I missed most of the weekend here as friends invited me and my wife to the California Waterfowl Association's Gold Country Banquet in Auburn. We had a good time and won a few things, and Ron Johnson bid on and won a couple of nights camping at Lawson's Landing. Thanks for supporting a good cause, Ron. and we'll see you this summer. In other news...

Regulations for Recreational Groundfish Approved

On April 19, 2024, the California Office of Administrative Law approved the recreational groundfish fishing regulations adopted by the California Fish and Game Commission on March 26, 2024; the regulations are now effective and complement regulations for these species in federal waters, which went into effect April 1, 2024.

• In the Northern, Mendocino, San Francisco, and Central – North of 36° N lat. groundfish management areas (GMAs), the regulations prescribe a season structure that is closed January 1 through March 31, open seaward of the 50-fathom boundary line for shelf rockfish, slope rockfish, and lingcod from April 1 through April 30, October 1 through October 31, and December 1 through December 31, and open shoreward of the 20-fathom boundary line from May 1 through September 30, and November 1 through November 30.
• In the Central – South of 36° N lat. and Southern GMAs, the regulations prescribe a season structure that is closed January 1 through March 31, open in all depths from April 1 through June 30, open shoreward of the 50-fathom boundary line from July 1 through September 30, and open seaward of the 50-fathom boundary line for shelf rockfish, slope rockfish, and lingcod from October 1 through December 31.
• The sub-bag limit for vermilion rockfish will remain four fish in the Northern GMA and is reduced to two fish in the Mendocino, San Francisco, Central – North of 36° N lat., Central – South of 36° N lat., and Southern GMAs.
• The cowcod conservation areas off southern California were repealed and replaced with a series of eight smaller closed areas (groundfish exclusion areas).
• A descending device must be carried aboard and available for immediate use on any vessel taking or possessing any species of federal groundfish.

The approved regulatory language and other rulemaking documents are available on the Commission's website at https://fgc.ca.gov/Regulations/2024-New-and-Proposed#27.20.

Sincerely, 

Sherrie Fonbuena
Regulatory Analyst

   Finally. Yes, the State said you could fish in deep-enough federal waters, but now the rules are official. You've got a few more days for the deep, weather providing, and then nearshore is the game until October. Unless they close it early. Remember to research what a quillback looks like, so that you won't keep one and so that you can answer properly when asked, that you didn't release one either. Also, remember to get a proper descender and have it rigged and ready to go so that you may legally fish for rockfish.

    Since I seem to start so many of these with "So...", let me begin with; So, I got an email yesterday asking about the clutch. Are the crab still clutching? Well, here's the sad truth: I don't know, and nobody that I'm aware of tracks it. Better question: What is the clutch? Honestly, I'm not clear on it, but I'll pretend I know if you ask me to my face. Here's what I have heard: There's a time when they quit entering traps, generally in the early spring, and the theory is that they crab are either spawning or molting or both (it may require both. Can you imagine needing to shed your skin before having "relations?" Either way, or both, it seems that only the Dungeness that are healthy and well-fed enough can participate. It turns out that the crab inside Tomales Bay probably aren't healthy enough to participate. I hate to be the *blocker, but, sorry guys, sucks to be you. But, it seems to mean that success is possible inside Tomales Bay, if you consider success to include crab that aren't healthy enough to spawn or molt or both. And if you're good with that, well, I have a bay for you! A 13 foot Boston Whaler limited in the bay today with two guys aboard. The guys that live here and know things went to Ten Mile yesterday for five Dungeness and worked the outer bay today for five more. The guys with ten in a day inside the bay kind of win. So, if you want numbers now go in the bay. If you can wait, the outside will have some lovely large crab probably inside of a month. It gets best just before it closes (probably after, but who would know?).

   On a slightly different note, I heard that the rockfish weren't biting yesterday. Like, nope! That sucks when it's your one day to go. It has happened to me. On my day, no bites until 12:30 or so, then they bit like mad.  And now that frustration that I felt that day has added to my love for rockfish. 99 times out of 100 the rockfish will just give it up. But that one time preserves their "innocence", such as it is. Mostly they just bite and you can assume that, but rarely, occasionally, no.  Not to sexualize it, but that's kind of hot. The random no is what makes it so interesting! When they're a no they're a hard no. But the rest of the time those rockfish are like guaranteed dinner. And so good eating. Probably It's best for the species. It's always bad to be tasty, and those that know, know. Fresh rockcod in the fryer? I've had better, happier moments in my life, I'm sure, but I blank on them after a good fish fry.

 

   Doryon Dye went fishing with Gage this morning, and together they did 100% better than Gage did alone last week. Was it Doryon, or was it the water warming up a bit more and getting the fish more active? Probably both. A few halibut are biting, not as well as the bite in San Francisco Bay, but a few. It will only get better. 

   Crabbing should also be getting better because it can't get much slower now. There's a few Dungeness getting caught but only a few. The clutch should be ending and a lot of beautiful, empty crab should be arriving soon. They maybe won't be full of meat but, damn, they'll look pretty. Put 'em on top of your bucket. 

    I've been fishing here for quite a while. I believe that was 1978 that I was first sent to "work" on the family party boat. My memories from then mostly involved catching fish and puking, probably not in that order (it wasn't. I puked a lot). As I eventually became aware of the world around me, the blurry world I could barely see through the tears I shed while vomiting, occasionally there was a large, green boat. The New Sea Angler was a part of my world, and has been since. A boat full of fishermen was never what I wanted to appear next to me, especially when I was catching. I'm having to delete a lot of foul language that is passing through my brain as I type this. But, having the New Sea Angler show up on your bite was an indicator that you were in the right spot. Honestly, the NSA arriving was the mark of authenticity to your finding a good bite. 

    I hated it. I don't need authentication. I 'm here to catch fish. I don't want to dodge party boats filled with shmucks. I just wanna fish. But....

