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Topic: Spearing in the SF Bay?  (Read 3284 times)

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simplycook

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Read the regs over and over, but nothing definitive.  I caught so many legal sized halibut in 15ft or less last summer.  I might consider trying it at Paradise or Ferry Point on an absolutely clear day unless you guys tell me otherwise.

Is the water too murky?  Chemicals going to turn me into the swamp thing? 
Why aren't more guys doing it?

Thanks for any tips or advice.

- Kevin


eelkram

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My co-worker was a Navy diver back when Mare Island was active.  He used to dive in the Bay for work and said most places looked like a moonscape, scraped clear by the currents.  They'd only dive during slack and were very careful to watch the timing. He said there's a bunch of "rivers" running under the surface/near the bottom, and you won't know they're there until you hit them.

Also, thinking back to our conversations, he said it was always creepy because the clarity was crappy... just a green murkiness.
« Last Edit: February 06, 2020, 08:41:26 AM by eelkram »
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saltynuts

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Talk to BigJim, he seems to have great success spearing those guys.
My option is that they are hard to see being ambush predators, are camouflaged well and are difficult to see with optimal clarity. Would think it to be near impossible with murkiness of the Bay?
That being said would, love to see a post about you attempt!


Jeremy

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I used to live less than a mile from the bay, and it never once crossed my mind to dive in it.  Murky water, tons of sharks, God-knows-what kind of chemicals and heavy metals from runoff and industrial work in and around the bay.  I've taken my kayak out a few dozen times just for fun, but I'd always have to clean it off from all the scum that's floating on the top.


TheKeeneroo

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Most people dive from Monterey to Marina for butts. Most people that get them say it's just time in the water and a bit of luck. Pretty boring hunting of staring at sand. Zig zagging from shallow to deep and just working your way usually pays off. I didn't dive for them more than once maybe twice last year due to schedule, but I dove 5 times in 2018 and got 3. My experience is you look for bait fish and some structure near lots of sand.

As it's already been said, the SF bay can be pretty dangerous and usually terrible conditions.
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dan916

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I thought about it years ago but never ended up going. The only place I would dive would be around the Alcatraz since the water is clear there but it would have to be during the slack. But that water is very sharky and I wouldnt want to swim in the homeless 's blue boy. I know some guys that dive out of Bodaga and Tomales
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ex-kayaker

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The high spot in San Bruno shoal comes up within 5-6 feet of the surface on a slack tide.  I thought it was doable until I started seeing some of the big seven gills coming out of that area lol, eff that.

Maybe alameda rockwall, have seen plenty of days with clean water there. 


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simplycook

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Thanks for all the replies guys. 
I've seen a few very clear vis days here in Richmond and the Marin side.  I also caught so many halibut in less than 15ft... and a few notable ones in less than 5ft.  Sometimes I think I could just wade around in the shallow and spear them by hand.

I also got a wild imagination.  Going down there in the murky unknown freaks me out.  Not that going around Bodega or Tomales is any less worse, but it definitely peaks my interest.



Eddie

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Thanks for all the replies guys. 
I've seen a few very clear vis days here in Richmond and the Marin side.  I also caught so many halibut in less than 15ft... and a few notable ones in less than 5ft.  Sometimes I think I could just wade around in the shallow and spear them by hand.

I also got a wild imagination.  Going down there in the murky unknown freaks me out.  Not that going around Bodega or Tomales is any less worse, but it definitely peaks my interest.
If I ever get the urge to hold my breath and hunt the bottom of the bay or tomales you’ll be the first to know.  I’ve done some Hawaiian slingin’ when I lived on Maui but I must say, it is not that comfortable from what I remember.  Might be fun to grab some dungies off the bottom :smt006
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STEVEAA

