Bodega Bay Sport Fishing Center

Ok

This captain is a fishing fool! We caught salmon, rock cod and fished a bit for rock cod on the way home. Captain Rick is great and the deck hands are awesome.

I just got back from my first trip out with Captain Rick and it was great. Caught my limit of lingcod and rockfish. Everyone came away with their limit of rockfish and Rick kept on the horn for us to keep going even when my reel hand was getting tired at the end of the day. For someone who doesn’t have their own gear, it’ll probably cost about $ 170 once everything is taken into account (bait, weights, license, etc). Here’s how the day went for me:
5:30 AM: Show up to boathouse and purchase bait pack
5:45 AM: Park over by the New Sea Angler and check in onboard. My brother-​in-​law and I just had backpacks with some snacks and water. Many of the people were coming back from other trips with Rick and brought an ice chest for their goodies and to pack their fish on the way back.
6:00 AM: Rick climbs aboard and gives everyone the rundown. When I booked the trip, he didn’t say whether we’d be deep sea fishing or going out for Salmon. He left it open to whatever was the best bet. He let us know at this point that the Salmon fishing was slim pickings and we’d be going after lings and rockfish, which was perfectly fine by me.
6:30 AM: Headed out to the high seas and south along the coast towards Point Reyes. This is when you’ll need to track down a deck hand and rent a pole if you didn’t bring one ($ 10).
8:00 AM: Rick made an announcement that the conditions were worse than anticipated and that our 8 ounce weights in the bait pack weren’t going to cut it. He said we’d need 1 lb weights and to purchase them from him ($ 4 each) if we don’t already have our own. You can probably count on losing a couple weights along the way like I did so make sure you have a few bucks on hand or buy ahead of time.
8:05 AM: START CATCHING FISH LEFT AND RIGHT … BIG ONES, LITTLE ONES, SOMETIMES 2 ON THE SAME LINE. Rick was active for our entire trip. Came down on the deck and helped haul up a fish or two, prodded people to keep going after big lunkers whenever anyone would bring up a nice catch. The Captain was also good about moving to another spot once the action slowed down. We really didn’t slow down until people began to hit their limit towards the end. There were 3 good deck hands onboard and I didn’t have any trouble getting help when I needed it.
1:00 PM: Everyone on the boat who wanted a limit of rockfish had their limit and we came back home. Lucky guys like me also had a limit of lingcod. The deck hands fileted our fish on the way back ($ 10 for rockfish limits and $ 4 for each lingcod). My only real gripe of the trip comes from the fact that the fish were just put in shopping bags once fileted. I went out of Fort Bragg about 7 years ago and the crew had a vacuum sealer to keep our catch fresh.
2:30 PM: Arrive at the docks and head home exhausted with plenty of fish tales.

The New Sea Angler gets the fishing sport RIGHT, the most unique party boat experience we have had. Who are we? A group of three private party boat owners with over 150 years of Pacific Ocean experience who have plied the waters from Alaska to Mexico. Captain Rick Powers provides a fishing expertise that is what we look for when we want a party boat experience. We will look forward to MORE fun than business that awaits those who are savvy sea food lovers. What other party boat fishes for whatever is biting and crabs as well. Way beyond our high expectations, party on Captain, and thank you!

Captain Rick Powers runs a true, first class fishing adventure. This boat is the cream of the crop as far as fishing boats go. Large and comfortable, this was like fishing from a Cadillac. Probably the most experienced captain of the bay, this man know a thing or two about fishing and runs the only combo trip on the bay, (crabbing&fishing), and believe me you, your coming home with both your limit with
Crab and fish! So much so, we had to purchase a large ice chest just to get the crab home, let alone the fish, which came home wrapped in ice inside my jacket, which is now officially my (fish jacket)
I will also say his deck hands are quick and efficient and polite. This was a true first class adventure. Thank you Captain Powers!

I give him two stars because we did catch fish on the two trips we booked. We were supposed to have a salmon/​rockfish trip like he had been posting about, but we only fished for small rockfish. He claimed there was no salmon around on that day, but we were in super shallow water and there were at least 40 people fishing on the boat that day. It was going to be a rockfish trip despite the billing. My biggest complaint is that he arrived late, allowed way too many people on board to comfortably fish THEN he proceeded to lecture the entire boatful of eager anglers about what a wonderful and innovative captain he was. No kidding, we stood there for 50 minutes as he explained the origination of the rockfish/​crab combo trip and all the other feathers in his cap. Of course we paid for all kinds of tackle that was never going to hit the water, just like so many other reviews mention. My next trip will be on a six pack boat for $ 175 per person. The extra $ 50 bucks will be worth every penny.

