How has the action been out there? I am going out next sunday (4/21/02) on the OUTLAW run by Capt. John's Sportfishing out of Pillar Point Harbor. They have been into limits, but mostly trolling still. When do you think that the mooching will come around?

In the past the HMB boats started mooching when the salmon are more shallow and feeding on schools of baitfish instead of shrimp (krill?),usually much later than April.

There are times (very rare) that the salmon actually corner schools of anchovies between the beach and the breakwater there (EL GRANADA BEACH next to Hwy 1) and can be caught from right outside the surf to the end of the breakwater, but usually the salmon will not be closer than the buoys at the ends of the reef about 1 mile offshore. The party boats usually go far south or far north of there depending on the time of the season.

The "surfside" salmon fishing that I mentioned is not worth trying at that beach and breakwater unless you see many boats mooching outside of the surf and many birds diving. However, more often than not these signs will only indicate junk tomcod feeding on anchovies.