Fish Sniffer On Demand Digital Edition Issue 3824 Nov 8-22 | Page 26

24 Nov 8 - 22, 2019, 2019 VOL.38 • ISS. 24 SALTWATER REPORTS BERKELEY Big Lingcod and Halibut Top East Bay Catches! BERKELEY - Lingcod and rockfish are biting at the Farallon Islands, halibut continue to hit inside San Francisco Bay and anglers are gearing up for the popular crab/ rockfish combos that start on November 1. “We landed the big lings today,” reported Captain James Smith of California Dawn Sportfishing after his last trip outside of the Golden Gate. “We took full limits of fish up to 29 pounds. This was the best batch of lingcod I have seen all season. The rockfish cooperated as well; we scratched out limits of them also.”. Prior to that trip, Smith reported an “amazing week” of halibut fishing on San Francisco Bay. “We had limits the past couple of trips for 11 and 24 anglers. We have caught up to 72 keepers and were back at the dock early,” said Smith. “It’s that time of year again - crab combo season is around the corner starting November 2,” said Captain Chris Smith for the Happy Hooker and Pacific Dream. “We still have a lot of room on both boats, and have room on the first day for crab only on the Pacific Dream. Our full crab schedule is online at www. happyhookersportfishing.com..” On their latest charter, the anglers aboard the Happy Hooker landed 14 striped bass and 7 above-average- size halibut while drifting live bait in San Francisco Bay. The most recent bottomfish trip outside of the Golden Gate by Quang Vo of the Goldeneye 2000 produced 20 limits of lingcod and rockfish, a superb day of fishing. On October 19, the New Easy Rider went on its last sportfishng adventure of the 2019 season. “We caught 20 limits of rockcod and 2 salmon up to 15 pounds,” said Captain Joey Gallia. “We now will be getting ready for commercial crab season.” BODEGA BAY Charter Boaters Gear Up for Crab/ Rockfish Combos BODEGA BAY - The salmon remain scarce at the close of the season ending October 31, as there is so much feed out in deep water offshore. The hope is that next year’s salmon are out in the deep loading up on anchovies for an arrival starting with the anticipated April 2020 ocean salmon opener. In the meantime, rockfishing is the staple, and the long- awaited opening of the recreational Dungeness crab season is this coming Saturday, November 2. The harbor and launch ramps will be crowded on the opening weekend depending upon the weather conditions; however, the big boats are ready to run and pull their pots. The past few years have been a circus on the opener out of Bodega Bay with small aluminum vessels and kayaks setting gear in the middle of the night despite difficult conditions. Small boats are advised to take extreme safety The halibut bite remains excellent in San Francisco Bay for anglers drifting with live bait. This husky fish was landed on October 11. Photo by DAN BACHER, Fish Sniffer Staff New Easy Rider Sportfishing Departures from Berkeley Marina 3712 N ow B ookiNg SALMoN, HALiBUT, BASS LiVE BAiT TRiPS The Suisun Bay sturgeon bite is on. This big keeper was landed aboard the Dragon on October 13. Photo courtesy of DRAGON SPORTFISHING, Pittsburg. Rock & Ling Cod and Sturgeon Reservations & Information (707)422-2050 captainjgallia@neweasyrider.com www.neweasyrider.com Get Your Fish On! @SHELTERLODGE Gear Up HEAVY DUTY TR-530 VINYL COATED STEEL SPACE SAVING For Crab Season COLLAPSIBLE TR-830 STAINLESS STEEL POT QUICK SOAK TR-632A HINGED DOOR With The Bay Area’s Premier Sportfishing Family… Halibut Now Booking S.F. Bay Halibut & Striper Stripers Live Bait Potluck Trips! Lingcod Salmon Sharks & More Charters & Open Loads Available Departing Daily From The Berkeley Marina Happy Hooker COLLAPSIBLE BOX STYLE (510) 223-5388 TR-555 COLLAPSIBLE BOX STYLE TRAP SEE OUR COMPLETE LINE OF ACCESSORIES Pacific Dream 3807 TR-102W FOLDING CRAB TRAP The waters beyond Pillar Point Marina have been booting out some very nice rockfish. This big olive rockfish was caught during a recent outing aboard the Huli Cat. Photo courtesy of KAHUNA SPORTFISHING, Moss Landing. (510) 993-4414 Follow Us On Facebook Building On The Legacy of Capt. Jim Smith! Two Boats To Turn Your Fishing Dreams Into Reality! NE-107,107XL, & 107XLH AMBUSH SERIES HOOP NET AVAILABLE AT SELECT TACKLE & SPORTING GOOD STORES FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT (866) 264-1562 OR VISIT US ONLINE AT WWW.PROMARNETS.COM PACIFIC FOLLOW US DREAM Captain Chris Smith’s 58’ Pacific Dream Captain Jonathan Smith’s 56’ Happy Hooker