«Woohoo, as good as it gets».
This morning I jumped on board the New Sea Angler, with Captain Rick Powers. Tough day out there as wind was predicted to 30 – 40 knots. We ran south for limits in minutes of rock fish. The deck was full of fish in no time. Next we headed back north toward the harbor to flip the crab pots. Needless to say, all 22 of us on board went home with limits of rock fish and Dungeness crabs. Rick and the crew did an outstanding job. They are out there to get clients on the fish and in the bag.
Highly recommended.

I had a great time last Sunday fishing on the New Sea Angler. The captain Rick knew all of the best spots and was amusing throughout the whole day. The deckhands were very helpful. One was always ready to unhook my fish before I even finished reeling it in. I took home my limit in rock cod and they were delicious!

It’s all about the skipper and his ability to get you on the fish. I’ve been going out on Skipper Rick’s boats for decades and can vouch that he is innovative and possibly the best.
Our last trip was 8÷28÷14 and my son caught an over 35lb salmon. We both also limited with rock cod 10 each. The trip was fun and had a wonderful hard working deck hand to help in all respects.
The other fishermen and fisherwomen were fun and pleasant, thankfully no obnoxious drunks or anything like that.

I cant even begin to tell you how bad my experience was. With this sorry excuse of a company. And the so called innovator Rick powers is definitely to blame. I went and in group and my grandfather made the reservation and on the phone rick said he accepts cash and checks, that wasn’t the case. When we got there we were charged 168 $ for bait and tackle that we were never told we’d eventually have to buy, once we found we they didn’t take check Rick told us that he would take a check from us. Once we got on the boat we also found out the poles are 10 $ just to rent!!! Rick also spent about 45 minutes feeding us nothing but bull about he is and innovator and how hes positive we gonna be rolling in salmon, not only was Rick rude bur his deckhands were pretty much fishing the whole time! Not to mention the fact that after the trip my grandfather had to go to 3 atm’s to get cash to pay after i distinctly heard that he was gonna take a check from my grandfather, bottom line is its bad pricing, bad service and the owner is a liar!!!

Captain Rick is a REAL Dick! He is rude, appears bi-​polar, & has half of his crew-​mates donning his attitude/​demeanor. I DO have to give BIG props to the little guy, Mason, who was very pleasant & helpful! And to Mr. Dana, who was as pleasant to encounter as well! Other than that, Cpt Rick stuffed as many people on the boat as possible to make the most $ he could. In return… we ALL found our lines tangled & most of his crew members tried to rudely blame it on us. Insinuating that we didn’t know what we were doing. Also, Cpt Rick & some of his crew talk down to the female clientele. At one point, he condescendingly referred to some of them as «fisher-​rettes». Gals that have been fishing for years. I will NEVER pay $ utilize his services again! And I WILL spread the word!

New Sea Angler
Pros — Only sport fishing boat that does combo trips both Salmon and Rock cod. I did catch one 18 lb salmon and limits on rock cod. They also add crab in November.
Cons — No running water on the boat, you cannot wash your hands, Toilet did not function and Head door had no lock.
Tips — Take cash, minimum $ 200.00. They only take cash for trip payment ($ 110.00).No debit, credit cards or checks. The rock cod bait (squid), fish bag and salmon tackle will run you about $ 18.00. If you loose your salmon weight they cost $ 12.00, if you loose the whole setup cost is $ 15.00. Fishing Pole rental is $ 10.00, fish filleting is $ 10.00 for a limit of rock cod (10 fish), salmon filleting is additional .
don’t’ forget they ask for tips for the crew
What to take — Cash, water, food, hand cleaner, paper/​cloth towels, toilet paper. 2.5 lb cannonball lead weight and the weight release, plus salmon leader (2 or 3 each). A two hook, white feather rod cod setup with an 8 oz weight (2 or 3 each). If you have your own ocean rod with 30 lb test line take it. Buy a box of frozen squid at your local bait store too.
You will catch fish, most likely limits on rock cod, maybe some salmon. If you follow my suggestions you can also save some money.

