Fish Sniffer On Demand Digital Edition 3812 May 24- June 7 2019 | Page 29

SALTWATER
VOL.38 • ISS. 12
May 24 - June 7, 2019
27
Farallon Island
Rockcod & Lingcod
Inaugural Trip Aboard
the Pacific Dream
O
f all the places I get invited to fish, one of my
personal favorite fisheries is the Farallon Islands.
There’s just something alluring to me about being miles
off shore fishing the depths of the ocean in the shadows
of a few big rocks. When asked
if I was interested in fishing the
islands aboard Captain Chris
Smith’s new boat, the Pacific
Dream, for its first trip, I was
all in!
The morning of the trip began
like most fishing mornings, up
at 2AM, pounded a quick cup
of coffee, and slipped out the
door. I arrived at the K-Dock in
Berkeley Marina at 4 AM and
headed to the boat to claim my
spot. As I stepped aboard the
by
Pacific Dream for the first time,
I was immediately struck by the
Wes Ward
size of the boat. This thing is
BIG! There is a TON of room on deck, around the rail,
and on the bow, even with a full load of anglers and
gear.
After a quick stop for bait on the way out of the
Golden Gate, we set a course for the Islands. Condi-
tions were a little rough as we plowed into swift
currents and big waves, but the boat handled it very
well. Within two hours, we arrived at the first drift.
It didn’t take long for rods to start bending as anglers
hooked into a mixed bag of rockfish. My first drop
yielded a feisty ling that was just short of the 22”
minimum, so back
it went. Within a
half hour or so,
I had 5 healthy
rockfish in the bag.
We bounced
around for a bit
looking for the next
drift. As we moved
from waypoint to
waypoint in a small
area, Captain Smith
was walking me
A pair of nice lings caught on swimbaits at the Farallon Islands.
Photo by WES WARD, Fish Sniffer Staff.
thru what he was
looking for on the
sonar. There was
a solid cloud of suspended fish on the finder
screen, but he was looking for a specific spread
of marks that indicated feeding fish. The water
temps were in the low 50’s, so the fish were
a little lethargic. It didn’t take more than a
couple of circles to setup a long drift over active
schools.
The few minutes of searching for the perfect
drift paid off. For the next hour, the deck was a
constant barrage of rockcod and lings coming
over the rail. I finished out my limit of rockcod
quickly and turned my focus to big lingcod.
Unfortunately, I was not able to get a big one to
bite the variety of swimbaits, bars, and heavy
jigs I was dragging on the bottom. However,
there were several nice sized lingcod wrangled to
the surface by others
on trap rigs and jigs.
By early afternoon,
everyone caught
limits of rockcod and
a healthy pile of lings
sloshed about in the
fish box. Several lings
were in contention for
the big fish Jackpot.
The winner was a
beautiful 13# lingcod
that was caught on
a small rock fish on
Tony won the Jackpot with a solid 12 pound ling caught on a
NOW RATED
a trap rig. Mackerel
mackerel.
FOR UP TO
Photo by WES WARD, Fish Sniffer Staff.
baited trap rigs also
90 HP
caught several of the
big lings for the day.
As the winds picked
up, we pulled lines
and headed west
towards solid ground.
The crew cleaned the
bounty as the boat
pushed effortlessly
(shown with optional equipment)
thru the slow swells.
were greeted by
All New for 2019, this package includes fiberglass We
a number of wales
side console with lockable storage, fiberglass helm as we rounded Point
bench seat, dual swim platforms, bow cushion, bow Bonita. Captain Chris
rail, Mercury 60 hp 4 stroke,galvanized trailer with Smith was elated at
the epic first trip as
swing tongue and much more.
he eased the big boat
Now Only
back into its slip in
Berkley Marina.
$24,862
If you are interested
(Including Freight & Prep)
in booking a trip
1926 – 2019
3720
with Captain Chris
Your Bay Area Dealer
ROCKLIN
AUBURN
Smith
and
crew,
For 93 Years
visit their website at
333 Kennedy Street
(916)
(530)
www.happyhooker-
Oakland, CA 94606
sportfishing.com to
6455 PACIFIC ST.
11844 ATWOOD RD
www.outboardmotorshop.com
book online, or call
(510) 533–9290
All Prices INCLUDE freight & prep, plus tax & license only.
www.trucksmart.com
510.223.5388.
FISH SNIFFER
COUNTRY
Celebrating 61 years of “The Unsinkable Legend”!!
2019 Models HAVE ARRIVED!
Boston Whaler 160 Super Sport
Best Selection — Best Service — Best Prices
(800) 726–2848
3812
773-7333
888-7825