Fish Sniffer On Demand Digital Edition Issue 3717 Aug 3-17, 2018 | Page 31

Aug 3 - 17, 2018 VOL.37 • ISS. 17 Fish Sniffer Readers Crush Halibut And Stripers! I t has been an absolutely incredible live bait potluck season inside San Francisco Bay and as of now the halibut and striped bass action is doing nothing but improving. Limits of stripers are the norm and some boats are averaging two keeper halibut per rod. My most recent potluck trip took place aboard the Happy Hooker on June 29. The trip was originally scheduled as a lingcod special, but with raging wind outside San Francisco Bay we made a last minute change of plans and opted to drift for halibut and bass in the relatively calm waters of the bay. When I arrived at the Happy Hooker early on the morning of the 29th I was greeted by a small but enthusiastic group of Fish Sniffer readers. A little while after I arrived, first mate/commercial halibut angler Greg Brown jumped aboard followed a few minutes later by Captain Jonathan Smith. “Halibut and bass fishing was slow in the bay for several days, but the action has been on the comeback now,” Jonathan told me as he settled into the wheelhouse and checked the conditions on the radio. “I know we’ll get our guys limits of bass around noon and I think we’ll have a pretty decent pick on halibut throughout the rest of the day.” “We’ll try a few different areas, but I expect we’ll spend a good amount of time drifting the San Francisco waterfront. I think we’ll get some good halibut along there and the people watching should be excellent,” quipped Jonathan. With only 14 anglers aboard it didn’t take long for Greg to check everyone in and dial in the gear. I’d already caught a bunch of halibut and bass this spring, so I decided to fish for fun with a super light Cousins Tackle black bass rod teamed with an Abu Garcia Orra Inshore baitcaster loaded with 30 lb Yo-Zuri braid. For end tackle I rigged up a three way leader constructed of 15 pound Berkley Vanish Fluorocarbon line. I tipped the business end with a 1/0 Eagle Claw Lazer Sharp octopus hook. My plan was to long line the rig well away from the boat, using only a 1 ounce torpedo shaped sinker to get the rig down. “Okay folks bait them up and drop