Just before noon today, Cannon Brunkhorst hauled these fish over for a photo op. I think that he caught the striper, but I'm not clear on the halibut; it may have been caught by his father, Mike. Either way, Cannon knows how to take a photo with a fish. He's been watching Gage, he says....  Also, these fish were caught on the bar. After not finding any bait in the places where, yesterday, there was a lot of bait, Mike Brunkhorst relocated to the bar, where two kayakers waved him down to tell him that they had just limited on stripers, "Right here!" Mike, not being an idiot, decided to try fishing right there. Only having some tray bait, he trolled, and it worked. Go figure. This was soon after the low tide. After the cooler water filled in the bite died, it sounds like. Also, pretty much all the bait that was so thick you could walk on it, left. Hog Island was suddenly barren. Possibly the stripers and sportboats chasing them broke up the schools of sardines. Possibly the rapidly warming sea lured them back with a promise of warming waters. The water should continue to warm a bit as the forecast calls for non-gale force winds for the next week. That may lure bait out of the bay but may also lure some halibut in from the deep. So, it is with mixed emotions that I sort of welcome the warmth.

   Some of you are thinking, "Hey, didn't I just see this picture?" No, these fish are bigger, as is Cannon's head. These, yes, larger fish, were caught the Cannon while fishing with Gage between 4:00 and 6:00 this afternoon. Gage caught, well, Gage was a good captain and gaffed and netted well. Of course, I went out soon after and caught what Gage caught, nothing. My excuse it that the tide turned and conditions changed. Gage's excuse is that he was too busy gaffing and netting Cannon's fish to be able to really concentrate. I think that Gage may have been overwhelmed by the sound of those footsteps gaining on him. The footsteps are coming from within the boat! I'm pretty sure that this won't be last Cannon photo in this report, but it is for today.

   Speaking of people that we haven't seen the last of in this report, here's some future competition for Cannon: "Hey Willy,

Long time reader first time emailer. Love living vicariously through your reports when I can’t get out.

First time on the water for me this year. Was great to get my 9 year old daughter Thalassa Wread out after talking about fishing all winter.

She kept me busy with two sabiki rigs all morning for lots of small anchovies and a good amount of large sardines as well.

We missed some opportunities in the morning with the sardines and didn’t get bit till the afternoon tide where we put 3 halibut in the boat in rapid succession.  I reeled in the first halibut while Thalassa napped but she reeled in the next two on top of catching most of the bait. I enjoyed my role as deckhand.

We had good luck with small baits on big hooks because that was all I had. Hoping to get out again soon and will definitely remember the small hooks which will probably guaranty we only catch big baits.

-Eliot Wread

Point Reyes Station" Well, Eliot, it sounds like you and Gage have similar futures. I have a feeling that this won't be Thalassa's only fish pictures on here. Good work on making bait and making do with what you had. As a tackle shop owner, may I suggest having an assortment of hook sizes, as the literature says the most effective method is to match the hook size to your bait, not what  you're fishing for. Keep that bait lively! But if you only have big hooks, and they're catching, put more big hooks in tiny baits. It ain't wrong if it works. Good work on filling the fish box.

   On the surf front, there's been a few surfperch caught off of the oceanfront beach. Stripers, well, yes, a few from Sand Point. Kastmasters and Daiwa SP Minnows have been the weapons so far. Generally, the turn of the tide, high or low, is the best time to be casting from the Point. Halibut? Well, yes, but not many. Here's a picture I got a few days back:

   Keeper? Short? Dunno. I can say it's a halibut. And that's the beach. So.. It can be done. Thank you Tom Carter for the photo.