Sole-Man Sportfishing

Message of Concern amid the Coronavirus

As you know the Country is dealing with the Coronavirus and Sole-Man fishing is too. We are keeping the boat deep cleaned, and CAN fish, however we are gonna respect the CDC recommendations on distance.

For the foreseeable future we will hold at 5 people on all trips thru 4/7. Fishing is open, and feel free to join us. I’ll make adjustments on price and feel free to call me as needed.

Stay safe and healthy.

-- Capt. Don

Fisherman's Wharf in San Francisco

Captain Don Franklin (aka ‘Sole-Man’) has been fishing for 41 years, and Captain of Sole-Man Sportfishing for the last 14 years. Captain Don Franklin, operates, one of the finest, best equipped Fishing Charter Boats in Fisherman’s Wharf, in San Francisco. When fishing with Sole-Man you will be able to experience some of the finest Salmon, Halibut, Rockfish, Sturgeon, and Shark fishing anywhere! Captain Don has many years of local fishing experience, and knows the Bay and Ocean like the back of his hand. Get ready to catch a trophy fish with Captain Don “The Sole-Man” Franklin.

Our Golden Gate caught Salmon, are some of the finest King Salmon anywhere in the world. Our size ratio is FANTASTIC. We get some Hogs out in the Pacific, but also late in the year, we get Big River Run Hogs, right here in San Francisco Bay! The feed that the Salmon have here around the Golden Gate is some of the richest anywhere. They love to eat Krill, which is very plentiful here, as well as there being plenty of Herring, Anchovies, and Sardines. Simply put, That’s why our Salmon are the BEST! We also fish Rockcod (Rockfish) where you can load up on multiple species of Cod, some of the best eating fish there is! Hog Halibut and Big Stripers (Striped Bass) are also caught through the spring, summer, and early autumn. They are a great challenge to catch, and taste great too! Great White Sturgeon are caught in San Francisco Bay year-round as well. These pre-historic fish affectionately known as ‘Diamond-Backs’ are some of the largest (and rarest) game fish you can catch! Oversize Sturgeon (over 66″ in overall length) are routinely caught. Although Captain Don is a master at catching all these fish, he is particularly passionate about Shark fishing. San Francisco Bay has one of the greatest abundances and varieties of Sharks in the world. Leopard Sharks, Soupfin Sharks, Sevengill Sharks, Sixgill Sharks, Blue Sharks, and Smoothhound Sharks are readily caught in San Francisco Bay.

Our Trips

Full Day Private Charter

This is our Summer mainstay fishing trip. This trip will depart at 6am and fish for 10 hours returning between 3pm-5pm in the afternoon. This allows for ample time to limit on Halibut, Striped Bass, Salmon, Rockcod and more.

Full Day Shared Charter

This trip is a way for smaller groups of 2-4 people who would like to avoid big groups and split the cost of a private charter. This trip will depart at 6am and fish for 10 hours returning between 3pm-5pm in the afternoon. This allows for ample time to limit on Halibut, Striped Bass, Salmon, Rockcod and more.

Half Day Private Charter

Half day private charters are great for families or groups of friends that do not have a full day to fish. We can still fish Halibut, Striped bass, Rockcod and Shark. We will be back to dock between 11:30am-12:30pm to allow for your afternoon adventures.

Half Day Shared Charter

This trip is a way for smaller groups of 2-4 people who would like to avoid big groups and split the cost of a private charter. We will still fish Halibut, Striped bass, Rockcod and Shark. We will be back to dock between 11:30am-12:30pm to allow for your afternoon adventures.

** All gear, tackle and bait are included in your charter. All you need is your CA fishing license & any food and drink you want on the water. **

Fishing Charters for Any Age

Young to Old, Novice to Experienced Angler

If you have children, they will be in good hands with Captain Don and be able to enjoy the trip along with you! Captain Don is great with kids and knows how to teach them to fish! Sole-Man Sportfishing caters to all ages, and all levels of expertise, from the novice angler to the experienced angler, young to old, everyone can have a great time fishing with Captain Don.

If you want to see how good Captain Don is with kids, watch him in action as he teaches the fishing tradition to new generations each year. The Department of Parks and Recreation put on a Fishing Camp for youth onboard Sole-Man Sportfishing. Youth get to experience different aspects of fishing. The children participating get to fish from a pier and fish from a boat (Sole-Man). The Fishing Camp goes over the basics of fishing and types of fish caught in San Francisco Bay and reviews different kinds of equipment used to fish.