Peggy Beckett at Half Moon
Bay Sport Fishing said they
were out on whale watching
trips on Sunday 2-28 but
with the recent weather and
swell, they haven’t been
able to muster enough
interest for a squid trip.
They have a
few boats which will take
part in the rockfish opener
south of Pigeon Point on May
1st while others
will be waiting for the
season to opener north of
Pigeon Point on June 13th.
Until then Roger Thomas on
the Salty Lady will be
running Humboldt squid trips
when the weather cooperates.
Private
boaters continue to score
limits of crab, averaging
nearly 6 crab per pot, after
longer soaks at depths from
110 to 150 feet. Most
boaters are still locating
lost pots that have walked
the past few weeks. With all
of the consistent crabbing
this year many anglers have
pulled their gear but we
should see an up tick in
interest during the spring
months.
Sheryl Jimno at the Rusty Hook in Pacifica said most fishermen are still
working the pier for a few crab, even in the swell and wind. The swells have
been intermittent with high surf one day before backing down the next. There
are still a few fishermen trying for surf perch.
Sacramento PFMC News
The PFMC released late
Thursday their final three
salmon options for
California.
They
range
from a
full-blown
season
to none
at all.
Keep in
mind,
these
are the
options
and the
National
Marine
Fisheries
Service
gets the
last say
on the
matter
in
April.
But for
now,
here is
what's
being
considered
Option 1
Fort
Bragg:
April 3
through
November
14,
24inch
San
Francisco:
April 3
through
November
14, 24"
minimum
Monterey:
April 3
through
October
3, 24"
minimum
Option 2
Fort.
Bragg:
April
3-30 and
July 1
through
November
14, 20"
minimum
(now
closed
in May &
June and
20"
minimum,
same as
SF)
San
Francisco:
April
3-30 and
July 1
through
November
14, 20"
minimum
Monterey:
April
3-30 and
July 1
through
October
3, 20"
minimum
Option 3
Ft. Bragg: Closed
San Francisco: Closed
Monterey: Closed
Reading between their lines
and press releases it sounds
like the Feds are really
trying hard to get anglers
back on the water while the
state Fish and Game is now
very cautious and saying
they are concerned about the
lofty projections. (see the
Fishing 4 News page for a
great "crunching the
numbers" by a long time Sac
guide Bill Divens.
Bill has done an incredible
job of breaking down the
numbers and why he feels
that the salmon projection
numbers are too high.)
This is great news for
recreational anglers and the
odds are very much in favor
of a season happening, but
can the stocks take it? The
other concern is the high
impact by recreational
anglers on Central Valley
winter run stocks that have
dropped from over 7000 fish
to about 2000 in 2008/ 2009.
Personally, I'm in the
conservation camp. Given the
just 30% to 50% return to
projections of the past
three years I just feel that
we should wait for the
numbers to start to rebound
before we start fishing
again. One has to also
consider the past
two years of drought and the
current El Nino conditions along the
coast now, how much harvest
can this fishery take is the
real question that will be
answered next fall.
The PFMC will be meeting
later this month and again
in early April when they
announce which option they
will select. We can only
hope that they select
correctly. If we do get to
fish and the run comes in
under escapement goals it
may be years before we are
back on the water.
Mike
In
the Chronicle
there was an excellent
article posted "War
on Salmon". Cynthia
Koehler and Brian Nelson
did an excellent job of
showing the cause and
effect of increased
water diversion out of
the delta on salmon. Someone may
want to drop the
Governor a copy.
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information on our
reports pages.
California Waterfowl 2010
Dinners and Youth Events
Calendar
Party Boat Contacts:
The
Huck
Finn Sportfishing Center
is taking reservations for
rockfish and ling trips
650 726-7133
New Captain Pete
Sportfishing
with captain Dennis
Baxter is now taking
reservations for
charters
(650) 726-6224
Great Links:
Fishermen, check out
DF&Gs easy-to-use
California Ocean Sport
Fishing Regulations Map.
Simply click the marine
location where you plan to
fish, and you will access a
list of Sport Fishing
Regulations for that area.
Reports will resume when
salmon reopens in 2010
Reports resume in July of
2009 or when the longfins
return.
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