Fish Sniffer On Demand Digital Edition Issue 3819 Aug 30-Sep 13 | Page 18
16
Aug 30 - Sept 13, 2019
MAP FEATURE
VOL.38 • ISS. 19
Jim Cox, President of the CSBA State Board, waits for a bite aboard the California Dawn outside of the Golden Gate.
Photo by DAN BACHER, Fish Sniffer Staff.
T
CSBA Trip Aboard California Dawn Produces Epic Halibut Action
he 28 anglers on the California
Striped Bass Association, West Delta
Chapter, trip aboard the California Dawn
on Sunday enjoyed the tail end of one of
the best halibut bites in history of the
San Francisco Bay area. Although
they didn’t catch their full 3 fish
halibut limits, they bagged an
amazing 65 halibut and two striped
bass while drifting live bait in the
choppy waters
off Seal
Rock on
the South
Bar of the
Golden
gate.
For
three
days before the CSBA trip, anglers aboard
the boat had experienced unprecedented
hot fishing for halibut with 25 limits of
stripers and 6 bass on Thursday, 30 limits
of halibut and 4 bass by 10:30
am on Friday and 27 limits of
halibut and one bass by 9:30
a.m. on Saturday.
After we left the Berkeley
Marina around 6 a.m.,
Captain James Smith drove
the boat across
the bay to Seal
Rocks,
just
north
of
Ocean
Beach. Smith told me
that the anchovies
had moved out of the
bay – and the halibut
and some stripers with
them. “This has been
the best halibut bite
in my 33 years on the
water,” said Smith.
After we got to the
“hot spot,” Smith and
deckhand JP Gano
advised anglers to
put an anchovy on
their leader, drop
to the bottom and
then put the rod
in the rod holders.
Roger Mammon,
the president of the
CSBA, West Delta
chapter, Secretary of
the Restore the Delta
Board and the trip
organizer, was the first
one to land a legal
halibut that day.
As the morning
proceeded, more
and more anglers
began hooking
Mitchell MacReady of Manteca poses with his jackpot halibut and
up. Mitchell
a big striper, while Roger Mammon of Concord holds up a giant
MacReady of
halibut caught aboard the California Dawn.
Manteca bagged
Photo by DAN BACHER, Fish Sniffer Staff.
a huge halibut
over 20 pounds that
ended up being the jackpot winner. The and John Scatena, Gabe Comages, Dave
Newton, Dave and Karen Collins and
average size of the fish was around 8
Allan Chan.
pounds.
After the bite slowed down on the
Other anglers enjoying the day aboard
south bar, Smith drove the boat over to
the boat included Danny Lanzarin, Gary
the north side of the bar off Point Bonita.
MacCready, Mike and Judy Hall, Henry
The anglers picked up over a dozen more
Tao, Gary Arroyo, Joe McMurtry, Tony
halibut there, bringing the total tally for
and Anthony Miu, Jim Lozano, Cindy
the day to 65 halibut and two bass.
Mammon, Tom Sahakian, Jim Cox,
Research by the California Department
George Wight, Mike and Wendy Kit, Dave
of Fish and Wildlife confirms the great
halibut fishing that the CSBA members
This angler proudly shows off two halibut
and I saw aboard the California.”
caught outside of the Golden Gate aboard the
“Halibut fishing has been great in the
California Dawn on July 28.
Photo by DAN BACHER, Fish Sniffer Staff.