Predator Sport Fishing on San Francisco bay

Last Chance this weekend.... Great Halibut Fishing , cheaper rates and a heck of a lot shorter drive from Sacramento . We make the move to Richmond next week and already May is blocked out..... June will be you next chance. I have spots open Wednesday, Friday , Saturday and a whole boat available Sunday.... Halibut .... Text me only or leave a short message at 707 342 8481. Capt Mike Predator

It’s always been our endeavor to make Sturgeon season the longest of all. This year is no exception. We plan on fishing for the Great Whites until mid May. ..... To those that say too late.... we say you’ve never seen just how wild these fish get when waters warm and fish move shallow. ( it’s also great to see the majority of the mosquito fleet leave to fish the ocean and bay ) You can also take advantage of our late season rates before the higher Summer fishing cost kick i...n at the end of May. ......... And just keep tabs with what’s happening with Halibut , when tides permit , we will make a few prospecting trolling trips targeting Halibut and Bass. ....... Sturgeon fishing has been frustratingly excellent.... That means , yes, you’ll spend a little bit of time watching for that Sturgeon take down...... but then , you’ll also spend a couple hours massaging some sore arms from an epic battle......Our late start this season has given us plenty of opening every week end till May . Come out , enjoy, and do battle ...... Big tides this Saturday ( horrible for Halibut ) It’s gonna be great for Sturgeon !!! See more

We’re more than happy to let you folks know we are back and fishing again. As the State sees more positive news with Covid , we are finally comfortable getting you out on the water again. We’ve missed some good fishing .... but really, some of the best is still coming up. We’ll be Sturgeon and Striper fishing. Finally , we’ve been given the ok to carry a few more folks..... This will certainly make many of the usual spring groups cheered up. ....... We’ve done plenty of prosp...ecting. From China Camp, to the Napa river. We’ve traveled way up river from the Vallejo dock and fished Susuin. All those hot spots ....Lots of hungry fish. And it pretty much looks like for the next few months , you’ll be looking at Rusty Ships at the Mothball fleet , and Smelling the Tules way up in the sloughs of Susuin bay. March , April , and May are great times to fish up here. You’ve no doubt seen all the great reports .... it’s time now to be part of a future report ... See more

We’re still high and dry... time to look back at our good fortunes and health , time to wish all the same. Merry Christmas ya all! . From the crew of the Predator . May God bless you all. May he keep your voyages safe . May he keep us all out of harm’s way. Safe passages to all ( and a few more hungry fish ) ..... Rock on!

I always get nervous when my baby gal comes out of the water. The yard people are pros, and they treated the Predator like she was made out of egg shells....This time, realizing the old girl weighs a little more, ( don’t we all ) they put extra straps and pads to lift her 17 tons up and out. Once out, she’s looked at initially, and then sprayed off. Not a single barnacle latched onto her hull. ... For me that’s amazing since our water here is ocean salty. This year’s work will include a lazer prop shaft realignment.... and some more irritating bottom paint to discourage those little animals and grass from hitch hiking. ...... This isn’t the only nervous part of a haul out.... the next one is justvbefore I see the yard bill.

From a very quiet wheel house I’m very proud to announce that we have a new captain aboard ...... Captain Roberto Garcia..... formerly the vessel’s designated deckhand, Roberto has endured years of abuse and taunts .... rising above broken knots and a grumbling captain. He netted fish, swabbed decks, and cleaned toilets.... His time on deck was indeed a journey. And while I’m not exactly hanging up my skippers hat, it’ll sure be nice to have an additional captain to share som...e of our trips. ....... Now for the serious side of our announcement. The Predator right now is bowing out of the big dance for a few weeks. We have been allowed to fish. However , our trips are a little too close for comfort safety wise. If you’ve made a trip , you know how difficult it is to maintain that level of distance..... and trying to give a shout of joy after landing a big fish ..... while wearing a protective mask. We love all you guys and gals. But right now , with numbers rising we’re gonna hold off till at least the end of December or Early January. Hopefully by then, things will level off again and we can do some safe trips for Sturgeon. .... it’s a long season... for us it will be till mid May. So a few weeks won’t be too bad. If you still have a very bad case of the jerks and need to fish , there are still several very good and safe guides operating on the bay. From us to you , have a great safe Holiday Season..... see you in January See more

