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.