SF Ocean Fishing Report 4/6/05

[Wahoo!]

Pacific Ocean
Golden Gate: The second saddest day of our salmon fishing life might
have been Wednesday. Sad and proud, hard as it often is to reconcile the
two. "Here I am," Outer Limits skipper Jimmy Robertson said, "the only
party boat left on the ocean." Forget that most all the other skippers
were in Sacramento for the Pacific Fishery Management Council meetings,
or that the others bailed on the day because of the weather and no
business, we'll allow him the drama. So there it was, the only party
boat left on the sea, steaming out of Richardson Bay at dawn and pushing
into the open brine. It rained on and off through the morning, and if
Robertson were the poetic type he would have made more of it than just
rain, but why get maudlin? At Duxbury, he called down the lines, settled
into trolling, and the morning, either sensing or not sensing the
moment, wore on without a fish. All the while, Robertson was watching
the sea birds winging north by northwest. He finally called up the lines
and followed. When he found the birds again, the Outer Limits was off
the Towers, out in 125 feet of ocean. The lines were played out 30 to 50
pulls. There was bait (pinhead anchovy, they would find) stacked top to
bottom, and the final count, from the final couple hours of fishing, was
four salmon to 12 pounds. And there you have it, straight from the last
party boat on the sea.
The rest: Solid chomp out of Bodega Bay early in the week, with talk of
a party boat boxing limits of salmon in the legal water just off the
mouth of the once-mighty Russian River. Since then, it's mostly wind ...
Pillar Point, though center for sudden home-spun activism and a fishing
revolt the rival of none other, is, alas, a ghost harbor of
hook-and-line activity. Working order: You fight the fight before you
enjoy the victory or rally after defeat. And it's here that we find
exception to Robertson's lament. There was another big boat on the water
Wednesday. On the advice of its longtime booking agent, Huck Finn
Sportfishing, Dennis Baxter and his New Capt. Pete motored south for
Santa Cruz on Wednesday to fish Monterey Bay for as long as the state
season allows. Why? "There was a fishing shop there with customers but
no boat, and I was a boat with no customers," Baxter said. To find him:
Call Shamrock, now possibly known as MTM Sportfishing, at (831) 476-2648
... Now Santa Cruz and Monterey: The opener was a hit, especially
Sunday, when the Caroline out of Monterey put in 16 limits of salmon.
Other boats swaggered in, as well, including Capt. Norm Chapin's
six-pack charter (209-992-0418), which boated limits both Saturday and
Sunday. The Where isn't much of a trade secret, with the action at
Soquel Hole and then, too, off Mulligan Hill. Actually, the way it
worked was Moss Landing, Mulligan Hill and right on down the line, day
to day, as the salmon seemed to wander south. The key is fishing deep,
with boats working out to the 50-fathom line and dropping down 200 to
300 feet deep, and trolling all the usual gear. The mooching fleet, too,
is getting its fish deep, 150 to 250 pulls down.
The meetings: Early word out of Sacramento on Wednesday was that the
PFMC delivered NMFS a swift kick and Option 1, to wit, a full season of
salmon fishing, starting May 1 and running through mid-November, with no
restrictions but for August in the water in front of the troubled
Klamath. What NMFS does with the proposal and snub is another matter.
Late, late word, from PFMC council member Roger Thomas, is that NOAA
(overlord of NMFS) called a private meeting with the state, to map out a
plan. Thomas expected to hear something today, which happens to be when
the state Fish and Game Commission is meeting in Monterey.
Worst/oft-expected case: We lose the season in the state water, too.
Best case: NMFS and the state either buckle or see the light and agree
to Option 1.