Date: Monday, June 25, 2007 at 13:01:59
Current Report:

Sorry I've been missing in action for awhile. Did a couple sharks trips last weekend. On friday a friend of mine ( I really do have a friend ) Danny Payne, his two boys, Westt 13, and Cole 9 and a couple of Danny's friends. We started our day off early, about 6:00 heading down to Hunters Point with not much happening through most of the morning, only one leopard, a big male and a few sand sharks. We made one last move about 11:30 to my "Ace in the Hole" spot. We roped em', landing eight more leopards in about 30 minutes, I even hauled one in. One of the biggest sharks I've ever seen, going 55" and an easy 30 lbs. It's head was 9.5" wide!! The big feast was at the end of the outgo tide all on freezer burnt midshipman. Saturday wasn't to bad either. Kevin Yost (my new partner in crime) of Lucky Strike Charters, his girlfriend Julie and a buddy of mine Terry Fleming ran the boat down from Pittsburg to Richmond Marina Bay for the summer. After checking in, we took a ride to South Hampton Shoals for a little fun, and fun it was. We broke in the L.S. (Lucky Strike) right!! landing nine Leopards, keeping only two for the dinner plate. The sharks were all males hooked on the start of the income tide, all on fresh midshipman. Yep, Julie & Terry even hit a double. I will be working with Kevin for the summer. Charter price for six anglers is $800, coffee, donuts, breakfast burritos and drinks all included. So if you really wanna "GET BENT" on some big Leopard Sharks this summer, give me a call..... Still Bent!! Mark P.S. Thanks for your Shark Cherry, Kevin!

Let's see, now how do you type again? Oh, I remember... Had another loaner boat last week, a nice big 31 footer with everything you could imagine, microwave, coffee maker, you name it, it had it. Not to mention all the junk food, pie's, cookies, german choclate cakes, donuts not to mention a whole drawer full of candy bars. There was enough sugar on the boat to kill a horse.( Don't worry Rich, your secret is safe with me ) And on to fishing, last Wednesday the 29 th I learned a couple of new words, had a little trouble getting the anchore to work but I figured it out. Dropped the hook in 60', threw out some Roe and kicked back. Wasn't long before we landed our first shaker, then the wind came up, what's new. We did get lucky landing a 55" keeper and one other shaker all on roe, considering we had 100 + lbs. of wind. 11-30 was a little different, -0 wind, a perfect day. The six anglers on the boat were ready. We released three shakers on the start of the 5.5 ft. incoming tide. Using my Wyle E. Coyote instincts, I moved the boat to some shallow water ( 50 ft.) untill the tide slowed up a bit, and when it did the bite was on! Johnny & Sharon Dodson of Tracy tag teamed a 55 incher while Edwin Eng & James Lonie of Frisco tag teamed the other D'Back going 67 inches, yep we had a double going on and landed both of them. But the action didn't stop there, Lonnie Dodson of Tracy and his brother inlaw Jay Fowler of Pinole had some fun landing nine more shakers up to 45 1/2 inches. All in all, it was a great day. Rich's Secret Salmon Roe ( R.S.S.R. ) was the hot ticket. We were fishing the deep water in 65', about a half mile below the Pittsburg Power Plant. I'm looking for another engine for my B.O.A.T. ( Bust Out Another Thousand ) I should be running soon...Untill then, Stay Bent!! Mark

Good day yesterday down around Middle Grounds, had limits of stripers for three in just a few hours. The bass were 5# to 16 lbs. We also released four more fish. We landed a 12.5# and an 8# on bullheads, the others all came on shad. Two came on the end of the out go and the rest all thru the income. Very nice day, the water was flat, the sun was shining, and the Niners beat the Raiders, what more could ya ask for!! Did I mention the Sturgeon were jumping everywhere. I'll be running now through April, so give me a call. Stay Bent!! Mark