At 345 today, our deck dog Roberto pinned the very last live bait onto the anxious anglers hook. As usual, for anyone that’s made a trip on the Predator, the best action is always at the end. The afternoon tide had started to roll, and fish were hungry. I’d love to really put a high note on this .... but our final catch moments later was a ping pong paddle sized baby Halibut...... And hopefully that little devil will grow and visit us again next season. ...... Tomorrow mornin...g there will still be the smells of todays catch lingering in the fish box. Strolling the deck you’ll probably find a stray hook or two. The collections of light rods are now on the rack , and the tag lines and leaders still attached. The big bait tank that held all those beautiful anchovy baits is empty now...A voice will echo when it asks .... where did they all go?...... Battle scars are everywhere. From the torn up rails and decks that so many fish flew over..... There’s rips, tears , and gashes in the nets , and all those rods and reels need some tender attention..... All stuff to be done when we get back home ........... There’s a great morning flood tide that I can tag onto .....Heck I may save a few gallons of diesel ...With the sun still on my back , I’ll put this tired girl on a course towards Vallejo .... I won’t be in a rush. Thanks to all you anglers that enjoyed , endured , and finally managed to catch one of those elusive flat fish .......Well do this again next year ...Time to take a pause , maybe haul this boat out of the water , scrape of the grass and barnacles .... and get ready for the next chapter ....Sturgeon fishing starts in a month .... See more

It mostly happens in the Fall....When the Sun and the great Moon align themselves perfectly .... The Sun and it’s gravity pull hard on the waters of the world ..... And the great Moon shows just how superior it is by pulling just as hard from the opposite end..... Each pulling , and our world caught inbetween....The waters in the SF bay are stilled for a few hours . And all that stalled tide confuses fish.... where are the currents ? .... Honestly , the prospects of todays tr...ip looked far better for eating up all the sandwiches , than it did for catching fish ...... looking at the pilot house sonar you can see how the bait fish have broken up ... With no currents to hold the bait fish together , the big clouds are broken and scattered ....what’s left is small scraps of bait fish swimming all over.... Some schools of bait have fish under them ....and some don’t ....When we found fish many time times the fish would just bite a bait and run away ...So we found ourselves fishing here, fishing there .... and enjoying a different challenge. The crew of the Predator actually working a bit harder to catch something big ..... Best action today were the shoals south of Red Rock in the central bay...... and the fish Gods smiled fondly on a Father / Daughter pair of anglers . They went home with as many memories as fish filets ...... Halibut Fishing continues. It been a great Fall of Flat fish . And I’m pretty sure we’ll keep chasing the flat fish for a few more weeks ..... See more

Shark fishing on San Francisco Bay ..... Regulations allow an angler 3 leopard sharks and a single 7Gill shark. And they are really great eating fish....... but today’s trip was all catch and release .... Our crew came out to battle a toothy monster and then turn them back loose to fish another day. We fished the lower section of San Pablo bay ..... conditions were flat calm water , lots of sunscreen , and plenty of bottled water ..... as for the fishing .... these folks are gonna have some sore arms tomorrow

More than a few people know that a Halibut is maybe more aggressive than a shark. They will rise off a bottom and swim with school fishes..... They’ll chase a lively anchovy bait and compete with all the other basses and salmon for that food ......... The secret to our summer of success is great bait. Nice and very lively Anchovies.... On most trips that means a morning stop at the Fisherman’s Wharf bait receivers. ..... To not damage the live fish , the transfer of bait from... pen to our boat’s tank has to be quick ..... and while the transfer takes place the boat is lightly held against the pens.... Mostly this means I tend to the helm and my deckhand takes the fish brailed out of the pens...... The dock people scoot the bait fish into a small brailing scoop and hand it over to be poured into our tank.....after the scoops , cash and a generous tip is exchanged ..... good luck you guys..... and off we go. As the fall season is now in full swing , shadows are long and deep. The sun rises just about the time we cross the bay.... The SF skyline turns golden as that first light hits the buildings . In a week or so this will all be in the dark. This is how we start our day on the halibut grounds. And as beautiful as a Sierra scape and a mountain stream can be ....... This can be just as glorious .....Halibut Trips ( and a few chomping shark adventures ) till the end of October..... There’s still time to enjoy the best season .....Stay outside .... Stay healthy !! See more

One of the best Halibut Seasons I’ve ever had ...... And it doesn’t show any sign of dropping off. ...... Stripers come and go..... Salmon bite like mad dogs .... but then you know .... the next trip they may have moved on..... The big sharks , once predictable , you could set a calendar on them. Now they move around with no time table......... And in years past , Halibut said good bye to the bay in late September......... But not this year ..... The Halibut keep biting. And ...are being fed by huge schools of Anchovies. Anglers can tell you how aggressive a line caught Halibut can be..... but few folks know they rise above the bottom and feed with the other fish....... And that attitude makes any anchovie , even the ones on the surface pretty nervous........ Word has it that the Bait suppliers will stay open later this season.... much past the usual October date..... this is wonderful news... The Predator and her crew will continue to fish for the tasty flat fish . This past week , I had several of my old time customers out. Vlad here has spent far too many days staring at rod tips waiting for a sturgeon ..... Sunday he boated a beautiful 19 pound Halibut( I still think Vlads smile was bigger than his fish )...... Anyhow ,we are pretty much booked full to middle of September . But after the 15th there are several week end dates open. Sturgeon are just about ready to bite upstream..... but we think we’ll wait a bit ..... hopefully we’ll have a long winter to enjoy catching them..... and thinking about the wild times we’re having catching Halibut this summer ...... see you out there!! See more

