THE FISHING REPORT

Salmon fishing has turned down right tough in recent weeks out
of Bodega Bay. Fishermen that are used to getting one or more
salmon per person are now lucky to get one bite for the whole boat.
When this type of fishing presents itself you really have several
options.
The first option is not to go. Many anglers are just not finding
it worth the expense, effort or use of domestic chips to go out and
not catch a salmon these days. There were only 40 boats out last
Saturday compared to the “hundreds” out in previous weeks. But what
fun would that be. Even in the midst of last week’s futile effort I
got to see a blue whale sound. Something I wouldn’t have seen if I
had stayed at home doing chores and watching an exhibition football
game.  If you call yourself a fisherman you go fishing even when
you know times are tough.
So you go and you know it is going to be a tough bite. What are
going to be your tactics? Well I think you start by running to
yesterday’s numbers of the one boat that caught a fish.  Not
because you have any thoughts that the fish might still be there
but at least it is a place to start. You look around for a while
and realize that there is no bait there. Nobody  is catching any
fish. There are no fish there.
So you start paying more attention to the radio. The scattered
reports are iffy at best. The chatter on the radio has digressed to
talk of domestic chores and great fishing days gone by. Then you
get a call from a buddy who tells you that he has caught one. One!
Not “I am really into them.” Just  “one.” But right now that seems
like a heck of lot better than anything else you are hearing so you
run the 5 or so miles to where he is. And of course as you are
running you see a half a dozen other boats doing the same
thing.
You set out trolling along the same line as he is. Now you have
company because everyone else that started at the “one boat from
yesterday’s” numbers is now down fishing with you. All because of
“one” fish caught. Hours go by. You get a bite but it doesn’t
stick. You change tactics and try mooching. More hours go by.
Around 1 your buddy calls on the radio to tell you he is “done.”
Like, “I have got my two fish and I am going home, sucker.” You
have one bite for two guys and are probably the high liner in the
group, saving and excepting your buddy who is “done.”  A couple
hours later you go home skunked.
So what should you have done? Stay home? No, that isn’t an
option because you are a true fisherman. What you should have done
was realize it was going to be a really tough salmon bite in the
first place. You should try for salmon for about an hour at the
place that you have been successful at for the last month and a
half (Bird Rock). When that didn’t pan out, you should go to plan
“B.”
 Plan “B” is a simple concept. All good fishermen should have a
plan “B.” If you have a feeling that things aren’t going to work
out then having a plan “B” is mandatory. In this case, out of
Bodega Bay, a really good plan “B” would have been to go down to
Ten Mile Beach and fish for halibut. One fisherman did that last
Saturday. He went down to Ten Mile, right in front of the first
parking lot and scored 12 halibut for his three anglers in 20 feet
of water. Another option would have been rock fishing either north
at the River or South to Point Reyes. Capt Rick Powers at Bodega
Bay Sportfishing and master of the plan “B,” had limits of decent
rockfish on Saturday. So be flexible and know your options. Being
stubborn only gets you skunked. So when the going gets tough…the
tough go fish for something else. But at least I saw a blue
whale.
For more fishing reports and/or information,
contact
Hunt Conrad at Prospect Mortgage, 431-9715.