Where is the best launch site to fish the Berkeley Pier area?

Launched at 0730 and trolled for over 4 hours.  It was a very nice morning with very light winds and the swell was only about 5 feet.  No Salmon, but I did have a close encounter with a Gray Whale which came up about 40 feet away.  By the time I got my camera out and snapped a picture it was gone and all my picture shows is a small part of its back (look to the left of the birds).  The wind started picking up about 1300 when I got back to Doran Beach.

http://dailymotion.alice.it/video/xjbfz_nage-avec-le-grand-blanc

I just returned from my first trip to Shelter Cove.  Arrived there before 0900 on yesterday (3/14/07) got a room at Mario’s Motel where I rigged my yak, then I wheeled it down the road to the launch and went fishing.  I trolled out to about a ¼ mile past the Whistle Buoy then around that area for a while then went in.  The swells weren’t too big maybe 6-8 feet, but they were very close together which wasn’t too much fun.  The wind was very low and didn’t pick up until after 1300 when I called it a day after a little over 5 miles.  No Salmon, but I did catch two Blue Rockfish while trolling. 

Today, I launched at 0900 and trolled south to about ¾ of a mile past the Bell Buoy then headed out past the Whistle Buoy again and again no Salmon, but I did land five fish; a female Kelp greenling, 3 Blues, and a nice Black Rockfish.  There was little wind and the swell was a bit higher than yesterday but further apart so it wasn’t bad at all.  Today, 6.5 miles round trip. 

Well, I struck out on Salmon, but it was a very nice trip to a new place (for me anyway) and I enjoyed the experience.  I had the ocean all to myself both days as there wasn’t another vessel of any kind on the water.  I am planning a trip in May (probably weekend), so if the Salmon bite is off I can catch lots of rockfish and stay entertained.  I’ll post in “Hookups” and I see if someone wants to join me.

How many of you ever anchor your kayaks from the bow?  I'm getting ready to rig up my anchor and I was wondering if there was any situation where I wouldn't want to anchor from the stern.

Launched about 0900 with my friend Mike.  Caught about 25 rock fish and two underlings mostly small and/or zero retention fish (Canaries & Yelloweyes) kept a few larger Blues.  Mike caught a keeper Ling and an 8lb. Halibut along with his rockfish.  Cloudy, cold, windy and a bit rough in the afternoon, but the launch and recovery there is pretty easy.  I took a fly rod along and caught some small Blues with that, which was fun.  All in all a nice day on the water.

I know this has probably been beat to death, but I keep seeing pictures of fish, I would classify as Yelloweyes (from my knowledge of the DFG pictures), but the posters say they are Vermilions.  What is a guaranteed way of telling the difference?  I caught this fish on Saturday at Fort Ross and released it as a Yelloweye.  Its eye ring was yellow!  Any and all clarification is appreciated.

Slept in and got on the water around 9:45.  I launched from the ramp at Doran Beach with visibility about a quarter mile and pedaled out till I saw some power boats by the Gong Buoy south of Bodega Rocks.  I trolled around in that area, had 6 hits and landed one little 7 1/2 pounder.  I quit around noon and headed in.  I'm new to kayak fishing and this was my first kayak salmon so even though it was small, I was pleased.  I'm watching the wind and may go again Sunday if anyone is interested.