12 July 12 , 2024
FRESHWATER
VOL . 43 • ISS . 8
GONE FISHING continued from page 2
Jack O ’ Brien was the winner of a Lew ’ s Custom Inshore baitcasting reel for landing the largest halibut during a recent trip with Golden Eye 2000 .
Photo Courtesy of Ernie Marlan
days were really good . Both charter boats and recreational anglers were putting good numbers of halibut and striper on the deck . Most fish were being caught while drifting live anchovies but I love to throw swimbaits for stripers and even halibut . So , I packed a variety of swimbaits and spoons just in case there was an opportunity to make a couple of casts with them . We boarded the boat just after 5am with an anticipated departure of 6am . Sheldon , Amy , and I decided to fish the bow and got our stuff setup there . The first order of business was to travel to San Francisco to get live anchovies that we would use for bait . On our boat ride there I had to soak up the scenery and enjoy the moment . Being on the bay is very special to me and no matter how many times I am out there I will never get tired of seeing the amazing views . I often remind myself that people travel from all over the world to see Alcatraz , Bay Bridge , Golden Gate , San Francisco skyline , and so much more . Pretty amazing . On the way to get bait we passed up a huge fleet of boats that were fishing near the Berkeley flats . I figured after we got bait we would head back and join them . However , Captain Quang had other ideas . He was determined to go find his own fish and thought we would fish outside the Golden Gate . Unfortunately , the wind was picking up and the water was too rough to head outside . He decided to point the boat towards Angel Island and give that a try . It was great decision because on the way there we could see that there was a lot of bird activity . There were a ton of birds diving and eating anchovies . The probability that stripers were underneath the anchovies was pretty high . This is my favorite scenario when
Larry Paulsen ’ s father gave him a 65-year-old reel , Penn Peerless No . 9 , that he used to land this nice striped bass while fishing with Golden Eye 2000 .
Photo Courtesy of Ernie Marlan
Scott Young landed the biggest striped bass of the day on a recent trip on the Golden Eye 2000 and scored a Lew ’ s Custom Inshore baitcasting reel for his accomplishment .
Photo Courtesy of Ernie Marlan targeting striped bass . The fishing can be absolutely amazing . Once we stopped and dropped out baits down it wasn ’ t long before Sheldon Bright was hooked up . After a nice fight he put the first striper on the bow of the boat . The bite wasn ’ t wide-open but very consistent and it seemed like a couple of rods were always bent . It was great seeing smiles on everyone ’ s faces as they were landing quality sized striped bass . Captain Quang made a short move and maneuvered the bow of the boat within casting distance of the shoreline so I grabbed my swimbait rod and made a cast . My swimbait barely hit the water and a striper nailed it ! Fish On ! I was using a Lew ’ s XD10 crankbait rod teamed up with a Custom Inshore baitcasting reel and the battle was on ! The rod handled the fish perfectly
and the reel had more than 160 yards of 30lb braid so I wasn ’ t concerned about getting spooled . If you enjoy throwing swimbaits for stripers you definitely have to give this rod and reel combo a shot . The rod is light but strong enough to put pressure on the fish while the reel is really light , casts amazing , and the drag is smooth ! Amy hooked a striper that was putting up a good fight and she knew that it was going to be her personal best if she could land it . Amy got the fish to the boat and it looked like it was within reach for Capt . Quang to net it but he didn ’ t . I was close by and thought that maybe he didn ’ t have a good angle to get the net underneath it . The fish made another run and Amy finally got it to the boat again and the captain looked like he was going to put a net on it but at the last second pulled back . The fish made another run and we had to wait a bit until the fish was close to the boat again and that ’ s when Capt . Quang said , “ loosen your drag and have more fun !” This gave all of us on the bow of the boat a good laugh and the captain decided not to net the fish a couple more times so Amy was able to enjoy the fight a little longer . Capt . Quang finally netted the fish and Amy had a huge smile on her face since this was her personal best striper . Capt . Quang explained to us that he knew that the fish was hooked really good and Amy wasn ’ t going to lose it . That ’ s when he repeated , “ loosen your drag and have more fun !” His words reminded me that having fun is why I fish and enjoying the fight of a fish is what got me hooked on fishing when I was young . This set the tone for the rest of the day . The anglers on the bow of the boat were all smiles and joking around all day . I believe it was around 10:30am when we landed boat limits of striped bass so we headed over to the Berkeley flats in hopes to catch some halibut . Capt . Quang told us that he didn ’ t expect the halibut fishing to be very good because over the last couple of days the significant wind in the area had made the water very dirty . We arrived to the fishing grounds and it wasn ’ t long before I heard someone from the stern of the boat yell , “ fish on !” The halibut bite was steady pick and I think the boat ended up with 15 nice halibut . I think that is pretty good but I guess we are spoiled since the halibut fishery is so amazing in the bay . I think anglers , including me , expect to get limits every time out and that isn ’ t always the case . It ’ s fishing ! Now is the time to book a trip on the San Francisco Bay to catch halibut and striped bass . I would definitely suggest you give Captain Quang and the Golden Eye 2000 a call . They can be reached at 510-610-0888 or goldeneye2000 . com .