Catching Linesides, ‘Buts By The Bay

The following appears in the June issue of California Sportsman:

By Mark Fong

It had been almost a year since I made my last trip to the salt, so I was super excited to be returning again to fish with Captain John Badger of Richmond-based Barbarian Sportfishing for an early-season striped bass and halibut outing on beautiful San Francisco Bay. Last season I was blessed with a great day of fishing outside the Golden Gate (California Sportsman, September 2024), so I was eager to find out what new experiences this trip on the

inside waters would bring. Joining me on this late May adventure were my buddies Mike Barton and Paul Boudreau and Paul’s son Michael Boudreau. We met up early and made the drive to the Richmond Marina.

EARLY-MORNING LAUNCH

Our group met Captain John and his deckhand John Aviles at the guest dock. It was great to see them again and it did not take long to get reacquainted. Once we departed the marina, Captain John cruised out beyond the no-wake zone, then put the 28-foot Farallon on plane and made a short run to an area not far from the harbor.

This morning, Captain John opted to begin fishing on the troll with tray-bait herring. Trolling for halibut is something completely new to me, but Badger is perhaps the foremost expert of the technique. He is one of the early pioneers of sportfish trolling for halibut in San Francisco Bay. And he is one of the most knowledgeable charter boat skippers I have met.

BOTTOM FEEDERS

Trolling is an effective technique for covering water and locating fish. Halibut are bottom dwellers and will strike a trolled bait as it moves just above them.

Aviles readied the gear and instructed us what to look for.

“You want to watch the tip of your rod bounce as the sinker makes contact with the bottom,” he told us. “Every third bounce of the rod will kinda tick the bottom as the sinker drags along; this tells you are at the right depth. When a halibut strikes, your rod will just bow over.”

Captain John used his GPS to methodically navigate a series of waypoints; he watched his fish finders for activity and maintained the proper trolling speed despite the effects of the wind and tide.

As we trolled south toward the Bay Bridge, we soon found ourselves among an armada. The fleet had arrived, with everything from small 12-foot jon boats to large, 30-passenger party vessels.

FISH ON

After about an hour on the troll, Mike Barton’s rod arched over, and it was fish on. Mike carefully fought the fish to the back of the boat, and with a swipe of the net, our deckhand John put the first halibut of the morning on the deck. It was a nice keeper, creating an occasion for high fives all around. As I watched commuters off in the distance make the slow drive across the Bay Bridge, I was so thankful to be on the water.

It did not take long for the action to resume; this time it was Michael Boudreau’s rod that got hit. The fish made several powerful runs and Michael fought this fish for a long time before getting it near the boat. With the net at the ready, Aviles stood at the rail waiting for Michael to get the fish close enough to the boat for him to capture. But as his prize was almost in range, it made one last strong surge and, heartbreakingly, the line went slack. “That was a big striper,” said Aviles as he examined the frayed line. “Stripers have sharp teeth and that last run cut 30-pound fluorocarbon like it was nothing.” We were all a bit disappointed, but it was early and there were still plenty of fish to be caught.

CHANGING IT UP

We trolled for a bit longer and managed to put a small keeper striper in the boat before Captain Badger decided it was time to change things up. “All right, guys, crank ’em up,” he announced. “We’re gonna switch over to drifting live bait now.”

And with that, we were off to another location in the central Bay. On the way, Aviles stowed the trolling gear and prepared our live bait rods. I don’t know how this deckhand does it, but Aviles is a man in constant motion, whether it is preparing the gear, untangling lines, baiting hooks or netting fish; he knows his craft and does it very well.

As we approached our next stop, I stood next to our skipper, watching as he set up on the spot, something Badger has done countless times before. Using his GPS and his graphs to get the boat into position, he performed a test drift to make sure everything was just right. As he did this he explained to me that we would be drifting over a large shoal area, around which the fish would be positioned.

Once Captain John started the drift, I hurried out of the cabin to begin fishing, only to find Michael already hooked up with a nice fish that had engulfed his anchovy. At his side, Aviles was ready with the net. By the way the fish was fighting, Aviles could tell that this was a halibut. After a few moments of suspense, the fight was over and the flatfish was aboard. As this was Michael’s first halibut, the smile on his face said it all.

Following the tide change, the action picked up and Paul and I each landed a nice keeper halibut. Over the remainder of the afternoon Captain John made repeated drifts and explored some new water as well, always adjusting and searching out the best opportunities. The action occurred in brief flurries, followed by periods of waiting for bites. Our group ended up putting a few more keeper stripers in the boat. We also caught and released a number of shakers, both halibut and bass.

FILETS FOR ALL!

A short boat ride had us back at the dock in Richmond, where Captain John and deckhand John meticulously fileted our fish before our trip home. It was a fitting end to another memorable day of fishing. CS

Editor’s note: To learn more about Barbarian Sportfishing’s first-class six-pack fishing experiences, you can reach Captain John Badger directly at (510) 750-4237 or follow him on Facebook at Barbarian Sportfishing.