Sacramento-Area Anglers Belly Up To The ‘Bar’ For Saltwater Action

The following appears in the October issue of California Sportsman:

By Mark Fong

I must say there is always something special about taking a fishing trip to the ocean. I grew up fishing in the salt, but sadly, nowadays, I don’t get to go nearly as often as I used to. So when a few of my buddies asked if I could get a charter together, I was all in.

Chinook salmon have traditionally been the headliner of the summer ocean season, but with the fishery closed for the second straight year in California, avid saltwater anglers have quickly turned their attention to other species. After a quick text exchange with my buddies, we elected to spend a day drifting live bait in hopes of catching halibut and striped bass.

During the last few years, the number of six-pack boats operating out of San Francisco Bay has exploded. In talking to a few of my fishing contacts, the name that kept getting mentioned was Captain John Badger. Captain John is the proprietor of Barbarian Sportfishing (510-750-4237). He specializes in San Francisco Bay and Delta small-party charters.

He’d be our guy.

VERY EARLY ONE MID-JULY morning, I met up with my buddies Paul Boudreau, Ian Rigler and Mike Barton for the drive down to the Bay Area. We all piled into Paul’s truck and a few hours later we arrived at the Richmond Marina. We were met with a cool overcast Bay Area morning, which was certainly a welcome relief from the ongoing heat of the Sacramento Valley.

At 6 a.m. sharp, Captain John and his deckhand, also named John, picked us up at the guest dock. There we exchanged pleasantries and made introductions. Once aboard Captain John’s 28-foot Farallon, he made course for the bait receiver located on the San Francisco waterfront.

On the way I had the opportunity to chat with Captain John. He said that the fleet had located several nice groups of halibut and striped bass outside the Golden Gate on both the North and South Bars, where we would fish.

When we arrived at Pier 47, the line to get bait was short. After picking up several scoops of live anchovies, we were quickly back underway and motored past Fisherman’s Wharf, Alcatraz Island and under the Golden Gate Bridge. I couldn’t help but marvel at what I was taking in. To see the city and San Francisco Bay from the deck of a fishing boat is an awesome experience. But the main event awaited us.

AS WE APPROACHED THE North Bar, I could see boat after boat stretched out in the distance. Big party boats, six-packers and private boaters – it seemed the entire fleet was here. The weather was beautiful and the swell was minimal.

Captain John carefully followed his GPS to a series of waypoints, all the while watching his fish finders for activity. Meanwhile, John the deckhand meticulously prepared the gear.

Being somewhat of a tackle junkie, I was impressed with the gear that Captain John had provided for us. Having high-quality equipment really enhances the experience and makes fishing worry free. From the Avet reels and high-end live bait rods to the Owner hooks, everything was spot on.

After a brief test drift, Captain John instructed us to bait up and lower the gear. It wasn’t more than a few minutes into the drift before Mike was hooked up with a nice fish, a feisty striped bass that had engulfed his anchovy. After a spirited fight, Mike had the fish boatside, where deckhand John quickly netted it.

Even before the excitement of the first fish of the day subsided, it was my turn to get bit. After just a few seconds and from the way the fish was fighting, I knew that I was hooked up with a nice halibut, and I was super excited about it. After several powerful runs, I had the fish in range and with one scoop of the deckhand’s net, the fish was in the boat.

Soon Ian and Paul joined in on the fun too. The action continued, as Captain John made repeated drifts and always adjusted and moved to ensure that we were fishing the best water. This process repeated itself throughout the day. Most of the action came in brief flurries of craziness.

When the fish are biting, time just seems to fly by. Before I knew it, we had a nice bunch of fish and were on our way back to Richmond.

BACK AT THE DOCK, Captain John and deckhand John carefully prepared and cleaned our catch for us. Halibut and striped bass are excellent table fare and I was so impressed by the way they took care of our fish to ensure they would be fresh and delicious. Aboard the boat our fish had been put on ice and when we took our commemorative photos, they were placed on a cool, wet fish mat rather than simply strewn across the hot dock surface.

All in all, it had been a very memorable trip. Our group had a wonderful time fishing with Barbarian Sportfishing and we are all eager to fish with Captain John again. CS

Editor’s note: Follow Barbarian Sportfishing at facebook.com/barbariansportfishing.