Tuna are reappearing, with good bottom fishing still happening. Large Bluefin tuna are arriving from the south, and the lingcod bite is excellent when the wind is calm. Albacore have yet to appear, but they are expected to arrive in the next few weeks as the water temps improve.

Bodega Bay- 7/11/25

Capt Ryan- F/V Bigeye

Again We headed north into a sloppy ocean with dense fog. We quickly made work on limits of rockfish and then quick limits of lingcod. Done before noon again, Pretty much a repeat scenario of the previous week of near wide open lingcod fishing in the 100 to 120 foot depth region and the rockfish bit everywhere we could fish. We had a photographer on board who captured some good photos.

Capt Billy-Sorta Salty

Billy had a private charter with a few younger kids who didn’t do well in the rough weather. He managed to get limits of big rockfish before heading to the dock a little early.

Bodega Bay- 7/12/25

Capt Ryan- F/V Bigeye

Lots of south Wind. Weather was ugly and just all around bad in the morning, we managed a trip but things were not pretty. We made it all the way north and grabbed limits of rockfish before things got too ugly. But after grabbing some rockfish we decided to go hide in fort ross cove in very shallow and avoid the wind we grabbed 5 lingcod for 5 folks. It was action but not red hot. By 1pm the south wind layed down and the ocean turned to glass for a nice ride home.

Bodega Bay- 7/13/25

Capt Ryan- F/V Bigeye

With a glassy ocean we charged north with big hopes of recovering from the previous day. We quickly got limits of blue rockfish and turned our attention toward lingcod. Unfortunately, the lings had gone lockjaw. We spent 5 hours fishing lings at all depths with all jigs for one single fish. Overall no bueno. Weather was great and we were able to tuck in close to the rocks and toss swimbaits literally onto the rocks of the shoreline. We also tried as deep as we could get but there was no way to get those lingcod to come out of their caves. Fishing cant be catching every day but luckily the rockfish bit well and the weather was as good as it gets.

Capt. Josh- Sort Salty

Josh had an identical experience, hot rockfish and slow lingcod, he managed to scrape up a whopping 2 lingcod for the day.

Bodega Bay TUNA Report- 7/18 /25

Capt Ryan-F/V Bigeye

Today we made the long shot, running a crew trip over 100 nautical miles (115 US miles) northwest of Bodega Bay, looking for some tuna action. Unfortunately, we never found any tuna. We trolled all the way out to the 39 by 125 degree corner off Point Arena. Water temps are still a lot colder than we would have liked to find, with the warmest water being around 57 degrees. Lots of bait in the area, so I’m sure once the fish get here, there will be feed to hold them around. We did get to test out our new custom Seeker rods and Okuma Makaira reels, which we are very excited about. The Mak 15T reels have a ton of stopping power to handle a bigeye tuna, but are also in a small package and lightweight, so reeling in albacore is still fun.

We are also working on a new invention to allow us to run a full 20-rod spread on the bigeye and get really dialed in on those big stops this year. They are going to be called the spreader bird, but we are still working on that. We will keep everyone posted as things progress on the tuna front, but it’s looking like another good year, and we will be ready when the fish make their appearance. As I write this report on 7/22/25, a buddy who canceled his trip to the Rooster based on my recommendation picked up 3 bluefin down off Half Moon Bay. Where there’s one, there’s usually more with tuna, and 3 is a decent day, so cheers to the beginning of tuna season!

Bodega Bay- 7/19/25

Capt. Josh- Sort Salty

Josh headed north and found the lingcod had woken back up and returned to their previous biting behavior. He quickly gathered up limits of really nice quality lings with one 25 lber in the mix. He fished a little further south compared to where we had been going, and in pretty shallow, about 40 feet of water. Sounds like the rockfish bit well, but the group was only interested in lingcod, so that’s what they got!

Bodega Bay- 7/20/25

Capt Ryan- F/V Bigeye

With the word, the ling bite was back on, and with a nice wind chop from the north, we charged up north with lings on our mind. Per usual, the blues were hungry, and we made quick work of them. Then we switched over to lings in deeper water. Like clockwork, we gathered up 6 limits of them in the 100 to 120 foot range. It didn’t take long to get back into the rhythm of tossing them over the rail. The ocean had a short-period north swell, making it a little rocky and rolly, but overall the wind and fog stayed a few miles offshore, making for a pleasant day once we were able to start fishing.

Capt. Josh- Sort Salty

Josh had a smaller group a little less ambitious to put up with the rodeo of getting north. He tried a few spots down below and gathered up nice limits of black rockfish before his group decided they were ready to buck into the swell for a few extra miles. They were rewarded with 6 nice lingcod for 4 folks, still a great day.