 percent reduction and must have at least half of their valid buoy tags for the current fishing season onboard and available for inspection by CDFW at all times until the trap reduction is lifted. Fishing Zones 1 and 2 (Mendocino, Humboldt and Del Norte counties) had been delayed due to poor meat quality results but recent tests indicate crab are ready for market. The fishery will open on Dec. 31, 2022 at 12:01 a.m., with a 64-hour gear setting period that will begin at 8:01 a.m. on Dec. 28, 2022. The full news release can be found at the CDFW News Room and for more information, please visit CDFW’s Whale Safe Fisheries Webpage.

"

   

    So, Gage and I launched at 8:30 this morning and headed out for some rockfishing. King tides made launching...... complicated, but we made it in. After crossing the bar we saw what looked like a guy in a tiny white boat between the TB buoy and the tip of Tomales Point, closer to the point. We were veering around him to avoid waking him when he started waving. We went over to him and as we approached we discovered that he was, in fact, sitting on the bottom of an overturned Whaler. His boat flipped as he was pulling his hoops when east wind-driven waves slopped over his stern and the boat rolled in seconds. He had time to grab his phone as the boat rolled over. He was chatting with the friendly folks at 911 when we pulled up. We discovered that dudes are heavier than the tuna we catch and are hard to pull over the gunnel. Also, no gaffs were used, for the record, which may have made it easier. We hauled him back in to the Landing, then ran back out and towed in the boat. Floating boats tow way better than overturned ones, it seems. Upside-down boat tow like boat-sized Rapalas. Thank goodness that the tide was still coming in. With the crazy high tide we couldn't pull the boat out, but we were able to drop it in the shallows with some help from Cameron and the Marin County Fire Department. After the tide dropped the boat got flipped upright and trailered. Gage and I continued out for limits of small rockfish and keeper lings by a bit after noon. The east wind made fishing a bit complicated but the fish still bit, just not as well as one would hope. They fried up well. Yum. 

     So, you may ask, what's going on in fishing and crabbing in Dillon Beach? Good question. While this past month has had some of the best fishing weather of the year (if you like flat water and little wind) the choices of fish to catch are minimal and get worse after December. Next year's rules are: "

Media Contacts: Caroline McKnight, CDFW Marine Region, (831) 277-7683 Jordan Traverso, CDFW Communications, (916) 212-7352

