Here's a report from last weekend:"Limits of 3 spices all off bird rock. Cotati Steve and his buddy Petaluma Pete" I'm not sure which one is pictured, but nice fish.

      Today's reports were mostly of salmon. A slow start for most turned into a boat race to the river for a radio bite. Those that stayed ended up with a few salmon, some by mooching and others by trolling. Charisse Corpe of Lodi landed a 25 pound salmon while trolling with Nathan Porter on Ten Mile. John and Carol Kuhlman caught their limits, a double while mooching at McClure's and later, another double landed while trolling at the Trees. 

      Syd and Sean Bottomley of Nevada City caught three salmon today, the largest being Syd's 28 pounder. I'm not sure how deep the water was where they caught, but I'm told they were in front of Bird and 80' OTW. No word today on halibut from Hog and only empty-handed striper fishermen on the beach.

     Jake Showaker couldn't make it out fishing this weekend, so "Local Legend" Gerard had to catch all the fish. These were caught "off of a beach" on "bait" while "trolling." The only physical clue I got as to his actual whereabouts was the it seemed like there was a lot of jellyfish slime on his boat. At least, I think that's what it was....

     Other people caught salmon as well, from Tomales Point down onto Ten Mile, from 25 to 140 feet of water. The baitfish schools seemed to be most prevalent around 80 to 100 feet of water and the salmon tended to be near the bottom. Now, I sell gear, so I always say the fish are at the bottom, but really, this time they are.
     On the crab front, the red crab testing has continued and the results stink. My prediction: No red crab here this year, and they may close it in some open areas that have reopened. They haven't tested Dungeness yet, but I am suddenly nervous after watching the red crabs' numbers surge from one of six crabs one part per million over the limit to four of six crabs up to 290 parts per million over the limit in about six weeks. They aren't testing the crabs here, and our water has been colder than where they're testing, but still, I sense very bad things......

Did I mention stripers?

     Gage caught this one on a sardine Daiwa SP Minnow. He actually listens to me. I'd never have guessed.

     I went out and tried for seabass last night (don't worry, I left them all for you) and saw schools of bait all over, from Tomales Point down to Abbott's Lagoon. There were pelicans and murres feeding all over, and it looked like the fishing was about to bust open. Well, it didn't, but it did get a bit better. These salmon above were caught by the Honebeins off of McClure's Beach today. Other salmon (and a few halibut) came from there, as well as most of Ten Mile. Tomales Bay was not as generous with its halibut. There was a halibut reported hooked and lost by a striper fisherman in the surf. Considering that the grunion are running and the sand crabs just molted again, there should be a few more halibut and stripers coming from there, but maybe the schools of anchovies further out were too enticing. 

Seabass

     Thomas Huddleston sent in this report and photos"Grandson wanted to go fishing two days before school started. First day 20#  2nd day 30# along with a nice Ling. Between Bird and Trees. Diego Franco, caught on 8/15 and 8/16"

      Here's Gage's fish from yesterday. We finally found baitfish schools in the outer bay and tried a few tacks through them. No salmon, but after 45 minutes of fighting it Gage landed this tail-hooked thresher shark. It was released unharmed. Turns out the salmon are still off of McClure's and Bird Rock, but there aren't many of them. Several were brought in today (at least two caught mooching!) by several boats, so there's a chance if you aren't me.

          Lou Gumm caught this hitchhiking ling cod at Bird Rock on Thursday.

   Oh yeah, almost forgot. Chad Davis of Manteca caught a little fishy. It only weighed 66 pounds. When asked where he hooked it, he said, "the mouth." I don't think he meant the mouth of the bay, but that's the only information he would part with. That's the biggest seabass I've seen here.