
Bodega Bay/Tomales Bay
Rockfish Action Sizzles, Big Halibut Boated
BODEGA BAY – The New Sea Angler has been finding superb action on shallow water rockfish and lingcod off the Sonoma County Coast
“The fishing has been phenomenal,” said Captain Rick Powers of Bodega Bay Sportfishing on July 6. “We’ve been catching limits of shallow water rockfish every day, along with an average of one lingcod per rod. We have been catching quality canary, brown, copper and vermilion rockfish – no school fish.”
On his latest fishing trip, the 8 anglers aboard the New Sea Angler landed 80 rockfish and 10 lingcod to 14 pounds. On his previous trip, the 16 anglers bagged 160 rockfish and 16 lingcod to 15 pounds.
Anglers are using an array of offerings for the bottomfish, including baited shrimp flies, bars, jigs and swimbaits.
The recreational groundfish regulations in the San Francisco Management Area (from Point Arena to Pigeon Point) are available here: https://nrm.dfg.ca.gov/FileHandler.ashx?DocumentID=185056&inline
Powers fished both days during the opening weekend of the limited salmon season on June 7 and 8. The boat returned to the dock with 4 Chinook salmon to 9 pounds for the 25 anglers aboard the New Sea Angler on June 7 and 11 Chinook salmon to 12 pounds on June 8. They trolled with anchovies off the Sonoma County Coast.
Anglers are beginning to pick up some halibut out of Lawson’s Landing on Tomales Bay. Mike Mack caught a 28 lb. halibut on July 4, the largest one weighed in this year to date.
“I don't know what bait and where he caught it, but I suspect a jacksmelt and near Hog Island, as that has been his method as of late,” said Vogler.
Big fish honors also go to Cannon Brunkhorst who caught a 20 lb. halibut. The fish hit dead bait hunkered down in 47 feet of water.
Oscar and Angela Aceves landed a 15 lb. white seabass while trolling bait near Marconi. “I've heard about a couple of these being caught in the last month, but this is the first one hung on the scale here this year,” Vogler reported.
“Oscar Aceves had a pair of halibut from Marconi and Gage and I caught three halibut and a striper at Hog, but I heard of no other action,” said Vogler after a trip he made on the bay.
“Quinn and Dave came out to see if the surf had any stripers in it,” Vogler added. “Dave caught a couple almost immediately and released them, but after Quinn fought a 29 pounder for a half hour, he decided to keep it. That's a big striper for here and a huge striper for here in the surf,” he stated.