Charters & Trips

Here is some basic info on commonly asked questions about the Charters in the Bay Area. 

Parking: Happy Hooker / Pacific Dream / California Dawn I & II: Park at Berkeley Marina, K Dock. It is free and I've never had any issues. As always, leave NOTHING in your car and lock it etc.. 

Velocity (Santa Cruz): Paid parking, machines are available all over. Dock F, 789 Mariner Parkway 

Bathrooms: All ocean going charters have a head. Velocity, Happy Hooker, and California Dawn fleet boats all have private flushing sit down toilets. These are fully functional toilets but they are small and it legit feels like you are pooping on mushrooms in this tiny ass room. Bring Imodium / Pepto if you are concerned. There is stall bathroom at the gate of Berkeley Marina.

Galley / Food: The galley is the café / kitchen of the boat. Hot food and cold drinks are really really nice sometimes. Just remember anything in, comes out.. see above.. The California Dawn I & II both have full galleys onboard. Happy Hooker and Pacific Dream do not may actually have a galley in operation now, unsure.. Velocity (Santa Cruz) has a limited galley of hot dogs.

Rental Gear: Any boat you take, you will rent gear on the boat. Generally its rather nice gear, think a Phenix Axis weighted for the trip paired with a Penn fathom or Shimano TLD reel. You can also get very low end gear such as an Ugly Stick with a Penn Senator. Anything the boat hands you will catch fish. Trust the boat. This gear ranges from $10 to $30 based on the nature of the trip.

I don't know how to fish: Charter boats are wonderful places to learn and cut teeth. There will always be a Deckhand or two on the boat available to help you. Deckhands are friendly and knowledgeable and there to help you: ready your rod and tie terminal tackle, bait hooks, cast or drop for you, get your fish out of the water and into the boat, process / gut and gill / fillet your fish. They work for tips. 

What is a Deckhand: Deckhands are the hands on the deck of the boat and a newbies best friend. They are given orders from the Captain to aid in mooring and anchoring and assisting however is needed. They are also here to help you with anything you may need. Baiting hooks, tying line and tackle, netting / gaffing your fish, etc.. They are NOT here to get you drinks or food from the galley and they are not to be disrespected. Tip them 15-20% as a standard, anything above is welcomed. 

Tipping: Deckhands work for tips and that is typically 15-20% of the ticket cost. Tips get split between deckhands if there are multiple deckhands onboard, one tip for the crew is the expectation. Cash is king here, some deckhands use Venmo or cash app but on boats where there is more than one, its best to put the cash in the jar. Galley workers have their own tip jar and that's regular service based tipping of whatever you feel is good. I toss a few bucks in there if I use the galley. 

How to Fillet: The deckhands / landing will always fillet your fish for you on day trips. Deckhands typically have a per bag or per fish rate ranging from a few bucks for a few fish to $20-40 for bigger fish. Rock fish is usually a flat fee of $20-35 per bag and the bigger fish are something like $7-12 a fish. Venmo and Cash app are used often as this is not part of the tip. nothing beats cash. For CRAB, the bait shop will process your catch for a fee. They are in the parking lot next to Hana.

How many fish can I catch: On the boats mentioned above, you will be fishing for: crab, rockfish, ling cod, halibut, striped bass, sharks, salmon (when legal), sturgeon, and the occasional tuna. Each fish has its own limits and restrictions. Rockfish: 10x with sub bag limits for specific species. Ling cod: 2x over 22 inches. Halibut: 2-3x depending on current regulations over 22 inches. Salmon: CLOSED for 2023/24 season. Striped Bass: 2x over 18 inches. Shark: 3x over 36 inches. Sturgeon: 1x WHITE sturgeon only, between 40 inches and 60 inches. Report card required. Dungeness Crab: 10x over 5.75 inches. Crab Endorsement Required. 

Reference: https://wildlife.ca.gov/Fishing/Ocean/Regulations/Fishing-Map/Central 

Licensing: You need a California Fishing License to fish the ocean. Get one here: https://wildlife.ca.gov/Licensing/Fishing 

If you are going crab combo fishing you will need the crab endorsement, if sturgeon fishing, the sturgeon endorsement. 

How much fish am I bringing home: Typically you fill most of your limit on a charter boat. For Ground fish, you generally come home with 10x rock fish and up to 2 Ling cod. Rockfish are between 3 and 10lb each and Ling cod can get up to 30lb each. Make sure you have the ability to process and store the meat once home. I vacuum seal and label EVERYTHING I catch, either same day or the next day, and throw it all into the freezer for one week. Freeze at -4^ for a week due to the FDA suggestions for treating parasites. Not a requirement if you are eating fresh and cooked. If you plan on eating any of your catches that are wild caught as RAW meals, follow the FDA guidelines. Plan on bringing home at least 10lb and up to 40lb or so. YMMV.