In first good sign, barracuda show upThe water slashed apart and birds, big brown birds, blasted holes in the ocean just above Abalone Point. I was driving down Coast Highway from a doctor's appointment in Newport and got so excited about simply seeing the ocean alive that I called a couple fishing buddies and gave them the report.

Then the truth showed up in the dock totals from yesterday -- barracuda from the Coronados to Rocky Point. Now that's the kind of mid-May sign that we need to get the boats rolling and get folks warmed up throwing the jigs and remembering how to flyline a live bait. And if you lose a few jigs or hooks, don't worry, there's more than one tackle store waiting to move some inventory.

Whatreally got me excited about that spot of life along the beach was that the bait ball getting torn up wasn't squid. How did I know? Pelicans don't eat squid. Squid bite the inside of the bag pelicans scoop up food with. So when you see pelicans feeding, it's on some sort of fin bait like anchovies or sardines.

I've got nothing against squid, but it's a huge supply of 'dines and 'choves in the San Pedro Channel that brings in the migratories and makes the local summertime bite roll. Here's hoping this is just the start.