Just a quick note today. With only a couple of people on the pier I guess the Dungeness lost their shyness and came in. Some very nice crab taken on the pier this morning.

Too much wind on Thursday through Saturday for any salmon fishing but there were some perch caught in the surf and quite a few clams got chowdered. The pier crabbing was slow. No word on leopard shark. More wind forecast for this week. So, in light of a lack of anything to report, here's a link to a story (with pictures!) of an octopus eating a gull: http://www.birdfellow.com/journal/2012/04/27/who%E2%80%99s_up_for_lunch_a_gull_eating_octopus_in_victoria_bc  At least someone is catching.

The following is a post from my mother's Facebook wall. The poster used to fish with my grandfather, Merle. He's a better writer than I. Here it is.:


I was dreading this news. I had a feeling that your Dad would not last long. To say that he was a great man is an understatement. He was truly a Gift From God. He was a throwback to the "Lifeboat Men" that protected our waters before there was a Coat Guard. He found a way to preserve a beautiful stretch of coastline while at the same time sharing it with thousands of people every week. He shared his boating skills and love of salmon fishing (the only fish worthy of catching). Anyone that spent a few days around him learned that that gruff exterior was only a show and that the true Merle was a very caring man and had a heart of gold.


I learned many lessons from him. Don't cross the bar if it is breaking all the way across. It will be too rough to fish anyway.


Fish with a very light drag. If you need more pressure lift up with your thumb and let your nail touch the line.


A fish is not ready to boat until it has turned belly up.


Don't you dare touch a child's pole if he has hooked a fish.


If you are in your own boat you need to head home when Merle did or you would face a very wet and windy ride home.


Always run a green Apex on at least one rod.


When clamming and 80 year old man can kick the ass of a 35 year old.


If you get stuck on the bar it is better to wait it out than to face the embarrassment you will face at the boat house if you call for help.


Merle did not pass away. God just finally got him into the net. If God has a "brag board" like the landing has I am sure the Merle is the catch of the year.


Please keep us posted as far as a memorial service in California

This isn't a recent picture. In fact, that's me on the right and my brother, Tad, in front. I'm guessing that this is 1975 or 1976. The reason I'm posting this is for the man in the middle, my grandfather, Merle Lawson. Merle taught me my love of fishing even though I got seasick on his boat, the Tracer. I got seasick a lot. He must have been an excellent teacher. He and his brother Mike started Lawson's Landing in 1956. For the record, the camping was almost an afterthought, as the Landing is named so as a fishing port. Mike was killed in a tractor accident in 1986. Mike's wife, Dolores, died last month. Merle passed away on Monday night. Merle loved to show new people how to fish and how to love fishing. He also loved to tell people where the fish were. He would call the other boats in on his bite, even though too many boats would make the fish quit biting. (I won't do that. Ever. I'll tell you later.) That spirit is what this report is about. When I look at this picture, I'm still that kid in the photo. Thanks, grandpa.

The salmon were biting pretty good yesterday, and not too far out (160 to 200 feet of water), but that may all change by this weekend. The forecast calls for strong winds over the weekend, 20 to 30 knots, and that should churn everything up. It's kind of like shaking an Etch A Sketch. There was 55 degree water on the bar yesterday at high tide and the pelicans have been diving on bait in the inner and outer bay. Some of the bay water won't cool as much, so an early halibut bite could be a possibility. I finally went abbing yesterday for the first time this year and I'm happy to report no shortage of abalone. Pretty good visibility, too. It's always nice to choose your abalone before diving.