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

We has a great whale watching sail with Mike and Shannon on September 26, 2015. Captain Mike knew…read morewhere the whales were before we even left the harbor and before we knew it we were seeing spouts and then whales. Twice a whale passed under the boat and surfaced at the bow as if to say, "Hello, look at me!" Okay, maybe we lucked out with the whales so close to Pillar Point Harbor, but the beautiful boat, tasty snacks and great local drinks were no accident. Mike and Shannon love what they do and it shows. We hope to sail with you again soon!

What a way to wrap up our adventure in California! Amazing boat, great wine, beautiful day! Thanks…read moreso much for taking us out. It will be another one of our favorite memories! - Jeff and Kara Day

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!

We had the best time with Riptide Charters. The F/V Riptide is a 40' fiberglass hull, equipped with…read morea turbo diesel, and is licensed and inspected by the United States Coast Guard. It was so clean, well until we all made a mess. It is a lovely boat. We felt so safe with the crew. The Riptide is owned by Capt. William Smith. He has been a licensed captain for over 30 years. You will find it located on "H" dock at Pillar Pt. Harbor in El Granada (near Half Moon Bay), California. The Captain was with us and he was able to help the weak ones, like me, without making me feel like I did not belong. The boat leaves super early in the morning so get some sleep the night before. I had to nap after. Go to their website to see what type of fish is in season or you will not be happy. We went for Rockfish and caught a few and were so happy. We grilled it all up and it was great and we were able to serve a lot of people. I was hoping to see a whale, but sadly, did not. I think they are pretty rare to see in that area. They have clean bathrooms. We will be back, this time for salmon.

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!

Thank you for taking care of the family yesterday. As always, you do a great job of serving a…read moregrieving family. You are prompt and courteous

I gladly recommend Riptide Charters…read more It was my friend's last wish to have her ashes scattered at sea in front of her favorite beach in Half Moon Bay - Miramar Beach. I did some research online and found Riptide Charters - Captain William Smith. Captain Smitty has been offering his scattering service for decades and he holds all the necessary licensing. His vessel Riptide is conveniently located at Pillar Point Harbor at H dock, easily accessible and there's free parking at the harbor. I gave him a call and everything was smooth sailing from there. I got the necessary permit from the funeral home, and we just had the ash scattering this past Sunday. It was very dignified and memorable and I would like to thank Captain Smitty and his crew for their professionalism. Next to a great turnout of the organizational part of the scattering, we had great weather that day as well! Thank you!

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.

Went Salmon fishing on the Queen of Hearts today. Not a single bite all day. When we came in and…read moretalked to people from other charters they had fish. They also told us they were fishing their rigs a LOT deeper than we were. Our crew had us fishing very shallow. Captain never engaged with any instructions other than gentlemen start fishing. Asked the deck hand on the way out what the water forecast was. his answer was I don't know. Asked why we are not fishing deeper since I could see on my phone fish were being caught around us deeper and he said we would get too may tangles so we fish shallow. All they wanted to do was drive around and then get back. Very disappointing fishing trip. I will never suggest anybody take the Queen of Hearts.

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!