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.