So the report: Slow. One of the locals has a few pots in the Outer Bay and has been averaging around five Dungeness per day of soaking. His last pull was thirteen crab for two days soaking, so maybe better?  It's probably fresh bait pulling more crab early in the soak, but one can dream. Maybe they're coming in! (Spoiler: They aren't, yet. Soonish they will, but the clutch is likely in session, and soon traps will likely be closed as the whales return with April showers.) Shore snarers are getting a few but far from limits. It is the seasonal slow time, but it should get better as we approach the end of the season in June. 

    The last I checked, these were the final options the PFMC came up with for salmon season this year. Only one is no season! The other two options have very limited seasons with short four day windows and a maximum number of fish allowed to be caught. The photo above shows the actual numbers and they're slightly different, but the important thing to know is that, if one of these two fishing options is approved there's a good chance that all the fish will be caught during the first window. 6500-7000 fish for the whole state in four days seems totally doable when there's a pent up desire to catch some of these fish that we've been having to let go. If the weather is good there will be hundreds of boats hitting the water at Santa Cruz, Moss Landing and Monterey and they will catch them all, as the fish usually haven't made it up here yet. But, early June usually sucks, so we have a chance at a second opening. I'm getting a bit ahead of myself, though, a s I hear the chance for any season is 50:50 and secondly, there has never been a year in which sport guys fished and commercials sat it out, and the commercial offering is, well, crap. Ten fish per boat per week? I don't think any commercial could afford to do that, and if they did they'd need to high grade like heck just to break even. I don't think the commercials will go for it, and if they don't go fishing there's a good chance we won't go fishing. So, halibut and rockfish take it for the team again. Good luck, boys.

   On the rockfish subject, it appears that the PFMC has approved a plan to open up the deep water around Cordell Bank. It will become official when it becomes official, and that day might be a while. Someday we can fish around Cordell, and as someone that has fished at Cordell before (I'm old enough that it was legal....) it is awesome. Or was, at least, and after making a pass over it while trolling for bluefin last year my fishfinder says it looks super good now. Let's hope that we get to find out this year. 

    On the deep water rockfishing subject of "can I make it out there in my boat?", well, if you're not sure, then no. And if you've never been out there but you're totally sure, then no. Go with someone who has been before. Charter a trip on a six-pack or make a run with Rick on the New Sea Angler and see what it takes. The six-pack option would be closer to your situation, so probably that. Make sure of your forecast before you go and be prepared to bail and run home with nothing if the forecast goes south. The worst weather I was ever in was on the second day of a three day run of "winds light and variable to 5 knots" when the wind came up to 30 and 1 foot seas were breaking 15 to 20 feet high 25 miles out and I was in a 16 foot Whaler. The forecasts are usually right, but if things satrt looking questionable don't be an ass like me and stay. Run Home. I wish I had. I'd sleep a lot better with less nightmares. I saw the 20.5 foot boat in front of me broach twice in white water on the way in. I thought I was going to be picking bodies out of the water. Tom Gerbi and Bob King were making a small patch of calm water in their wake right behind the boat and I was staying in it until a breaker would come in from the port stern quarter and I'd back off (as they have the right of way). I thought I was dead. I didn't die, but pick your days better and give up and go home earlier. Or just go with a guy that knows.

    On surfperch, the wind that I have been whining about (and will whine about some more, I assure you) has actually done what it is supposed to do and not just added sand to the beach in front of the Boathouse but added some structure to the beach. I haven't heard any catching reports of surfperch but the structure in front of the beach looks good on the north end of Dillon Beach. You have to cast around a bunch of surfers, but there's bars a go-go there. Fish? Maybe not yet, but if you build it, they will come.