Today marks the first day of recreational salmon fishing, and Fisherman's Wharf boat operators are eager to start taking out passengers.
Jacky Douglas, captain of the Wacky Jacky, and Frank Rescino, captain of Lovely Martha, both say they're hoping for bountiful hauls this year.
“They’re predicting a really good one," Rescino said. "It’s hard to say until it opens. We predict the best, but you can’t guarantee anything. We guarantee to give you our best effort in trying to catch a fish."
Douglas said, "It’s based on the runs modeled in 2014 for the returns of the salmon to the rivers."
She explained that more than a million salmon are expected to be swimming this year (more details on the 2015 outlook here). The season runs through November.
"I’m excited about getting out," Douglas said. "Predicting a great season makes me happy, of course."
The Lovely Martha and Wacky Jacky, both located near Castagnola's at Fisherman's Wharf, are two of more than 30 licensed commercial passenger sport fishing boats in the area, which includes Berkeley, Emeryville and Sausalito.
Both boats troll for salmon, but they don't only fish for salmon—they tailor the excursion to what's biting.
"We do halibut, bass fishing, sturgeon, rockfish," Rescino said. "Also we have a Facebook page, Lovely Martha Sportfishing, that shows our daily catches. We go wherever we think they’re biting the best. We go outside of [Golden Gate strait] five to 30 miles offshore.”
Photo: Lovely Martha Facebook page
Salmon has to be 24 inches to keep, which is about five pounds, Rescino said, but they can be much larger.
"We used to get 60, 70 pounders," he added. "Fishing is like gambling. There is no guarantees."
An individual can keep up to two fish, but there are also boat limits. A license is $14 a day or $60 for the season and can be purchased online.
Expect to rise early if you want to fish; boats generally leave at 5:30 a.m. and return around 3 or 4 p.m. Dress warm and take plenty to eat and drink.
Cost varies because there's a fee if you lose a sinker, which is bound to happen if you catch a fish, but budget around $110 to $130 per person, depending on the boat.
Rescino said he'll gut and filet the fish on the boat for $5 each.
He's a third generation fisherman whose family has been at the Wharf since 1908. They were recently featured on a PBS documentary, The Italian Americans.
Douglas, who was born and raised in San Francisco, got her captain's papers in 1972 because she fell in love with the ocean.
"It’s like a mini vacation," she said. "You've got seals and whales and birds and pelicans. I'm so rich with happiness out there. It’s great. I love it."
Many fishing boats also do private charters for parties on the bay, scatterings at sea, weddings, bachelor parties and trips to AT&T Park.
More information about fishing and conservation is on the Golden Gate Fishermans Association Facebook page.
Jacky Douglas. Photo: Wacky Jacky
Photo: Wacky Jacky