I don't know about you but I have had about enough rain & wind to last me the rest of the year. Execpt one condition, when the bite is on! I don't think a Tsunami could bothered us yesterday. I had a few regular's out with me. We started our day leaving the Pittsburg Marina around 6:00 heading straight to Montazuma Slough ( on the Chain Island side ). It's a real nice boat ride this time of year. Except for the big black clouds, all the hills are green with lots of wild flowers blooming, just a nice scenic ride, Well after about a 40 minute ride we dropped the hook just above the "cable crossing". We arrived at the end of the out going tide. I rigged the leaders, three with salmon roe and one with ghost shrimp. I tossed'em out and I don't think it was no more than ten minutes when Dave Robinson's rod ( the "Golden Child" ) went south, "Fish On!" he yelled and 45 seconds later he mumbled "fish off", I assured him, "don't worry, we'll get'em". Well wasn't long before the "Red Rocket" went down, ( I have names for all my RODS ) and David Burns of Auburn reached over and set hook, once again, "Fish On!". After a long 13 1/2 minute battle, we boated David's first D'Back going a whopping 49 inches. Hey, it was a monster to him. Soon after, the tide turned and the water began to trickle in when Dave Robinson's rod "got bent" a second time. This fish much like the first, burning line off the reel like a Ford Power Stroke. I didn't think it was going to stop, so I up'ed the anchore and chased'em down, (almost spooled us) after a good 20 minute fight, I snared him/her/it, took a couple pictures popped the hook and released a 66 inch toad. Dave R. had a grin on his face that lasted the rest of the day. However the other Dave kinda had a frown after seeing Dave R.'s fish. Well we still needed one more battle for Dave 's dad Jerry Burns. With the lines back out, we did get another tug, this time on a rod I call Barney, I reached over set hook and handed the rod to Jerry, maybe a little too soon because that fish came unbuttoned. Soon the wind picked up and the black clouds I mentioned earlier, well they opened up and down came about an inch of rain an hour. We decided to pack it up, arriving back to my berth at 3:00, I fileted Dave's monster and said our goodbye's. A good day's end. One more thing, with the new slot limit in place 46" to 56", I take alot of care in how I handle these fish, when I snare them, I make sure the coated cable is behind it's pectoral fins before I lift it out of the water. When I take a picture, I have my clients pick up the fish horizontaly to support the belly of the fish, if it's a little heavy, I ask thier friend to help. Never let anybody pick up a sturgeon from it's gills!! We have to do everything we can to help protect the sturgeon fishery. STAY BENT!! Mark

Off and on, that sums up my days on the water. The sturgeon bite seems to be a little off for a normal March bite. Hopefully it picks up some. Last weekend on Saturday the 11 th, the three guys out with me landed only one shaker, long day. Sunday's trip was a bit better. Myself and two anglers took the high road to Montezuma Slough. I didn't start seeing fish untill I passed Nurse Slough, ended up dropping the hook at Frost Slough, perfect timing too, the income tide was just starting. I tossed out Roe, Eel, Grass and a ghost/ grass combo, basically the kitchen sink. Eric Whitney of Sacramento had the lucky rod, with an even luckier fish on the other end. Little did the D'Back know, Eric already decided to release his catch. After a 20 minute battle, we boated a 63 incher that was pushing 60 lbs. Yep, it was Eric's first Sturgeon and he released it!! That's a sportsman! Monday was alot like Saturday less the shaker. Big Dave Hurley and his partner Tony and I ended up fishing down at the "cable crossing" down below the bridge. We marked a ton of fish, just couldn't buy a bite, hopefully this weekend is a little better, I'll probably be back in the Zu Slough where most of the big ones are hangin' out, STAY BENT!! MARK

Can you believe it, the last two D'Backs taken on my boat were 61 inches by guy's with the last name White. One was a couple of weeks ago by Jodie White of Bay Point, and last Saturday Scott White of Sacramento. Both fish were taken on Salmon Roe in the exact same spot on the incoming tide. Sunday was a little different, the three anglers and I couldn't buy a bite. Got Skunked!! On a lighter note, the water is still a little chilly at 50 degrees but the bite seems to be picking up day by day. Roe is definetly the top bait but ghost shrimp, eel and pile worms work good too. This weekend should be a zoo with the Super Bowl Sturgeon Derby going on. I think I'll change my oil.... Stay Bent!! Mark

