Sole-Man Sportfishing
Sole-Man Sportfishing
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Sole-Man Sportfishing are located at world-famous Fisherman's Wharf in San Francisco, and offer Bay and Ocean fishing charters. Captain Don Franklin (aka 'Sole-Man') has been fishing for 41 years, and has been operating Sole-Man Sportfishing for the last 14 years. He has a lot of knowledge and experience, and knows these waters like the back of his hand.
Join Capt. Don aboard one of the finest and best equipped fishing charter boats on Fisherman's Wharf. His 32 ft Uniflite boat offers a smooth and sturdy ride, and can accommodate up to six anglers in comfort on its spacious fishing deck. It is powered by a 210HP Cummins 6BT engine, and comes equipped with Furuno GPS and radar, Garmin fishfinder, and VHF radio. It features a flybridge, live-bait tank, air-conditioned or heated cabin, on board toilet, as well as a grill ready to sizzle up some tasty food.
When you fish with Sole-Man, you will get to experience some of the finest, Halibut, Rockfish, Sturgeon, and Shark fishing anywhere! Trips include high-quality fishing equipment and lures, live bait, and drinks (water, coffee and tea), while the crew are happy to process your catch to your specifications.
Get ready to catch a trophy fish with Captain Don 'The Sole-Man' Franklin!
Sole-Man Sportfishing are located at world-famous Fisherman's Wharf in San Francisco, and offer Bay and Ocean fishing charters. Captain Don Franklin (aka 'Sole-Man') has been fishing for 41 years, and has been operating Sole-Man Sportfishing for the last 14 years. He has a lot of knowledge and experience, and knows these waters like the back of his hand.
Join Capt. Don aboard one of the finest and best equipped fishing charter boats on Fisherman's Wharf. His 32 ft Uniflite boat offers a smooth and sturdy ride, and can accommodate up to six anglers in comfort on its spacious fishing deck. It is powered by a 210HP Cummins 6BT engine, and comes equipped with Furuno GPS and radar, Garmin fishfinder, and VHF radio. It features a flybridge, live-bait tank, air-conditioned or heated cabin, on board toilet, as well as a grill ready to sizzle up some tasty food.
When you fish with Sole-Man, you will get to experience some of the finest, Halibut, Rockfish, Sturgeon, and Shark fishing anywhere! Trips include high-quality fishing equipment and lures, live bait, and drinks (water, coffee and tea), while the crew are happy to process your catch to your specifications.
Get ready to catch a trophy fish with Captain Don 'The Sole-Man' Franklin!
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Trip availability and prices
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Customer reviews
Rating
Anglers' gallery (50)
What anglers say
Reviews (49)
Carlos Mota5.0VerifiedIt was a great time!
3/4 day trip on September 6, 2026 • 4 adultsWe had an amazing fishing experience with Sole Man in San Francisco! Don went above and beyond to ensure we had every chance to catch a fish, and his dedication really paid off—we caught one each! The whole trip was fun, well-organized, and enjoyable from start to finish. I would highly recommend this experience to anyone looking for a great day out on the water. Overall, I’d give it 4.5 out of 5 stars. Thanks again, Don, for making our fishing trip so memorable!
Carmen GarciaRepeat angler5.0VerifiedGreat great trip!
Half day trip on July 5, 2025 • 3 adultsI yearlybget my husband a fishing trip for his birthday & this year we tried: Sole-Man Fishing. My husband & friends thoroughly and genuinely enjoyed his trip with Captain Don! My husband said Captain Don’s knowledge is amazing, his personality, the dedication to the Fishing craft, great enthusiasm, great personality, it started out of a slow day, but quickly changed they limited out on striper bass, 1 one rockfish, 4 halibuts, 1 silk head shark, the best part was when they returned to the dock, and Captain was fillet the fish, a adorable SEAL came up and come to find out, Captain Don has a long friendship and understanding with the seal, about him, not stealing the fish at the dock. Was too funny & cute. Definitely will be booking more trips with Sole-Man Fishing!
Stephen FedorRepeat angler5.0VerifiedLimited Striped Bass in 60 Minutes
Half Day Trip on August 2, 2025 • 3 adultsRepeat client of Don’s. Took us to tried and true High Spot right out of harbor and limited Striped Sea Bass (Felons) in 60 minutes. Halibut for entire feet harder today. Just means we get to come back next year.
Ann Gavin5.0VerifiedHalf Day Trip with the Best!
Half Day Trip on April 24, 2023 • 1 adultThis was such a fun experience. Being a young woman looking for some adventure, Captain Don and Becky made my day! Friendly environment, beautiful weather, good music and a friendly crew make for a well worth it fishing excursion. I haven’t fished in forever and they made it easy to feel like I knew what I was doing, even if I didn’t. Lol! It was a smooth boat ride with coffee included and I caught some fish! Time of my life! Highly recommend :) Thank you again!
Danielle SteeleRepeat angler5.0VerifiedGreat trip with Captain Don!
Half day trip on July 23, 2025 • 4 adults • 1 childWe had a great trip and caught lots of fish - even some other interesting animals! It was a blast - thank you!!
Kenneth StrechRepeat angler5.0VerifiedSole Man deliverd
Half day trip on September 6, 2025 • 3 adultsDon put us on the fish and we limited out.
- Stephen FedorRepeat angler5.0Verified
Great Captain even better fishing
Half Day Trip on June 15, 2024 • 2 adultsDon woke up early to beat the fleet to the bait purveyor and then delivered the Pot Luck fish: California Halibut (25 pounder), Brown Rockfish, Striped Bass and Lingcod
Craig Redfield5.0VerifiedSuccessful trip for all ages!
