Spent a couple days getting the Shirley Lamar ready for going out to the big blue.
Weather was forecast to be 103+ and so avoiding the heat for most of the day was my main goal.
Got everything ready to go, and loaded up four rods and reels with intent on trolling for Halibut in the SFBay. I took a gallon of water in anticipation of the misery of inescapable heat. Funny thing I was able to avoid the worst of the heat…
I decided to launch at the 9th street pier in Benicia, since I know the ramp, it generally has parking and I can launch and retrieve at any tide. Made it there, and only one other trailer in the lot, and they were docking as I got the antenna up, drain plug in, and stuff stowed.
As usual this ramp gives me fits backing in. I can’t see very well, my left shoulder is frozen, stiff and painful, and weak and my trailering still isn’t awesome as I backup infrequently.
Got the Jumbo in the water with little muss or fuss, and walked it to the end of the pier, and tied it off.
Parked truck and trailer in the lot that had a lot of cars parked in trailer spots. Trailer spots had freshly painted lines that were about 30% too short.
Got back to the Tolman and got all squared away and the Suzuki DF 140 did not want to start. I quickly figured out the fuel bulb wasn’t pumping and I suspected the quick release on the end. Pulled it off the 30 gallon main tank and switched the quick release with the kicker going to the 12 gallon tank in the splash well. Started right up after a handful of squeezes of the bulb.
Backed out and the outgoing tide pulled the stern to the west while the wind pushed the bow to the east. Of course that was on course to intersecting with the fishermen on the dock. Hmmm. I calmly corrected and and headed out to the center channel of the Sacramento. Jumbo jumped on plane and I settled in at a 4,000 rpm tick headed to the Carquinez strait, past the Cal Maritime campus and on to San Pablo Bay. It was nice and cool on the water and there was just a tiny ripple of wind wave. Flat ass calm!
I made my way to the Berkeley Flats where a party boat was working, along with a couple dozen pleasure craft. I trolled for an hour and zip. Made my way to the ocean side of Pleasure Island and drifted with a Hootchie. Zip zero nada. The two party boats there packed up and headed to the ocean and after another 15 minutes headed that way too.
The SFBay always has calm spots and bumpy spots full of interesting currents going every which way. I hit some interesting choppy spots again with wind blowing the opposite way of the current.
Anyway headed under the Golden Gate and messed around bouncing the bottom with a jig where the fish finder showed a bumpy bottom. No takers so I decided to round Point Bonita and head to the Potato Patch where I knew I’d find structure.
I saw the fleet trolling and drifting for Buts out past the first bell buoy, and figured I’d do the same. Messed around for an hour but no take downs and no nets from any boats out there that I saw.
Wind was picking up adding to washing machine action on a 7’ + swell and I started to get that old familiar queasy feeling.So I packed up and headed to the edge of the channel looking for structure on the way. Once underway I felt good.
Rounded the corner at Point Bonita and decided to bound the bottom for rock fish using a home made shrimp fly rig with a torpedo weight on the bottom, a white grub above the weight and a shrimp fly above. A few minutes later a caught a brown rockfish. 20 minutes later a caught a second brown. Then nothing for another half hour of running as close as I dared to the rocks and drifting back.
Packed up around 4:30 figuring I’d get to the dock an hour later and maybe beat the worst of the heat. Beautiful FAC on way home with and average of 27-30mph and a top speed of 36mph.
Docked with no mishap, with the current and wind now cooperating. Yanked boat out in 103 degrees and wilted. I think it was about 68 degrees on the ocean and I wished I was back out there.
Great day on the water. At some point while enjoying the coolness of the ocean, and the big flocks of Pelicans flying over, I realized how lucky I have been and how fortunate I am to be on the ocean with a well performing boat I built with my own two hands.
Life is good!
