Bay Bonanza: Crab, Rockfish, and Bass Thrill Bay Area Anglers

Artificial Lure here serving up your Tuesday, November 18th, 2025 fishing report for San Francisco Bay and the surrounding waters—let’s get right into what’s biting, what’s working, and what conditions you can expect today.

We’re looking at *classic fall bay weather*: pockets of clouds moving in, a fresh westerly breeze, and chilly morning lows in the 40s before warming up to the upper 50s this afternoon, according to the latest from the National Weather Service. There’s a chance for light rain returning late, so pack your rain gear but don’t let it stop you from chasing a limit.

Sunrise was at 6:53 AM and sunset will tip over the horizon early at 4:55 PM, making for a short but promising fishing window. Tidal movement is strong today: the early morning saw a low tide at 3:24 AM at around 2.4 feet, swinging up to a high tide at 9:41 AM peaking just under 6 feet, then falling off again with another low around 4:25 PM at -0.2 feet—plenty of water moving, no excuses for sleepy fish. Tides4Fishing pegs the solunar activity at “high,” so time your best efforts just before and after the morning high tide, or later as water dumps out this afternoon.

On the water, the *crab combo* bite is still absolutely on fire. Fish Emeryville’s scores from yesterday have the Sea Wolf, TigerFish, and California Dawn all posting full limits on Dungeness crab (that’s ten crabs per angler—do the math, that’s a heap of legs!) paired with easy limits on quality rockfish in the same trip. The average deck load per trip is running 9-10 fish per rod, with reds, browns, and big schoolie blues filling bags, plus some behemoth vermilions in the mix. Lingcod are showing up as bonus fish, especially outside the Gate toward the islands—California Dawn put eight solid lings to gaff yesterday.

Private boats and pier anglers saw striped bass still haunting the piers—especially the Ferry Building and Fort Point—early in the morning. According to the Its_Hueyyyy crew, anglers are still locking in full limits of chunky San Francisco Bay stripers. Trolling and casting along the flats with rattletraps, swimbaits, and chartreuse or white hair jigs is deadly right now. Cut anchovy or live mudsuckers are getting plenty of action as well.

Halibut remains a slower pick but folks bouncing live anchovies or drifting frozen herring at South Bay reefs report the occasional keeper. Sand bass and Sculpin are popping up more often in mixed bags, especially in the shallows near Oyster Point and Coyote Point.

Best bets for today:
- Hit the **Berkeley Flats** or **Alcatraz Island reefs** for fast rockfish and crab limits on squid strips, shrimp flies, and trap rigs baited with squid or herring. Glow and chartreuse patterns stand out in murkier water.
- For stripers, try the outgoing just west of the Ferry Building Pier, or move down to the **Candlestick area**—toss larger paddle tails or troll deep-diving plugs just off structure.
- Pier crabbers from Fort Mason and Pier 7 are hauling in jumbos early and late—chicken backs or fish carcasses in a heavy-duty trap are the ticket.

Don’t sleep on safety: watch out for gusty winds through the slots, as the marine forecast has a Small Craft Advisory up until early morning.

That’s your boots-on-the-dock roundup for today—crab pots are heavy, rockfish sacks are full, and the bass are still blitzing when the tide’s right. Thanks for tuning in, and if you want more Bay Area angling action, be sure to subscribe for tomorrow’s report.

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