Tom Mattusch

A group want a Humbolddt sqid / crab combo, so off we went the morning after Turkey day. SF buoy was almost calm, like 2 kts, HMB buoy was 14 gusting to 17 kts. Real time has all small white arrows, how could that be? Well, I found out! It was howlign at the 20 mile mark. Dropping in at 1095 feet, below the HMB weather buoy, the drift took us to 1,280 ft. Picked them up and re-set as a few of the anglers were not used to keeping constant pressure on the squid. A couple times we had every rod on the boat hooked up. We finished up coming inside to run two strings of crab pots, 21 crab.

Fish Species: Hulboldt Squid and Dungness Crab
Bait Used: None
Tackle Used: 2 speed heavy gear and squid jigs
Method Used: Drifitng
Water Depth: 1,095 - 1,270 feet
Water Temperature: 55 F
Wind Direction: W
Wind Speed: 14 - 17 kts
Tom Krebs and a few buddies found out how tough the squid are
Tom Krebs and a few buddies found out how tough the squid are

Ricci Herro and his friends also fought the big ones.
Ricci Herro and his friends also fought the big ones.


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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