Salmon Winding Down

(Sept. 24, 2018 newsletter) – Opportunity still knocks for anyone looking for a final swing at the outstanding 2018 salmon season. The end is in sight, and the fish are still chomping with a solid fish per rod or better average over the past week aboard the Argo. The sizes are mixed, but nearly every trip a 20-pound slab finds itself in the box.

Most sessions are a slow to steady pick with bites coming at varied intervals and patience being a virtue. The season runs through the end of October and the weather has generally been quite cooperative. This week looks especially pleasant.

The Argo does have a rare open Saturday this week on September 29. The final month is the season does have some available weekends on the calendar. A Fleet Week day, Sunday October 7 is open for a fishing/Blue Angels combo.

Half-day trips in the bay have held up very well with halibut being the main course. The latest excursions have produced better than a fish per rod average, with some anglers going home with two or more some days.

Striped bass, which are usually going strong by now, seem to be on hiatus. Chances are this will change soon, with a mass migration into San Pablo, if not the main bay.

Fine ocean conditions make rock fishing a highly enjoyable experience. Bottom fish will become a primary target starting with the end of salmon, and continue through the end of December.

Crab season opens the first Saturday in November. The Argo will run rockfish/crab combos for the first couple weeks before the commercial season gets rolling, and then concentrate on the rockfish once the crab numbers dwindle.

An alternative to ocean fishing in November, and beyond, is anchoring for sturgeon and striped bass in San Pablo Bay. This will become a featured activity in December and carry on through the winter.