After high school, Jeff Poss studied automotive mechanics before spending four years in the U.S. Navy. There, he discovered he loved being on the water, but he came home and got a job as a mechanic. Fishing was something he fit into his weekends and days off.
As the years passed, Jeff found he was spending more and more time fishing. Finally, in the mid-1990s he took the next logical step, buying a small commercial fishing boat. As he explained, “It had become hard to justify fishing that much without at least selling some of my catch.” Becoming a commercial fisherman was the perfect solution, and even provided him with more excuses to be out on the water.
Captain Poss is married to Nancy; they have two young sons. Although the boys are too young to take out to sea in his open boat for any serious fishing, both enjoy taking boat rides and going sport fishing with their father. In order to provide benefits for his family, Captain Poss still has that full-time land job; however, to better support them he works a second job – fishing commercially for salmon, Dungeness crab and albacore.
In the late 1990s, Captain Poss went out chasing albacore on his 21-foot Boston Whaler. According to the most recent reports, the fish were about 50 miles off Half Moon Bay, and he headed directly for the coordinates provided, overrunning the fish by about 20 miles. When Captain Poss finally got into the correct area, three jigs went straight down – there were fish on! Reaching for the first line to haul in a fish, he heard a loud noise and ducked just as a wave crashed over his head. The weather had changed, dramatically. Captain Poss headed back to the harbor in a cracked boat, a little bruised and a lot wiser. In short order, the damaged Boston Whaler was replaced with the F/V Westpac, a 27-foot fiberglass Farallon Boat built in 1984.
In addition to his love of the ocean and fishing, Captain Poss loves interacting with the public and enjoys teaching others about fishing, marine life and the ocean in general. Whenever possible, Captain Poss will have his fresh local seafood for sale directly from the boat – look for the Westpac on “F” Dock in Pillar Point Harbor on Half Moon Bay.
Video: Captain Poss fishing for Dungeness crab on the Westpac
Many thanks to Lori French, the original founder of Faces, for her previous work and continued efforts.
Funds for The Faces of California Fishing were provided by a grant from
Central California Joint Cable/Fisheries Liaison Committee.
Content copyright 2012. Alliance of Communities for Sustainable Fisheries. All rights reserved.
