A&E

The Healdsburg Literary Guild, Toyon Books and

Conjectures, Etceteras

Most of us have heard the dire predictions for the Winter

Charlie Palmer's internationally acclaimed restaurant in the

I just returned from a family camping trip over the weekend  to

This has got to be the strangest Steelhead season I can ever remember. Back in the 70’s when the “D” word was a common topic at the dinner table I was only fishing in the salt water. My understanding was that the fishing was horrible. There was no hatchery program and the river was a dessert. Then in 1983 Warm Springs Dam was finished and along with it the Hatchery to provide angler mitigation for the loss of habitat and subsequent loss of fish. Since then, we have had rainfalls sufficient to fill the reservoirs and the hatchery has filled the rivers with Steelhead. Often our biggest problem was having too much rain and not having it rain long enough so the rivers would clear so we could fish.

Ocean salmon fishing has been very productive for boats out of Bodega Bay harbor. While limits were not the rule, many boats, both private and sport managed a fair number of fish the last week, averaging better than a fish per rod. Rick Powers, skipper of the 60 foot New Sea Angler exclaimed that “this has been the best opening week of salmon fishing since I can remember” and while not wanting to give up Rick’s age, suffice it to say that Rick has been doing this quite a while. It also helps when Rick can go out in his big boat in 20 knots of breeze and still effectively fish. Most private boats in the 20 to 35 foot class were unable to fish last Saturday for example and Rick got near limits for his 16 passengers. Sunday the weather backed off to a mere 12-15 knots and Rick and the crew of the new Sea Angler got easy limits for all aboard. Many private boaters that weathered the bumpy conditions also got limits. The 6 pack boat, Miss Anita reported 8 fish for a  mere half day of fishing Sunday and a half day trip out to see the whales which are plentiful off our coast this time of year. Vince Orcini, Captain of the Miss Anita felt sure she would have been able to get full limits for the passengers and crew had they fished a couple more hours.