These guys are beyond good. They are amazing. They left on time. They gave specific and detailed instructions on the days events. And when we weren't looking, they would even bait our hooks. And when we had a fish on, they were on the spot and on top of it. Words cannot convey how much I appreciate their attention to detail. And we will definitely book with them again. read more

Me, family and friends booked to specifically fish for Halibut, Cod and Ling Cod. There was 18 in my group. We have booked with the Happy Hooker multiple times in the past. The captain stated that the boat is going to stay in the bay. The bite wasn't happening in the ocean. There was a swarm of other boats out in the ocean. All that was caught was sea bass. The caption seemed like a rookie with minimal help. The caption only had one deck hand. There is always 2 with this group size. It was the worst fishing trip ever. read more

The family and I went out beginning of crab season and was not disappointed. It was my first time out and we had a good time. Caught some good size fish, more than enough crab, and the staff was funny / cool. When you think about the cost, it's a HUGE win vs going to the store and buying all that. plus, you're getting it fresh. We got to help the staff with whatever they needed help with, beautiful sights, and a day on the water. No complaints. read more

See all

Everything is great going back out tomorrow morning. Hope to get the biggest one. Highly recommended their their boat. read more

Happy Hooker Sportfishing - Fishing Near Me

Hands down the best time you could have with a hooker on the open water. A family business that is only gotten better with age from the father to sons, which operate on two different boats, the service is amazing. And when you spend the money to go out a fish trip, the one thing you want is the catfish and the hooker has proven herself for many many years. If you're looking to go out on a party boat to not only have a good time but catch some fish turn to your friendly hooker! read more

A family business great service The crew is great they do the best to help you enjoy your day.

My daughter and I had a great time on a crab/rock fishing combo trip on the Pacific Dream. It was her first time fishing with on a real boat. Captain Chris Smith and crew did a fantastic job in introducing my daughter to fishing. It was kind of slow at first because we had to sail out 90 minutes to drop the hoop nets for crab. After dropping the nets, we fished near the Farrallon Islands. The crew of JT and Jack were great at helping out my daughter. They baited the hooks for her and even casted for her. She didn't have to do much except to reel the fish up. At one point, they saw that the reel that we had on the rod was not a good match for her, so they let her use one of the rental rods. At one point, she was outfishing me and was catching not only more than I did, but, her fish were bigger. In the end, we both had our limits of rockfish and crab. It was a fantastic experience for my daughter and I. We had so much fish and crab that we couldn't fit everything into my large ice chest. Chris and the crew did everything they could to make this a great experience for my daughter a first timer. read more

Happy Hooker Sportfishing - Fishing Near Me

See all

I can't say enough about this boat! Jonathan, Joey and all other crew are phenomenal! We've been out on this boat at least 15 times over the past 4 years. Halibut fishing, rock fish and ling cod, and my favorite, rock crab combos. Jonathan always puts us on fish. And we catch big ones! Joey is a master of netting or gaffing the big ones and will cleanly filet a fish faster than anyone! There is no one better in the business. Professional, knowledgeable and fun! You won't regret your day fishing on this boat! But you will be exhausted by the end of the day with a smile on your face and fish in your cooler. Pictures are from 3 different trips. read more

