Lovely Martha Sportfishing is the classic of San Francisco’s Fisherman’s Wharf, a 50 foot wooden party boat the Rescino family has run for four generations, taking anglers out of the city since 1908. Captain Mike Rescino fishes king salmon, rockfish, halibut and striped bass, and Dungeness crab, and the boat doubles as a value option for a first trip on the water. It is the most characterful boat in the fleet, and one of the cheaper ways out of the Wharf, with a crew known for working to get everyone a fish.
The verdict and where it ranks
At 6.9, Lovely Martha lands in the mixed band: book it with caveats, depending on the trip. It suits a first timer, a family, or anyone after a value day on a boat with real history, and the crew’s reputation for moving until everyone catches is genuine. The caveats are the boat and the program. The hull is an aging wooden boat, the least modern in the ranked fleet, short on the comfort and electronics of the fiberglass and catamaran boats. And the schedule now leans on bay trips, party cruises, and memorials at sea as much as ocean fishing, with recent fishing centered on bay striped bass. For a dedicated offshore day, the California Dawn or Sea Wolf fish harder; for the other Wharf party boat, Bass Tub is the comparison. See the San Francisco ranking.
The boat
The Lovely Martha is a 50 foot wooden boat, and that is both its charm and its limit. There is character in a classic wooden party boat that a modern fiberglass hull cannot match, and the family has kept it running for over a century. But it is the oldest hull in the ranked fleet, and it trails the newer boats on comfort, electronics, and the dry, fast ride that makes a long Farallones day easier. For a short bay trip or a calm day it is fine; for a hard offshore push it is the most dated boat here.
The fishing and what you target
On paper Lovely Martha fishes the full menu: king salmon when the season is open, rockfish at the Farallones, halibut and striped bass in the bay, and Dungeness crab in winter. In practice, recent reports show the boat’s fishing weighted toward the bay, with striped bass on half day trips a regular feature, alongside party cruises and bay tours that are a real part of what it now does. King salmon reopened off San Francisco in 2026 for the first time since 2022, so an ocean salmon day is back on the table, but confirm the boat’s current schedule and the in season salmon status before you plan around it.
Trips and prices
Lovely Martha is the value boat on the Wharf. Recent customer reviews describe full days in the $150s per person, with kids at half price, which makes it one of the cheaper serious trips in the fleet and a sensible first outing for a family. The caveat is that the operator does not post a fixed rate card online, so the figure comes from reviews rather than a posted price, and you should call to confirm before you book. Our cost guide sets the Bay Area range, and the first time guide helps a beginner prepare.
The crew
Captain Mike Rescino and his deckhands carry a century of family knowledge of these waters, and the reviews are warm: a crew that helps beginners, keeps the day friendly, and, in a line that recurs, moves the boat again late in the day to get a straggler a fish. That care is the boat’s strongest suit and the main reason it ranks where it does rather than lower. The Rescino name is part of the fabric of the Wharf.
Booking and what to know
Book online through the reservation system or by phone at (650) 619-6629, and ask what the boat is actually running on your date, since the schedule mixes ocean fishing, bay trips, and cruises. The boat leaves from 272 Jefferson Street, Berth 3. Bring layers and motion sickness medication for an ocean day; a bay trip is gentler for a first timer or young kids.
How we scored it
Lovely Martha earns 6.9, in the mixed band, on a friendly, experienced crew and genuine value against an aging wooden hull and a program that now leans on bay trips and cruises as much as offshore fishing. It is a charming, affordable choice for a casual or first trip, and it is marked down for a dated boat and a thinner dedicated ocean schedule, not for anything wrong with the operation. See how we scored this boat and the San Francisco ranking for the boats that fish offshore harder.