Here's actual details about a halibut caught here last Saturday: "Willy,

Nice to meet you in person on Sat. Here's a pic of the 35' halibut caught in about 30' off the beach between Dillon and Bodega. I was trolling that contour line. That's a 16 oz jig for perspective. Also hooked this decent ling at about the same time (let go in the water). Was trolling tandem parachute jigs just off of the bottom, the so-called "Mojo Rig" that we used back east when we had no idea where the fish were and wanted to burn some gas. I much prefer casting with the engine off!

Don't feel any obligation to me to post about this - I'm just sending in case you want the content to keep what little buzz there is going :).

We're out there for the week next week so I'll be on the beach a few times with my bag of plugs. We'll see if I can still fit into my wetsuit...

Chris" There is no buzz in the very few fish being caught, so there isn't any buzz to keep going. There is, at least in my case, an interest in different techniques. I've already been checking out the Mojo Rig on Ebay. It probably won't help me, but at least I'll be a better equipped poor fisherman. Nice work, Chris, and I hope you get a surf striper. 

   Here's a Rittenburg report: "Hey Willy, 

Made the trek out to Rittenburg on Saturday and it paid off handsomely. Quick limits of rockfish and lings. My buddy Sam pinned a monster ling on the first drop with a 10" white curly tail grub and a 24oz head. All of the other lings and most of the rockfish bit a 500 gram pink/glow flat-fall jig. Brought up 1 yellow eye that was over 20lbs - that was the only fish we had to descend. The only challenge for the day was getting down through the chunky yellowtails. Took our time coming back in and enjoyed watching the whales doing what they do. Bringing the family down to camp 7/3-5 and hope to get a shot at some fish from the surf. See you all then.

Best,

Nate Baker" For the record, I like the chunky yellowtails, especially when they have the decency to swim 150 feet up and can be caught on bass gear. I don't dodge them, I catch them. And eat them. The yellowtail and the widows are excellent fare and fight well on light gear. They clean well, too. But the deeper reds have been the forbidden fruit for quite some time now, so I understand the desire to get them. Just don't dismiss the worthy. Nice job, Nate, and good on you for taking the chance and choosing your time successfully. It's a long run, but damn, the fishing is good. 

    I heard of one halibut today from the bay and a couple of short Dungeness limits from the outer bay. There were some crab caught from the shore, not many, but other than that.... Well. It was peaceful.