Where did ya go Halibut?

Do we know?

What impact will the rain have on our fish?

We started off the season in Grand fashion. We got on the Halibut and stayed on them last month. This month (June) is a different story. What happened or what didn’t happen is left for the scientists.

  As fisherman we think we know what’s going on with the fish. We work them over and get into great patterns, while capitalizing on every hook-up. It may sound simple to the angler who doesn’t fish as often as we do. We really do work hard to find fish for our commercial endeavors. We like happy customers but we also like to please our fish markets as well.

 You have got to remember fish are generally stupid. They are part of an ever changing environment. The complexity of that environment is, truly, what adds to the belief that halibut are smart.

  Like all fish, halibut are cold blooded creatures with a brain the size of a bean. The temperature of the water controls how active that fish is going to be. The clarity of the water is going to control how well he can see his prey.  Over analyzing what fish do is for scientists.

Like most creatures Feeding and making more halibut is the way of survival, nothing more, and nothing less.  

  The fish we caught last month have been here for a while.  They stink inside their belly. When they come up from the bottom they have mud on there bellies. The mud on the belly may be an indicator of the condition of the bay but it also means he or she has been sitting in the mud for a period of time. The contents of there stomachs is also an indication that these are resident fish. Green crabs, gobies, small herring and black mud are what we have been seeing in the fish we have to clean.

  The negative aspect of this situation is as we take these fish no more new ones are coming to replace them. We have caught 2 male fish this year. Not a good sign.

 The last point I want to share is the water. California has been in drought for many years. The boom of caught butts seems to peak in drought years. The abundant rain and snow this year has scoured the bay. The flats have been flushed. This will be a good thing for the future but for now I really feel that the fresh water has shocked everything. The bay is different now and all the speculation in the world won’t make the fish do something that’s not in their somewhat normal pattern.

    All I can do is to continue to look for halibut and when we get on another batch of fish take advantage of the situation.