   It appears that, like many figures from my youth, Rick Powers wants to retire, and his retirement is partly based on the value of his boat. So, here's the listing. Rick, if you're reading, you're the man. You've been pushing strong for a season for all salmon fishermen. A rising tide lifts all boats, eh. I just want to say thanks. Thanks for your lobbying, and thanks for you. Even when I was direct competition with you, you made me search out new places to fish, and I found a couple. I read somewhere that restrictions breed innovation, and I can't disagree. Thanks for the insight, and I'm sorry for the folks that follow that won't have your inspiration (or anti-inspiration) to follow. I know that all of the jackasses that followed you around were a pain, but now that seems like you're retiring, acknowledge the flattery that those followers espoused. "Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery that mediocrity can pay to greatness". Oscar Wilde, or someone like him, said that or something similar. Good on you, Rick. You have earned it. I was never happy when you showed up on the bite I found (it happened, more than once. I think twice) but I always figured that it was a compliment. 

    Rick, in a post on a website that doesn't exist now, posted that he'd lost a bluefin while trolling outside of Cordell in 2015. I went out there, and we caught a 95 pound blueifin. I can't comment on the rest of Rick's reports, but the one that I found actionable, worked. Look at this report in October, 2015, (the 15th). Thanks for the bluefin, Rick. May your retirement be awesome, but also interrupted by momentary periods that you wish that you were still fishing. For the rest of us fishermen's sake. Just saying. If I'm wishing for something I want to included.

  UPDATE: I heard Mr. Powers was just testing the market. He ain't done yet. The way the regulations are, well, he's a better and more stubborn man than I. 

     Well, at least there was one fish report last week. So far this week the only other halibut report besides Gage's was one hookup and almost immediate unintended release. So, there's at least one halibut out there. I'm confident that it was something good because bat rays don't come unhooked by themselves. Other than that, there's a few surfperch and a few jacksmelt, unless you go out deep for rockfish on the rare right day. Another right day might appear before the end of the month, but if not, May will bring an opening of the shallows for rockfish. Not the good for filling the fishbox shallows, but the fun fishing shallows. In two weeks, let the fun begin!

     For those looking for more information about the boat sinking in Tomales Bay on Saturday, sorry, they weren't from Lawson's Landing (for once). I have no information other than what I read online, but in my opinion, seven people in a 14 foot boat seems like the boat may have been overloaded. If they had seven limits of clams and the gear to get those clams, that's a lot more weight in an already overloaded boat in windy conditions. So, while I don't know what happened, I have an idea. Please be sensible out there. If you think that what you're doing may be sketchy, stop doing it. 

 

    Finally, a fishing report! Better, a catching report. Gage says the halibut are biting! Actually, Gage says this halibut bit, but no others in a few hours of trolling way back in the bay. So the one friendly one is gone. It is still early, and based upon the bite in San Francisco Bay, our good bite is still four to six weeks away, but there's hope! Just not much hope. It bodes well for May halibut fishing, though. 

     Salmon season has officially been settled by the PFMC. The first line of the press release: "The Pacific Fishery Management Council has adopted recommendations for ocean salmon fishing along the Pacific west coast in 2024. The seasons provide recreational and commercial opportunities in northern areas of the coast but include significant reductions and closures in southern portions of the coast to achieve conservation goals for goals for both Chinook and coho salmon stocks." The "significant reductions and closures" in the case of California is just closure. It gives a bit more meaning to a single  halibut caught in the bay, as that is our future this year, it seems. And rockfish, and stripers, and bluefin, maybe, when the time is right. So maybe next year for salmon, if enough waster was allowed to flow in the rivers at the right time to allow enough smolts to make it to San Francisco Bay. So, maybe 2025? 

      So, things look very, very bad for a salmon season this year, unless you're a salmon. Then it looks damned good! Here's the current plan as the PFMC sees it : https://www.pcouncil.org/documents/2024/04/e-3-a-supplemental-stt-report-1-salmon-technical-team-report-collation-of-preliminary-salmon-management-alternatives-for-2024-ocean-fisheries.pdf/ Notice around page 11 where it says "Closed" a lot in reference to California recreational fisheries. It ain't over until Wednesday, when they make the final decision, and there are guys fighting for a very, very short recreational season. If you're Catholic (or sympathetic) you should light a candle for Mark Gorelnik, who is fighting the good fight for a sport season of some kind. Tilting at windmills, perhaps, but Don Quijote is still remembered after 500 years, so... I'm actually a "season closer", but I didn't offer my opinion to anyone but Gage and my wife, and while those two are very influential on my actions, not so much with the PFMC, who never knew, nor cared. I figured that we, fishermen, will get blamed for any shortage of fish returning to the rivers if there's a lack of them and we're allowed to fish. No season, not my fault. But if I'm going to get blamed, well, I'm gonna earn it. I would fish every day possible, as there were very few offered, and catch all I legally could, so that when I was told that I did it, I could say, "yup", and mean it. It ain't official yet, but it looks like I'm grateful for the opportunity to be a good person, as enforced by the law. It's not decided, officially, yet, but as the magic eight ball says, signs say no. 

       In actual fishing report news, the only report from the bay was "dinner, and not much more" from a very revered and experienced fisherman. Not too many crab out and about. The decent morning weather has had a few beach casters out giving the crab a shot, but success has been, well, not good. A few crab are going home with folks but mostly it's more casting than catching. But, the seasons are changing, and the catching (of almost everything, really) should increase as we approach the solstice. For Dungeness, it's best at the beginning and second best at the end, and well, the end is nigh. So, second best is coming! If you follow that kind of thing. Or, even if you don't, actually. The crab do what the crab do, not what you want them to do. So go crabbing, soon, or wait for November.

