If you hit a line where you are picking up fish, go replicate that. Do the same drift they move along.

Standard mooching outside the Golden Gate occurs with a circle hook, sliding sinker with a ball weight and anchovies, sardines or herring. The bait needs to be threaded with a bait threader. It should always be fished head-down.

Before you go mooching, pick up a packet of orthodontic rubber bands at your local drugstore. They can hold your hook close to the head, keep the bait from sliding around and, more importantly, keep the gill from flaring.

"For some unexplainable reason, if your bait -- be it anchovies or sardines -- are flaring up, the salmon won't bite it," Squires said. "I don't have any explanation for it, but it's true."

In August and September, boats needn't venture far outside the Golden Gate to catch salmon. Come August, you'll be fishing straight out from the Golden Gate where a lot of fish are staging to swim upriver.

In August, generally, the northern waters get really good. The main shipping channel outside the Golden Gate between buoys 1 and 3 is a mainstay.

For those boats that can run farther, fishing can be fantastic between Point Reyes and areas north. If you want to fish any farther, launch in Bodega Bay.

August and September are prime for mooching. If Mother Nature kicks up a late-summer storm, then the bait often scatters. If this occurs, you'll have to go back to trolling for a few days to find the fish again. Then once the bait regroups, you'll be able to go back to mooching. Always be prepared to do both regardless of the season.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Chris Shaffer is the author of The Definitive Guide to Fishing Northern California. You can reach him at cshaffer@fishingcalifornia.net.