richmond marina sat 4/24

After having a blast on the Halibut quest Friday with the gang at Paradsie... I decided I needed more punishment.. within 14hrs of pulling out of the water..my yak went back into the Bay..but this time on the other side .

I had been itching to scout out Brooks Island just outside of the richmond marina.. the guys at Bat Tackle in El Cerrito told me earlier in the week about orbiting 2 bouys directly south of the island. they even showed me the finger on the nautical charts where there is a depth change.. (warren...in the shop lives on a live a board in Emerville marina and yaks that part of the bay regularly)

With good intel in hand..plus left over shiners donated by MadDog and Sailfish the day prior... I thought I'd venture for a quick look. I didn't even unload my gear and the car was backed into my garage with the yak still strapped ontop.. ( I felt like Batman...ready for the quick exit upon waking up...although I did have to double back as  I forgot to get shiners out of the plugged in  aerator)

First time exploring the Richmond marina... I always view that part of the Bay when on I80 or when coming out of the Richmond Costco..some parts look fishy but I never see reports posted on the area.. (until Danglins Pt Richmond Ferry Pier 4/23...this is a different spot)

the launch is easy and price is right. you do need a cart from parking lot to beach...if not you have to pay $10 at the Marina.
You can find this spot on Google Maps as the park is called Barbara and Jay Vincent Park..

I braved the drive down Cutting Blvd from I80 but figured that the chance for catchingis  a stry round at that hour in the early morning was minimal...(afternoon exiting odds are higher) all joking aside...the Richmond Marina area really looks nice.. the developers pumped in a lot of mullah to "gentrify" the area.. nice looking gated communities and parks with jogging paths..
the parking lot looked clean and less ominous than ARW's...although I made a mental note not to drop my Comprehensive Coverage on my car insurance.

as for the fishing...I launched out and trolled on the Eastern side of Brooks Island.. it was actually very scenic.. As I passed SOuth of the Island..I was awaerded with a fine view of SF..although still a bit hazy so my pics couldn't capture the views properly.

I did see 3-4 PBs which when scouting is actually a welcome sight. One passed by and reported that they lost a 30incher earlier.
I thought this was reassuring.
I was painting pockets of small bait throughout the morning...and at one pt. saw around 30 birds diving on the surface..

strangely I couldn't find the 2 bouys the Bay Tackle guys told me about.. on the chart and on my Navionics phone app..it shows them just south of the island..
I trolled in 10 ft of water and then later moved in closer to the island and worked 4-6 ft of water..

after trolling south I would switch to mooching the shiner and drift back North...
nada....so my quest for the Halibut continues.. I am 0 for who knows as I got blanked last season too.. I remember someone posted last year that the magic number was lucky 7...MY FOOT..I think I am past 13 or so.. I know my turn is coming for that pull down.. Aarons Hail Mary the day prior was inspiring...

So I know that the shiners would have been better used in ARW..which was only another 15mins down the road...but yesterday was more on the scouting of Brooks Island and Richmond Marina..

my conclusion...yep the beach area directly east of the Marina.. this park is very easy access to this part of the Bay...but is it worth it to fish here? well the party boats hit ARW and Paradise for a reason...the fish are there...until I see a lot of PBs there from I80... i am not sure I would hit it with urgency.

as for the uneasiness of Richmond...the immediate Marina area is certainly fixed up..have no delusion where you are..you are not in Paradise so keep that in mind when you transport your stuff back to parking lot..
dave

thx for the recon.  the picture of the park sign really will help me when i try to find the place next time.  Now I can just go on a "search and destroy" mission based on the intel/recon.  thx for the report.

Awesome read this morning Dave while I enjoyed my coffee. Thanks for the report.
Sorry no fish again for you but it will all be worth while when you catch your first
halibut on board. It is just a matter of time now you'll see.

Jedmo

You definitely put in your time for Hali hunting.  Hope you don't set a record like I do with the darn Catfish    Thanks for the detailed report and pictures Dave.

Dave,
   Thanks for the report and all of the great info.  It looks like the launch is far less treacherous than the "ramp" at Paradise.  The fact that the party boats continue to drift for the Butts at Paradise still make it the right spot for me.  I got one there last year and I'm sure there are going to be a lot more caught this year.

Martin

I know that Run!!!!

First Place I scouted out a few years ago, the PB'ers will be in force in couple months on the south side of Brooks,   bet on it...

Warren's a Good Dude at Bay tackle and knows the Bay.... He just got a 15lb Hali just outside the Emeryville marina on a Yak, Bouncing a swim Bait.....

as far as that Parking lot.  it's sketchy, I"ve come back to many unsavory things in that Lot, kinda blowing my High from a Great Time OTW...

Car was Never broken into and it is a sorta nice area, but it seems it's well known by the locals to go hang for " Whatever.... "    

cool report.
Also Paradise should be nicknamed the "Ramp" from now on