New Recreational Groundfish Fishing Regulations Coming in the New Year Changes to recreational fishing seasons, depth limits and bag limits for a variety of groundfish species will be implemented in 2023. The new regulations were adopted by the Pacific Fishery Management Council in June 2022 and the California Fish and Game Commission in November 2022 and are expected to take effect on or around Jan. 1, 2023. As in previous years, the boat-based fishery for most groundfish species will be closed statewide beginning Jan. 1, while spear divers and shore-based anglers will continue to have year-round fishing opportunities for groundfish. For groundfish including Rockfish, Cabezon and Greenling (RCG) as well as lingcod, the boat-based seasons will bring a mix of increased and reduced fishing opportunities, depending on the species. Unlike prior years, all Groundfish Management Areas will have a portion of the season when ‘all-depth’ fishing is allowed and anglers are not subject to the Rockfish Conservation Area (RCA) depth constraints. This allows new fishing opportunities for deeper-water shelf and slope rockfish, which are most abundant in areas that have been previously closed to recreational groundfish fishing. The following is a summary of the new boat-based regulations for RCG species and lingcod in each management area: Southern Management Area between 34°27' N. latitude (Point Conception) and the U.S./Mexico border: For nearshore rockfish, cabezon and greenlings: closed Jan. 1 through March 31, open at all depths April 1 through Sept. 15, closed Sept. 16 through Dec. 31. For all other rockfish (shelf and slope species) and lingcod: closed Jan. 1 through March 31, open at all depths April 1 through Sept. 15. From Sept. 16 through Dec. 31, take of shelf and slope rockfish and lingcod is open seaward of the 50 fathom RCA line. Take is prohibited shoreward of the 50 fathom RCA line. Additional regulations still apply within the Cowcod Conservation Areas.  Central Management Area between 37°11' N. latitude (Pigeon Point) and 34°27' N. latitude (Point Conception): For nearshore rockfish, cabezon and greenlings: closed Jan. 1 through April 30, open at all depths May 1 through Sept. 30, closed Oct. 1 through Dec. 31. For all other rockfish (shelf and slope species) and lingcod: closed Jan. 1 through April 30, open at all depths May 1 through Sept. 30. From Oct. 1 through Dec. 31, take of shelf and slope rockfish and lingcod is open seaward of the 50 fathom RCA line. Take is prohibited shoreward of the 50 fathom RCA line. San Francisco Management Area between 38°57.5' N. latitude (Point Arena) and 37°11' N. latitude (Pigeon Point): For nearshore rockfish, cabezon and greenlings: closed Jan. 1 through July 15, open at all depths July 16 through Dec. 31. For all other rockfish (shelf and slope species) and lingcod: closed Jan. 1 through May 14. From May 15 through July 15, take of shelf and slope rockfish and lingcod is open seaward of the 50 fathom RCA line. Take is prohibited shoreward of the 50 fathom RCA line. From July 16 through Dec. 31, open at all depths. Mendocino Management Area between 40°10' N. latitude (near Cape Mendocino) and 38°57.5' N. latitude (Point Arena): For nearshore rockfish, cabezon and greenlings: closed Jan. 1 through July 15, open at all depths July 16 through Dec. 31. For all other rockfish (shelf and slope species) and lingcod: closed Jan. 1 through May 14. From May 15 through July 15, take of shelf and slope rockfish and lingcod is open seaward of the 50 fathom RCA line. Take is prohibited shoreward of the 50 fathom RCA line. From July 16 through Dec. 31, open at all depths. Northern Management Area between the California/Oregon state line and 40°10' N. latitude (near Cape Mendocino): For rockfish, cabezon, greenlings and lingcod: closed Jan. 1 through May 14, open at all depths May 15 through Oct. 15, closed Oct. 16 through Dec. 31. Anglers will need to identify rockfish species they catch, and beginning in 2023, be able to determine if the fish is categorized as a nearshore, shelf or slope rockfish species, as different seasons and depths apply to each category depending on the Groundfish Management Area and month. The RCG bag limit will remain at 10 fish in combination of rockfish, cabezon and greenlings, with sub-bag limits of not more than four vermilion rockfish, one copper rockfish and one quillback rockfish. Take and possession of cowcod, yelloweye and bronzespotted rockfish will remain prohibited. The new groundfish regulations are a significant departure from the fishing seasons and depth limits that anglers are accustomed to and are necessary due to scientific information suggesting that copper rockfish and quillback rockfish populations are in severe decline. The season structures for each management area were developed in consultation with fishing industry representatives, non-governmental organizations and state, federal and tribal governments, and were designed to provide the greatest amount of groundfish fishing time and opportunity to anglers throughout the year. “While recognizing there are concerns with copper and quillback rockfish that will reduce nearshore fishing time in the near-term, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) is excited to offer recreational anglers new deeper-water and offshore bank and reef opportunities for groundfish that have been closed for more than two decades,” said CDFW Environmental Program Manager Marci Yaremko. “We look forward to seeing the diversity of healthy species come across the docks in the coming years as significant new fishing grounds will now be available to recreational angling.” There are also changes for several species that have been subject to boat-based closures in the past, which may offer new alternatives for boat-based anglers as early as January. They include: New year-round opportunities: ocean whitefish, California scorpionfish, leopard shark, soupfin shark, Dover sole, English sole, arrowtooth flounder, spiny dogfish, skates, ratfish, grenadiers, finescale codling, Pacific cod, Pacific whiting, sablefish and thornyheads will now be open year-round in all depths, statewide. Boat-based fishing for California sheephead, will be open from March 1 through Dec. 31, statewide. The bag limit, regardless of fishing mode, will decrease from five fish to two fish. To meet harvest goals, the recreational groundfish fishery is subject to in-season regulatory changes. Please stay informed by visiting CDFW’s summary of recreational groundfish fishing regulations webpage before fishing.

