Captain Winter is a stand up guy who knows his stuff. I contacted him about the salmon opener for…read more2025 which is a very exciting event for all of us in the fishing community after having two years of straight closures by California Dept of Fish and Game. Captain Winter answered his phone promptly and promised to give me a callback first as I was the first person who had contacted him about reserving the charter. He made good on his promise and we discussed some details -- ultimately, I went with a different option for my needs, but I felt great about the whole experience and could tell that he really knew what he was talking about. I have him on the top of my list for captains to contact for chartering in the future and highly recommend him without reservation to any others that are interested in getting out there for some fish! Plus, he is quite close by in Half Moon Bay meaning that you won't have to drive all the way up to SF for the charters there and deal with the traffic/attempting to find parking. Tight lines Captain Winter!

Another fantastic trip in the books. 1st day of commercial was a great experience. Thank you…read moreMooch Better team. The crab was terrific Dal

I went on a combo trip with my friend and girlfriend. I normally always fish with Sea Wolf but I…read morework in San Mateo, live in. East bay. It was opening day. I have been on two half day trips, that were pretty cool. We never had any decent bite. The captain failed to move to a better spot. Maybe stop using the half day numbers. The deck hands were green. One kept throwing up all day. For two people we went home with 3 fish and 6 crab. 13 times the pots were empty. I've been fishing since 2008 sport fishing..i do well. The sea wolf is always my go to boat. They. Make. Sure everyone goes home the limits on both. I called ask for a another trip maybe discounted. Horrible opening day. Unacceptable...that why more anglers go with stronger captain. You have to know how to maneuver and find the bitters. I work a serious job witht long hours and I talked an expensive fishing trip with poor performance fishing day. Not one person had more than 3 fish. But all those boats report limits on Crab and Rockfish...you have to listen to your customers. I got alot fishing friends that have been going there past two months. It literally sucked. A strong captain won't just say well thats fishing. . I'm done since you don't bother to listen to the people who put gas in the boat.. Poor performance from the Captain and crew on November 1st opener 2025.. Anglers have to choice to wait for the better boats. This Ain't the boat you want to get on ..

2020 has been a hard year. Thankful that the Queen of Hearts is running despite restrictions…read more Getting out on the water and catching our limit was just what I needed. The waters were rough. As a group of 8, several of our guys braved the seas with a bit of sea sickness. That said we still caught our limit of crab and rockfish. Incredible eating this weekend. The boat is big, prices are higher due to Covid but the fishing on this size boat is excellent. Plenty of space to socially distance, or in fishing terms spread out without getting lines tangled. Eric was incredible in managing our tackle, bait and all the rest that goes with the trip. The rental of equipment is easy and accessibly priced. The Captain managed harsh conditions, giving us the best possible fishing experience in light of the weather. We left the marina shortly after 7am and returned back by 2:15. We hit our limits and fish were clean and crab distributed before we docked. We will fish the Queen of Hearts again!

Took our 11 years old out, very first time. The captain and his sidekick are both extremely patient…read moreand helpful. And the boat really went to spots full of fish. The boat itself is clean and well maintained with a nice cabin to sit in. Given the overall experience will definitely highly recommend Ankeny street for anyone looking for sports fishing trips in the bay area.

To start off, I have to say that I am REALLY surprised there are no Yelp reviews of the Ankeny…read moreStreet! Either I am typing it wrong in the search or everyone reviews them instead directly on their Facebook page. Either way, I figured I'd buck the trend and start off with the first review. Finally had a chance to go out on the Ankeny Street this past weekend after reading quite a few positive reviews, watching multiple YouTube videos of their charters, and hearing positive praise from a friend. Contacted Chris, who runs the ship, directly via their FB page to confirm available dates. Managed to snag 3 spots for a Saturday rockfishing trip for me and 2 other friends. Although Chris does both salmon and rockfishing runs, open spots for rockfishing will cost between $80-100 depending on the boat load. For us, we paid $90/each that day. Chris does ask for cash payment on the day of the trip, however no initial deposit is required. You can also rent rods and purchase tackle directly on the boat. Chris will text you directly the day prior to the trip to confirm your attendance. Free, all-day parking is available on the 2nd lot past the restaurant and bait shop. Because this is a later starting boat, we launched at 8am, vs 6am like other most other charters. This works out well for those of us that enjoy those extra 2hrs of shut eye before a whole day of fishing. Chris is a super friendly guy who will take the time out to chat and make sure you are doing ok both gear wise as well as answer any questions that you may have in general. Unlike some other charters that focus simply on targeting the schools and encourages beginners to keep the smaller fish so the boat will limit out more quickly, Chris will make sure that we hit up quality spots with structures and reefs so we can target bigger prey. One of the many great things about this charter is that Chris is willing to burn more fuel and travel farther out if it means that everyone on board hits their limit with quality fish loads. I've done multiple rockfishing charters in the past, and I have to say that the Ankeny Street is one of the best. Chris and deckhands are a class act and are truly passionate about what they do. On this trip, I even managed to catch one of the biggest Vermilions I've ever snagged in my life! That, in addition to an unexpected, but quite exciting, spiny dogfish that we wound up releasing after a quick photo-op. I even managed to meet Dennis who runs the Fishermen Never Lie YouTube channel! Expect to come back to the dock around 3ish. During which time, the deckhands will clean/filet your catch if you want them to for fee. Overall, an excellent trip and a fishing outfit that I would highly recommend to anyone looking to do some chartered fishing!