See all

After going on this Crab/Combo fishing trip for the first time, I had to leave a review. I reserved this trip a month in advance for the Second week of the crab opener. I wasn't sure what to expect as it was my first time going fishing to the Farallon Islands. Something to keep in mind, since you leave so early in the morning when the sun isn't out, make sure you dress warm, I recommend some thermals under whatever your wearing top and bottom, with waterproof pants and a waterproof jacket on top. Some waterproof fishing gloves too. I see alot of the more experience Fisherman wearing Grunden's Fishing overalls with jacket and waterproof hiking boots. It wouldn't hurt to have some type of face mask and Beenie as well. Make sure you also take some Dramamine Less Drowsy about 30 mins - 1 hour before the trip. It will help with Sea sickness if the water is rough, which it was when I went. Once we passed the Golden Gate bridge, on our way out to the Farallons the sea was rough. Once we stopped at the fishing spot the boat was rocking back and forth and we were holding on for dear life, while maneuvering an Ocean fishing rod while hooking bait and reeling in a line with two fish attached and 6lb weight. It definitely required some strength to balance it all. Luckily only one person on the boat got seasick on this trip and they missed out on the good fishing. Pro tip #1 once you leave the dock try to snag a covered spot on the inside of the boat so you can stay warm and rest before getting to the first crab pot drop spot. I ended up standing up on the side of the boat in the freezing cold while getting wet from the waves we hit. It was a long 2 + hours. We also brought some drinks and sandwiches in a cooler. I noticed some others brought muffins to eat for breakfast. I brought PB+J as well Chicken Pesto sandwiches which came in handy later on in the day. You can use the cooler to store your filet'd fish later on in the day so make sure you have room. The cooler can also double as a chair to sit on as you make your way out to sea, did I mention it was a long trip. We left at around 5:30 a.m. and got back to the dock at around 6:30 p.m. We stopped for fuel as well. It was a long day but I would definitely do it again. There is a small bathroom onboard just in case you need to use it. Pro tip #2 I was on the right side of the boat, and I was catching fish on both hooks each time, people on the left side of the boat ( looking forward ) didn't catch as many as I did, People on the back had less line tangles and caught alot of fish as well. I only had about 3 lines tangles with other poles but the deck hands were awesome at unraveling them. They were also good at helping take the fish off the hook for us and putting them in our bag while we baited our hooks again and dropped our lines. Shoutout to Joey who was always helping us untangle lines, taking fish off our lines, and he also Filet'ed our catch right on the boat on the way back. Thank you !!!! The rest of the staff were excellent too, they helped us when we needed help and the Captain was great at finding the right fishing spots and letting us know when we were leaving etc. Everyone on the boat left with the limits of Rockfish and Crab. Since my wife and I went we left with 20 Rockfish and 20 Dungeness Crabs. When you get back to the dock, there is place that will boil your crab for you for $30 bucks, You can also pay a bit more for them to clean them, take the head off and split them. We did this and it was easier on us instead of boiling a few at a time at home. I made some of the best pan seared Rockfish and Fish tacos with our catch. It tastes better when it's fresh and you catch it yourself. Side note : Rockfish have some venom slime on them and if you have an open cut on your hands and that slime gets in them it will sting for a while. They also have very sharp fins, when they were in our bag, some were sticking out and I got poked by one. It hurt a bit but be mindful of that. Pro tip #3 Bring lots of cash for this trip, even though you pay $225 upfront, there are other costs when you get on board, like the rod and tackle $25, which can be paid with credit card. Cost to filet limits of fish $20 cash only, $10 Jackpot for biggest catch ( optional ) but worth it. $30 to boil the crab from a seperate vendor on the dock. Tips for the awesome deck hands who are the nicest guys you'll meet, and quick to help with line tangles, taking fish off the line etc. They really work hard, and are off 3 months before Crab season so everything helps. They do this trip everyday and I appreciate them for having this experience available for us. I will return for Halibut season better prepared and hopefully the water isn't as rough. read more

See all

Capt John and the Deck hand Joey are the best. They are very knowledgeable and helpful!! Happy Hooker Sportfishing is my go to... they are just awesome. They got us on quality fish and it was a blast! This is our third trip .. and I know there will be more to come! read more

Happy Hooker Sportfishing - Rockfish trip to the Farallons - Fishing Near Me

Two family groups, 4 adults and 4 kids went on Happy Hooker with captain Johansson and deckhand Greg, along with bunch of other customers. We had absolutely good time. Even though 3 adults are kind of seasick the entire trip, Greg help the kids big time. He worked so hard and helped the kids constantly by getting the fish off the hook, putting on the live bait, etc. Each family caught dozens of rock fish and six lingcod each. Thanks to Greg, we had wonderful time. read more

See all

Outstanding boat with an amazing captain and crew. I cannot recommend this boat enough. Each time I've been on a trip with the Happy Hooker and Captain Jonathan, I've always left having a good time. The deckhands are very helpful and humorous, and they prioritize the customer's experience above all else. You could be absolutely new and they'll teach you everything you need to know in order to catch some fish. What's surprising about this boat is that it is clean and actually smells good, which is incredibly hard to do with a fishing boat. read more

Happy Hooker Sportfishing - Boat, heading to Marin Coastline - Fishing Near Me

5 star charter boat Hooker and Pacific Dream Always will get you fish Great service, great captain and deckhand Friendly and professional Fun fun fun read more

These guys are absolutely amazing! Professional, efficient and friendly! We have been out on this boat 20-ish times and would not go on another boat (except the pacific dream because they're bad ass too)! We've done rock fish/crab combos, we've done just rock fish trips, we've done halibut trips...every trip we have such a great time and the crew will most definitely put you on fish!!! Jonathan and Joey keep this boat in perfect condition! What a blast! If you are looking for a fishing trip out of Berkeley, I promise these are your guys! read more