Well the boat is still running, that's a good sign. The sturgeon bite has been going good with keepers on most trips. Tony Garcia, his wife and a couple of friends had a great day on Nov. 12 th taking three bass to 8 lbs. plus a 50" sturgeon and releasing three shakers, the bass took shad and the big fish had eel. On the 16 th, was a little slower, ( nuthin' ) nice day though. The 18 th went a little smoother, Tim Berry and his girlfriend landed a 66" and a 47", releasing the little one. We took those fish on some killer roe I got from Rich Tipton of Lucky Strike Charters, yep, I just ordered 20 lbs. I'm stuck with jury duty tomarrow, hope it doesn't last long. I'll be back....Stay Bent!! Mark

Well, I'm back in the saddle with another boat, not quite the yacht I was hoping for but it gets me to the fish. Yesterday, four guys from Woodland headed out with me had a good day considering the 0.9 outgo tide. When we got there (Chain Island) we still had a couple of hours of income tide. I baited up three rods with eel and the fourth with ghost shrimp. I didn't even get the second rod out when the first rod went south. After a short battle Anthony Lopez landed his first D'Back, a 48 incher (bad day to be a 48 incher) in the box. We also picked up a 20" bass on the top of the tide. Soon the tide turned, thank goodness no wind, though not much happened on the little outgoing tide until I checked a bait. I was reeling in and felt pressure, I set hook and knew right away we had a little trouble on are hands. Terry Flemming Jr. took the rod for an expected long fight. (I knew it was snagged) And after a half an hour or so, we released the fish that went 66". Soon we were sitting on the income tide again with a low pressure system moving in and the wind picking up, but the bite wasn't over. It was pushing 3:00 when one more rod went down, nearly ripping the rod out of the boat! I caught it mid-air, no kidding! I set hook and handed it over to Gabriel Marquez who landed his first Sturgeon going 52 inches. All on eel, all on the income tide near Lt.1 in 40 ft. of liquid. Earlier this week on Tuesday my step-dad and I fished the firing line near Middle Grounds picking up a 9 lb. bass on a needled Bullhead, then moving up near Chain Island ( yep, same spot ) boating a 53" D'Back on eel, a very nice day! I've got lots of open spots available so give me a call. It looks like it's going to be a real strong Fall run for Sturgeon. So Lets Go Get Bent!! Mark

I'm back in the water with another boat, looks like another good sturgeon season shaping up. I've been getting good reports of a lot fish being caught between Sherman Lake and Lt. 34 near Pittsberg. I'll be up and running in a couple of days,so if you would like to get one of those big D'Backs, give me a call. Glad to be back......Mark

Well it's been awhile but I'm running again. I was out on Sunday the 6 th. with six anglers from Stockton. We fished off the port of Oakland, landing eight sharks to 25 lbs. all on the incoming tide using Midshipman for bait. I have shark trips Saturday thru Tuesday so I'll get back to ya a little sooner. Ha Ha.... I have lots of openings available so give me a call. BENT AGAIN!! Mark

Well let's try this again, just accidently erased the last one. Saturday I was out with a couple of friends fishing eel (of course) north of Chain Island (where else) on the in 25 ft. incoming tide. Andy Penn has been telling me we're going turkey hunting one of these days, real soon. to make a long story short, Andy landed his first D'Back, not a monster but a keeper, a 47" at 22 lbs. I said, Hey, you have something to look foward to. I think it's going to be a touch of Deja'vu when he put's me on a jake instead of the tom I want if I know Andy. The day ended with the one keeper and another one that burned rubber and broke off. Yesterday the 6 th with four guy's on the boat Chris Tucker land a 54 incher @ 29 lbs. We had one other shaker and that was it. I think this new front moving in slowed the bite. I have trips the next three days, I'll be back.....Stay Bent ....Mark