The first charter we booked had to be delayed for weather, and let me tell you--it was worth the…read morewait. I had no idea what was in store for us. They took us out to the center of about a dozen whales and those guys were having a heck of a day. We saw everything from feeding to fluking. We got so close we could see the barnacles on their tails. They were swimming under our boat! I thought it would be scary but it was just fascinating. Captain Smitty was funny and he really knows his stuff. He taught us a bunch about the whales, birds, and seals we saw. We had a great time and will definitely be booking again. Minimum of 4 people to book, and be sure to take your anti-nausea meds if you're prone to sea sickness--Captain Smitty gets you really close to the action, which means waves. Two in our group took dramamine and were just fine.

My family and I just went on a whale watching trip today…read more It's always part luck. Thankfully, we got lucky. Spotted a couple Gray Whales from a distance, and after a tip from another boat were able to get closer to two others swimming together and ride along with them for a while. Captain Smitty and Lee were great! Knowledgeable, friendly, informative, and great stewards of the sea, and marine life. We definitely recommend these guys. Go with an open heart, patience, and have fun!

It was the first time halibut fishing. Some of my friends and I made a father/son(s) fishing outing…read moreof it. Some of the attendees had never been fishing before. Meylinda and her all female staff were extremely patient, understanding, helpful, attentive, and instructive to all onboard. Everyone had a marvelous time and everyone caught (and took home) some impressive sized halibuts. The crew filleted and bags the fish for everyone.

We took a group of 20 to fish with Melynda and her crew Megan and Luke…read more I am an avid fisherman and was so pleased when I saw her beautiful boat! I don't think I've ever been on a charter that was so well taken care of and super clean! They also have two bathrooms which is amazing ! Her speaker system sounds brand new and you can hear her very clearly when she gives us instructions. I cannot say enough about Melynda and her crew! Every single one of us had such a perfect day! On the boat were new anglers! We all limited out on stripers, and we caught a lot of halibut! I can't wait to go on her boat again! And her dog nova was a bonus, the kids loved her! Bravo Captain Melynda!

This used to be my favorite boat before the pandemic hit and salmon fishing was closed the last 3…read moreyears this was my first opportunity to go fishing for salmon since 2019. While there are no guarantees and that's just fishing it wasn't a good day. I heard no announcements from the captain as to the conditions. Someone on the boat asked and he said he was marking nothing and that everyone was Looking ( I assume for the school) so not exactly sure why we trolled there but it was 2 hours of nothing after driving out 2 hours. Then we made another move for 30 or more minutes and trolled again. The person next to me kept tangling my like and the deckhands were having issues detangling the mess. I switched from the standard leader to a rotary killer , and then they ran out of bait with no hooks. So I got frustrated and stopped fishing the last 30 minutes. I was a single passenger on this boat and had to ask the deckhands for my rod holder to be installed, because the boat was full and mine had to be added. They tied everyone else's poles, setup their stuff, but I had to ask. Not sure that this the same captain or crew on this boat now. Not sure that this will continue to be my go to salmon boat. Sad to say.

Bottom line, we should not have gone out because of the huge waves and choppy sea. The conditions…read moremassively affected everyone's comfort on the boat and many of the people got completely soaked because of waves breaking over the bow. So, unless you were able to duck inside the cabin, you were freezing cold and soaking wet. The fishing was meh. Half the people on our boat caught nothing and when you ran out of fishing weights (they're special 1lb weights designed to fall off when a fish hits your bait) you needed to buy more weights from the captain. Given how expensive this charter was, we should have had all the weights we wanted. The deck hand was nice enough and the Captain, not so much and basically yelled at people who weren't holding the rods correctly. Honestly, I was happy to get back to shore and will never charter this boat again. If they won't make the right call regarding conditions, then who can?

What a special marine preserve…read more Parking: very tight. When the tidepools are open; you will find very clean water. Tip: to find the path, walk up the road a couple hundred feet, look on the right side of the road for a path. There are bathrooms and two water faucets and several large wooden lunch tables. No fire pits.

If you're looking for a peaceful coastal escape, Fitzgerald Marine Reserve is such a hidden gem…read more The tide pools here are the biggest we've ever explored--so much to see and wander through (definitely best when the tides are low!). We even spotted a baby seal, which made the whole experience feel extra special. The beach itself is calm, quiet, and beautifully blue--perfect if you're trying to avoid crowded, touristy spots. I personally skipped swimming since there's a lot of visible coral/rocky areas, but honestly, this place is more about exploring than swimming anyway. Just a heads up: there's about a 10-minute walk from the parking lot, but it's totally worth it. Overall, such a cute, peaceful place to spend a day by the ocean.

Don is legit! I called him as soon as California DFG announced they were doing a sportfishing…read moresalmon season for 2025. He gave us a great deal and kept true to his word. As soon as we got out the harbor we immediately had doubles on and kept consistently getting them in. Don knows all the spots and we used only premium Daiwa gear on the boat which made for an incredibly enjoyable and efficient fishing experience. He is also a fantastic conversationalist and time really flies by when you're on his boat, whether that be reeling in fish or hanging out in the cabin with him. We ended the day way early with easy limits for everyone including the crew as well. Everything was high grade fish 15+ lbs or more and it was all filleted back at the dock. Oh and the guy owns a state tuna record which has stood since 1997 and has helped others catch IGFA world records too! Give him a call for whatever you're looking to catch and you can be sure that you're working with one of the best in the business.

What an amazing trip! We had a blast and my son was one ecstatic boy. My son caught 13 fish within…read more10 minutes of dropping the lines. Don is awesome. He was kind, knowledgeable, patient and very helpful. My son learned a lot from him. The boat was very clean and spacious. Don even cleaned and filleted all 25 fish we caught. I highly recommend Don!