Half Day Trip on October 1, 2023 • 4 adultsGrandpa, Dad, and two 12 year olds had a great time! Captain Don worked his magic getting us fish when it could’ve been really difficult. He worked hard as Captain and crew, coffee was a nice touch. Easy to get to, and came home with perfectly cleaned fish and ate that day!
David Holomon5.0VerifiedDavid H. San Fransisco 8 hour trip with Captain Don
3/4 day trip on October 6, 2022 • 6 adultsI'm glad that we choose Sole Man for our fishing trip out of San Fransisco. Capt. Don and his crew were very courteous and knowledgeable also worked hard to put us on the fish. I would recommend using SoleMan and would use him again in future.
Jose Villa5.0VerifiedThe best!! Sole Man
3/4 Day Trip on September 12, 2022 • 6 adultsIn short, a fabulous day in the company of friends and the kindness and experience of Captain Don and his first officer Jhon, we recommend it 100% and soon we will be planning another trip but 10 hours with Sole Man
Rating
Anglers' gallery (50)
What anglers say
All reviews (49)
We had an amazing fishing experience with Sole Man in San Francisco! Don went above and beyond to ensure we had every chance to catch a fish, and his dedication really paid off—we caught one each! The whole trip was fun, well-organized, and enjoyable from start to finish. I would highly recommend this experience to anyone looking for a great day out on the water. Overall, I’d give it 4.5 out of 5 stars. Thanks again, Don, for making our fishing trip so memorable!
We had a great time. It was three of us in total and we all had our own rod to manage. Don was very helpful and gave us plenty of tips to make the most of the trip. We caught several different fish, including bass, halibut, and a few leopard sharks. Great experience overall and I would definitely do this again.
Great fishing with y’all.Thanks for coming out. Looking forward to seeing you again.
My husband, daughter, and granddaughter went out fishing with Captain Don. He was a lot of fun and put us on the sharks. We caught several Leopard sharks, a 7-Gill shark and a few halibut. We had a great time with a lot of laughs.
Gail the trip was a lot pf fun and laughs. the big 7-Gill shark was a hoot, thanks for coming out.
Don and his deckhand were great and very knowledgeable. Would fish with them again !
I yearlybget my husband a fishing trip for his birthday & this year we tried: Sole-Man Fishing. My husband & friends thoroughly and genuinely enjoyed his trip with Captain Don! My husband said Captain Don’s knowledge is amazing, his personality, the dedication to the Fishing craft, great enthusiasm, great personality, it started out of a slow day, but quickly changed they limited out on striper bass, 1 one rockfish, 4 halibuts, 1 silk head shark, the best part was when they returned to the dock, and Captain was fillet the fish, a adorable SEAL came up and come to find out, Captain Don has a long friendship and understanding with the seal, about him, not stealing the fish at the dock. Was too funny & cute. Definitely will be booking more trips with Sole-Man Fishing!
FAQs about Sole-Man Sportfishing
- US $220 per person - Half day trip (5 hours)
- US $250 per person - 3/4 day trip (7 hours)
- US $295 per person - Full day trip (9 hours)
- US $1,300 per group - Half Day Trip (5 hours)
- US $1,500 per group - 3/4 Day Trip (7 hours)
- US $1,770 per group - Full Day Trip (9 hours)
- Toilet We have an enclosed head.
- GPS Furuno gpf 7000
- Fishfinder Garmin 1040xs
- Flybridge
- Live bait well 5 scoop capacity
- Radio Clarion
- Radar Furuno
- Rods, reels & tackle (Our Golden Gate caught Salmon, are some of the fin')
- Live bait (All bait and tackle is included in the price. )
- Lures
- Catch cleaning & filleting (We clean and fillet on every trip as allowed by state law. It is included as a part of the trip. )
- Drinks (Coffee, Tea, Bottled water)
- First mate (I have a variety of mates. While we love to get tipped, that is earned from giving service (not catching fish) to the customers. )
- Nearshore fishing
- Offshore fishing (Most of my trips are in the bay, usually an hour or less from the dock. )
- Light tackle (Halibut, Bass, Rockfish)
- Heavy tackle
- Bottom fishing (Shark, Sturgeon)
- Trolling
- Deep sea fishing (Rockfish)
- Bass (Striped)
- Halibut
- Rockfish
- Shark (Blue)
- Shark (Leopard)
- Shark (Mako)
- Shark (Thresher)
- Sturgeon
Your captain
San Francisco, California, United States
Captain Don 'Sole-Man' Franklin has been fishing for over 40 years, and for the last 14 years he has been running Sole-Man Sportfishing. He enjoys sharing the joy of fishing with everyone, and is great at teaching kids how to fish. So no matter your age or skill level, join Sole-Man for an exciting day on the water - everyone can have a great time fishing with Captain Don!
Real catches by this captain
What is the boat like?
What kind of fishing will you do?
Which fishing techniques you can try
Which amenities are available onboard
How cancellations work
You can cancel or modify your booking up to 3 days before the trip date, free of charge. If you cancel or modify your booking later, or fail to show up, you'll forfeit 100% of what you've paid.
What the listing policies are
Pickup not included
Transfer to/from departure site is not included in trip rates.
How you can pay
When the captain confirms your trip, FishingBooker charges your credit card a 25% deposit to guarantee your reservation.
The remaining balance is to be paid directly to the charter operator on or prior to your trip date in one of the following payment methods:
Cash
Visa
Mastercard
American Express
What’s biting in San Francisco right now
Bass (Striped)
Halibut
Rockfish
Shark (Leopard)
SturgeonCompare similar fishing charters