"  I bolded the part for us. Short form, no rockfishing until mid-May, and no rockfishing where you want to fish until mid-July. Deep-water rockfishing will open sooner and run the year, it just will cost more in gas and be more highly restricted by weather. But when you get there, have your filet knives sharpened. Booyah.

    In the crab department, it mostly sucks locally. Inside Tomales Bay has been hard; outside in the Outer bay not much better. Snarers have caught a few from shore but numbers aren't awesome. Not many limits but a few dinners were had. Sales of hotlinks and canned beans has been up. Salmon Creek and points north have been better. Not perfect, but people that crabbed there have been likelier to have crab to share. That may change soon. The recommendation to the CDFW is this: 

"Recreational Fishery: • Lift Crab Trap Prohibition and Issue a Fleet Advisory for Fishing Zones 3, 4, 5 and 6 • Alternative Management Action for consideration by the Working Group is to continue the trap restriction until the next risk assessment (see Section C) The recreational Dungeness crab fishery is currently open statewide in all Fishing Zones (see CCR Title 14, section 29.80(e)), although use of traps is temporarily restricted in Fishing Zones 3-6. CDFW Marine Region’s preliminary recommendation is for the Director to lift the trap restriction in Fishing Zones 3-6 and issue a Fleet Advisory, with specific information on recent humpback whale sighting locations. The recommendation is that the recreational trap restriction be lifted on December 28, 2022, at 8:01am in Fishing Zones 3-6 and a Fleet Advisory issued. 

Commercial Fishery: • Season opener with Gear 50% Gear Reduction (trap reduction) and Fleet Advisory for Fishing Zones 3, 4, 5 and 6 • Alternative Management Action for consideration by the Working Group is to continue the season delay until the next risk assessment (see Section C) The commercial Dungeness crab fishery is currently delayed in all Fishing Zones due to crab meat quality or elevated entanglement risk. Fishing Zones 1 and 2 were evaluated during the November 21, 2022 risk assessment under RAMP and CDFW Marine Region staff’s final recommendation for the commercial fishery was to allow the season to open in these Fishing Zones due to reduced entanglement risk. However, the commercial fishery opener in Fishing Zones 1 and 2 was further delayed pursuant to Fish Page 3 of 5 and Game Code Section 8672.2 (due to quality testing results) until at least December 31, 2022. CDFW Marine Region’s preliminary recommendation is for the Director to open Fishing Zones 3-6 under a Gear Reduction of 50% of allotted traps by permit tier for each permitted vessel and issue a Fleet Advisory on December 31, 2022. Buoy tags issued pursuant to Fish and Game Code 8276.5 shall be reduced consistent with the Director’s declaration and all unused buoys tags shall be onboard the permitted vessel and made available for inspection by the department upon request, pursuant to Section 132.8 (e)(3) Title 14, CCR. Specific information on recent humpback whale sighting locations will be included in the Fleet Advisory. The 64-hour pre-soak would begin for the commercial fishery at 8:01am on December 28, 2022. " 

   So, this ain't the law, yet, but likely will be. When the guys that have been waiting to go crabbing to make money to pay for their lives finally get the opportunity to go, I'm guessing that they're gonna go, given the opportunity. So far, in two years (or less) of whale rules, the recommendations have been adopted as is. Really, no sense in having an advisory panel if you can't blame things on it later. That's what they're for. So, probably, traps will open on December 28. Probably. We should see an official proclamation tomorrow. Again, probably. I'll tell you tomorrow, probably.  

   Slow to okay crabbing in the bay continues, with slightly better numbers from the south end of the outer bay. Better numbers of crab for the few guys going to the far end of Ten Mile, and best results from Salmon Creek up to the Russian River. I caught four commercial-sized Dungeness in one pull with four rings yesterday in the outer bay. Between dropping and pulling I caught a limit of small but tasty blue and yellowtail rockfish and one lingcod out in front of Bird Rock. They weren't as big as I wanted but they sure tasted good. Big ones are for bragging, small ones are for eating. 