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I free dove Tomales Bay for years (back in the 80's.) We dove the in coming tide, so we would cover more ground, the Halibut we were getting during this time was between 30 - 40 pounds, the biggest Halibut we ever shot was ~55 pounds, and it took three of us to slow it down and kill it. Someone said the water is spooky in San Francisco bay. It is even worse in Tomales Bay, because of the great white sharks cruse in and out of the bay looking for the harbor seals. Most of the time the visibility was less than 10 feet or worse. I remember one dive the water was so dirty, on my first dive I ran into the bottom, head first. The next dive I was standing on the bottom thinking, what the hell am I doing out here, and I look off to my side and I can barely see what looked like the side of a sub, than I see these slots in the gray surface. So, I called it for the day. Another time I got skunked and I paddled back to Lawson's landing and someone had caught a halibut from the pier, so I walked up stream and got into the water and drifted under the pier looking for Halibut, on my second pass, I didn't know it, but I was told by people who were watching me said they saw my shadow and another shadow (a shark) that crossed over me. But, then there were days when we had 15 plus Vis., we killed the Halibut (3 ea.,) I also got a 10 pound Lingcod, and a limit of Abs.

The good old days are gone now.

I still get in the water when I can, but most of it has been in Maui or Puerto Rico.

Thanks for the memories



Eddie

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I free dove Tomales Bay for years (back in the 80's.) We dove the in coming tide, so we would cover more ground, the Halibut we were getting during this time was between 30 - 40 pounds, the biggest Halibut we ever shot was ~55 pounds, and it took three of us to slow it down and kill it. Someone said the water is spooky in San Francisco bay. It is even worse in Tomales Bay, because of the great white sharks cruse in and out of the bay looking for the harbor seals. Most of the time the visibility was less than 10 feet or worse. I remember one dive the water was so dirty, on my first dive I ran into the bottom, head first. The next dive I was standing on the bottom thinking, what the hell am I doing out here, and I look off to my side and I can barely see what looked like the side of a sub, than I see these slots in the gray surface. So, I called it for the day. Another time I got skunked and I paddled back to Lawson's landing and someone had caught a halibut from the pier, so I walked up stream and got into the water and drifted under the pier looking for Halibut, on my second pass, I didn't know it, but I was told by people who were watching me said they saw my shadow and another shadow (a shark) that crossed over me. But, then there were days when we had 15 plus Vis., we killed the Halibut (3 ea.,) I also got a 10 pound Lingcod, and a limit of Abs.

The good old days are gone now.

I still get in the water when I can, but most of it has been in Maui or Puerto Rico.

Thanks for the memories
Crazy town... so in a way these aren't the good ole days... :smt006
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Tote

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This is a college fraternity brother of mine, Column Tinley, who got me into ab diving in the early 80's.
He got hit by a big great white just outside of Tomales.

<=>


KPD

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I free dove Tomales Bay for years (back in the 80's.) [...]

It's inspiring to hear stories like that. Thanks.
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crash

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I free dove Tomales Bay for years (back in the 80's.) We dove the in coming tide, so we would cover more ground, the Halibut we were getting during this time was between 30 - 40 pounds, the biggest Halibut we ever shot was ~55 pounds, and it took three of us to slow it down and kill it. Someone said the water is spooky in San Francisco bay. It is even worse in Tomales Bay, because of the great white sharks cruse in and out of the bay looking for the harbor seals. Most of the time the visibility was less than 10 feet or worse. I remember one dive the water was so dirty, on my first dive I ran into the bottom, head first. The next dive I was standing on the bottom thinking, what the hell am I doing out here, and I look off to my side and I can barely see what looked like the side of a sub, than I see these slots in the gray surface. So, I called it for the day. Another time I got skunked and I paddled back to Lawson's landing and someone had caught a halibut from the pier, so I walked up stream and got into the water and drifted under the pier looking for Halibut, on my second pass, I didn't know it, but I was told by people who were watching me said they saw my shadow and another shadow (a shark) that crossed over me. But, then there were days when we had 15 plus Vis., we killed the Halibut (3 ea.,) I also got a 10 pound Lingcod, and a limit of Abs.

The good old days are gone now.

I still get in the water when I can, but most of it has been in Maui or Puerto Rico.

Thanks for the memories



Fourth post in 14 years. Quality >>>>>>>> quantity.
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