“I made reservations for this half-day, potluck (Halibut and Striper) trip back in March 2020. It was originally for May 2nd and was a gift for my daughter’s 21st birthday. Phil got back to me in a timely fashion via FishingBooker and I had my deposit and reservation set up. Unfortunately, due to COVID, we had to reschedule the date to June 20th. This was handled easily and again in a timely fashion, back in April.
I checked in with Phil about the reservation on June 15th and everything was ready to go. Phil reached out to me again on the 18th and recommended that we try salmon. I was initially reluctant, just because of my past experiences with Salmon fishing. It can be hit or miss and normally, salmon trips are salmon only, so if they’re not biting you’re not going to target something else to make up for it. I’ve also had the “just shy of the minimum” jinx! Never caught a legal sized salmon before. The minimum is 20” and I’ve had the horror of, “19 3/4 inches…just shy! Too bad!”, far too many times in my past. I also wanted to make sure that my daughter caught something. Not that halibut are a sure bet, but I’ve had more luck when buts than salmon. But after hearing Phil’s recommendation I was energized to give it a try. The fact that it was going to be a strong negative tide in the bay that morning made drifting for Halibut and Stripers a grim prospect. Nothing worse than trying to drift when your fishing line is getting pulled halfway to Hawaii. Also, we would focus on the Marin Coast. The bite was pretty wide-open out near the Farallon Islands. But, at 22 miles out, it just wasn’t a good prospect for a 4 hour half-day trip. Phil had some intelligence on the bite off the Marin Coast and he was going to give it a shot. He said it had been pretty ugly outside of the gate the day before, but it could be nice on the 20th of June.
Saturday, June 20th! The day of days! My daughter, girlfriend and I headed out from Pleasanton to get to Sausalito (where the Reel Time is slipped). We arrived at the harbor and were a bit confused about where to park. But Phil was very responsive and gave us his business card to put on the dashboard, so that we could park at the marina without worry about tickets.
We boarded the Reel Time. First thing I noticed was how clean and up to date the boat is. Is a 31 footer, so it has ample room for parties of up to 4, for fishing. The head is clean and functional. Then cabin clean well organized and no “old boat” odors. The deck is immaculate and Phil keeps it that way. It’s a great boat!
So the fishing.
Well, first. Sausalito that morning (we headed out at around 6am) was a breezy breezy mess! (It’s a beautiful town, BTW, if you haven’t been!). But Phil called it correctly - “When it’s breezy like this in the Bay and the harbor, this time of the year, it’s going to be pretty flat out on the ocean.”. Spot on Phil, spot on!
Okay, for real - The Fishing!
The ride out towards the Golden Gate was pleasant, not to choppy. Phil has excellent control of the boat. He also is an amateur historian of the Bay and Coast! He pointed out many land marks and discussed the rich history of places like the Presidio and some of the old forts along the coast. He’s got a passion for the sea, so it’s fun to listen to his accounts…even if you grew up in the Bay Area!
At about 7:15 am, we started trolling (old school, “cannonball” weights and wounded anchovy set up), right off Stinson Beach…and the journey began. I of course, was setting myself up to be philosophical (no pun intended) about the day - “Trolling, Salmon fishing, Me…yeah, it’s just a pleasure to be out on the ocean on such a mellow day!”. Yep, I was trying to Jedi Mind trick myself into being happy, catch or no catch. After a while, my daughter and I went and sat down, as we started to get drowsy.
At around 8am, one of the reels started to scream! I was shocked! So was my daughter! But my girlfriend took charge and, with Phil’s expert advice. Brought in the first catch of the day. A 10 pound beauty! We were on the score board. Okay, now to get my daughter her birthday salmon. After Phil cleaned the deck, measured the fish, cleaned the fish and packed the fish away (yep, Phil does it all!). We were back on the troll again. This time, my daughter and I were more alert!
Sometime in the next half hour, another hook-up. I had my daughter take the helm on this one…Phil wanted me to take it, but I wanted my kid to get her fish. She got a bit spooked by it and so, I took the helm. Unfortunately, my years in So Cal, fishing for tuna and yellowtail, kicked in. Phil tried to talk me through the fish, but it threw the hook due to my pulling too hard on the line. Okay, it was like Phil said in the instructions he gave us before we left, “Guys won’t listen and they’ll lose a fish or two. Ladies listen and catch the fish.”(paraphrased).
The next bite came at around 9:15 or so. This time I took it and listened to Phil’s advice and brought in a 36
“I made reservations for this half-day, potluck (Halibut and Striper) trip back in March 2020. It was originally for May...