GSSA's all-ladies trip returns from Point Reyes with salmon limits, great memories

Dan Bacher
·4 min read
Lorrie Otte, Cat Kaiser, Golden State Salmon Association (GSSA) events director, Naz Jalil and Lyn Marie Moyer show off their salmon limits caught aboard the Salty Lady at Point Reyes on July 8.
Lorrie Otte, Cat Kaiser, Golden State Salmon Association (GSSA) events director, Naz Jalil and Lyn Marie Moyer show off their salmon limits caught aboard the Salty Lady at Point Reyes on July 8.

SAUSALITO — For the fifth year in a row, the Golden State Salmon Association (GSSA) sponsored the group's all-ladies “Fish Like a Girl” salmon trip aboard the Salty Lady on a day with stellar fishing.

On July 8, 18 women, two deckhands and Capt. Jared Davis departed from the Sausalito Harbor at 5:30 am. and went outside the Golden Gate amidst windy weather.

“We went all the way to Point Reyes, with one stop along the way at Duxbury Reef,” said Cat Kaiser, GSSA events director. “The weather was a little gnarly, with a 6 to 7 foot swell and 20 mph wind, but no one got sick. The girls didn’t even notice because they were having too much fun dancing on the run out.”

About 30 minutes into the trip, Davis stopped to drop their lines at Duxbury Reef to find out if there were any fish there. Lauren Garcia, chef of the William Tell House, caught the first and smallest fish of the day, an 8-pounder, there. For her efforts, she received a “naked man flasher" for salmon from Allure tackle.

After they didn’t catch any more fish there, Davis made the 2-hour run to Point Reyes. Jess Karracker caught the first fish at this spot, a 28-pound king and the day’s jackpot fish. That big Chinook was followed with multiple 20 to 25 pound fish all day, Kaiser said.

The GSSA all-ladies “Fish Like a Girl” salmon trip aboard the Salty Lady on July yielded limits of king salmon for all aboard.
The GSSA all-ladies “Fish Like a Girl” salmon trip aboard the Salty Lady on July yielded limits of king salmon for all aboard.

The fishing was great there, with the 18 anglers catching full limits of kings. Annie Nagel of Rohnert Park ended the day with the last salmon of the trip, a 15 pounder. Six of the women had never been on one of these trips before.

“There were a lot of fish between 15 and 20 pounds,” Kaiser said. “We were trolling at 30 to 80 pulls, everything from anchovies to Big Mike’s spoons. The average fish weighed around 18 pounds.”

Because of fog, there was near-zero visibility. “There were probably 100 boats around us but we only saw two because of the fog and low visibility,” Kaiser said.

The action was constant throughout the trip. “We went through 29 trays of bait (anchovies). Some bites didn’t stick. We also hooked a bunch of black cod (sablefish) and mackerel," Kaiser said.

The next GSSA all girls trip aboard the Salty Lady is scheduled for Aug. 18.

“The biggest thing about this trip is that none of the girls were noticing the weather – they were too busy having a dance party and listening to Michael Jackson and drinking mimosas on the way out to the fishing ground,” Kaiser said.

Kaiser said the goal of these trips is to get more women involved in sportfishing in “an environment that’s supportive, fun and filled with joy.”

"These girls were hugging one another and jumping up and down when they caught fish. They were high fiving and ecstatic for each other,” she stated.

Kaiser herself landed a 15-pound king on the trip,

“We got a little taste of the Pacific Ocean today for sure, but trust me — these girls are tough, and I swear they didn’t even notice,” commented Captain Davis. “Aside from limits of salmon, we went way over limits on the smiles, the laughs, and love for their sister anglerettes. Their friendships and support for each other is hard to explain if you didn’t see it for yourself, it was absolutely the best day ever.” Information: (415) 548-0150.

North Delta smallmouth bass: If you like superb light tackle action, smallmouth bass are a solid prospect in Miner, Steamboat and Elk sloughs now. Donald Paganelli of Paganelli’s Bass Fishing Experience says catching and releasing 15 to 30 fish per trip is common while using top water lures and plastics in crawdad patterns. Information: (916) 502-3474.

Central Delta largemouths: Obedie Williams and his son, Omari, crushed the Future Pro Tour Delta Summer Shootout at Russo’s Marina on Bethel Island the weekend of July 9-10. They weighed in a five-fish limit of 20.92 pounds on day one and 18.50 pounds on day two, for a total of 39.42 pounds, said Vince Harris, President of Angler’s Press.

They also took big fish honors with an 8,94-pound largemouth caught on a River2Sea Ish’s Phat Mat Daddy Frog. For the win in an 80-boat field, they took home $5,000 cash and three custom trophies. Information: https://bit.ly/3AKd2ee

Contact Stockton Record Correspondent Dan Bacher at danielbacher53@gmail.com. 

This article originally appeared on The Record: GSSA All-Ladies trip returns from Point Reyes with salmon limits