Happy Hooker Sportfishing - Fishing Near Me

When I was searching for a boat to take my two youngest sons 11 and 9 on a fishing trip I knew from living in the bay area that the Happy Hooker was one of the premier sport fishing charters around. This is a family owned operation, and you can bet that the son, now Captain and his sons know how to put you on fish and have a great time doing it. When they say we're going to check out a spot then you can bet that its a spot that's been producing memories and good times for generations. They were very friendly, and taught us how to bait our lines, proper placement for our lines, and how to hookup and reel in fish after fish. We had an amazing time and definitely recommend going with this charter outfit because experience and know how make them one of the best the bay area has ever seen. They provided Poles, bait, and put us on top of schools of fish in an Epic fashion!! And if the trip and fish and memories made weren't enough, My 11 year old hooked up to the biggest Halibut of the day, and scored the jackpot to make this one of the best days ever!! Everyone was giving my son high fives and Captain and crew went all out to make sure he was recognized for catching such a nice fish!! It took a while for us to get the feel for catching - I say catching cuz that is what we were doing catching. While we watched everyone around us catching fish and the regulars pulling in fish after fish Captain and crew kept encouraging us to be persistent. Telling my boys to keep their head up when one slips off the hook and high fives when they did good was what makes the difference from a fishing trip to a catching trip. We will definitely be back and are sure to tell all our family and friends just where the heck we hooked into a huge halibut like that... The Happy Hooker of course!! Thank you Captain and Crew. read more

Happy Hooker Sportfishing - Butters +1 Jackpot halibut = good ol' dumb luck trumps best gear and experience. Happy hooker is making fisher boys into fishermen for life - Fishing Near Me

Been out on the Pacific Dream a couple of times now, for halibut and chinook salmon. Captain Chris and JT are excellent. No-nonsense but very kind and helpful, attentive, and are excited about and devoted to helping you catch fish. I'm still munchin on salmon sashimi from my last trip. Worth noting if you have not done this before: it is a loooong day, you will be tired, and you will be sunburned if you don't take precautions, fog be damned. It's been about a twelve-hour trip both times from arrival at the dock to walking away with filleted fish. You will also be balancing yourself frequently, sea sickness is a reel possibility. You will also see awesome wildlife, more than any nature walk. Mom and I saw dolphins on the salmon trip we went on. You will also have the sickest hits of adrenaline ever if you hook up. You will also eat good for a while and have the major satisfaction of having reeled it in. No questions about where it came from, for sure. Side bonuses are the comradery on board, Zoey the fish herding dog, and a beautiful day out on the bay. I don't think you'll get a better experience in the bay for the price unless you've got well-equipped and generous friends. 100% recommended, it will give you the fishing bug. It brought mine back after it had been in remission for many years. Cheers to cap and the crew, I will be back... read more

I've fished on this boat for many years, the Captain has changed but the quality of service and fishing has not. There's a younger captain behind the wheel but he inherited all of the fishing spots and knowledge from his predecessor and it's only gotten better.Greg the deckhand is probably the best I've ever had the pleasure to fish with. He is on it! Bring you kids and enjoy the old school family atmosphere. You will catch fish! read more

Happy Hooker Sportfishing - Fishing Near Me

I took my 14-year-old son out for his birthday, and being out on a boat outside the Golden Gate while fishing was a perfect escape from the heat and the smoke of the recent fires. Our captain, Jonathon Smith, took us past the Golden Gate and we made a right turn up the coast for some rockfishing. Once he picked a good space and stopped, the fishing lines dropped, and soon came back with lots of rockfish and ling cod. Both Jonathon and the deck hand (whose name I didn't catch) stayed busy, helping get the bigger fish up into the boat. We would be at a place for 30-45 minutes, then move a few hundred yards at the most, and fished there. On the way back to port, the deckhand cut and cleaned everyone's fish to take home, allowing my son to start work frying his fish as soon as we got home. Great job. read more

Happy Hooker Sportfishing - Will Jacobson and his ling cod. Thanks, Jonathon! - Fishing Near Me

What an amazing trip the captain Chris and Joey. We had so much fun and enjoyed every experience. The crew was amazing and so helpful all day. They really work super hard to make sure everyone has fun and catch lots of fish. The experience with these guys was amazing it was like I had fish with them for years. Joey the fillet king will get your fish ready to cook and serve condition. Can't wait to fish with these guys again. read more

