By: The Fish Sniffer Staff June 16, 2005 Last Issue
Opening day of the rock fishing for California's most northern zone was May 8 this year. The weather was nice, so was the ocean off cape Mendocino. We caught some nice fish that Sunday playing hookie from church. My boy's friend pictured on the left is Deven Nelsen, my oldest son Travis Michel middle, right is my youngest boy Trevor. The ling cod in the middle weighed in @ 30 lbs. Thomas Michel

MORRO BAY/AVILA BEACH
Since the rockfish season kicked off on May 1, anglers have been enjoying excellent bottom fishing action. In addition, there are still good numbers of largely overlooked salmon lurking in the area.

Charter boats out of Virg's Landing are using shrimp flies tipped with squid strips and anchovies fillets in water up to 240 feet deep to tempt a variety of tasty bottom dwellers.

According to June Davis at Virg's Landing, the Fiesta ran a three quarter day trip with 25 passengers aboard and brought back 70 rockfish and 180 vermilions. The Lot A Fun ran a three quarter day trip for 15 anglers and landed 60 vermilions, 2 lings and 90 rockfish.

The Harbor Pathfinder's full day trip returned with 130 vermilions and 130 rockfish for 32 anglers. The Princess came back from three quarter day trip with 93 vermilions, 48 coppers, 23 bocaccio, 56 rockfish and 1 lingcod for 22 anglers.

On June 10, the Fiesta ventured out on a rare salmon trip with 4 anglers aboard and returned with limits, demonstrating that there are plenty of kings available for interested anglers. The top chinook weighed 16 pounds and was caught by Mr. Hackleman of Atascadero.

Like the Morro Bay fleet, the Patriot operating out of Avila Beach has also been enjoying top-notch bottom fishing action while drifting with bait tipped shrimp flies. On the last rockfish adventure by the Patriot, 36 anglers took full limits of rockfish, including good numbers of reds and 1 lingcod.

MONTEREY
The king salmon fishing is "on fire" in Monterey Bay, reported Jim Franco at J&D Auto Repair.

"Half a dozen people came in this morning (June 13) after catching limits out of Moss Landing," said Franco. "Both private boaters and party boats caught early limits."

Stripers are still providing "decent" fishing for anglers fishing near the mouth of the Salinas River. Anglers are throwing out Fish Traps, bucktail jigs and Pencil Poppers.

"The salmon fishing is wide open in the Mulligan Hill area," confirmed Glen Fukumoto at Fisherman's Warehouse in Cupertino. Tim Parara of Redwood City, two other anglers and I nailed limits of chinooks while trolling in Monterey Bay on June 12. The fish averaged 8 to 10 pounds, with a few larger fish taken."

The anglers trolled with purple Hoochies and Franko Bullet Rotators with anchovies at 60 feet deep while using 2-1/2 pound lead balls.

"Quite a few stripers are being taken by anglers tossing out Fish Traps and other lures off New Brighton and Capitola beaches," said Fukumoto. "The stripers average 8 to 12 pounds each."

Randy Pina, Rich Davis and Karen Cooper from Rio Del Mar had a great day of trolling with Norm Chapin of Hook 'em Up Sportfishing on June 12. They bagged six chinooks weighing 18, 16, 14, 10, 8 and 6 pounds.

SANTA CRUZ
This year started out real slow, but it appears that the salmon bite in Monterey Bay is finally on, according to Ken Stagnaro of Stagnaro's Sportfishing.

The 14 passengers aboard the Velocity on Monday, June 13 were fishing off Mulligan Hill when they landed their limits by 9 a.m.

"The fish ranged from 10 to 14 pounds and most of the fish were caught between 10 and 50 feet," he tipped. "The weather was good. However, you never know how long the bite will last, so you better get out as soon as possible."

"After 3 weeks of slow fishing, the salmon fishing broke wide open Saturday and is still going today," said Joe Stoops of Chartle Sportfishing. "Both mooching and trolling are productive for this school of salmon in the south end of the bay. The bite should last a while with the commercial closure in place, but don't wait too long; this season is unpredictable."

Mike Levesque of Shamrock Charters confirmed the excellent fishing in Monterey Bay. "Sixteen anglers nailed limits of salmon weighing 8 to 16 pounds aboard the Wild Wave on June 13," said Levesque. "They enjoyed flat calm weather while mooching anchovies."

A mixture of stripers, halibut and salmon are being taken off Capitola. Dan Williams landed a 17 lb. halibut while fishing off Capitola Reef on June 10, according to Frank Ealy at Capitola Boat & Bait. Mike Seid landed a 10 lb. striped bass while drifting a live anchovy off the Capitola Wharf.

On June 11, Mike Villa landed a 10 lb. chinook from a rental boat, while Doug Martin took a 7 lb. salmon from his private boat.

HALF MOON BAY
Anglers and charter boats fishing out of Half Moon Bay have had a tough go of it so far this salmon season.

When the season opened, warm ocean temperatures were hurting the action. About two weeks ago, the temperature dropped back into the normal range and the fish responded well. Unfortunately, strong winds are now keeping charter operators from reaching fish.