    Salmon returns have been disappointing. This bodes poorly for next year's salmon season. As I've mentioned before, the Golden State Salmon Association does good work advocating for salmon and salmon fishermen, and the salmon and salmon fishermen will need some advocating this year. Here's a couple of links: 

   There's a petition to sign to hopefully get salmon a bigger share of the river water. Water = salmon. https://goldenstatesalmon.org/easy-way-to-help-boost-salmon-and-you-can-help/   

    Bodies = political clout. Your name in their membership rolls gets them a little more pull in trying to secure more salmon. If you like salmon, join: https://goldenstatesalmon.org/join/

 

     Matt Kimura sent over this report last night: "Hey Willie,

I was crabbing off Carmet in 100’ doing pretty well until I found this guy in my trap.  She brought in two clam shells with eggs with her.  As delicious as she would have been, I released her.  Matt" It's probably good for her that she brought pictures of her children. I have eaten a bit of octopus and would likely be doing a lot of ethical algebra on this one. Luckily for her, a crab net is not a specifically legal method of take for octopus, so I would have let her go as well. With shaking hands. Shaky, moral and legal hands. It seems like there were more octopus caught this year than usual, usual being me hearing about less than one a year. I heard of several caught this year. What's that mean? As far as I can tell, it means there's more octopuses (octopi?) around.

     Crabbing is the same, not that good unless you're in a good spot, then, well, you know. That spot seems to be north of Bodega, but a few can still be found in the outer bay, and to a lesser extent, inside Tomales. The Tomales Bay bite has been better near Hog than near the mouth lately but neither is very good. A few guys are doing well but most of the rest of us are scratching out a few if we're lucky.

     On the fishing front, rockfish are biting well and will continue to bite well after the season closes at the end of the month. This is your last chance for shallow rockfish until the end of the month. After that the shallows won't be open until July 15. The lingcod are in the shallows now, 40 to 70 feet, so find some structure and you have a good shot at them with a swimbait. Even better shot with live bait (nothing looks more like a live fish than a live fish).

    The crab keep coming, but not many of them. The weather hasn't been the best, so most of the crabbing has been from the shore with varying success. By varying, I mean a few guys got some and the others were jealous. The boaters did a little better but had to work hard for them, trading gasoline for crab. With gas prices dropping the trade is getting slightly better. The guys going to the outer bay have been getting a few but it ain't great.

      The rockfish have been biting in the colder water. Clint hasn't been the only guy catching lingcod, just the only guy catching huge ones. Gage, Alec and I caught three keeper lingcod and two cabezon last Wednesday after trying for bluefin (for nada) earlier in the day. The biters were a welcome distraction. We  threw back twice as many shorties as we kept in the hour we fished at Tomales Point. They were liking the Pitbull swimbaits. 

   

 

     Sorry, Clint, I don't know your last name, but I'm not sorry that you caught this lingcod today. Actually, I'm sorry that I didn't catch it, so there is some sorry on my part. This ling weighed 28 pounds. That's a big ling. Yes, a small portion of this one was eggs, and we should all probably let those breeders go. But, I think a lot of rockfish and other small ocean critters would argue that a few less lingcod may not be the worst thing to happen to the earth. There's still a lot more lings out there and right now is their season for lovin'. Good on you, Clint, and don't read the comments that will inevitably follow. They're just jealous. The rockfish appreciate you. Heck, I do, too.

     So, when we may use traps? Not yet, it seems. I was going to copy-and-paste the report from CDFW but it's easier to, as Nancy Reagan said, just say no. Maybe as soon as December 31 in our area, but it depends on how long the food stays around for the whales to eat. Whales, like bluefin, are here for the eating, not the company, and will leave when the eating gets scarce. The 200+ pelicans eating anchovies in Tomales Bay a few days back seemed to indicate that the day the food runs out ain't today. Maybe soon, but not today. 

   The crab don't care about the company and can't move quick enough to follow the food, so we can look to them for a different opinion. Kind of unsurprisingly, their opinion seems to be, "meh". They are crabs. Crabbing results have been poor on average with a few folks doing okay. A pair of crabbers today limited inside the bay but, "We pulled the gear all day. All. Day." They pulled out around 4:30 and worked their rings, as they said, All. Day. That was a tired pair of dudes. That's about the best crab report, but I have two more. Three local gents (I use that term because appropriate nouns are considered improper) caught 28 Dungeness in the Outer Bay in three hours yesterday. The one guy that was tasked with the pulling looked worked over. But, to be fair, he didn't look all that good before they went out. One other report came from the snarers on the beach in front of the Boathouse. One guy said that he spent all of the daylight on Saturday snaring for nothing, then caught seven keeper Dungeness between 5:00 and 7:00 PM. Sunday was similar, but he caught a limit of ten after dark instead of seven. We all aren't him, so our mileage may vary, but I've heard that crab are nocturnal and are more active then. It may even be true. 

