BY DAVE HURLEY
SAN FRANCISCO – If Helen of Troy was the ‘Face that launched a thousand ships,’ all it took to attract a massive fleet along the California coast was the two-day ocean salmon opener June 7-8. After weeks of trepidation over a limited two-day opener with high winds, the ocean lay down in flat, glassy calm, creating safe conditions for the flotilla of private and party boats heading out from every port from Monterey north to Crescent City. It was a throwback to the ‘good old days,’ as the parking lot at the Half Moon Bay launch ramp was 90% full two days ahead of the opener. The adrenaline rush from two chaotic days of great fishing leaves the fleet wanting over the next few months without salmon until the next limited opener in September as it’s virtually a lock that the 7000 fish quota was obliterated.
Captain James Smith of the California Dawn 2 was out with a packed boat of 35 anglers on Saturday, and he exclaimed, “I wasn’t prepared for this! We had 20 in the box by 7:45 am, and it was chaos on the deck with as many as 19 fish on the hook.” The action took place a few miles south of the Farallon Islands down to the Deep Reef south of Half Moon Bay, and once the boats got located, limits were the rule. The scores were outstanding out of San Francisco Bay, Half Moon Bay, and Santa Cruz/Monterey, For example, on Saturday along, Emeryville Sport Fishing returned with 169 limits for 338 salmon, the California Dawn 1 and 2 along with the Pacific Dream out of Berkeley posted 83 limits to 3o pounds, Berkeley Sport Fishing had three boats out for 75 limits, and three Sausalito boats returned with a combined 66 limits. These are just a sampling of limits taken on Saturday from the San Francisco Bay boats.
Captain Trent Slate of Bite Me Charters out of Paradise Cove posted 7 limits of salmon to 25 pounds on both Saturday and Sunday, and he said, “We went north to N Buoy on Saturday morning since there was some good sign there, but the bite was 10 miles south so we headed downhill to find wide open action, going through 30 weights for 14 fish. I have never seen so many boats in my life out in the ocean. The bite was a bit slower on Sunday, but we found steady action for limits.”
Captain Ron Koyasako of Nautilus Excursions out of San Francisco said, “We circumnavigated the ocean before heading south to get in on the action for 7 limits by 10:00 a.m. We got bit within a couple of minutes of putting the lines in on Saturday once we arrived. It was typical krill fishing with the salmon on top and biting aggressively.” The action was not as fast or as furious on Sunday, but the majority of San Francisco Bay party boats returned with two-fish limits of salmon to 33 pounds.
The past two days clearly demonstrate the value of salmon to California’s recreational fishery, not to mention the absence of a commercial fishery. The economic shot in the arm to all the coastal communities over the two-day fishery was vital. It’s past time to do whatever it takes to keep California’s salmon population healthy whether it is more salmon released from hatcheries, releases closer to the ocean, and particularly water management designed to enhance fisheries. Support of organizations such as the Golden State Salmon Association are needed more than ever.