     Mark Dorman pointed out to me, late Wednesday night, that, "Willy, Rick has been going out for the last 2 days and getting limits of rockfish and good numbers of lings so it must be open?" So, the complicated answer (we are in California, where the lawyers say to never let a law get uncomplicated or we may become unnecessary) is that the State is allowing fishing for rockfish according to the Federal rules in Federal waters (outside of three miles). What makes it complicated in my opinion is that the State has a legal opinion about what you do in  Mexican waters, as the State says that, since you're landing the fish in California, the State of California can tell you what you can and can't do with them. So, CDFW is basically giving us the season in recognition that their own lawyers work very slowly, but they technically could ticket you as their website says the season is closed. Since my livelihood doesn't depend on rockfishing, I'm staying home. But since nobody has gotten a ticket yet, and it seems like they probably won't, if you want to, go for it. 99% chance that it'll be fine. Probably. 

   A very few guys are doing well crabbing inside the bay. Outside, well, I'm guessing the commercial guys must have been catching a few in close to Dillon Beach because I can see their buoys from my house, and there's a lot of them. The sport guys that I talked to and that had tried the same area had nothing good to say about catching crab. Not much good to say about about being that close to the surf, either. But, if you want to risk for life for almost nothing, there's a tip for you. In a couple of days the commercial pots will be out and you can fight the surf with your rings for almost nothing all by yourself. Or, give the bay a chance. It sucks, too, but occasionally someone does well and almost nobody gets flipped by waves there. Bonus!

    It seems that the surfperch may be in, as the ospreys are doing well. While actual surf fishermen aren't reporting in, I need to rely on birds, it seems. But today at noon there were three ospreys eating surfperch on power poles. Three seems like a lot, but I stare at the tops of power poles far too much and three feasting birds in a mile is a lot. The fish are in. Whether they're in casting range is a different question which I don't know. But they're close, and soon, the stripers will be too.

   

    So we need to wait for the lawyers, it seems. I said rockfish was open today because the California Fish and Game Commission voted it so. But the Office of Administrative Law hasn't had their say, so it ain't legal, yet. As pointed out by a sharp-eyed reader, "Willie,

 

First, thank you for helping keep everyone up to speed on the latest regulations.  Your last post on March 28^th posted, in part, a Fish and Wildlife statement, “Once the regulations become effective, CDFW’s Summary of Recreational Groundfish Fishing Regulations web page will be updated with 2024 regulations. Before fishing, anglers should refer to this web page for the season openings and other regulatory information.”

 

     You followed with a statement,  “ So, you can fish for rockfish outside of the 50 fathom line starting Monday.”

 

Unfortunately the regulations have not been updated because they have not completed the administrative law review process yet.  I am told that usually takes 10 days, so that would put us around April 8^th before we can legally fish for deep water rockfish.  My 89 year old dad has a limited number of fishing days left in him.  I schedule a day off work to take advantage of Tuesday’s rare April weather off shore.  I now have to cancel because the regulations have not become effective.  I don’t know if wardens are going to be enforcing this technicality, but if they are there is going to be some really pissed off fishermen.

 

Regards,

 

Brad Stompe" Thank you Brad. I guess you have to fish for bluefin, black cod, sand dabs or petrale sole until the administrative lawyers have spoken. 

    Out of nowhere, CDFW has decided to close commercial Dungeness and recreational traps! See the following:

CDFW Closes Commercial Dungeness Crab Fishery and Restricts Recreational Crab Traps in the Central Management Area, Limits Commercial Fishing to inside 30-Fathoms in Northern Management Area to Protect Whales from Entanglement

California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) Director Charlton H. Bonham has assessed entanglement risk under the Risk Assessment Mitigation Program (RAMP) and announced changes to both commercial and recreational Dungeness crab fisheries. Aerial and vessel surveys conducted in mid-March show humpback whale numbers are increasing as they return to forage off the coast of California, elevating entanglement risk. To minimize this risk for humpback whales, changes to the Dungeness crab fisheries, as detailed below, will be effective at 6:00 p.m. on April 8, 2024.

The commercial Dungeness crab fishery in Fishing Zones 3, 4, 5 and 6 (Sonoma/Mendocino county line to the U.S./Mexico border) will be closed, at which time the commercial take and possession of Dungeness crab from those waters is prohibited.

A 30-fathom depth constraint will be in effect for the commercial Dungeness crab fishery in Fishing Zones 1 and 2 (Sonoma/Mendocino county line to the Oregon border). Traps used by the commercial fishery in Fishing Zones 1 and 2 will be prohibited in waters seaward of the 30-fathom contour as defined in Title 50 of the Federal Codes of Regulations, Part 660, Section 660.71. As a reminder all vessels must also carry onboard an electronic monitoring system capable of recording the vessel’s location while engaged in fishing activity.

A recreational crab trap prohibition is being implemented in Fishing Zones 3, 4 and 5 (Sonoma/Mendocino county line to Point Conception). CDFW reminds recreational crabbers that take of Dungeness crab by other methods (including hoop nets and crab snares) is allowed through the close of the season.

All open Fishing Zones remain under a Fleet Advisory for both the commercial and recreational Dungeness crab fisheries. In addition, CDFW reminds all fishery participants to implement best practices, as described in the Best Practices Guide, and to anticipate additional management measures in the coming weeks.

Under emergency regulations approved in early March, CDFW has also authorized commercial Dungeness crab vessels to retrieve an unlimited number of commercial Dungeness crab traps which are lost, damaged, abandoned or otherwise derelict in Fishing Zones 3 through 6 starting at 6:00 a.m. on April 15, 2024. CDFW requests that individuals operating under the emergency regulations regularly report retrieved gear to WhaleSafeFisheries@wildlife.ca.gov. Any vessel operating or transiting in an open Fishing Zone may not possess more than six traps belonging to another vessel, pursuant to Title 14, California Code of Regulations, Section 132.2(a)(2)(A).

CDFW anticipates the next risk assessment will take place in mid-April 2024. For more information related to the risk assessment process, please visit CDFW’s Whale Safe Fisheries page. For more information on the Dungeness crab fishery, please visit wildlife.ca.gov/crab.

