New Captain Petes Salmon Fishing

I have to assume the bad reviews for Dennis’ boat are by folks who just don’t get it. There is a reason why it is called fishing not catching. The ocean conditions change daily or hourly. You can’t schedule the bite 2 weeks in advance.
Always good to re-​confirm the night before. Dennis was very honest. «It will be rough but we are going for salmon». We went, it was rough, but we got fish.
Very competent staff and crew.
This is a fishing boat not a cruise ship or french restaurant.
Give him a try. Remember its called fishing not catching.

Not impressed. I guess this is the literal bait and switch. You pay for a salmon trip then he tells you there are no salmon. So instead of getting what you pay for he takes you a couple miles away from the harbor for Rock Fish. BUT since you were prepared for salmon you dont have the proper rigs, set up. So you have the purchase from him a sack, weights and rigs! All the while screwing you out of the money you paid for Salmon and giving no refund or compensation for not even trying. Guys a crook. Dont use him. Go elsewhere. Would not recommend.

No stars if an option! After reading the reviews, it is clear, Dennis takes the money from the ZOZI deals, but has NO intention of following through. He is a thief, plain and simple! He has scheduled and cancelled on our group at least a dozen times this year, keeps telling us there is no fish. Well, according to his web site, he is taking out (full paid charters) and they are catching plenty of fish. His communication is minimal at best and doesn’t email because he doesn’t like to type!!! NO way to run a business. ZOZI needs to drop him as a customer!!!

We had fun – everyone limited out. The captain & deckhand were great. I would definitely recommend The New Captain Petes.

I’ve been salmon fishing 4 times and I would definitely not recommend this guy.
First — I booked the fishing trip a few days in advance. I wanted to talk to Dennis the afternoon before just to confirm. You know it’s not that easy to be at half moon bay at 530 in the morning so just wanted to make sure. I tried calling him I think 10 times with no answer or response and emailed him also. I took a chance and went anyways.
Luckily he was there the next morning.
Upon arrival, Dennis gave a speech to all the passengers explaining about the fishing and general rules. He said he would leave at 6 am exactly and would not come back for late arrivals, since getting an early start is so important in fishing. 15 minutes after leaving the dock he suddenly gets a phone call from one of the passengers that was late and arrived at the dock. Turns out, the passenger that arrived late owned a deli and promised to bring the captain free sandwiches. So the captain turned back and went to the harbor to pick him up.
All the passengers were extremely angry with this situation. Instead of calming them down he says «my stomach was growling, i had no better option. Anyone that has a problem can get off now and doesn’t have to go fishing!»
Other then that, he didn’t seem to care to much about the customers and their fishing success, he was too busy setting up his own fishing pole and his sons’ fishing pole who is doing a summer intern on the boat!
Not recommended!!!

I’m sure Dennis Baxter and crew do as fine a job as most party boats out there. I’ve fished on various boats on the fleets out of San Francisco, Sausalito, and Emeryville and by all counts Dennis’s operation is no doubt as good as any of them…
WHEN HE GETS YOU OUT ON THE WATER…
The problem is/​was/​is that I found him via a Zozi deal for something like $ 65 each so I booked myself and my girlfriend for a trip one weekend. Subsequent to booking, I had called in advance early in the week leading up to the trip because the weather forecast was rough (high wind/​seas) and many salmon boats will cancel trolling trips when it gets too bad, CALLING THEIR CUSTOMERS if this is the case. So, I emailed him a couple times in the days leading up to the weekend to confirm.
NO RESPONSE.
Then a day prior, I called and left a cordial message on his voicemail, advising that I had emailed earlier in the week and would he PLEASE call to confirm, esp given our drive was rather lengthy (San Rafael to Half Moon Bay) and we wanted to get up with good reason, right? My girlfriend had ALSO sent him a cordial email to inquire about the weather and would we be canceling or going etc, also with NO RESPONSE.
So the day came with ZERO communication from Captain Dennis and we show up at the dock. The good news is, unlike David H’s experience (see his 1 star review), the boat was THERE. The bad news? It was DARK — NOBODY ON IT.
What the F? Now, here is where we lucked out — I saw a deckhand from an adjoining party boat, the only other boat going out to brave the wind/​seas that day, and yelled over to see if they had room on theirs (the Huli Cat). They did, and we got out and fished. They were great (again, as most are and I’m sure Dennis’s is too) and mentioned that the New Captain Pete had mechanical issues of some sort that day and had cancelled.
That’s funny, because despite leaving Dennis voicemail AND emails the week leading up to our outing, we got NO WORD about any cancellation for any reason.
Dennis, the other (positive) reviews here reflect what likely happens when customers book, show up, and you take them fishing. My review and David H’s review happened because you decided to basically NOT COMMUNICATE with us and leave us somewhat stranded and wondering what the hell is so hard about communicating with customers that book an outing on your vessel. When you have that figured out, both David H. and I would love to hear from you so we can append these reviews if/​when you decide to make good on your blowing us off. I don’t know about David, but I ATE the Zozi vouchers ($ 130ish thrown in the trash) because it’s now expired and that weekend date was the only time my girlfriend and I could get out to fish on your boat. What a shame. For us. Care to help out?