    I was reading on a discussion board a few days ago that the bluefin bite is over in December, so when there appeared to be a small weather window this morning we figured that we better go before it was over. Wrybread (captain of Shrimp Boat), Gage and I hit the water before 6:00 AM and headed for Cordell. We were lucky enough to catch two on their way south, both before 9:30 AM. The second one bit a Halco 190 Max in Hot Sardine at 55 seconds back and weighed, according to the formula, 136 pounds. The first one bit a Nomad 240 in Sardine at 75 seconds back and weighed 154. Trolling was done at 12 knots. Not another boat in sight. The ride back was a bit abusive as the east wind hadn't quit yet and we pounded into the chop for 20 miles, but hey, we'd happily do it again. It was interesting to be going tuna fishing with frost on the deck of the boat. It was like Wicked Tuna: Outer Banks in miniature. The fish bit in the warmest water of the day, 54º F. And I guess in a couple of hours from this writing the bluefin will be gone.

   Or not.

 

       There were a few Dungeness snared off of the beach over the weekend, not many, but a few. More crab were caught from the boats but not a whole lot. One boat worked the outer bay for a total of five Dungeness for one crabber. The south end of Ten Mile has been good; north of Bodega Bay has been even better. Traps will be off the table until the whales leave, and there's quite a few ten miles out. That's been the story of crab season so far.

      The other story this weekend was of kayakers being swept out to sea by the strong outgoing current. The possibility of crab and the extreme tides combined for two afternoons of paddlers being sucked out of the bay. Saturday's foursome were "rescued" from Tomales Point by Henry One, the Sonoma County Sheriff's Helicopter. Today's kayakers got retrieved from Tomales Point by Cameron after he "borrowed" Shrimp Boat from Alec (he was cool with it). Not that anyone who needs to will read this, but check the tides before you decide to come out. Getting dragged out into the surf and dying is a great way to feed the crabs but not a good memory for anybody else. Let's remember, we eat them, not vice versa. 

      Crabbing in the bay remains only okay for most. I heard of a couple of guys that did pretty well. One beach snarer had six Dungeness in the morning. Most beach snarers had far, far less. The big swell that moved in last night may have swept a few Dungeness into the bay. They won't last long, though, not with all the effort. Even with those extra crab the majority of the crabbers went home with less than they expected. The outer bay had some crab yesterday but was unavailable from Tomales Bay today as the bar was impassable. 

    

    Here's a report from yesterday: "Hey Willy, 

Trolled for bluefin from the weather buoy out to the canyon and struck out. Beautiful day on the water. Saw two schools of tuna on top, lots of dolphins, and a few whales. Headed in at 2 and stopped at elephant to make sure I still knew how to fish. Caught some expensive bottom dwellers. Can't wait to try again if the fish hang around. 

Best,

Nate Baker" Gage and I saw you troll by yesterday. We were south of you, trolling north around 11:00. We saw one fish bust the surface and we had one hookup for maybe five seconds before it came off. Our hookup was on the shorter line (50 seconds back) on a Hot Sardine Halco 190. A second boat in the same area hooked and landed two bluefin on Madmacs. The area was just outside of the Bodega Bay weather buoy, with other fish landed near Cordell. The current carrying warm, offshore water continues to push in towards Bodega Bay and Cordell and theoretically the bluefin should continue to hang around until the current quits and/or the anchovies leave. A couple of good storms could do that. So, troll 'em while you can, because like all good things it will soon come to an end.