   Who'd a thunk? So, recreational traps and commercial, well, everything, is over at 6:00 PM on April 8. Notice that the CDFW is now allowing, well, encouraging, the retrieval of old pots that have been lost or otherwise abandoned. Thank you. Let's get the leftovers out and minimize the points against all crabbers. And save the whales. We can do both! I would have a bounty where, post season, any trap you find and bring back is worth $20 to the guy that lost it, or you get to keep it. That may come, but not for a while.  Another decision was made, too:

California Fish and Game Commission Adopts 2024 Groundfish Regulations

Yesterday, the California Fish and Game Commission (Commission) unanimously approved changes to the 2024 groundfish season opening dates, fishing depths and bag limits. In 2023, most groundfish seasons offshore of California were cut due to exceeding federal catch limits on quillback rockfish, a now federally-declared overfished species. The new changes provide additional fishing opportunities compared to 2023, but come with new requirements that anglers need to be aware of. The new regulations are anticipated to be effective in early April.

The measures adopted by the Commission will work in combination with regulations for federal waters and serve to largely avoid quillback rockfish in their primary depth range between 20 fathoms (120 feet) and 50 fathoms (300 feet) off the coast of northern and central California. One key element of the new regulations is the availability of new waypoints that define a 20-fathom boundary line, which allows fishing to occur only shoreward of this line. Within several groundfish management areas (GMAs), a 20-fathom or 50-fathom ‘Inshore Fishery’ will take place during the 2024 season, allowing opportunities to retain nearshore, shelf and slope rockfish, lingcod, cabezon and greenling.

Alternatively, during months when there is an ‘offshore only fishery’, fishing for groundfish will only be allowed seaward of the 50-fathom boundary line, and only shelf rockfish, slope rockfish and lingcod may be retained. Take and possession of nearshore rockfish, cabezon and greenling are prohibited during the offshore fishery.

Divers and shore-based anglers will continue to be exempt from boat-based season restrictions affecting rockfish and other federally managed groundfish, which allows for year-round diving and shore-based angling, in line with current regulations.

The Commission also approved a requirement that a descending device be carried aboard and available for immediate use on any vessel taking or possessing any species of federal groundfish. Descending devices are used to send fish back to the depth from which they were taken resulting in considerably higher survival rates for rockfish suffering barotrauma compared to being released at the water's surface. Members of the public, along with representatives of recreational fishing organizations, have recently advocated for a descending device requirement in order to improve survivorship of released fish.

Another key element of the new regulations is the division of the central GMA at 36º N. latitude (near Point Lopez). This split provides opportunities to anglers in areas south of 36º N. latitude which historically have little to no catch of quillback rockfish.

To protect vermilion rockfish, another species for which catches have exceeded allowable federal harvest limits in recent years, the sub-limit will be reduced to two fish within the Rockfish, Cabezon and Greenling complex 10-fish limit, in the Mendocino, San Francisco, central and southern GMAs. The vermilion rockfish 4-fish sub-limit will remain for the northern GMA.

All recreational GMAs in California are scheduled for six months of all-depth or inshore fishing opportunity in 2024. A summary of the 2024 seasons for each GMA approved by the Commission is provided below.

• Northern, Mendocino, San Francisco and Central GMA North of 36º N. Latitude:
• Jan. 1- Mar. 31: Closed
• Apr. 1 – Apr. 30: 50 fathoms offshore only fishery
• May 1 – Sept. 30: 20 fathoms inshore fishery
• Oct. 1 – Oct. 31: 50 fathoms offshore only fishery
• Nov. 1 – Nov. 30: 20 fathoms inshore only fishery
• Dec. 1 – Dec. 31: 50 fathoms offshore only fishery

• Central GMA South of 36º N. Latitude & Southern Management Area:
• Jan. 1 – Mar. 31: Closed
• Apr. 1 – June 30: All depth fishery
• July 1 – Sept. 30: 50 fathoms inshore fishery
• Oct. 1 – Dec. 31: 50 fathoms offshore only fishery

The 2024 groundfish seasons are expected to be reviewed and approved by the Office of Administrative Law and take effect in state waters in early April. The Commission and California Department of Fish and Wildlife staff have worked diligently to expedite the adoption of state regulations to allow boat-based anglers to get on the water beginning in April. Until the 2024 regulations are approved, the 2023 regulations remain in effect.

Once the regulations become effective, CDFW’s Summary of Recreational Groundfish Fishing Regulations web page will be updated with 2024 regulations. Before fishing, anglers should refer to this web page for the season openings and other regulatory information.

       So, you can fish for rockfish outside of the 50 fathom line starting Monday. You can fish for rockfish outside of the 50 fathom line soon, but not yet. See the following post. There may be as many as eight days during April that you actually can. That's allowing for El Nino "less wind in the spring" conditions. Normally it would be two days, maybe. But if it lines up with my day off those yellowtail and widows are screwed. Well, 20 to 30 of them will be. But, after a run through the Eddie Kim batter and a session in the hot oil, there almost couldn't be a higher calling. That fried fish (especially the stuff that's still twitching a bit) is so good. You know how to tell if it's bad for you? "Does it taste good?" Winner. IMHO, it's the highest form of approval. And I approve.

    It should come as no surprise that, as April approaches, so does the closure of commercial crab and recreational traps. It seems that there's a few humpbacks showing up, as they tend to do this time of year, and numbers are expected to grow as the year progresses. The CDFW staff's suggestion is to close commercial Dungeness and close recreational traps in our area. Many commercial fishermen have already started hauling gear ashore as the catching slows and whale time approaches. The watermen were expecting it. It's not official yet, but I think we'll see a decision by the end of the week with a closure a week to 10 days after. So, if you haven't used your traps yet this season, don't wait. 

   The crabbing inside the bay has been mostly slow or worse, but a few people are doing well. Last weekend a boat came back with 14 Dungeness after only two hours in the water. Today a boat had 24 Dungies in no more than three hours of crabbing inside the bay. It appears that there's a few around in the right spots, but those spots aren't being shared with me. Probably a good idea on their part. But there's a chance at doing well. just not a good one.

