Fish Sniffer On Demand Digital Edition Issue 3903 Jan 17-31 2020 | Page 26

24 Jan 17-31, 2020 VOL.39 • ISS.3 SALTWATER REPORTS BERKELEY Slow Winter Season Descends on East Bay Harbors BERKELEY - The rockfish and lingcod season ended with a bang. Heavy sacks and jumbo crabs were the norm for East Bay charter anglers. “We offered crab and rockfish combo trips until the bottomfish season ended,” said Capt. Chris Smith of the Pacific Dream. These days both Chris Smith and his son, Captain Jonathan Smith of Happy Hooker Sportfishing are preparing to relocate the Martinez Marina where they will hunt sturgeon for the remainder of the winter and into early spring. There have been a handful of sturgeon caught in the South Bay, but there is really nothing solid to report. For a shot at a bite and possibly a fish soak mud shrimp, ghost shrimp, pile worms and herring fillets along the edges of major channels. Perch haven’t arrived yet, but shiner perch should begin showing along the East Bay shoreline at some point during the month of February. Pile worms, prawns and grass shrimp are the top baits. BODEGA BAY Rockfish Season Ends with a Bang Rockfish were the focus aboard the Huli Cat this December, but some nice bonus lingcod were landed too. Photo courtesy of HULI CAT SPORTFISHING, Half Moon Bay. BODEGA BAY - Captain Rick Powers of Bodega Bay Sport Fishing finished up the rockfish season with a flourish with 23 limits of bottom- dwelling rockfish and 23 crab. He said, “We have been batting 1000 percent on the rockfish/crab combination trips with limits on every trip The 2020 Boston Whaler Models are Now in Stock! since the crab opener. That’s phenomenal. The swell backed off, and there were more lings on the boat as well.” “This was the best crab season that I have ever seen, and we had a great salmon and rockfish season. Crab-only trips along with whale watching will fill the winter months until the salmon and rockfish seasons are expected to open Crabbing continues to be outstanding for central coast anglers. These in April.,” said big crabs were landed in late December aboard the Huli Cat. Powers. Photo courtesy of HULI CAT SPORTFISHING, Half Moon Bay. The crab counts are holding up for recreational boaters despite the commercial pressure since the December 15th commercial opener, but the end of rockfish season on December 31st results in party boats running the occasional crab-only or crab/sand dab combination trip. Powers was out on January 3r with 13 anglers on a crab-only on the New Sea Angler, and they were back at the docks within an hour with limits of crab to 3 pounds as the pots remain loaded. He will be running crab-only trips depending upon weather conditions and interest. The rockfish season closed strong for Golden Gate anglers. This - Dave Hurley pair of husky vermilion rockfish were caught aboard the California CONTINUED ON PG 25 Dawn during a crab/rockfish combo trip on December 10. Photo courtesy of CALIFORNIA DAWN SPORTFISHING, Berkeley. 2020 Boston Whalers In Stock At Oakland’s Outboard Motor Shop, Ask About Rebates! O REBATES AVAILABLE CALL NOW! (800) 726–2848 3902 (510) 533–9290 1926 – 2020 Your Bay Area Dealer For 94 Years 333 Kennedy Street Oakland, CA 94606 www.outboardmotorshop.com All Prices INCLUDE freight & prep, plus tax & license only. akland, California’s one and only Outboard Motor Shop has been solving problem for boaters in the East Bay and beyond since 1926. That’s 85 years of customer service! Outboard Motor Shop is proud to offer a full line of Boston Whaler boats. Boston Whaler provides the safest, easiest to own, most exciting boats on the water. Since Boston Whaler’s founding almost 60 years ago, they have conceived and built peerless designs that meet boaters’ diverse and changing needs. Only Whaler can bring you a legendary, innovative boat that is engineered for a lifetime of enjoyment and depend- ability. Only Whaler can bring you the Unsinkable Legend. If you’d like to learn more about the 2020 Boston Whaler line up and the rebates now available, drop by the Outboard Motor Shop or give them a call. Outboard Motor Shop is located at 333 Kennedy Street in Oakland- (510) 533-9290. On the web at www.outboard- motorshop.com.