No, this is no April Fools joke, I'm realy typing a report!! I know it's been a while but I've been busy fishing, I mean catching, yep aside from all the water releases from several rivers the fishing has been fairly good for me. I've been spending most of my days up river around the Collinsville area just above Chain Island near light 3. And averaging 1 or 2 keeper D'Backs a trip, most are smaller fish going from 46" to 55" all on eel. Most of the fish have been on the top of the outgoing tide in 25 to 30 ft. of liquid. Besides the wind, the water has been a little brown but the sturgeon bite is very good. Yesterday was a good day, the five anglers took home a few fish, two bass to 7 lbs. and a 47" sturgeon. On the day before 3-30 I had three guys out on the boat, three rods out when one guy said "Hey Mark, why don't you put out a rod?" I said "Because I'll catch all the fish", they said no problem, so I rigged "MY" rod. After a few "drive-by's" the fish settled down. Well I had to take care of a little business in the cabin so I said "keep an eye on my rod". I wasn't gone for two seconds when one of them set hook and yelled Fish On! Well they were just practicing on the first one because it jumped bail but not the next one . I re-rigged the eel and put it back out. Not ten minutes went by when the same rod went south again. All I wanted was a good "hook-set fix" which I got and handed the lucky rod over to Roy Korb. After a half hour battle, we landed the big fish, an inch too big. Took a picture and released it. Ol'Roy was a little bummed, Oh well next time . See I told you I'd catch all the fish!! Stay Bent!!! MARK

Wow! It's only been a week and I'm writing again! Better put that one down in the history book. Well last Friday the 11 th started out very nice. Al Owen, his son Brian and a few of Al's friends had a nice day on the water, sunny & warm, what more could you ask for, oh yeah, fish. Sure enough we managed to get one, not a monster but a legal fish. Chuck Emmaneel from somewhere in California, ( I wasn't told the city - thanks Al ) landed his first sturgeon, a 48 incher which was a "monster" to him. The fish's last meal was eel. Hey, I'm a poet and don't even know it. On Saturday six anglers on the boat landed two keepers. Jeff Wolsleben landed the first one going 55 inches and his buddy Eric Haschte from Walt's Fishing & Outdoors both from Sacramento landed the second D'Back going 50 inches all on eel on the start of the income tide near Middle Grounds in 20 ft. of water. Sunday was a little diffrent. That low pressure that moved in over night changed things. The four anglers on the boat had a tough time, we couldn't buy a fish. Zero, Zilch. We fished nine + hours not a bite. I have trips this Friday thru Monday, who knows, I just might write again, that truly would be a record! Untill then... Stay Bent!!! Mark P.S. I'll try to take some guy's out with easier last names.

"Good Day Sunshine" That old Beatles tune song was stuck in my head all day long. Yep, last Friday the 5 th was a gorgeous day, water was flat, the temp guage in the boat said 73 degrees, and the fish were on the bite. The five guys out with me had a pretty good day too. We started our day fishing near "Middle Grounds" with salmon roe & good ol' lamprey eel. Well it didn't take long for Jake Wright of Galt to get the first fish, a 47", not big, but a keeper. He said it would be fine for the "Superbowl BBQ" at his house. The rest of the day we landed another five shakers, then about 3:30 a couple of the guys asked when we were going in, and I said "Lets give it 10 more minutes" good choice.... Because that's all it took to hook up the Big One. After a half hour or so, Rigo Vivanco of Galt landed his first D'Back going 71" around 70 lbs. On Saturday the 6 th was a little diffrent with the sturgeon derby going on and all, I think there was more boats than water. Knowing it would be a little busy, I fished up near Light 3. I was marking a lot of fish but they just weren't biting. We had mud, ghost and grass shrimp along with roe and eel, just shy of the kitchen sink. The five anglers all agreed they "should have been there yesterday" I made a move to some shallow water in Broad Slough landing one little bass. We fished almost ten hours, that's a long day! I'll be back out again starting on Friday the 11 th, so give me a call if you want and let's go catch some fish! Keep'em Bent!! Capt. Mark

Well I'm back in business. I picked up a real nice 30'Fjord (pronounced fee-ord) w/ twin diesels. My first trip is this friday. I'll Let you know how it goes. Bent Again! Mark