If possible go on a weekday. There was 20 on boat. Perfect
We went on a Monday June 9. Rick knew there was not much of a salmon bite going on. He took us rock fishing north. Weather was great all day. He got us limits of rockfish with some nice big ones. Got some nice lings also. After rock fish limits he took us out to deep water to search for salon. We got into them and it was fun as heck. Most we’re shorties but the chance was there for a big fish. For hours Rick put us in a position to catch fish. We got a few kings. My daughter who is not a outdoor person caught a 18lb king which was big fish
After salmon fishing Rick took us to his crab pots and pulled crab. After all said and done we got back to port 12 hours later
What other boat and crew would go to that effort. His crew was great and worked their butts off all day
At end of day my party of 4 had many pounds of rock fish, a couple of salmon and 6 nice crabs apiece. We had a blast.
Only way to go. New sea angler combo trips on weekday.
Super job new sea angler crew
The thing is bring plelenty od lead in case you run into shorties as they cost to much to buy on boat

-$ 20 for a tackle pack? When making reservations, the captain was very vague on what tackle was needed, rather suggested that I just buy a tackle pack on the boat. I feel a bit taken advantage of here. I would have preferred to stock up at a tackle store and not be left to buy weights, etc on the boat.
–Fishing was slow the prior two days, however no fishing reports were reported (no report for the day I was on either). I assume that on slow days, fish counts are not reported, with only the good days listed. I prefer to have up to date information, regardless of how good or bad fishing is. Again, I feel a bit mislead here.
–All cash transactions I understand cash is king while on the water, but collecting boat fares in cash is a bit shady (no receipt). Are they trying to operate under the radar? Would be nice to have the option to pay the fare with a credit card at least.
–Captain spent most of the time in the wheelhouse on the phone, booking reservations. Seems like a one man operation.
–Crew spent time in the galley rather than on the deck. Although slow, this would never fly on some boats.
–Disgusting head, no working galley.

Let me start this review with two points:
1. I’ve never been sport-​fishing, and haven’t even held a fishing pole since I was a child.
2. I read all the reviews — even the ones that Unilocal hides, and showed-​up ready to be messed-​with.
= = = = = =
Here’s my summary: the positive reviews are accurate, and so are the negative reviews! The only reason I’m giving 4 stars, and not 5, is that I don’t know enough about the competition to know if this was a 5-​star experience. This boat owner seems to feel that it’s his job to get everyone fish. I think that’s OK. So yeah, there can be overpriced bait and tackle: get over it, or bring your own. And yeah: the head is rudimentary: get over it; this is not a first-​date boat.
RE «it’s not a first date boat»: if you or your date’s only fish has come from Whole Foods, this will seem like a slaughter house. The fish that are not keep-​able are tossed back in the water, where most float feebly, dying, until the gulls attack and take their eyes out. Nice… But this is not the New Sea Angler’s fault; this seems to be fishing.
And yes, we spent a lot of time going for rock cod and ling, but — from a customer satisfaction standpoint — I expect that the boat’s captain finds it better that everyone gets some of a lesser fish than some getting a grander fish — the salmon.
And yes, there was a long long speech at the beginning, but Unilocal warned me about it, so I just chuckled. It you’re adventurous, show up an hour late, and everything will likely work out fine.
And yes, it’s crowded, but Unilocal warned me about it.
Note: yesterday we got back AFTER 6pm. I didn’t check what time we finally got started in the morning, but a couple guys next to me commented that, on a cost-​per-​hour to be on the water, the New Sea Angler was a bargain. (Don’t expect 6pm, but even at 4:30pm, the math probably works…)
Other reviewers commented on how helpful the crew was. Totally accurate: a great bunch of guys.
Thought re some of the negative reviews: fishing is unfair. Some will score lots of fish, some will score few or none. I had a disastrous day yesterday: two fish, one of which was a breed that had to be set loose. The «first-​date» gal immediately to my right caught perhaps 12; her guy maybe 3. And the guy immediately to my left caught a salmon that must have been 40 pounds. It’s amazing how a sub-​standard bathroom doesn’t matter when you come home with fish!
Things to bring:
I think I googed ‘sport fishing’, and found a list on an Emeryville charter’s page, but beyond the obvious (food & drink, warm layers) here are a few ideas:
*clothes you’re willing to throw-​out after the trip.
*sun protection.
*a foam pad to sit on, since boat exterior is wet.
*two rags on a shoelace. Tie them to your post, wet one, and have a way of getting the crap off your hands before handling lunch, putting on sunscreen, etc.
*the right attitude.