I’d give them a zero if I could. That’s how good they are.
I booked a trip on the «New Captain Pete» for a Monday with 2 other friends. I sent him an email and talked to him on the phone 3 weeks in advance to confirm the reservation. He also sent an email back confirming the time and slip number.
But guess what happens when we show up at the dock on the day of our trip. The boat is no where to be found. After making repeated calls I got an answering machine that said the boat was in dry dock won’t be available for a week. WTH! And after a couple more inquiries I learn that he has not been around for the last two weeks. Wow. Then I hear he hit some rocks in the harbor during low tide. What the ??? 20 years experience and he hit some rocks in the harbor.
Hey things happen but if you knew you couldn’t make it then a simple quick email or call would have been good business practice, rather than abandoning 3 people who took a day off to go fishing.
Also there was a zozi deal for fishing from June to July 9^th. But if he isn’t available for almost the entire time then what good is the zozi deal???
I’ll be fishing on other boats with experienced captains and deck hands from now on.

Definitely as good as it gets… I took my buddy for his 30^th Bday on 5÷26÷13. Dennis (The captain) knew exactly where to go to find the fishies. I think there were something like 46 salmon caught that day. His deck hands had everything lined up for us — poles, bait, extra gear if needed (at additional $ of course). Weather was great… My buddy and I were the ONLY two not to catch anything but there were so many fish we still brought some home and they were tasty! If you’re shopping for a charter, I highly recommend the New Captain Pete!

Beginners Luck or not… we were able to get boat limit with salmon fishing and the first ones back out of all the other boats that went out. When I asked if it’s always this easy, many laughed and said no way! At $ 95 and a maximum of 2 Salmon allowed to keep, it’s not cheap by any means, however, New Captain Petes boat is the cheapest salmon trip provider out of half moon bay.
+bring snacks and food
+bring own beverage of choice
+if you find 3lbs round lead weights for cheaper than $ 7, buy them, otherwise you can buy them on the boat. Everytime a fish bites, you WILL lose your weight.
–Fishing license cannot be bought on the boat so buy them prior. However with modern technology, you can look up the number to california fish and game and purchase a day fishing license over the phone but not an annual.

Dennis Baxter and his New Captain Pete is a top notch fishing operation! The NCP is my go-​to boat on the San Mateo/​San Francisco bay area because Dennis loves to fish as much as I do!
I’ve been on on the NCP 4 times now and have never been disappointed with fantastic fishing each and every time. As expected, not all trips are wide-​open fishing because of the nature of fishing but Dennis always pushes hard to get us on the fish. He’s one aggressive fisherman and will go the «extra mile» to make sure his customers have a great time on the water.
By the way, Dennis put full limits for everyone onboard for the two salmon trips I took this May 2013. Thanks Dennis, Eric and Braydon! Looking forward to the next trip!

These guys are great and I highly recommend them! My boyfriend and I had never been salmon fishing before – we didn’t know what to expect, but Dennis and Eric did an excellent job of helping us out with anything we needed. With their help, we caught a few big ones! Everyone on the boat ended up with the max number of fish. I had an amazing time and it looked like everyone else did, too. I’ll definitely be back.
p. s. we even got to see some whales this trip, which made the day even more
incredible.