    Curly DiBella sent me a text this afternoon. Finally, a fishing report! And what a report:

   Curly writes, "Two today 73 inches and 50 inches the one that was 73 inches weighed 228 pounds that is Kevin Kraft the angler that muscle them in out by half Moon Bay bouy Missing you and the boys send my love" Thank you, Curly. Love sent. I looked at Coastside this evening and found that Mr. Kraft was with Tony on the Reel Estate and they caught this near the Farallones. There was only one caught, but it measured 73 by 50 inches which by math puts it at 228 pounds. Damn. The fish pulled line at 40 pounds of drag, and it did as lot of pulling. The Tanker City out of SF also caught one today. They never left, just the fishermen did, it seems. Nice work gentlemen. 

     It is time to revise the MPAs and more areas are being suggested to close or otherwise restrict fishing access. I also received this email today in regards to it: " I couldn't help but think that you might be able to help get the word out about potential changes to our state's SMCA's and a lobby attempting to petition to change them into to no-take SMCA's or MPAs where fishing would be prohibited. 

The Backcountry Hunters and Anglers (BHA) has a solid writeup of what is at stake and has shared a video that they put together to help drive home the point. There is a petition at the end of this link to the BHA writeup and I would truly appreciate it if you could share it to help get signatures so that sport anglers are heard. If there is a petition to close fishing floating around then we need as many signatures as we can get to this petition in favor of maintaining public fishing access!

Thanks so much in advance!

Link here: 

https://www.backcountryhunters.org/sweeping_fishing_closures_threaten_conservation_in_california?utm_campaign=ca_bha_2024_q1_newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_source=backcountryhunters#/396/thankyou

Kevin 

aka Catch N Cook California on YouTube" Thanks for the info Kevin. Everybody should check out the link. 

     On the last post, Harvest Time commented that without an offshore rockfish season, nobody would be out deep to find the bluefin, should they exist. It turns out that the bluefin are still out there, as a confirmed BFT was landed, I believe out of Half Moon Bay yesterday. The water outside ain't toasty but it's mostly warmer than the 53º water that we saw hundreds (thousands?) of bluefin feeding in around the full moon in October last year. Commercial crabbers had been saying they'd seen sign out deep all year, off and on, and incredibly, fishing advice from seasoned veterans turned out to be true. Who'da thunk? Please, Harvest Time, hurry and comment on salmon season to make it happen, too! 

   For crabbing here, the story is the same. Very slow. A gentleman yesterday said he tried outside for a while and caught nothing, then came inside the bay and worked hard, I think inside past Hog, for a grand total of 10 Dungeness. Compared to other reports I heard, well done, sir. I heard a rumor that the commercial guys were getting a few in super shallow off of Dillon Beach. The last few days you could see a hundred buoys bobbing near the surf. From the reports I heard from sport guys, no crab for them there, but it appears that there once were a few (or stories of a few).  

    Halibut have yet to start here but are starting to show in San Francisco Bay. Generally, that means we could see a few in six to eight weeks. Also generally, the bite should start near Inverness and work its way forward as the water warms. But, we are still in El Nino, and the rules aren't quite solid. The spring winds haven't hit yet, and may not, as El Nino springs are often wetter but less windy, here. El Nino can make halibut fishing awesome, or crappy, or average, so no prediction for this season from me, other than it will be one of those three things. 

    So, I guess that while I'm whining about salmon it would only be appropriate to whine about rockfish season. Or not. Or, maybe. How about, it depends on what you want? Here's the PFMC regs, which will soon become ours, after CDFW adopts them:

    April 1:-30 >50fms    This means the season is open deeper than the 50 fathom line as defined by a set of waypoints in the Federal Register

    May 1 -September 30 <20 fms This means the season is open shallower than the 20 fathom line as defined by a set of waypoints. Check with CDFW.

    October 1-31 >fms We discussed this.

    November 1-30 <20 fms Also discussed.

    December 1-31 >50 fms Just deep. If you can get there.

    So, these aren't official until the CDFW or CFGC make it so, but when they do, cool. Maybe don't go fishing on April 1 if the state regulations haven't changed yet. Chances ain't good for an offshore trip at any time in April, but who knows? I am old enough to remember some nice days in April before. Not a lot, but it can happen. If you have a deep water boat, be ready. Have deep water buddies ready, too. Those deep water fish taste better when they're shared.  And fried. Man, when they're still twitching when they go in the oil? I almost don't care about salmon. Almost. But the season should actually last for the whole season this year, as opposed to what happened last year. Avoid Quillback, however one does that. I think we have landed about two in the last 30 years, and I am probably exaggerating our catch (I'm a fisherman). So I really don't know how to catch less, I just do it. If I figure it out, I'll let you know. BUT, if you want to fish for rockfish you will have to have a descending device. The type is not specified, so anything descender goes, but if you're going deep you should probably have a SeaQualizer to attach to your downrigger. They work great. If you're in shallow water a Shelton's will work. Technically, a Sheltons Fish Descender qualifies you legally to fish any depth, and we will be selling the Shelton's, but if you are planning on going deep (during the short time you can, but damn, it is so good) get the SeaQualizer. I got one last year and used it each trip. It may not keep the fish from dying from barotrauma but it will keep you from getting a ticket and let the fish die where you won't see it. If you don't see it, it didn't happen, right? Right. Let the good times roll. And the fryer. 

   Also, almost forgot, everything I learned about these seasons I read about on Coastside Fishing Club. It costs a bit, I think $20 a year. $40? I'm not sure, and I don't care. Worth it. You're basically paying for server time and getting representation in committees as well. Plus they know things. I would not have landed a bluefin if I hadn't been reading their info. 

     The PFMC meeting is over, but not before another change to the options for salmon. As contentious as salmon is, the options will likely change again (and then again) before a decision is made.  But if you're making plans for this summer, here's the best, current info:

Option 1: June 5-9, July 3-7, August 1-6, September 1-3, 27-29, October 18-20.  There will be a maximum harvest limit of 10,000 salmon during June through August, and 5,000 salmon from September and October. 

