The crabbing has been mostly from shore this week as the weather was pretty gnarly. Yesterday a few boats hit the crab in the bay and got a few keepers, but the current was pretty bad in the afternoon and most of the crab are small. Still, action! Shore snarers have been getting a few but not much bragging. Neil Anderson sent over a snaring report: "Hi,

Ive been reading your fishing report for many years and wanted to thank you for keeping us all updated on how things are going at my favorite crabbing spot.

On Tuesday (2/17), I came out to Lawson's Landing and threw out a crab snare with a camera attached to it because I've always wanted to see what's going on under water when crab are going at my snare.  

I wanted to share the video with you in the hopes that you find it as entertaining as I did (nothing too exciting).  The video file is large so it wouldn't me attach it to the email.  Here's a google photos link: 

https://photos.app.goo.gl/3qjhSMdVqQA6xT6LA

Also, attached is the camera I rigged up.

Thanks

Neil Anderson

" Looks like there were a few Dungeness cruising around down there, Neil. Maybe not keepers, yet, but soon. I'm surprised by how many jacksmelt showed up at the bottom, as I've caught pretty much all of mine near the surface. I guess the messy eating habits of your crab must have chummed them in. I guess that I can lower my chum disperser and sabiki . Nice video and I hope you got a keeper on a wet day.

    

     Wingle noted in the last post's comments that he had a caught a halibut last week as well. Here's the photo as was shared to me by Gage. It sounds like 50 to 80 feet of water have a few flatfish if you're lucky and can get there from here.   Mostly lucky.

     In other news, looking ahead towards this summer, it appears that there a salmon season is likely. GSSA posted some numbers from the PFMC ahead of their scheduled meeting on the 25th, and the numbers look good. Not great, but the best returns of jacks and adults in a decade. A decade of crap, but crap fishing makes us better killers because you gotta try harder or quit. The jack count, 65,000 is second to only 2011's 85,000 jacks. I don't know if you recall 2012's salmon fishing, but it was good. As one year's jacks are the heaviest weighted variable in the algebra (calculus?) of salmon season prognosticating for the following year, a big number is good. Let's just say these numbers will make it harder to say no. Not impossible, but a no will require a really good liar. I don't think a good enough liar lurks within our border, so I'm pouring lead and tying up leaders. We're going. Game on.