My friends and I have reserved spots on the Happy Hooker for years during crab season and the crew always takes such great care of us. They're kind, knowledgeable, and attentive to their passengers. The cost is beyond reasonable considering what you experience for 10-12 hours and what you net out with limit-wise. It's also a free whale watch mixed in to the fishing/crabbing adventure. Can't recommend enough! read more

See all

Drove down with friends Rick n Shannon. Got here early to get my spot, I always like the back corners. Started at Red Rock picked up a couple striper and moved on. Next we went over and got some more bait in Sf and then fished Alcatraz. Started hooking a few decent fish, there are some strong currents here. Moved to the golden gate west side and picked up a undersized ling and a keeper halibut! Ok back to Alcatraz and picked up quite a few keepers. Finished out the day in various spots. Captain is good and can find some fish. Deck hands Mike n Chris Rocked it, those are some good guys and love to help everyone. Overall 26 striper, 1 halibut, and a mess of rock cod went home with happy customers Easy to recommend this boat and crew just remember Some days it's fishing and some days it's catching read more

See all

If you want to have a good time and your not a longtime fisherman, these are the guys for you! Patient, knowledgeable, fun, and their boat has a 40+ history in the bay! They will do you good and fair! You don't always catch alot of fish, but that's how fishing goes, they will give you a good chance and maybe tear it up! Fish on! read more

Had a great day fishing with Captain Chris and Jason. I give them the highest recommendation. I was with my three grandchildren, who also rated the day as a five star day. We caught over 50 fish ( mostly rock fish and a half of a dozen ling cod). What I liked: extremely professional and knowledgeable, friendly, patient with the kids and hey, we caught a lot of fish. Thank you Chris and Jason read more

We went out as a Birthday present to me. We had a blast. First the deck hand Greg, he was great. At the end his skill with a knife was amazing, he cleaned and butchered our catch in a jiffy. During the cruise he was very attentive to all the guests needs. He was running around filling buckets with bait. He tended to all our needs, baiting hooks, netting the catch, you name it. Then there's Captain Jonathan, a skilled mariner, kept us were the fish were. I highly recommend The Happy Holler Sport Fishing team. read more

Went on an annual fishing trip with some family! So glad we chose this boat. I have been on some charters in the past and the staff was not very helpful. That was not the case on the Happy Hooker! Steven and Joe, the deckhands, were extremely helpful. They both constantly circled the boat checking on everyone, untangling lines, re rigging rods, and were very friendly in the process. I will definitely be back! read more

See all

You want to talk about a top-notch fishing experience with some of the best gear around. Family-oriented and ran for three generations the happy hooker is a great boat to fish on and enjoy a day out sturgeon hunting, halibut in the bay or rockfish once that opens they got you covered! read more

See all

Great time. Caught fish. A+ for Joey the deckhand. He always had bait in out bait bucket. read more

Best boat in the bay. Always gets you on the fish. Repeat customer. Highly recommend.

Great team and knowledge of the bay. We had a party of 14 and hauled limits of halibut for the entire boat. I look forward to our next outing. read more

The "Happy Hooker" has the reputation of having a great captain. I have known about this boat since I was 12. The King of Stripers! I went out in November 2016 for Rock/Crab combo. First impression: not the biggest boat. But organized. Grabbed our spots and waited. Here's some insight, the Hook is not the fastest boat. It took us 1 hour to go from the dock the "Gate". Another 2 1/2 to get to the fishing spot. You heard it right, 3 1/2 hours one way. The fishing was good. The Hook has a different style of fishing. But it does produce. I started off slow. But when it hit noon, I caught 8 in 15 minutes. Which got me over limit. We stopped fishing at 12:30 to go grab crab pots. After a couple hours, boat reached limit. We didn't get back to the dock until after 6pm. Recap: slow boat, experienced captain. read more

Had a great trip on the Happy Hooker yesterday with a bunch of friends, my 82 year old dad, my 12 year old kid, with others of varying ages and knowledge-levels in our party. The fishing was a bit of a grind for all of the party boats out that day, but we did the best of all of them with a decent haul of halibut and striper (and one leopard shark). The captain worked hard on finding fish on what was a relatively slow day, and his efforts and skill paid off. The young crew was extremely professional and helpful. They also seemed to know everyone's names within the first hour of fishing. If they weren't grabbing the net to get a fish, they were busy baiting people's hooks, refilling bait buckets, working out the occasional tangle, or chatting to make sure you felt welcome and comfortable. I fished a lot on party boats with my dad from San Diego to Bodega Bay when I was a kid, and I could always tell the deckhands and crews who were annoyed with having a kid on the boat, and I could tell the deckands and crews who appreciated teaching and mentoring the next generation of fishermen. This crew was the latter. They were great. Looking forward to another trip! read more