    Crabbing results were not awesome. The outer bay had some crab for those that worked it hard. I heard the northern part of the bay was full, not so much with crab but with crabbers. Sounds like fun. Inside Tomales Bay the king tides have made for, I guess, king currents? Whatever they're called, the strong currents between the higher high and lower low are making for lots of lost gear. Lots. The high tides also make launching for us impossible, as we wont get our tractors in the salt water. Some folks are deciding to go it on their own. The low tide in the afternoon is making it difficult for both them and us to pull the boats out. A rising tide floats all boats, as they say, but the falling tide seems to make it difficult for everybody, too. 

   Also, it's official; still no traps here (Zone 3): "

California Department of Fish and Wildlife Risk Assessment and Mitigation Program Update

November 21, 2022

California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) Director Charlton H. Bonham has assessed entanglement risk under the Risk Assessment Mitigation Program (RAMP) and continued the temporary trap restriction for the recreational crab fishery in Fishing Zones 3-6 due to elevated entanglement risk. However, the recreational crab trap restriction for Fishing Zones 1 and 2 will be lifted on Nov. 28, 2022 at 9 a.m. CDFW reminds crabbers that take of Dungeness crab by other methods, including hoop nets and crab snares, is allowed during a temporary trap restriction. The commercial Dungeness crab fishery in Fishing Zones 3-6 is further delayed due to continued presence of humpback whales and the potential for entanglement. The commercial Dungeness crab fishery opener has also been delayed in Fishing Zones 1 and 2 due to poor meat quality results. The next risk assessment and round of quality testing is expected to occur on or before December 7, 2022. This will inform a potential December 16, 2022 opener. The full news release can be found at the CDFW News Room and for more information, please visit CDFW’s Whale Safe Fisheries Webpage.

"

 

    Nick Nichols sent over a report and pictures from yesterday: "Hey Willy,

Greg, Sam and myself

went out of Westside yesterday.

Crabbed down by the towers near Point Reyes. 40-50 foot of water.

Two hoops

30 dungies.

Fished the point for 21 rockfish and 1 Lingcod.

Hope all is well and see ya soon."  All is well, thanks, Nick. Even better knowing that there's some crab on Ten Mile. Sad crabbing stories were mostly what I heard from inside the bay today, so I'm glad to hear your happy story. 

    The Bodega Bay weather buoy as a set of cameras on it that take a set of photos every hour. I was thinking, what if the camera showed some tuna, or feeding birds? Well, today, no birds feeding but there's this picture from around 1:00 PM. That's either a dolphin or a tuna. There were more bluefin caught out there today, so tuna in the photo aren't out of the question. It makes me think that if there's so many bluefin out there that they're randomly photobombing the weather buoy page then maybe I have a shot at catching one. 

    Yeah, it's probably a dolphin. 

    I thought that today would be bluefin day. Octopus is good, though. One boat pulled four hoops off of McClure's for, as I recall, two Dungeness, nothing, an octopus, and 30 coonstripe shrimp. That's a good mix. We all want to limit, but a good mix of critters is a strong second best. 

    The crab report wasn't bad, with most crabbers getting a few whether in the bay or out, but aside from the guys that went up to Salmon Creek or the Russian River, mostly there weren't limits. Northerners did well, on average. Southerners? They mostly said that they wished that they had gone north. 

    Rockfish? They were biting. North, south, everybody who tried, caught. Maybe not as much as they wanted, but catching is always good. 

   Okay. Bluefin? They're out there. A lot of them. Holy crap, a lot of them. Will they bite? Mostly no, but a few guys killed it. Not from here. Our best boat got busted off and our other boat was just jealous. But some guys caught, and some caught more than one. Everybody out there saw many, many jumpers. Jumpers generally don't bite, and most bluefin guys can attest to this. As I heard it, and as it seems to work, sometimes, find the fish, then leave. Most bites are not in the fish but are in the blank area adjacent to the fish. I loaned out my only Nomad Madmac but it was cut off by some guy that didn't realize that the lures can be over a quarter mile behind a boat fishing for bluefin. Bluefin are boat shy. Lures far, far behind the boat can work. If you didn't know, you're kind of a jackass, as the rules exist out there and you didn't do the minimal research required. If you did know, you're double jackass. And either way, you owe me a $50 Sardine 200mm Madmac. And if you heard the filthy, foul-language tirade on the radio, good. You deserved it. This is how we learn. For the record, lures can be over a quarter mile behind the trolling boat (at up to 15 knots).  Stay away. The Pacific ocean is pretty large. Only about half the planet. You should find room there to not CUT OFF MY LURE.