Option 2: July 4-7. August 1-4, 29-31. Maximum harvest of 6,500 salmon.

Option 3: Pound sand

  Please note that in the non-sand-pounding options, quotas for maximum take will be in effect. If fishing is good, the season will close early. Option 1, if fishing is good in Santa Cruz and Monterey in that early season open, as it often is, well, forget August when the fishing would be best here. September ain't the best, but trying is better than not fishing. But, hey, that's only if the "best case" option gets chosen. Option 2 seems like a proper compromise, where everybody is unhappy. My guess is still that we something 2-ish. 

   No new crab or surfperch stories, but the salmon season options have changed. They will likely change again, at least slightly, before the adoption of one of the options. Contentious is the proper descriptive word. The options:

June 6-9, July 3-7, August 1-4, 29-31, September 1 to October 15

or

July 4-7, August 1-4, 29-31

or

pound sand.

My opinion? I think that sand should be pounded. That opinion is unpopular, and the CDFW and PFMC are aware of that. so there's pressure to allow some fishing, hence the two out of three options having fishing. IMHO, we're getting a season. But not much of one. Chances are best for something resembling option 2, the 11 day season option, or something resembling it. NOTE: If an open season is chosen, there is a likelihood of a quota being in place, A probability, actually. So don't count on the later dates. My guess is that there will be a lot of pressure. I will be fishing , given the option. If I'm going to get blamed for not enough salmon returning this fall, I'm going to earn it. Head held high and acknowledging it. Yup. Freezer full of extermination. Or, at least, attempted extermination. Just doing my part.

    The low tides have a few folks out digging clams and that's going pretty well. The clams can't really go anywhere The crab have other options, and right now they're mostly in the middle of "the clutch", when they're more interested in things other than your bait. At least one boat today broke the law of crab sex and caught a limit of Dungeness in the bay in a few hours around the top of the tide. It can be done, but probably not by you or me. But maybe...Nah, who am I trying to kid. Maybe you.  Crab really isn't my game.

   So, the salmon season alternatives for here, as of this evening, vary from  crappy to no season at all. Best case to worst, depending on what you want:

May 25-28, July 4-7, August 29-31, September 1 to October 15

or...

July 4 to 10

or...

pound sand.

  So, your options are either to try to go fishing on holiday weekends with literally everybody else (ignoring weather; just GO!) or not fish. My brother had an indelicate expression (actually, he had many of them; here's one)' "It's like a sh*t sandwich, and everyone's invited." I didn't really get it at the time, just wrote it off to the Kessler flu he was suffering, as it were, but I think I'm starting to understand it in a different way now. Some future video:

 

   I'm not going to subject you to all three of the "hand and perch" photos I received today, but just know that there's some surfperch out there. Gage fished to outgoing this morning, so the fact that he caught anything is a pretty good indicator that there's some fish out there.  December's big surf did a pretty good job of erasing all the structure and, really, any reason for a fish to close enough to shore for us to catch it. Since then, the beach has been trying to rebuild. Storms have slowed it, but the beach persists. And apparently, so do the surfperch. It ain't wide open, but judging by the number of bites (that mostly didn't stick) that Gage had, there's probably a lot of small ones out there. Gear up accordingly, or wait for growth. 

   Crabwise, well, things are slow. We had a guy recently that spent his day working traps inside the bay for a grand total of two Dungeness. As he was pulling the boat out he saw a crab snare guy landing a double of legal crabs. After the boat dropped off he went over to the snare guy and asked him, how many others? The snare guy said, none. Only keepers of the day. The moral of the story is, when fishing or crabbing, the important thing is less about how many you catch but more about how many other people see you catch. Extra points to the fellow that. while only tying with him, made a boater feel like he wasted his time. I know, as I was told by an old fisherman, "it's not a competition, unless you're winning." Snarer +1. Also, I wish I was winning. Maybe next time. As far as crab in general, it kinda sucks all over as this is the tail end of what the commercial guys call "the clutch", that special time when a boy crabs and girl crabs decide food isn't as important as as making the next generation of crabs. And God love 'em for it. Except for when you're trying to catch them. It only gets better from here.

   So, everybody (with boats, or with friends with boats) is wondering about salmon and rockfish seasons this year. Both are TBD. Salmon returned in numbers slightly more than anticipated, so there's a slightly better than no chance of a salmon season this year. There may be no season, but chances of a season this year are slightly better than zero. SLIGHTLY BETTER. Chances are we'll be, yet again, pulling barbed hooks from numerous anadromous fish's jaws. But maybe not, for a damn short time.  Also, for rockfish, our seasons are also yet to be determined by the PFMC and the CDFW. From the tiny bit I've heard, it may be dramatically broken up between shallow (<120') and deep (>300') on a month-by-month basis. It is still TBD, but expect confusion. Hey, good news! There's still a place for for tackle shops ."What's the rules today?" "What day is it?" We have good calendars.

 So, salmon season 2024. What will it be? Well, it turns out that you may be able to determine that. I'm not going to tell you what I think, because what I think shouldn't influence your choice, in my opinion. So, that's my opinion. The Golden State Salmon Association got some info from the Oregon meeting yesterday. Here's some knowledge:"Fishery managers, in a presentation given to the salmon industry in Oregon on February 28, forecasted 213,622 adult Sacramento Valley fall-run Chinook salmon in the ocean off the West Coast. This compares to 169,800 estimated in 2023 and 396,458 in 2022 at this time. The same information will be delivered to the California salmon industry on March 1 (see below for meeting details).

Normally, fishery managers allow fishing that will still deliver a minimum of 122,000 salmon to spawn in the Sacramento Basin. In recent years, they’ve increased that target number. In 2022, fishery managers limited fishing in order to see more than 180,000 fall run salmon return to spawn but less than 62,000 showed up.    

