Sea Wolf Sportfishing is the rockfish and lingcod specialist of the San Francisco Bay Area party boat fleet, running out of the Fish Emeryville landing on Powell Street. Owner Captain Jon Yokomizo and Captain Joe Hobbs Jr. fish the Farallon Islands harder than almost anyone on the bay, and the boat lands at or near the top of the local rockfish and lingcod counts year after year. It is one of the fastest boats on the dock, which is the point: it carries a full load of anglers out to the islands and onto the bite without burning the morning steaming.
The verdict and where it ranks
At 7.9, Sea Wolf ranks second in our San Francisco Bay Area field and first among the dedicated bottom fishing boats. It is the boat to book when your day is rockfish and lingcod at the Farallones and you want a crew that does this run more than any other. It suits the angler who cares about a full sack over variety. The limits are real: the menu is narrower than an all rounder like California Dawn, with little salmon emphasis, and the tackle is extra on top of the fare. For salmon and a broader mix, weigh Salty Lady or the New Rayann out of Sausalito. The whole field is on the San Francisco ranking.
The boat
Sea Wolf is a fast, capable ocean party boat built for the open run to the Farallon Islands, with the electronics to find structure and fish in the islands’ deep, current swept water. It carries a full load of around 20 anglers on an open trip, so the rail is busy on a sold out day, but the boat is set up for bottom fishing and the deckhands keep lines clear and gaffs ready. It is not a luxury cruiser, it is a working rockfish boat, and that is what it does well. The speed matters on this coast: the less time spent steaming to the islands, the more time the rail spends fishing.
The fishing and what you target
The Sea Wolf program is built on the Farallones groundfish run. Rockfish and lingcod are open in the San Francisco management area from April 1 to December 31 in 2026, fished at all depths after the old depth limits were rolled back, and the islands about 25 miles out the Golden Gate are the prime ground. Lingcod into the high teens and twenties in pounds come over the rail on the better days, with a mixed bag of rockfish filling the sacks. From November into winter the boat runs rockfish and Dungeness crab combos when the crab opener allows, though that opener has slipped later in recent years for whale safety and domoic acid. Salmon and tuna are not the focus here; this is a bottom fishing boat, and it is honest about that.
Trips and prices
Sea Wolf posts a full day rockfish and lingcod trip at $200 to $225 per person, with a tackle kit at $12 to $22 and a rod rental at $10 if you need them, paid on top of the fare. Private charters run at a daily boat rate. The fare is fair for a full day at the islands on a fast boat, and the posted number helps, but the add ons for tackle nudge the real cost up, which is why value scores a notch below the boat and the captain. Our cost guide sets the Bay Area price in context, and the party boat versus private charter guide explains the shared rail format.
The crew
Jon Yokomizo has run the Sea Wolf for decades, and the Emeryville landing counts more than 50 years of Bay Area fishing behind its boats. Reviewers describe a friendly, helpful crew that jokes with the rail and, in a detail that comes up more than once, keeps the language clean, which sets it apart from some boats. The deckhands work hard to put first timers on fish and to clear the inevitable tangles on a packed rockfish rail. The captain and crew score reflects a steady, experienced operation rather than a single star skipper.
Booking and what to know
Book through the Fish Emeryville landing online or call (510) 652-3403. The landing is at 3310 Powell Street in the Emeryville Marina, with easy parking, and the boat checks in early for the long run out. Dress for cold, wet ocean conditions even in summer, bring food and drinks, and take motion sickness medication before you board if the open ocean is new to you, since the Farallones run is exposed.
How we scored it
Sea Wolf earns 7.9 on a clear identity: the fastest, most consistent rockfish and lingcod boat in the Bay Area fleet, with a long record of top counts. It ranks just below California Dawn because the menu is narrower and the tackle is an add on, and above the all round boats on the strength of its bottom fishing. Track record is its standout factor. See how we scored this boat and compare it on the San Francisco ranking.