This company is terrible. The boat drifted extremely close to other boats, and when the captain would take off, it left the other boats stuck in a huge wake. Very inconsiderate of others, over priced and a waste. read more

Probably one of the best fishing trips I've been on in years. It was a long trip but everyone left with their limit of fish, and honestly the service couldn't have been better. This is a great boat to take if you don't have a lot of experience fishing either. Deckhand Mike was literally going around the boat solving problems almost the entire time. Lost your leader or weight? No problem, Mike had a new one. Got a bird's nest on your reel? No problem, Mike was on it. Pelican got your bait and is hooked on your reel? Mike actually grabbed the thing by the beak and pulled out the hook. It is genuinely an all-in-one trip. They provide rods, reels, leaders, weights, a ridiculous amount of live bait, bags to carry the fish in, and they'll filet the fish and give you bags for those! The only thing they don't provide is ice and a fishing license, which you can easily enough at the Bait Shop on the pier. You can bring all your gear, or none at all. It's a long trip to be sure. We got there at 5:30 am, left at 6:00 am and didn't get back to the dock until around 4:30 pm. People brought coolers with food, drinks, snacks, etc. This is definitely the thing to do. The crowd was a mix of experienced fishermen, and novices. The boat holds around 20 people comfortably, though there isn't much room in the cabin...which is fine since you're supposed to be outside fishing anyway! We caught stripers, rockfish, and halibut on this trip, and I know they do salmon trips as well. Captain Bob and Mike really made everything easy and they were friendly about helping out the people that needed it (including myself). I would definitely recommend the Happy Hooker if you're looking for a great fishing trip in the Bay or on the Pacific. read more

I seldom write yelp reviews, Nov 9th 2019 crab combo trip with the Happy Hooker was the best charter trip I've ever experienced, the skipper non stop from 6:00 am til the time we got back little before dark, insured we all more than 30 anglers got our limit, this is the third time I booked with this boat. The deck hands Greg and RT were the best, always right on top of any problems, what a great time we had! Can't wait to go again, I'm hooked! Booked another trip this 14 Nov 2019, Thank you Happy Hooker!!!! read more

The ride out to the Farallon Islands was rather long but in the end well worth it. When we arrived I did notice other boats were already fishing, I questioned it and was told the Happy Hooker is a single engine boat, the others were double engines. As soon as we dropped our lines we started catching fish. On the day my group of 4 caught the limit of 40 fish! Mostly smaller, but delicious, varieties of rock cod but did pull in 4 nice ling cod. I just booked another trip to go out in November, hoping for the same results. Dress warm, bring food, drinks and get ready to fish! read more

This boat is nice the Crewmen is awesome if your planing to fish at ocean please give them a call for your next adventure fishing

Great charter boat, these guys are legendary on the bay! These guys will get you the fish you are looking for!

My 10 year old daughter's first sport fishing trip was a sucess! We went out to the Farallon islands and limited on rock fish, after which we went after lingcod with live bait. She loved it, I loved it, met great people, the crew was awesome and helpful, saw Mola mola...I highly recommend it. read more

Happy Hooker Sportfishing - Ling Cod, yay! - Fishing Near Me

I wish there was a 10 star rating. We had 28 people on the boat and captain Jonathan put us on the gold reeling in 28 limits of lingcod. I cannot say enough of Jonathan and his deckhand Greg they're so friendly and make you feel like you been around them forever. Jonathan even took a few minutes to show me how the controls in his boat work. I will be back!! Thank you fellas read more

Happy Hooker Sportfishing - Fishing Near Me

First time Halibut fishing and first time with this charter. I've never caught anything bigger than 2.5 lbs, and Mike the deckhand talked me through bringing in a 32lb halibut! It was slow in the morning, but we moved around until we found a good spot where we were getting the most bites and ended the day with 12 striper and 12 halibuts. I would definitely recommend! The captain will help you and talk you through what to do when you get a bite, when to drop your line, when the depth changes, etc. I'm definitely ready to go again! read more

Happy Hooker Sportfishing - 27lb and 32lb halibut - Fishing Near Me

See all