"Things have been tough since the first of June, in terms of the weather," confided Phyllis Adams of the Huck Finn Sportfishing Center. "Based on the current forecast we probably won't have a boat out until the middle of next week."

On the Gravy's last two trips they had a combined total of 10 limits of salmon to 12 pounds. On the New Captain Pete's last salmon fishing adventure 11 anglers returned with 14 kings.

On June 10, the Queen of Hearts had a total of 24 salmon to 12 pounds for 12 anglers. Since that time they have not been able to get back out.

Prior to the winds, the salmon caught out of Half Moon Bay were weighing between 8 and 12 pounds. The fish were being taken from 25 to 40 feet deep by anglers trolling green or red Krocodiles, rigged bait, FBRs, and hoochies behind flashers.

The rockfish season offshore of Half Moon Bay is slated to get underway on July 1, and good action is expected, provided the weather cooperates.

SAN FRANCISCO
Skippers are reporting solid fishing for salmon on the days they are able to get out of the Golden Gate, but stormy weather followed by strong northwest winds has kept the boats at port for much of the past several weeks.

The Wacky Jacky made a trip to Point Reyes on Friday, June 10 that produced 13 salmon to 22 pounds. The fishermen trolled anchovies and herring at 35 feet deep, according to Captain Jacky Douglas.

"The fishing was slow on Sunday, July 12," said Frank Rescino, captain of Lovely Martha. "The 10 guys landed 6 salmon to 18 pounds. There was no wind, but there leftover wind chop from the day before. We trolled at 25 to 30 feet deep east of Duxbury Reef."

The same northwest winds that are making it difficult to get out create the ideal water and bait conditions for salmon in the coming weeks. The winds stir the food chain that salmon depend on by causing the upwelling of nutrients from the bottom

On the days the wind has prevented anglers from fishing the ocean, the charter boas have opted for bass and halibut in San Francisco Bay. Anglers are catching mixed bags of stripers and halibut while drifting live anchovies and shiner perch at Angel Island, Alcatraz, the Berkeley Flats, Southampton Shoals and other popular spots.

SAN RAFAEL
The windy weather of the past several weeks has made live bait drifting difficult on San Francisco Bay. Nonetheless, anglers are catching about one fish per rod - when you combine striped bass and halibut - according to Keith Fraser of Loch Lomond Live Bait and Tackle.

"The Predator had a great day striped bass fishing on Saturday, June 11," said Fraser. "The five anglers caught limits of bass from 7 to 12 pounds while drifting live shiners at Southampton Shoals. The other boats reported about a fish per rod, a mixture of stripers and halibut."

"The weather has been miserable all week, but we're catching a mixture of halibut and striped bass," added Gordon Hough, captain of the Morning Star.

On Sunday, June 12, the 14 anglers aboard the Morning Star landed 5 striped bass to 19 pounds and 6 halibut to 14 pounds near the Southampton Light. Dave Graham of Santa Rosa landed the big bass, while Tim Murphy of Oakland nailed the largest halibut.

Friday's venture yielded 9 halibut and 3 stripers for 15 anglers, added Hough. Thursday's 11 anglers caught 6 halibut and one bass, while Wednesday's 12 passengers bagged10 stripers and three halibut. The striped bass are averaging 10 to 12 pounds, while the halibut are averaging 11 pounds each.

BERKELEY
Consistent halibut and striper action is on tap for anglers departing on live bait potluck trips from the Berkeley Marina.

"The halibut and striper action has been pretty good," reported Chris Nelson of the Berkeley Sportfishing Center. "Our skippers have been fishing near the end of Berkeley Pier, near E Buoy, and other areas of the Berkeley Flats. The California Dawn went live bait fishing yesterday and ended up with 10 halibut to 22 pounds and 24 stripers to 15 pounds for 28 passengers," continued Nelson.

Jim Smith, the skipper of the Happy Hooker, has been targeting halibut and stripers at the Brothers, Raccoon Straits, and near South Hampton Shoals.

"On yesterdays trip we had a combined 25 stripers and halibut," reported Smith from the wheel of the Hooker.

Before the recent gale force winds hit northern California, boats operating out of Berkeley had been have good success. On the last day the entire fleet was able to fish a combined 78 anglers took home a fleet limit of 156 kings.

The New Easy Rider, skippered by Joe Gallia headed outside the gate on June 8, and fished some sheltered areas near Duxbury Reef along the Marin coast and ended up with 10 salmon to 24 pounds for 12 anglers.

Gallia related that the stiff winds over the past two weeks are really a mixed blessing. On one had they have kept the boats inside the bay, but on the positive side they have driven the water temperatures down from the middle 50's to the high 40's. According to Gallia the fleet is poised to enjoy the best water conditions they have had all year.

Gallia predicted that big kings will show in the catches once things settle down and the salmon regroup.

EMERYVILLE
While strong winds have severely hampered salmon fishing opportunities for Emeryville charter boats, potluck live bait fishing for halibut and striped bass has filled the gap nicely.