    The good news: The outer bay isn't dead, it's just hard. I went back to the place that Gage and I caught six in a hoop and didn't do as well as before but ended up with eight Dungeness out of two pulls of four hoops in less than two hours. I caught nine rockfish while waiting between pulls (Not my spot so I can't share the specifics, but it ain't far from the Tomales Bay buoy.) so the fish are biting if you want to occupy your time with a bent rod.

     This morning I got to go for a ride with Tom Brodsky in his Parker. For the record, cabins are pretty nice. Not even a smidge of hypothermia for me, so that was a plus. Not having Gage made catching bluefin tough, though. We saw a few fish and a few more bird feeding frenzies but never got to hear the drag sing. As bluefin are being caught from Santa Cruz up to Fort Bragg (or further"" in both directions) it seems likely that they might be around a bit longer. Perhaps next week? Definitely with Gage.

   As noted in the comments, this is an edit. "Hello Willy,

Went out for a quick outing after work today. Working on Tomales bay has its perks. Worked three rings off my kayak for a limit in about an hour. Don't think I kept any under 6 1/2". Never had such efficient crabbing. Gave some to some coworkers and still had a mountain to take home. My dog even had a crab feast.

-Wet Willy"  When you're feeding your dog some of your crab, then, yes, you've killed 'em. Did the dog crack and pick the crab? Because if so, my dog and your dog need to have a talk. 

Gage wants everyone to know that the rumors of bluefin near Cordell are false. Nothing to see here. They're not biting Madmacs. Stick with crab. 

 

Tom Brodsky and Gage also wish to report that bluefin number two is even more misinformation.  Looks tasty, though.

 

    Final tally for our boys today was the two bluefin. One went 87 pounds and the other went 100. Both fish bit a 200 Nomad Madmac in sardine with a 4/0 5X Owner treble hook at the tail. Neither fish took longer than 15 minutes to boat. There's lots of fish out there, but almost all of them aren't biting. I heard a couple of other reports and they were about 50:50 for success. This was Gage's fifth or sixth try for NorCal BFT and close to that number of trips for Tom. Way to wear 'em down, boys. 

   That's all the good news for today. In other news, the Dungeness crabbing wasn't very good in Tomales Bay and the outer bay was completely belly, even for the guys that did well there the day before. Our Tomales Outlaw had a good day in the outer bay yesterday but today, after no crab to two runs through the gear, he was forced to bail and run up to Salmon Creek to catch his crab today. They are not a sure thing there but there are more of them.

   

   I forgot to get pictures of the big lingcod last weekend. Sorry, guys. But I did get this photo of an 18 pounder today. The lings are here and closer and bitier than those snobbish bluefin. They taste better (cooked) too, depending on who you ask.

     The crabbing remains both good and bad, depending on who you talk to. Today, Gage and I talked to Mike Hill. "Willy and Gage, it was good talking to you guys today, we had a good day today in the bay with 3 limits, had to move around a lot but finally found them, they are there you just have to work a bit than normal!!  Thanks Mike" Moving around  and working the gear is important, as the crab are only in some spots, and those spots can move. You don't know if you're in the right spot until you check your gear. Fishing or crabbing, you need to be where the critters you're looking for are. Mike Hill and crew were, eventually. Hence the limits.

    The crab seem to be best north of Bodega Bay. Next best, the far end of Ten Mile. Next, the Outer Bay, but there's a whole lot of bare ground out there. Same goes for inside Tomales Bay. Rockfishing has been pretty good. Lingcod a bit flakier but I saw a 18.5 pounder on Sunday so there's a few nice ones around. The coolest thing is that there's bluefin scattered from at least the Bodega weather buoy to below Cordell Bank. A few guys have caught some but it's mostly a nature expedition, watching fish that won't bite jump out of the water next to the boat. Exciting and gas consuming but mostly not worth it. 

     Unless you're one of the few that gets bit. 

