Lovely Martha Sportfishing runs a single classic wooden charter out of 272 Jefferson Street, Berth 3, in Fisherman's Wharf. Captain Mike Rescino runs the boat — the Rescino family has been fishing out of San Francisco since 1908, and the Lovely Martha herself has been in the family since 1959, when Nick Rescino had her built.
Fleet
The Lovely Martha is a 50-foot wooden-hulled sportfishing vessel built in 1959, U.S. Coast Guard inspected, with passenger capacity for 49 and a working capacity of 35 anglers when mooching or 25 when trolling. The boat is the only wooden sportfisher still in regular service out of Fisherman's Wharf.
Trip types
Trips run year-round targeting halibut, striped bass, salmon (in season), rockfish, and seasonal Dungeness crab. 2026 pricing posted on the operator's reservation system: a full-day halibut and striped bass trip (10 hours, 6 a.m.–4 p.m.) at $200 per angler, and an AM half-day on the same rotation (6 hours, 6 a.m.–12 p.m.) at $150. Bait and the first set of tackle are included; rod rental for full-day trips is $20. The boat also runs party-cruise charters, bay tours, sunset cruises, private events, and memorials at sea.
Recent reports
The bay halibut and striped bass bite has been the focus through April 2026. On April 24, the half-day produced 22 California halibut and 1 striped bass for 22 anglers. The April 23 full-day landed 12 striped bass and 8 halibut for 7 anglers, and the April 19 full-day put 20 striped bass and 4 halibut on deck for 10 anglers. The April 17 three-quarter-day matched that count — 20 striped bass and 4 halibut for 12 anglers — and the April 12 full-day brought in 20 striped bass for 10 anglers despite rain.
Reviews
On TripAdvisor the Lovely Martha carries a 4.9/5 rating across 19 reviews and ranks #32 of 96 Boat Tours & Water Sports in San Francisco. Paul L (February 2023) wrote that "Captain Mike was spotting patches of birds from miles away I couldn't even pretend I could see." Joshua R (July 2019) noted that "by all reports from fisherman on other boats this was one of the worst fishing days of the year but our boat caught 7 nice salmon." Ben F (March 2017) called out the working crew: "Captain Mike and his deckhands Willy and Dave were all great crew for sure."
