Tom Mattusch

Oh what a difference a day makes! Sort of. I had a group of seven and a group of 2. They day is what most anglers wold have termed FAC. I hit a few spots below the PP buoy and the group of 7 were not happy anglers. Dad wanted to fish. Dad wanted his little girls to fish. Dad wanted Mom and (his) Dad to enjoy the day. Dad was outvoted and begged, pleaded and asked for mercy for the rest of his family that lacked the seafaring gene. So I took them in, as we were close, and came back out to enoy the type of day so nice, fish were only a bonus. The rockpiles outside the buoys weren't cooperating as well as yesterday. Huli Cat kept working different rockpiles south until we hit some that did well. Lings were hungry for 'copper pipe'. Yes, someone brought copper pipe fashioned into lingcod/rockfish bars and more and more folks are showing up with the homemade jigs. Guy Anthony caught wo keepers alone and many shorts on the copper pipe. Canaries were a bit bothersome. All in all, a great day to be on the water. Never fished under 60 feet, never fished over 110 feet.

The unusual story was one line tangled with another line on opposite sides of the boat. As the line was cleared on one side, it released pressure on the other rod, that rod jumped out of the rod holder. It broke my heart as it was my rod and newly overhauled reel. I dejectedly grabbed another rig, made a cast and 'snagged' the bottom, or so I thought. The snag was moving, gudgingly, but some piece of someting was on the bottom, that wa coming up. My treble hook and diamond bar were dragging something up. First guesses were a Danielson crab pot with the effort I had reeling in. Then we saw 'color' and folks yelled I had a fish. Then it be came apparent I had the lost rod and reel! I asked for a gaff to back it up in case the hook came loose of the reel attempting to get it out of the water. We get the rod and reel and start ot reel it in. A big bolina rockfish on the hook to boot! I got my rod back with a fish on it!

Fish Species: Rockfish & Lingcod
Bait Used: squid
Tackle Used: Shrimpflies & bars
Method Used: drifitng
Water Depth: 97 - 102 ft
Water Temperature: 53
Wind Direction: NW
Wind Speed: 6 - 9 kts
Jesse Ortiz of Houston, CA
Jesse Ortiz of Houston, CA

Cindy Tripp of El Granada, CA
Cindy Tripp of El Granada, CA


Do you want to leave a comment? Login or register now to leave a comment.


No comments so far

Tom Mattusch

About The Author: Captain Tom Mattusch

Company: Huli Cat Sportfishing

Area Reporting: Central California, San Francisco Bay area

Bio: Tom Mattusch is currently the owner/operator of the Huli Cat, a 53 foot charter boat operating out of Pillar Point Harbor and has fished the West Coast since 1967. Tom holds positions on the Salmon Stamp Committee for California, the California Department of Fish and Game License Agent Advisory Committee and NOAA's California Sportfishing Action Team. He's an IGFA Certified Captain. In an effort to contribute to research, Tom works with NOAA's PFEL tagging chinook salmon. He also worked with NOAA's Santa Cruz field office gathering stomachs and beaks of Humboldt squid. He recently completed a study with the Point Reyes Bird Observatory collecting lingcod, salmon and halibut stomachs and is currently involved in a study with Scripps to gather albacore stomachs. Tom holds Board of Director positions with the Golden Gate Fishermens Association, Coastside Fishing Club and Fishery Enhancement and Research Foundation. He can be heard on four radio stations giving fish reports or discussing fishing politics. He has worked closely with the Recreational Fishing Alliance, PCFFA, the Half Moon Bay Fishermans Marketing Association, United Anglers of Southern California and United Anglers. Tom ran the first trip out of Half Moon Bay to take anglers to catch Humboldt squid and the first white shark viewing trip to the Farallon Islands. He is the first charter boat Captain out of Half Moon Bay to get certified to marry people and has married people on the Huli Cat. Tom ran the first albacore trip out of Half Moon Bay to demonstrate the albacore were again reachable by boat off the Central California coast in the mid 1990's. Tom held a seat on the California Marine Life Protection Act Initiative as a Central Coast Regional Stakeholder group Member.

650-726-2926
Click Here For Past Fishing Reports by Captain Tom Mattusch