 

    So halibut isn't over, it's only almost over. "Billy Mortola. Live jacksmelt at marker 5. 20' of water" Honestly, I'm impressed with the jacksmelt considering the very few being caught lately. The halibut is even less likely. Damn nice work, Billy, and I heard that you had crabs to clean, too. Well done.

    I forgot this report yesterday but it is still valid today: "Willy

Went down below Abbott’s today for 2 limits of Dungies - quality crab. Got them with 7 hoops and only ran them twice. Picked up some ling and rocks. A few nice blues in the group.

Tug" It sounds like the crab are finally coming in on Ten Mile. There have been a few limits from down there this weekend. 

     Much better reports today, or at least much better attitudes. I'd like to think that the successful catching made for the good vibes. Not too many limits on crab or rockfish, but both of them happened for some people. The Russian River area (generalized...) has been consistently good since the opener. The Outer Bay has had some good crab but only in some very specific areas. We did better yesterday in 50 feet of water farther from Tomales Point, as closer to the point was the red crab homeland. Ten Mile has had mostly bad crabbing but a few guys have done well further south and recent reports may indicate that the crab are coming in. Inside Tomales Bay the crabbing hasn't been good but people are catching enough to mostly be happy. No inside-the-bay limits that I heard of, but most of the boats I talked to were pretty happy with the Dungeness they caught. Rockfish were generally slow but I heard that the smaller jigs were doing well. Gage and Ed Parsons, in separate boats in different spots, limited on mostly small (2 ounces or less) jigs. If you're interested, check out https://www.majorcraft-america.com/collections/jigpara-standard/products/jigpara-standard . We don't sell them (yet) but I, Gage, Ed Parsons and several others are converts. It seems that the fish will bite a tiny jig when they don't want to bite other stuff. I had more action in an hour of fishing with an 18 gram jig than I'd have in a day, normally. They work, if you can slow the boat's drift. 

      Great weather today with lots of boats on the water. I heard a few good crab stories from the Outer Bay and Ten Mile (in both cases a lot of moving around was required to find the sweet spots) but the rockfish were a bit slow, possibly due to the fullish moon. Bright nights are usually not good for daytime rockfishing in shallow water, especially when the water is so clear. Gage and I had some other commitments for part of the day but were able to catch thirteen Dungeness, nine rockfish and one lingcod today in the Outer Bay. After three pulls through seven cones we ended with six keepers in our last cone. The further east we went the more Dungeness. If we'd had time for another set we'd likely have limited, especially considering that our pulls scored one, one and eleven keepers. The shore fishermen (snare guys) haven't been doing all that well, but one fisherman today (he has No Bad Days, so...) had five nice Dungeness from the Sand Point. To sum up: It ain't awesome, but it doesn't completely suck.

     The numbers of crab seen on the opener dropped dramatically inside the bay by the next day. Things didn't get better on Monday or Tuesday. There's still Dungeness being caught but not that many. Even the reds are tough to get. Part of that could be the ripping currents for most of the day, but the fact that half the crab in the bay were caught on Saturday probably is a factor. Crabbing from a boat has been tough, but snaring from shore has been brutal. A few are being caught after the opener, but not many. Most of the ones coming in are caught around the turn of the tide. Boaters are doing better out in the ocean when they can get there. The late fall swell on Sunday through today has made getting out there safely a bit questionable. The boats that made it got some in the Outer Bay and did consistently well up near the Russian River. 

   Mike Martin sent a report over: "Hey Willy, late report but we did pretty well just off Duncan's Landing in about 75-90 ft of water. Saturday we had 40 for 4 people. We spread them out from 60 to 150ft and there were zero for the pots over 100ft. Once we found them it went fast.  Sunday morning went back and dropped 6 promar pots/rings/hoops what ever they are called and got 30 legal crab in one pull after about 35 minute soak. Culled the biggest ones and only kept two nice limits and called it a day as the wind was coming up. Most people up there were doing good. It was a little lumpy going around the head but once past the college it was beautiful. " Those are officially hoops, even if they're conical. Nice work on the quick critters. It's good that you're getting your crab and removing your gear from the water quickly, thus reducing the chances for a whale interaction. I'm sure that's your motivation for success.