Unfortunately, Vickie Campbell hasn't sent me any more photos of random fishermen catching srtipers (By the way, thanks for the report, Vickie). I did hear of one lost on Saturday. The story is that is bit a sand crab and was lost when trying to drag it ashore through the surf. I (and others) tried for stripers on the evenings of Saturday, Sunday and today and caught a grand total of zero stripers (one perch). The beach is literally wiggling with sand crabs, so I'm guessing that the stripers aren't far away, but catching them is, like lots of fishing, hard. For myself, when I actually hook one I generally stare at the rod for at least two seconds before I remember to even set the hook. It's more like, "something is wrong with my rod" than "Hook up!!!" Maybe if I caught more I could get my head out of my.... you know.

    In other news, the crabbing has been less than awesome out in the Outer Bay. There's some Dungeness to be had but they are outnumbered by the pots. Inside the bay, a few guys are doing pretty well but mostly it is hard. It will likely continue to be difficult as, rumor and a San Francisco Chronicle article has it, there is (are) entangled whale(s) (Couldn't read the article as I had already read too many for free. I'm a bad person)  that will shut down commercial crabbing early and with it, trap season for us sporties. While I didn't read the article, I did hear some dock scuttlebutt, and then I read this: "

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

March 22, 2022

The CDFW Director will conduct an assessment of marine life entanglement risk for the commercial Dungeness crab fishery on or around March 25, 2022 using the Risk Assessment and Mitigation Program (RAMP). In addition, regulations adopted by the California Fish and Game Commission provide the Director authority to apply management actions to the recreational crab fishery to minimize entanglement risk informed by RAMP. The California Dungeness Crab Fishing Gear Working Group will meet on March 23, 2022 to review Available Data and CDFW's Initial Assessment and Preliminary Management Recommendation. The Director will consider the Working Group's recommendation, CDFW staff’s Final Assessment, and all data made available to CDFW prior to making a final determination of marine life entanglement risk. All materials will be posted on the Whale Safe Fisheries webpage as they become available. Additional updates will be made available once the Director has made a determination through this listserv.

"   Please note that mention was made that " In addition, regulations adopted by the California Fish and Game Commission provide the Director authority to apply management actions to the recreational crab fishery to minimize entanglement risk informed by RAMP." Read that as, "traps are done, soon".  So, if you've still been on the fence about buying rings, just know that for the foreseeable future it looks like rings will be the start and end of our season for Dungeness. We will likely all have to get better at crabbing with rings, especially since the beginning and the end of the Dungeness season seems to be the best times for keepers. Something to think about.