Happy fishing!

If you want to fish on a boat with no running water, where you have to pay twenty bucks for bait, listen to a captain brag about how great he is, be told he runs salmon trips 7 days a week and then fish rock cod all day then this is the boat for you. Oh I forgot one thing, if you want to fish with 50 other people on a boat that should fish 40 tops then this is the boat for you. With the condition of the boat, and the meat market the price should be at best 80 bucks with bait included. The boats I have fished on this year were 110 bucks and the environment was
Ike a ritz where this boat was a motel 6. And I aint hard to please. Do yourself a favor and look elsewhere.

Great boat, even better management! Note: this boat takes alot of passengers, so if you are not a team player better request the 6-​pack. Captain will get you on the fish to fill your freezer and have a great time while doing it.
alcoholic beverages can be consumed onboard but should not be used if you are prone to sea sickness. I will definitely be back.

A day filled with too many crab pots, too many people, and cigarette smoke in my face. Being yelled at to find crab pots, I was on the bow as it was the only standing room only place left, and immediately became one of two who had to, «do better, and find the next white buoy with green top» faster. The boat is slow, extremely dirty, has no working head (it might have been manually flushed with a bucket), and full of mess. The deck hands were very nice. The Captain was less than enjoyable and talks incessantly on his PA. I could not hear half of it as there are no speakers on the bow.
Be at the dock at 5:30 so you can leave on a crowded boat at 6:30. You may limit on crabs and cod, but the day is hurried, cramped, messy, and chaotic. I feel like I paid a premium for a private tour and ended up on some touring barge to slog through the ocean and go in circles looking for crab pots.
You are expected to pay in cash, which is fine had we known, and then the fees add up for a variety of things like tackle, fillet charges, tips. None of this is a problem, it is the way that you uncover these hidden charges as you look for a head that has no flush and the walls are sticky.
There are many boats in the harbor, maybe look around before you risk a day here.

This captain really knows his stuff… He knows how to handle the boat and where to find the fish and crabs… It was really rough and I got a little seasick. Not quite to the point where I barfed but it did put me in the cabin for about half the trip… I’m bummed because the fish were really biting… I love this captain… He is a real fisherman and knows how to get after them…
I hope that the engines were better maintained than the ambience of the boat… It was indeed a dirty mess… all sea heads are tempermental but it did work most of the time. The area of the boat which was originally built for bunks is now used as a large storage-​trash bend. In the cabin there was flies… lots of flies. Evidently, at one time there was a galley, but no more. I could go on but, he did what every fisherman wants… He put us in a position were we caught fish…
Sooo, the bottomline is cheers… Especially now that i’m sitting in my kitchen digesting the taste of wonderful fresh rock fish and fresh dungeness crabs… YUMMY.

I have very mixed feelings about this charter. The day started with Rick giving a 30 minute speech about how he basically is the best Captain on the planet, followed by a 44 second speech about safety.
Keep in mind this was in July of 2012, and the Salmon bite was red hot off of Tomales point. So what do we do? Take 1 hour and 15 minute trip up to Timber Cove to go rock fishing. There were 42 people on the boat, so 5 hours later we had our limits of Rockfish with a few nice Lings and Cabs. Now it’s another 45 minute trip back to Carmet where we finally started trolling for Salmon. We spent 2 hours trolling for Salmon, boating 10 fish, and then headed back to the dock at 4:00.
Pros:
1) Deck hands are great guys, very friendly, and worked the entire time.
2) Rick knows where to get limits of Rockfish
3) The boat is big enough that it is a fairly comfortable ride even when a little rough
Cons:
1) Way too many people
2) If you are not a smoker, you will get real tired of the constant cigarette smoke from the other passengers
3) Bathroom on the boat stopped working before we got out of the harbor
4) Boat needs repairs and a good cleaning
5) You can’t charge $ 125.00 for a combo trip when ¾ of the fishing is for Rockfish
6) Boat is SLOW
7) Rick screams through his loudspeaker the entire trip
I would only go on this boat again if there were going to be less than 15 people on the boat. I would also insist on at least trying to cash in on the morning Salmon bite before Rockfish.