Two weeks ago, the Pacific Fishery Management Council (PFMC) released its review of the 2023 salmon fisheries and reported a total of 133,638 (revised on February 28, 2024 to 139,500) hatchery and natural area adult spawning fall-run Chinook were estimated to have returned to the Sacramento Valley last year. The 2023 number of returning adult salmon fell short of pre-season expectations and continues to highlight the lack of returning salmon from 2020 and 2021 broodstocks–a direct result of state water management decisions that dramatically increased the impact of the drought. 

Salmon eggs faced overheated water because of the failure of the State Water Resources Control Board to adequately control temperature pollution from Shasta Dam. Lethally high temperatures in the Sacramento River were caused by excessive deliveries to the Bureau of Reclamation’s unsustainable industrial agricultural customers that allowed the draining of cold water from Shasta Dam prior to the spawning season. The few juvenile salmon that just happened to survive were then exposed to dangerously low flows during their outmigration down the Sacramento River, as well as through the Delta.  Further, Governor Newsom waived the weak salmon flow standards that are currently in place, allowing conditions for salmon to be degraded further.  

In the month ahead, the PFMC will use the latest ocean abundance forecast to determine if there will be a 2024 season for both sport and commercial ocean salmon fishing. In April of 2023, the PFMC was forced to finalize the season’s closure due to low returns–a drastic step that affected and continues to negatively impact all of California’s marine and inland waters as well as ocean salmon fishing off most of the Oregon coast.   

“This forecast will be used to determine whether or not salmon families in California and Oregon will be able to go to work, pay their mortgages and feed their families in 2024. Tens of thousands are still suffering from last year’s closed salmon fishing season,” said Scott Artis, executive director of Golden State Salmon Association. “The buck stops with Governor Newsom and his environmentally destructive and salmon fishery-decimating water policies. And as bad as this situation is, Governor Newsom is fighting to make life even harder for fishing families by building the massive Delta tunnel, Sites Reservoir and promoting the salmon killing and science-free water user ‘voluntary agreement’ proposal.”

" So, of the estimated 33,000 salmon, ocean sport fishermen will perhaps be allowed a portion. 33,000 fish on it's own isn't a decent season, and a portion of that is just sad. I have fished in sad conditions before, and as long as I don't have to make eye contact, well, all is good enough. It doesn't need to be good for me (but is sure as heck helps). Here's a link for your opinion, to someone it may influence : Do you want an opportunity to  fish for salmon in 2024? 

Then you MUST make your  views known!! 

Complete the survey put out by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. Deadline  Sunday March 3, 2024. Say that you want an opportunity to fish consistent with conservation  objectives. 

Speak up at the meeting. You must sign up in advance (starting on Wednesday, March 6). Input  on salmon season options begins Thursday morning, March 7, agenda item C.2.

Speak your truth but probably don't be a dick. I am of both sides. I miss salmon fishing (and eating) but I don't want to get blamed for their extinction. However, if I'm going to get the blame, I'm fishing, and fishing hard.

 

   So it is happening, even without anybody doing anything. Maybe because nobody is doing anything. Regardless, the Aleutian Storm is no more. Another small business in California is gone.

  It appears that the herring are finally coming in. San Francisco Bay has had a couple of smallish spawns but many herring fishermen there are still waiting for the big one. It's kind of late for herring, but the fish may not know that. Actually, the fish may have gotten tired of waiting for the right time and they're just coming because their 'nads are ripe. Either way, the birds say that the fish are here.

   One of the effects of this winter's storms can be seen here. All of these rocks were buried last fall, and many of them were buried for the last couple of decades. We have lost about three feet or more of sand from the beach in front of the store. South winds wash it out. Soon, the spring winds will blow, maybe not as much some years with an El Nino going, but some wind for sure, and that wind (the wind that, if you've been here more than once you've probably experienced it) will make the beach build back up. I hate that wind, but dammit, I hope it hurries up. I look forward to a spring of hating life and building beaches. Summer is coming.

 Crabbing should be pretty slow now, as usually February is about as slow as crabbing gets. The crabs didn't get that memo this year, luckily, and so the crabbing has been pretty good, considering. That is, when the current in the bay isn't racing along and/or the bar lets you get out to the outer bay. And when the wind and rain give us a break. So, I guess I should say that sometimes it doesn't suck. But I've seen a few guys get limits and most boaters are getting a few Dungeness. A few of the shore snarers have been doing pretty well, too. 

  It appears that that commercial boat on Salmon Creek was unable to be hauled off. On the good day to do it a combination of factors conspired to keep it aground. It seems that it will be leaving in pieces instead. I hope the boat owner had good insurance, as only the homeless get their boat "situations" taken care of for free. I guess freedom is just another word for nothing left to lose. 

  The salmon return numbers are in and they are good and bad. Returns for the Upper Sacramento were abysmal. Returns to the Coleman Hatchery were also bad.  Other rivers had good returns. Those other rivers also had hatcheries that trucked some of their smolts down to the bay. Coincidence? I think not! There's a good chance that some if not most of the fish that did return to the Upper Sacramento were trucked smolt strays. I honestly don't care. I'm not stuck on "natural" fish. If you take eggs from wild fish and spawn them they're still the same kind of fish. If you raise a human child in an orphanage that's still a human, right? Hey, it we can't manage our rivers well enough to allow the fish to spawn, maybe manufacturing fish is the only answer. What am I saying? Of course the Governor's new salmon plans will make all the difference and there will magically be enough water for everybody! Yay! But back to this salmon season. The minimum magic number of returns is 122,000, and this year we had 133,638. There were almost 12,000 jacks, which are less than any time since at least 2010 (except last year's 6,945 and we know what that got us). Coleman wanted a minimum of 12,000 fish to return and they got 4,534. It's really up to the scientists and their complicated jack count math to predict numbers, but they don't look awesome from here. That said, in the past they have used both successful adult numbers or successful jack numbers to justify opening the season when the other numbers didn't seem to be good enough, so.... who knows? There may be short season just to let us fish enough for them to be able to blame us for overfishing when the numbers crap out next year. You know, give us enough rope to hang ourselves, as they say. And I'll be swinging right next to you. I've had a crick in my neck for while now. At least it will feel good for a little bit.

