Fish Sniffer On Demand Digital Edition 3809 April 12-26 2019 | Page 35

SALTWATER REPORTS: CONTINUED FROM PG 28 BODEGA BAY cont. Bay Sport Fishing, ocean conditions couldn’t be better. The salmon opener follows 13 days after the April 1st rockfish opener. The ocean salmon season along the Sonoma County coast opens from the 13th to April 20th with the remainder of the season to be determined by the Pacific Fisheries Marine Council during their meetings from April 9-16 meeting in Rohnert Park, Calif. Currently, two salmon with a minimum 24-inch length is the daily limit. Captain Rick Powers of Bodega Bay Sport Fishing said, “We have brown water all along the coastline, and I have never seen salmon conditions this good at the start of the season. The conditions could change within the next two weeks, but they look really good right now. There is plenty of feed out there, and I saw a sea lion thrashing a salmon near the Whistle Buoy this week as well as another one up north doing the same thing. I feel that if we opened tomorrow, we would have a great start.” In the interim period of time, Powers will be running rockfish/lingcod trips, and he will be out on the opener in great weather conditions with a light load. The San Francisco Rockfish Management Area from Point Arena to Pigeon Point including the Sonoma County coast has a 10-fish rockfish limit including a total of 3 black rockfish, 2 canary rockfish, and 3 cabezon with a minimum of 15 inches. 33 Apr 12 - 26, 2019 SALTWATER VOL.38 • ISS. 9 One ling cod with a 22-inch minimum length is allowed, and the depth restriction is 40 fathoms (240 feet). The Golden Gate Salmon Association will hold their 9th annual Sonoma County dinner on Friday April 12th at the Friedman Center in Santa Rosa. This dinner supports GGSA’s work to rebuild the Central Valley salmon runs and habitat that they rely on, and it will sell out quickly. Information via through Events Coordinator, Cat Kaiser, at 855 251- 4472 or at cat@goldengatesalmon. org. - Dave Hurley FISHERMAN’S WHARF Trollers Battle Bay Halibut SAN FRANCISCO – Trollers are catching good numbers of halibut and a few stripers on trips on San Francisco Bay. The even better news is that the live bait drifting season will begin soon. “What a way to end the month,” said Erik Anfinson, Captain on the Bass Tub. “On March 31 we had over a fish per rod on our half-day trip. We had 5 halibut and one bass for our 4 anglers.” “The good news we should have live anchovies shortly. I heard through the grapevine they are going to start looking this week,” noted Anfinson. On the same day, the Lovely Martha, also out of Fisherman’s Wharf, also found success on halibut. “We ran a 1/2 day trip and caught 6 keeper halibut, along with 24 undersized halibut ,for our group of anglers,” said Captain Mike Rescino. - Dan Bacher HALF MOON BAY Salmon Season Opens Below Pigeon Point April 6 EL GRANADA - The central California coastline was gearing up at press time or the opener for two major seasons with the rockfish opener in the San Francisco Management Area starting April 1st along with the ocean salmon season below Pigeon Point on April 6th before the local Half Moon Bay waters open on April 13th. ueen of Out of Half Moon Bay Sport Fishing, the Riptide, six- pack Que Sera Sera, New Captain Pete and the Q Fish The Delta In Style Aboard Capt. Hayden Mullins’s 60’ Luxury Yacht! 925-766-7350 • www.dragonsportfishing.com Want Sturgeon? Trophy Stripers? Call Dragon Sportfishing! The spring halibut bite is on for anglers trolling San Francisco Bay aboard the Lovely Martha. This dandy husky fish was landed on March 19. Photo courtesy of LOVELY MARTHA SPORTFISHING, San Francisco. Sturgeon fishing has been going strong for anglers fishing aboard the Happy Hooker. This big fish was landed on March 19. The boat will soon relocate to Berkeley for spring halibut and striper fishing. Photo courtesy of HAPPY HOOKER SPORTFISHING, Berkeley. signature boat, the Queen of Hearts, will be starting the ocean salmon season south of Pigeon Point on April 6th before working local waters starting seven days later. During the period from April 1st on, these boats will also be targeting rockfish/lingcod in local waters. In the San Francisco Rockfish Management Area from Point Arena to Pigeon Point including the Half Moon Bay area, rockfish season starts on April 1st with a 10-fish rockfish limit including a total of 3 black rockfish, 2 canary rockfish, and 3 cabezon with a minimum of 15 inches. One ling cod with a 22-inch minimum length is allowed, and the depth restriction is 40 fathoms (240 feet). Captain Dennis Baxter of the New Captain Pete is booking out of Half Moon Bay Sport Fishing on their on-line service, and he said, “I picked up my trolling bait this week and I have switched over from commercial crab boat to party boat mode, and we will be running for salmon 7 days per week starting on April 13th as we are going to wait for our earts local opener instead of running down past Pigeon Point for the first week.” Captain Tom Mattusch of the Huli Cat said, “Our last crab/sand dab combinations trips were this past weekend, and Monday is the rockfish opener. The crab season has been cut short due to the settlement to protect migrating California gray whales, but we still have the option for crab combos until the plug get fully pulled which may be April 15.” Perch fishing remains solid along the beaches south of Half Moon Bay along with some schoolie striped bass with Lucky Craft Flash Minnows or Berkley Camo Worms - Dave Hurley CONTINUED ON PG 34 H Half Moon Bay Sportfishing and Tackle Light Tackle Rockfishing 650-728-3377 • Salmon Fishing (when allowed) • The sturgeon bite has been excellent in Suisun Bay. This big slot fish was caught aboard the Dragon on March 17. 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