HER FIRST OCEAN SALMON – Anna Connolly of Lafayette, aka ‘Guaranteed Limits,’ is no stranger to limits of halibut and striped bass, but she reeled in her first ocean salmon with Captain Trent Slate of Bite Me Charters. Photo courtesy of Captain Trent Slate.
BY DAVE HURLEY
WON Staff Writer
SAN FRANCISCO – Ocean salmon fishing below Point Arena has been nothing short of spectacular, and the only limiting factors have been the days when the wind keeps even big boats from heading out along with ‘lost opportunities’ from the big fish escaping the fight. In addition to the numbers and size of the salmon, big beach striped bass are also on the chew, leading to double and triple hook ups when the bass are feeding close to the surface.
Steven Klein of Stockton sums up the experience outside the Golden Gate after finding tremendous success on a recent trip, saying, “Fishing out of the Golden Gate is an incredible experience. The views are incredible, and there are so many things to see. Every once in a while, you experience things that are difficult to describe. Rolling seas and a huge abundance of fish, whales, birds, and good friends. This was one of the best fishing days of my life.”
Captain James Smith of California Dawn Sport Fishing added, “What an incredible day on the salmon grounds on Friday as the California Dawn 2 and New California Dawn hit the dock with a combined score of 74 salmon (37 limits) to 25 pounds and 2 striped bass with a solid 12- to 15-pound average on the salmon.”
The big fish seem to be moving down the coast from Bodega Bay as Captain Rick Powers of Bodega Bay Sport Fishing has been finding this type of action since the opener with 20 limits of salmon to 19 pounds by 10 am on a recent trip. Powers said, “This is as good as it gets, just absolute ‘wide open’ action.” This bodes well for Marin Coast as the salmon will continue to migrate south toward the mouth of the Golden Gate.
Out of the Gate, Captain Trent Slate of Bite Me Charters out of Paradise Cove had a similar story, saying, “It’s been super windy on certain days, but fishing has been amazing as we returned with 14 medium large salmon with a 15-pound average and 9 big beach bass.”
The ocean is very healthy with huge pods of anchovies outside the Gate and anchovies and squid north of Point Reyes. The harvest quota will be updated bi-monthly and sooner as the quota is close to completion. From Point Arena to Pigeon Point, the latest report from the Department of Fish and Wildlife was July 3 with 3927 salmon reported, leaving 30,973 salmon available in the first portion of the season from June 27 through July 22 and from August 1 through 23. An additional 20,000 salmon available below Point Reyes starting September 1.
All this action results in anglers migrating to the coastal communities in search of the first extended opportunity for salmon since 2022, bringing a huge infusion to local economies along with lifetimes of memories.
