The fall season is going through its annual changes. Just lately there has been some indication that the big tuna below Mag Bay may be starting to go on the bite, though as of yet no one has put together a big score. Maybe we won't see that this year, but I suspect there will be some cows caught off Baja between now and Christmas. It's an odd thing, but right now you could catch a 70-pound tuna at Alijos or Guadalupe Island, but maybe not anywhere else.

Yesterday the Excel had a 130-pounder from the southern banks, and today Shogun skipper Bruce Smith repeated a story I've heard from many skippers; one that was backed up by skippers Mark Pisano and Paul Strasser of the Independence: they're seeing some spots of big fish in the 100 to 150-pound range, but so far the tuna won't come up and bite. The water's still warm, at 82 or 83 degrees. When it cools just a bit more the situation may change for the better.

Red Rooster III left yesterday on an 11-day fly-back trip that will check all the banks down to Cabo. Accurate Jack Nilsen's aboard, and his group may have the first shot. We'll see.

The Indy had a good catch of big wahoo; about five dozen or so. That's a plus sign for fishing on The Ridge and on kelps offshore. A gazillion dorado are also still available, as you can see from Tommy Rothery's remarks following these words. Finally, some tuna up to 40 pounds and more are starting to bite above Mag Bay. That often foretells some action from the larger fish.