"The striper and halibut bite is going well. Our live bait boat are averaging from a striper per rod to near limits on most trips," said John Perrodin of the Emeryville Sportfishing Center.

The top area for halibut has been near the end of the Berkeley Pier and other nearby areas on the Berkeley Flats. Stripers are concentrated on rock piles throughout the middle bay, although some are caught on the mudflats as well. On June 11, much of the live bait fleet fished the waters under the Golden Gate Bridge with good success.

Scores for Saturday June 11, were as follows: the C Gull had 11 halibut and 9 stripers to 13 pounds for 19 anglers, the Captain Hook returned with 5 halibut to 15 pounds and 9 stripers to 15 pounds for 6 anglers and the Dandy had 5 halibut and 2 stripers to 15 pounds

The Huck Finn had 3 halibut and 19 stripers to 15 pounds for 13 anglers, the Superfish checked in with 12 halibut to 35 pounds and 25 stripers to 6 pounds for 12 anglers, the Rapid Transit had 3 halibut and 13 stripers to 15 pounds for 24 anglers, and the Prime Time reported 6 halibut to 25 pounds and 2 stripers to 10 pounds for 12 anglers.

There has not been much salmon action since strong winds have kept the boats inside the bay. Three boats went outside a short distance last week and did end up catching a sprinkling of salmon in the Duxbury area. When the winds die and the boats are able to get back to the area they had been fishing, limits and near limit catches should once again be the rule.

RICHMOND
There are good numbers of stripers in the waters surrounding the Richmond Marina. The problem has been locating the bass and effectively targeting them in the high winds that have plagued the north bay for the past week.

"The striper fishing has been decent," reported Barry Canevaro of The Fish Hookers Sportfishing. "On average, my clients have been landing from 1 to 1.5 fish per rod. The stripers are averaging 8 pounds apiece. So far our biggest bass has gone about 21 pounds. In addition to the bass we've landed some quality halibut in the low 20's."

Once the weather improves, Canevaro looks forward to targeting salmon outside the gate along the Marin coastline.

Greg Squires of Access To Angling has been targeting salmon outside the Golden Gate and the wind has kept him in port for much of the past 2 weeks.

"I can't wait for the ocean to calm down. I had been seeing lots of bait between 4 Fathom Shoal and Duxbury and I expect salmon to be in that area the next time I get out. The salmon are running large this season and they are only going to get bigger as the summer progresses. Hopefully they will begin stacking up on bait on the north side just outside the gate," related Squires.

BODEGA BAY
The weather has been really tough," related Captain Rick Powers of the New Sea Angler. "As a result, I have not had the New Sea Angler out in 10 days. First we had an unseasonable rain storm, and that was followed by a hard steady northwest wind."

Before the rain and winds Power's clients were taking limits of salmon while trolling 5 to 7 miles west of Bodega Head. "When the seas finally calm down, those fish will still be there and the fishing should be outstanding," predicted Powers.

"We have gale force winds at this time and they are forecast to stay with us until early next week. After that things should begin to settle down," reported Judy Kendall at Will's Bait and Tackle.

"We were doing well before the winds kicked up with anglers landing from a salmon per rod to limits. I think the fishing will bounce right back with some calmer conditions. This wind is pretty typical during the month of June," continued Kendall.

Mike Harbath the skipper of the Calico, has also been forced to stay in the harbor. "There is a large body of fish off Bodega at this time," disclosed Harbath.

Hopefully, the winds will blow themselves out soon, allowing Harbath and other Bodega Bay skippers to get back to what they do the best: catching big, bright king salmon!

FORT BRAGG
The good news is that the salmon bite has heated up in a big way off shore of Fort Bragg. The better news is that it is only going to get better as more and more big kings invade the area.

"The salmon fishing is really solid now," exclaimed Jason Rossetto. Captain of the Lady Irma II. "On Thursday we had 13 limits of salmon and on Friday we had 9 fish for 6 anglers. The fish are beautiful, averaging about 15 pounds each. Our big fish, so far went 27 pounds."

Rossetto has been trolling flashers and hoochies combined with cut bait to tempt the kings. "We've been targeting several areas from Pudding Creek all the way to the Mendocino line," added Rossetto.

Recently, Fish Sniffer staff member Paul Myer had an opportunity to fish aboard the Lady Irma II. "

"I fished on the boat on two successive days," reported Myer. "The first day I took an afternoon trip and we enjoyed non-stop action. I got a couple quality fish and the boat as a whole had near limits."

On the next day, Myer and a buddy took a morning trip. "Once again the skipper put us on the fish, but I was fishing in bad luck that day and only landed a silver that had to be released," he noted. "The rest of the boat ended up with about a fish per rod."

"It's great fishing out of Noyo Harbor, since you're only looking at a 15 or 20 minute run to the fish," Myer confided in closing.

Captain Rossetto is anxiously awaiting the July 1 rockfish opener. "We have outstanding bottom fishing off of Fort Bragg and I can't wait to get at them. I expect a lot of limits of rockfish and some quality lingcod as well," said Rossetto.