Over the weekend the crabbing inside the bay stayed okay. It was a bit slower but people were still mostly catching some Dungeness. I talked to a guy that was snaring off the seawall and caught eight jumbos. I was a bit disappointed that I had to go to Ten Mile to do that. Some other folks went to Ten Mile on Friday and only caught a few. It can happen. The crabs aren't just piled up down there waiting for your hoop to drop. If it ain't happening where you are, run a mile farther, go 20' deeper, freshen your bait. Adding fresh bait between drops keeps the crab interested. Washed out bait can't attract as well as bloody, fatty fresh stuff. The world renowned Eddy Kim has made an appearance here and today he and his crew caught their three limits inside the bay in about four hours. Mr. Kim has several tricks for success but the one I'm privy to is his use of squid. He's almost trading squid for crab on a pound-per-pound ratio. It seems like a lot, but I bet adding a piece or two between each drop may work, too. 

    Brad Stompe emailed over a comment about last Thursday's report: "Hey Willie,

Just wanted to thank you for your last report.  I have had 2 trips down that way this season and done very well on the crabs.  We have picked up some rockfish too as well as a few lings.  What we did not look for was squid.  I had no idea they could be found up this way at this time of year.  Our last trip we saw lots of bird activity but did not think to investigate.  Come to think of it, my son ran into a school of juvenile black cod on the surface a couple years ago in the same area, so it pays to look.  I love squid and will be paying closer attention thanks to your report.

Regards,

Brad Stompe" Good to know that you're catching some crab down Ten Mile way. For the record, we weren't looking for squid, as we, too, had assumed that was all over. Gage thought the birds might be signs of bonito, as they're catching some as close as the San Francisco bar. Upon closer inspection we saw no signs of fish but the birds had squid in their beaks. It wasn't cleverness on our part, just monkey curiosity. I have seen squid eggs wash up here in February and March before, so it may be that they just don't leave, we just quit looking...