They say that for great fishing you should rely on local knowledge. Well, Dennis Baxter’s New Captain Pete out of Half Moon Bay is the fishing experience of a local brought to life for everyone else who boards this great owner operated vessel with that salmon limit and more in mind. I regularly fly in from Europe on business in SV and always book a few trips with the NCP and Dennis. He’s got the boat, the skills, and the customer experience to die for when it comes to fishing for salmon and rock fish. It’s worth the cost of the flight and the jet lag!
I’ve been fishing on the NCP for nigh on 5 years now and never been disappointed. For experienced sport fishers, keen amateurs, and noobs to rod and teel, for parties and for families too, you get a mix of the right amount of freedom that suits your expertise, backed by the latest tips and tricks and insights from Dennis and crew’s years of experience at this game.
Simply the best on the NorCal coast, I am always amazed how seemingly out of the corner of his eye Dennis will shout to a deckhand that a salmon is coming in on the starboard side and out comes the net. Bingo, a little kid has a fish of a lifetime to photograph and show off. Makes my day! Or then he shouts «Hitchhiker» and you know that a monster lingcod is destined for the ceviche recipe via the gaff.
The New Captain Pete is spacious, clean, well laid out. The fishing gear for hire is maintained and instruction provided. And the deckhands are always top of their game too, and usually come with a large dollop of character and their own secret sauce that is a mix of entertainment and learning, almost worth the money in itself.
With safety and satisfaction of the customer to the fore, you can fish in a great environment and know that Dennis and team care that you get value for money, go home happy and come back for more. I’ve been hammering out salmon and lingcod to limits with Dennis since the get go. Nothing like it, anywhere in my experience of fishing in the US and Europe since the 1970s.
So next time you want a great experience on the ocean that really is about catching fish, check out the New Captain Pete. I’d encourage the Silicon Valley crowd to get out there more too. Paying on the boat is now easier than ever too. All you need is a license (which you can buy at HMB too). Try it and you’ll never play golf again. Leave that iPad down!

As always Dennis is still the best bet in Half Moon Bay for putting you on the fish. He knows what he is doing. Eric, his deckhand, is one of the best. Many deckhands make a new person fishing or even experienced feel pretty bad when they do something wrong. Eric and Dennis don’t make you feel this way. They just want to help you catch some fish and will give you very positive advise. Best choice for fishing outside the gg bridge and half moon bay.

Went out Friday 4÷19÷13 and it was a great day Dennis and Eric made the trip very fun and they made sure everyone came home with limits. I have been fishing the San Fran area ocean for 45 years and this is the best boat I have ever been on

Went out today for an ash scattering on the New Captain Pete with Dennis. He was super friendly and we are so grateful to have found him to take us out today. He was able to find us a spot on the waves that was calm for the weather and will allow us to remember where we dropped our loved ones ashes.
Later on we will be calling him up to go fishing~!!! I highly recommend the New Captain Pete and Dennis to everyone.

Went crabbing excellent fishing and crabs. Good service — the best in Pillar Point

Dennis runs one of the best fishing boats around. We took a bunch of kids crabbing last weekend — limits for all. Dennis makes the boat a welcoming and a safe place for kids and grownups alike.
Check for Dennis’ kid specials on

Dennis and Eric did an amazing job! They made us feel like we were part of the action the whole trip. Very safe for younger kids, we had a fabulous trip we WILL be back! … 28 passengers and we all went home with limits!!! Perfection!!!

I went fishing for the first time with a co-​worker on the New Captain Pete. It was helmed by Captain Dennis and his deck hand Phil. Both were great hosts and took care of everyone on the trip.
They went through the basics of what to do, and got everyone on their way with the fishing. They’re knowledgeable and helped out end to end — from setting up the rods to the casting and even the cleaning of the fish at the end.
It was a fun time out!

We were lucky enough to head out with Cap’n Dennis this afternoon to catch our limit of rockfish. We headed out to the Farallon’s, it was an amazing day, not a cloud in the sky. Captain Dennis was really concerned with getting everyone on the fish while the deckhand Matt took very good care of us.
Safe clean boat… good bang for your buck!