BY DAVE HURLEY
BERKELEY – I had been looking forward to our annual Western Outdoor News Charter on the California Dawn 2 out of Berkeley Marina on August 21 as ‘some of the best shallow water rockfishing in memory,’ had been taking place along the San Mateo coastline for the past several weeks. In past years, Bay Area party boats would head north along the Marin County coastline or to the Farallon Islands for rockfish, but with the additional depth restrictions for protection of the quillback rockfish, these areas are either restriction or suffering from heavy pressure. Captain James Smith of the CD2 was first to head south out of Golden Gate last year, and his passengers were rewarded with a treasure trove of vermilion rockfish along with limits of lingcod. This trend continued this season, and a good number of Bay Area boats are now turning left outside the Golden Gate. The key is live bait, and the local rockfish can’t resist it.
After the previous two days on the CD2 resulted in a combined 48 limits of rockfish including sub-limits of vermilion, 48 limits of lingcod to 12 pounds, and 14 halibut to 15 pounds, I was expecting more of the same, but you can never count on the not-so-subtle changes that the ocean can throw on you within a single day. Thursday arrived with a 6-foot swell and a northwest wind arriving by early afternoon. The initial plan was to run north to avoid the wind, but I was pleasantly surprised when we made the left turn outside the bridge and heading south, running close to 20 knots on the 55-foot catamaran. Captain Smith isn’t afraid to burn fuel to put his clients onto an optimum score, and we ran several miles down the coast, past Mussel Rock, past Pedro Point, past Half Moon Bay to settle along gravelly flats outside of the Ritz-Carleton Hotel. These flats are loaded with big vermilion and lingcod, and our first drifts resulted in several big reds hitting the decks.
The ride out provided the opportunity to thank our passengers for joining in on our charter, hand out swag bags loaded with tackle and promotions, and raffle of some quality items including spools of line and P-Line’s pliers provided by Western Outdoor News. Several passengers had joined us from our first annual charter in 2023, and a large group of anglers from Southern California made a special trip north to participate in the special charter, making it a two-day trip by fishing the previous day on the California Dawn 2.
The boat is the premier fishing vessel in northern California with a spacious galley including an extensive menu of breakfast and lunch items by Chef Tammy Matteri. Breakfast plates of pancakes and eggs were being consumed on the way to the grounds.
It was a beautiful day along the coast, but the swell kept the rockfish from biting aggressively and the wind made for a challenging drift in the afternoon, ending up with 3/4th limits of rockfish, 16 lingcod, and 5 halibut. I was joined by my stepson, Ryan Hudlin of Oakland, and my stepdaughter’s husband, Mikel Foncea of Victoria-Gastiez of Spain, and between the three of us, we managed to minimally contribute to the overall score. In other words, our sacks were light. Fortunately, Captain Trent Slate of Bite Me Charters joined us to help on the deck, and in between; baiting lines, gaffing fish, hosing down the deck, and untangling lines, he managed to land a several of the lingcod, two halibut, and several big reds. Sometimes anglers get lucky, but there is something about experience that makes all the difference.
The big fish of the day, winning the boat’s jackpot along with Penn Carthage Rod and an Aftco gift card from Western Outdoor News, was Alonzo Lyles of Lake Elsinore with a 15-pound halibut. Lyles was one of anglers from So Cal who plan on making the trip north an annual adventure.
While Captain Smith kept trying, we even stopped on a huge bird mass at Mussel Rock on the way home to see if any striped bass wanted to play – they didn’t – deckhand Gary Furtado Jr. was everywhere – keeping passengers’ lines in the water.
Fishing is fishing, and those who go in with the expectation of returning with limits will always be disappointed when the conditions aren’t in our favor. We enjoyed a great day filled with laughter and memories on a fast, comfortable boat with a great crew and the opportunity for a hot freshly prepared meal. The scenery of watching the Bay Area cities wake up, the sun coming over the Coast Mountains, the bluffs along the San Mateo coastline, going under the Golden Gate Bridge, and scores of pelicans diving on bait keep you smiling long after the trip has been concluded.
