Tom Mattusch

The plan was a lovely day out on the the ocean, catch sand dabs to the anglers delight and fill, then run crab pots for limits of great tasting Dungeness crabs. Yesterdays weather forecast bode well for today. Then I looked this morning at the forecast. It said 5-15 with 15-25 in the afternoon. Well the 15-25 knots was in the afternoon, on the east coast or possibly middle of the Atlantic. I adapted to the weather and said we would pull pots first, then fish to our hearts content. In the morning I describe the crabbing part as "Has anyone seen Deadlist Catch? We will be doing the same thing, find the buoys, running the buoys through the hydraulics, sort the crab etc." What I didn't count on was Deadliest Catch weather. The seas had deteriorated by the time we got to the pots. We finally got limits and were heading out to the sand dabs grounds, when the white flag was raised for fishing. Huli Cat couldn't make over 8 knots going into the swell, towards the fishing grounds. Rebaited the pots, waiting for better weather.

Fish Species: Sand Dabs & Dungeness Crab
Bait Used: squid
Tackle Used: Crab Pots & Hydraulics
Method Used: Hydraulic Puller
Water Depth: 120
Water Temperature: 53
Wind Direction: NW
Wind Speed: 12-18 knots

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Tom Mattusch

About The Author: Captain Tom Mattusch

Company: Huli Cat Sportfishing

Area Reporting: Central California, San Francisco Bay area

Bio: Tom Mattusch is currently the owner/operator of the Huli Cat, a 53 foot charter boat operating out of Pillar Point Harbor and has fished the West Coast since 1967. Tom holds positions on the Salmon Stamp Committee for California, the California Department of Fish and Game License Agent Advisory Committee and NOAA's California Sportfishing Action Team. He's an IGFA Certified Captain. In an effort to contribute to research, Tom works with NOAA's PFEL tagging chinook salmon. He also worked with NOAA's Santa Cruz field office gathering stomachs and beaks of Humboldt squid. He recently completed a study with the Point Reyes Bird Observatory collecting lingcod, salmon and halibut stomachs and is currently involved in a study with Scripps to gather albacore stomachs. Tom holds Board of Director positions with the Golden Gate Fishermens Association, Coastside Fishing Club and Fishery Enhancement and Research Foundation. He can be heard on four radio stations giving fish reports or discussing fishing politics. He has worked closely with the Recreational Fishing Alliance, PCFFA, the Half Moon Bay Fishermans Marketing Association, United Anglers of Southern California and United Anglers. Tom ran the first trip out of Half Moon Bay to take anglers to catch Humboldt squid and the first white shark viewing trip to the Farallon Islands. He is the first charter boat Captain out of Half Moon Bay to get certified to marry people and has married people on the Huli Cat. Tom ran the first albacore trip out of Half Moon Bay to demonstrate the albacore were again reachable by boat off the Central California coast in the mid 1990's. Tom held a seat on the California Marine Life Protection Act Initiative as a Central Coast Regional Stakeholder group Member.

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