We just have a couple sign ups for Saturday’s trip ( Aug 29 ) for Halibut and Stripers. 6 spots remain for a totally uncrowded great fishing experience . To make it even easier Fall Rates have kicked in. This time of year , the bay is getting flooded with big schools of anchovies ..... all that food has put both Halibut and Bass on the bite. Our trips will run out of Richmond Marina Bay Harbor. 630 -330....... Text me at 707 3428481 for more info or better yet ... to reserve a spot on the boat ..... See you out there !!

School started this week.... that usually mean loads on the boats start to lighten up... even in week ends .... This week end Aug 22/23 we have 5 spots open on both Saturday and Sunday Halibut Trips..... no one knows how lucky by this great fishing will last .... take advantage of our lower Fall Rates ....if you want to get in on some of the best bay fishing text me at 707 342 8481..... hope to see you !

We have 4 spots open for Sunday ( aug 9 ) ..... Halibut continue to make smiles....weather forecast for this week end is excellent ..... text me at 707 342 8481.

You can see on my plotter screen how dialed in our spot ....but drifting over the same spot takes a little talent.... besides current , you have a stiff south wind, and choppy waves to contend with. The bit well in the shallow water. Today was one of those days where most folks caught at least two Halibut ... a few caught their limit .... and as pictured The Girls out fished the guys big time.....I’ll be doing this Halibut thing ( fishing ) till October 1 . In the very near future, the boat has openings Friday August 7, and Sunday August 9.... after that you won’t have a chance to fish for a butt until August 19. .... You can see we are also getting some very nice sized Stripers( and to all those river Anglers ...These saltwater bass fight about ten times harder that their fresh water relatives ).... Hope to see you all out here .

We have 4 spots open ( we just take 8 ) on the boat this Saturday. And for some weird reason the Sunday trip is wide open.... There aren’t a whole lot of week end dates open for the rest of the month.... good chance to get some more Halibut...... fishing is pretty good right now . Text me at 707 342 8481 for more info

Hey NBSA Sturgeon Club folks .... if you didn’t get the email, I’m doing a Halibut trip for you guys on Wednesday .... text me for details.

Halibut..... yeeeeah!!!..... We had so much fun doing it this past week end, we’re gonna do another batch of trips this Friday, Saturday , and Sunday. Spots are open each day. We depart from Richmond Marina Bay 635 am, return 3 pm . Because of the current virus situations, I’m only doing this week to week right now. To keep things safe, we ask no beer / booze trips.

I’m very pleased to announce we are finally back Halibut fishing. Many of you that have fish with me remember years ago , when I actually fished for Halibut. ..... seems like a gazillion years ago. Ah yes, those wiggling live baits, that smell of a fresh caught butt , and the spectacular views of the bay.....Today was our first trip and hey.... it was just like old times...... The halibut chomped and chomped .....It was one of those wonderfully rare days that we had fish o...n every drift from the very first practice drift .... all the way to the end. We will running our trips out of Marina Bay Harbor in Richmond. .... very beautiful harbor ... great people and facilities ...... and a heck of a lot easier to get to. Because I left the books open we have plenty of available week end spots. My week day trips will most likely be Wednesday - Friday. We’ll be doing plenty of Halibut / Bass Trips .... and for you really crazy Shark Nuts..... our Shark trips begin in August............,. After spending most of the year staring at rod tip while dangling bait in front of sturgeon ..... Roberto got quite a work out today netting fish.... so I’ll finish up by asking you to come help Roberto work off some of those extra pounds .... the more you catch .... the more he sweats ..... seems like a great deal ..... See more

It’s the new normal folks.... I recommend you get plenty... Masks ...they are cool , and they absolutely will cut down those face burns you come home with ( great UV protection ) And they help our efforts at keeping you anglers socially distant. It’s not gonna be easy.... but if you are thinking about making a trip with any of the great boats and guides , these will be necessary..... they might as well be cool....The Predator and crew hopefully will be making some prospecting trips this week and we anticipate some limited trips within two weeks ...As for the fish....Our new appearance brings a whole new meaning to Fish Fear Us ...... see you all very soon