Bay Anglers Capitalize on Fall Conditions - Rockfish, Halibut, and Salmon Bite Strong

This is Artificial Lure, your local Bay angling source with the San Francisco Bay fishing report for Wednesday, September 24th, 2025.

The Bay greeted us today with classic fall conditions—temps hovering in the upper 50s at dawn, light winds, and a crisp marine layer. We had a brilliant sunrise at 6:59 a.m., with the day running just over 12 hours of sunlight before sunset at 7:03 p.m. Tidal movement is significant today, with a tidal coefficient kicking off high at 87—expect notably strong currents and water movement through midday, tapering off only slightly as the evening sets in, according to tides4fishing.com. When the tidal swings are big like this, focus on water moving around structure for the bite window.

Those currents got the fish fired up: charter counts from Fish Emeryville show full-day boats have been seeing strong numbers. Yesterday, the Diamond put 50 rockfish and a lingcod on deck. Earlier this week, the Sea Wolf ran full limits of rockfish. The halibut bite’s slowing from summer’s fevered pitch, but there are still big fish rolling in: New Huck Finn’s full day trip landed 17 halibut and a couple of chunky striped bass on the inside[Fish Emeryville].

King salmon are pushing toward their spawn, and pier and breakwall anglers are landing chromers before they darken up. Heavy spoons—especially anything in glow or bright silver—are doing real work in the low-light hours. The Blue Fox Pixee spoon or classic gold Kastmaster is a local favorite. If you’re working the piers around Fort Baker or the Berkeley Marina, bring a salmon egg rig to drift below a bobber; reaction bites have been reliable as the run pushes upriver. For kayakers or those on the troll, try crankbaits and beef up your tackle—these kings are bruisers, easily topping 20 pounds some days.

Rockfish and lingcod are definitely on the menu as offshore and Farallon trips crank up. Nor Cal Fish Reports reports “wide open fishing” on the reefs, with ample rockfish limits and lingcod showing up in both deep and mid-depth spots. Swimbaits in sardine patterns, large white grubs, and iron jigs are the ticket for lings, while rockfish are hammering shrimp flies paired with squid strips or small herring.

Striped bass remain active in the shallows. Early mornings and flood tides are when you want to chuck topwater spooks or jerkbaits. Live anchovies or sardines are still a sure bet for both bass and halibut if you can get ‘em. As the water cools, expect bass to school up tighter, so follow the bird action in places like the South Bay flats or Crissy Field.

Important update: Dungeness crab is strictly off-limits for now. Wardens recently nabbed poachers working Thornton Beach, rescuing hundreds of undersized crabs before they made the pot, with crab season not reopening until November, per the California Department of Fish and Wildlife.

For hot spots today, check the Berkeley Flats for halibut—keep your drift short and tight to the channel edges at the start of the flood. Rock piles outside Angel Island are kicking out steady rockfish, and Paradise Pier has given up some surprise striper action along with a few late-run salmon in the past week.

Recap on tackle:
- Best lures today: glow spoons, swimbaits, and white grubs for rocky structure; topwater plugs early for stripers.
- Best bait: live anchovy if you can get it, squid strips for the bottom dwellers.

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