So Gage tells me that there's no perch on the beach, so I figure that he knows what he's talking about, because he's Gage, right? Then I get an email asking for a fish ID for a fish they found washed up on the beach. It looks like a rubberlip perch to me. But it couldn't be, right? I don't know what to believe anymore.

      I was hoping to start this post with some salmon news and a nice crab catching report but I didn't get started soon enough and a bad thing happened, so I'll start with that. Today's accident on the bar was yet another reminder of how dangerous the ocean can be. The two boaters came from Bodega Bay in a 13' Whaler and a big wave broke over the boat while they were on the bar. The passenger was able to hold on to the boat, barely, while the driver was swept away. The engine died and the boat was full of water, but the motor would crank, so after quite some time he was able to get the boat started and start looking for the lost man. He eventually found him and, unable to drag the unconscious victim into the boat by himself, towed his friend to shore on Tomales Point. The Sonoma County Sheriff's helicopter, Henry One, end up bringing them both to the Landing. Bodega Bay Fire also came with their boat and towed the Whaler in, putting it on the trailer we provided with better accuracy than expected (This isn't firemen bashing. Have you seen people try to put boats on trailers here? It ain't easy. Nicely done, sirs). They also rescued one of the two dogs that had been aboard. Marin County Fire, State Parks and the National Park Service also came by to help.
     So, the salmon news is that they're out there if the weather lays down. The New Sea Angler picked up 7 salmon to 10 pounds yesterday, according to USAFishing.com. Lots of shakers. This is great news for this year and next year, as this year's shaker is this fall's jack and next year's really nice fish. The jack count ends up setting the season, so here's hoping that a lot of little horny fish hit the river this fall.

     Richard Baratta sent in this photo and report:"Hey Willy
Went out on the first, no crabbers no fishermen no wind. I thought it was a April fools joke on me. Dropped the pots in the bay's oh so secret hole and got a limit in two hours.
Richard" Nicely done, Richard, and sometime you'll have to tell me about that secret hole. I can keep a secret. Probably.

     We have the fans turned on full blast to dry things out down here, with gusts predicted to top 45 knots this evening. The ocean water temp has only dropped about a degree so far, so we aren't seeing the upwelling that the salmon smolts need. yet. From the forecast, it's coming. The wind seems bad now, but when it's coming off of 48º water it will be worse. Let's hope there's a few breaks in the wind this spring so the plankton can bloom and the krill can follow. Also for our sanity.
     The perch fishing has improved a bit this week with some being caught, although by the afternoon it is hard to cast anything out without having it blown back in your face. The only striper report was of a shorty released. There are still some Dungeness coming in from the pier and the water around it. We saw a jumbo caught on a snare from the beach in front of the boathouse yesterday.
      We definitely have a salmon season this year (April) and probably we'll get some time in the summer to try for them as well. If you are a salmon troller that likes using Luhr Jensen size 0 dodgers you have probably discovered by now that they quit making them. I think the Silver Horde ones work fine, but if you are still looking for one or two more Luhr Jensen/Les Davis dodgers, we still have a couple in the shop.
   Also coming up in April is the Golden Gate Salmon Association dinner. If you haven't heard about it yet, here's the last chance announcement:

ONLY 5 SPONSORED TABLES LEFT! GET YOUR TABLE NOW!

Some salmon season news:

And an abalone reminder:

Abalone Season Opens May 1,

One Month Later Than Years Past

CDFW is reminding abalone divers that the 2017 season will be shortened by two months, with the traditional opening date of April 1 now delayed until May 1. The fishery will also close a month earlier than usual, on Oct. 31. The July closure remains in effect.

The annual (calendar year) limit is changing from 18 abalone to 12. As in the past, no more than nine abalone may be taken south of the boundary between Sonoma and Mendocino counties. Make sure you are familiar with the 2017-18 Ocean Sport Fishing Regulations before you hit the water.

The red abalone limit was reduced and season shortened because CDFW surveys found lower densities of red abalone in deeper waters due to recent unfavorable environmental conditions. There have been three years of poor growth of kelp, a major food for abalone. Dramatic increases in purple sea urchin populations have further reduced the food available for abalone. Lack of food can cause abalone to die from starvation or to be weakened and reduce their ability to survive strong waves. Lack of food in deeper water has probably caused abalone to move into shallower water where they can be caught in the fishery.

The concentration of abalone in shallow water will make them seem more abundant but the overall population is lower and more vulnerable to overfishing. For more details, visit https://cdfwmarine.wordpress.com/2016/03/30/perfect-storm-decimates-kelp/.

Abalone report cards are now available for purchase. Get your fishing license and abalone report card so you don’t miss a single day of the season.

     There's still some big Dungeness out there. At least, there was. This one was caught on the pier yesterday, along with some others. The crabbers were running traps and snares but I didn't get the score on which worked better. If you're bringing fishing rods down the snares are probably the better bet because the perch catching slowed way down this week. At least there's still jacksmelt if you feel the need to catch a fish. The reports of other fish being caught in the bay haven't panned out.