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October Shop Update

ROCKFISH:  The creative 2024 rockfishing season is still open through the end of the year.  Rockfishing along our Northern California coastline is open in October outside the 50-fathom boundary (approximately 300 feet deep),  inside the 20 fathom boundary (from shore to approximately 120 feet) in November, and back in the deep water again in December.  Why?  To protect a rockfish called a quillback, but also attempt to give anglers an opportunity to fish either coastal or deep water.  Pending any emergency actions, we anticipate the seasons will be the same in 2025 and 2026, but we'll have to wait and see what's decided at the upcoming PFMC meetings.

DUNGENESS CRAB:   Just a few more weeks until the season reopens!!  The recreational dungeness crab season will open again the first Saturday in November.  We'll find out if we can use pots or have to use hoop nets when we get closer to opening day, but the general consensus is that the season will more than likely be required to open using hoop nets or snares only due to the large number of whales that have been off the coastline this year.  Rock crab is open year-round, and folks do pretty darn well at times getting good numbers of rock crab around this harbor.

SALMON:  No salmon fishing anywhere in California for 2024 as the season has been closed for the second year in a row.  As long as all goes as planned, salmon fishing will hopefully open next year on Saturday, April 5, 2025 with a 24" minimum two fish limit off our coastline.   We should find out whether this will happen or not by mid-February.   It all depends on the number of salmon that are counted returning up the rivers to spawn.  Fingers crossed!

AROUND THE HARBOR:  There has been insane amounts of bait that have showed up in and out of the harbor for well over a month, both anchovies and even some mackerel.  The birds are still zooming around the harbor over the schools of baitfish, and folks using Sabiki rigs are having lots of success catching oodles of fresh bait.

Welcome to Half Moon Bay Sportfishing and Tackle, located on the coast about 20 miles south of San Francisco, the only stop you have to make for the fishing adventure of a lifetime! We have the supplies you need for a fantastic day on the water onboard the charterboats that book through our shop as well as all the basic gear, bait, and tackle you need for a great trip on your own boat or from the shore. You can also purchase day and annual fishing licenses as well as commercial fishing and hunting licenses at our shop. Our staff has unsurpased knowledge of gear and techniques for salmon, rockfishing, surf fishing, Dungeness crab and other various species of ocean dwellers that live in our part of the ocean.

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Got Bait?

We've always had a complete array of the best bait that's available for sale in our shop that is constantly rotated to be as fresh as possible. But now we've gone one step further...Half Moon Bay Sportfishing is one of the first bait and tackle shops in California to own its own frozen bait vending machine available outside our front door 24 hours a day 7 days a week. Even when the shop is closed or we're crazy busy getting our charterboat customers out first thing in the morning, you can purchase your frozen bait from the machine using either cash or credit cards and get on out to the water quickly and easily.

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Charterboat Trips

Half Moon Bay Sportfishing and Tackle is proud to be the booking agent for the vessel Queen of Hearts, which has taken more people fishing out of Half Moon Bay than any other boat, hands down, since 1990.  The Queen of Hearts is Coast Guard licensed and inspected, insured, well maintained, and has an impeccable safety record.  Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, beginning in March 2020 when the stay at home orders were established, we discontinued  booking any other vessels other than the Queen of Hearts through our shop.

The Queen of Hearts with Captain Wallace Klughers at the helm is ready to take you fishing on our productive grounds.  The Queen of Hearts is well known for offering outstanding rockfishing trips, but also fishes for salmon when in season, albacore when in range, and will offer crab combos beginning with the 2019 crab season.  The Queen of Hearts has taken more folks fishing for over the last 25 years than any other charterboat in the area.  Whether you want to catch a big Lingcod or a huge Red, salmon or crab … the Queen of Hearts is for you!
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(650) 728-3377
27 Johnson Pier, Half Moon Bay, CA 94019
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