    So, the "half your gear" rule may have halved the risk for whales but it has doubled the work a commercial fisherman must do to get the same money. Costs don't change much, but your ability to pay for them sure does. A string of pots that were producing well enough over a week but not in a day have to be moved, so running gear has changed to stacking and moving gear. Easily twice the effort but with no guarantee on the success. This leaves tired crews. One of these tired crews ended up aground at Salmon Creek beach last night. An effort to get the boat off of the beach today at high tide was apparently thwarted by environmental concerns that moving some sand with tractors would somehow be more detrimental to the environment than having the vessel break up. I heard a rumor of some ad-hoc shovel crew showing up tomorrow at sunrise to hand shovel around the boat. I hope it's true. When our government agencies act against rational thought, well, somebody out there with their heads not inside their rectums has to act rationally and for the environment. And heck, just do the right thing. Anybody with an argument for how moving some sand is worse than a boat busting open and dumping fiberglass fragments, oil and fuel on the beach, please feel free to tell us all. The sand comes and goes all the time. Petroleum takes a bit more time. Tell me I'm wrong. I love to learn. Or, I don't know, maybe shut up and dig.

 I report as it happens, and there ain't much happening here but feeding generators and post-storm maintenance. Plenty of that, though. Actual fishing has been minimal and the catching has been even less. King tides now are preventing almost any catching of anything except for right around the turn of the tide when currents are slowest. Crabbing has been the only thing going, except for a few die hard clammers coming out for some of that special "dark meat" clams that we get right after a big rain and all of the poop washes off of the local ranches. It is better than the clams in front of places with a lot of homeless, but still, in my opinion, no gracias. This is the time of year when you want to have a few still in the freezer. Clams are filter feeders. I don't have to be one too. But they're too tasty, so some folks can't wait. I'm going to wait until sometime after the water turns from brown to green. 

   

     The commercial guys are catching some crab, never as many as they want, but hopefully what they need. From the little I've heard, the crab seem to be running either deep or stupid shallow. "Stupid shallow" is the definition of water so shallow that if you leave your pots there very long and the sea comes up, no more pots for you. Pots wash ashore, walk down the beach, and bury in the sand. Why, it's the very definition of crab ring water! For you dedicated ringers out there, it ain't over. For the crabbers in Tomales Bay, it has been slow. Mostly from really excessive tides with strong currents blowing out crabs and gear. The rainy weather has also kept a lot of crabbers home. That's crazy to me, as they could have come out here and got soaked and cold and maybe caught a crab or two. Well, this weekend looks like great weather inside the bay, and outside should be good tomorrow. The tides kind of suck for crabbing unless you concentrate your crabbing around the turn of the tides. If the water is moving fast, don't drop your gear. It's expensive to replace. In fishing news, there isn't any. Maybe a herring spawn next week. A few jacksmelt swimming by, getting ready to spawn. Pace yourselves. The season of catching is coming. Paint your house. Change your oil. Change the line on your reels. It's coming. Be ready and with less distractions. And maybe a better looking house.

    The extreme tides this last week have made for a lot of lost gear but not too many crab caught. Beach snarers are getting a few but seem to be doing better on the beers than on the crab. Closer to the sand point has been better for the crab. The point being farther from the restrooms likely makes it less good for beers, but I cannot confirm. Over the weekend I heard boat reports of 0 to 5 Dungeness inside the bay. Today I got a better report from the Shrimp Boat: "12, probably 6 jumbos from 4 conicals with mostly squid. All near the main seal pull out. A funny detail is we were next to a boat that had all their traps in a really tight cluster, right at the confluence of the channels, I figured they were getting lots of crab since they weren't moving around at all. Finally they pulled their traps and we figured they had limits and were leaving. They passed us close enough for us to ask how they did and they said "been crabbing all morning not a single crab!" Then we felt good enough about our take to go to Nick's." The Shrimp Boat crew were soaking gear around the turn of the low tide when the current was slowest. Also, spreading the gear around a bit isn't a bad thing if you're not catching. Don't soak your gear where the crab aren't. Check your traps or rings often and move the ones that aren't catching. Also, this report lets us know that even though Nick's Cove had their shack on the end of the pier burn down a bit over a week ago, it appears that they will still welcome you if you visit from the water. 

   On a salmon note, I received this email today. I thought it couldn't hurt to pass it on: "

We still need your help to fight for salmon families – contact the State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB) today! Right now, the SWRCB is accepting public comments on the Phase 2 Draft Bay-Delta Plan. The deadline is Friday, January 19, 2024. Many of you took action in November and December by testifying at the Water Board’s Bay-Delta Plan hearings and we can’t THANK you enough for your impactful statements.  As the only agency with legal authority to set flow and temperature protections for Fall-run Chinook, your voice matters and, in fact, it is critical that the SWRCB hears directly from you. Whether or not you’ve already provided public testimony, now’s your chance to take action for salmon, healthy rivers and everyone who relies on this fishery. We can’t let industrial agriculture secure more water diversions and determine the future of California’s salmon and salmon families. Two Ways to Submit Your Comments (Deadline is January 19) Don’t delay as you can help GSSA restore critical salmon runs! Sign and Send a Letter to the Water Board Click HERE to read, personalize with your own comments, and send a letter urging the SWRCB to adopt an unimpaired flow approach in the Bay-Delta Plan Make a Greater Impact by Writing and Submitting Your Own Comments by Email Tell the SWRCB why salmon are important to you, your business, culture or family, and that they must adopt an unimpaired flow approach to restore salmon. Send your comments directly to SacDeltaComments@waterboards.ca.gov with the subject line: “Comment Letter – Sacramento/Delta Draft Staff Report”

"