Fish Sniffer On Demand Digital Edition Issue 3901 Dec 20-Jan 3 | Page 21
Dec 20, 2019 - Jan 3, 2020
VOL.39 • ISS. 1
GONE FISHING
19
continued from page 1
My number one piece of advice when
fishing aboard a party boat – Always listen
to the Captain and the
deckhands, they know
their stuff. I tied on “Old
Reliable”, the shrimp fly
rig and added a 6” Gulp
grub to both of the hooks.
When we arrived at the
Islands we were faced
with some wind chop.
Once in position Captain
Jonathon gave the
command, and I quickly
dropped my gear to the
bottom. The first drift was
a bit of a slow pick but I
was still rewarded with
several nice quality olive
rock fish.
On the second drift,
Captain Jonathon was
able to dial in on the fish
and when he did, the
action took off. For the
next several drifts, the
fishing was frantic up and
down the rail. Judging
from all of the whooping
and hollering coming
from all quarters of the
Happy Hooker deckhands Greg (L) and JT pose with a typical
boat, I could tell that the
crab pot alive with tasty Dungeness crabs.
Photo by MARK FONG, Fish Sniffer Staff. bite was good for all.
In short order the boat
had reached full limits
Trout ~ Kokanee ~ Salmon ~ Shad
of rockfish and once
all lines were secured,
OFFICIAL SPONSOR
Captain Jonathon set
course for the crab
grounds.
While fishing can
18 Proven
240 different size/
be an individualistic
Kokanee/Trout Dodgers!
color combinations!
endeavor, crabbing is
a team effort. As we
neared the first string of
crab pots, the captain
and crew recruited
a team of helpers to
assist with the task at
hand. Captain Jonathon
skillfully maneuvered
4 All Natural
the boat into position,
Scents...
spotters on the bow
82 YEARS of Catching
Kokanee,
called out marker buoy
TROUT & KOKANEE
Trout,
locations to another
Salmon & Shad 100% Made in the USA
team member who
secured the buoy with
Without a DICK NITE...
a gaff. The buoy and
You’re Not Fishin’ Right!
rope were passed along
www.dicknite.com • fs@dicknite.com
to deckhand Greg who
elected to focus on the rockfish, a decision
that proved to be a wise one.
attached the
rope to the
mechanical
crab puller.
Once the
crab pot had
been retrieved
and was in
position at
the side of
the boat,
Greg and JT
brought the
pot aboard
and emptied
its prize
contents to be
counted and
measured.
Those crab
that did not
conform to
regulations
were released.
Before the
pot was
redeployed,
it was the
responsibility
of another
team member
While lingcod fishing has been a bit slow at the Farallon Islands, the
to ensure it
rockfish bite has been absolutely fantastic.
was re baited
Photo by MARK FONG, Fish Sniffer Staff.
with a fresh
container of
bait. And so, the process continued until
all that was left was to put the finishing
the limit was reached.
touches on a great day of rockfish and
Like it has been since the start of the
crabs.
season, it did not take long to limit out.
Both the Happy Hooker and the Pacific
On the ride back in, the wind laid down
Dream will continue to run crab combo
and the ocean was flat. The views of the
trips until the end of December. It’s the
Golden Gate and San Francisco Bay were perfect way to get your crab just in time
spectacular as the sun neared the horizon
for the Holidays. To book a trip, please
in the western sky. Back at K Dock,
call (510) 223-5388.
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