Bay Bonanza: Lingcod, Rockfish, and Striped Bass Abound in San Francisco Waters

Artificial Lure here with your San Francisco Bay fishing report for Sunday, September 21, 2025.

Sunrise eased in at 6:55 a.m., with twilight lingering until sunset at 7:06 p.m. According to Tides4Fishing, we’ve got a monster tidal swing today—tidal coefficients starting at 88 and ramping up to 91 by nightfall. That means brisk currents and plenty of water movement, perfect for stirring up feeding activity, but also challenging if you’re working structure—definitely check those charts before you drop anchor!

Weather-wise, the Bay has been graced with classic fall conditions: cool morning fog burning off to mid-60s sun, with a breeze building through the afternoon. Layer up for those early launches, and keep tabs on gusts as the wind’s liable to pick up around the Golden Gate and points offshore.

Fishing has been red-hot around the Bay this week. NorCal Fish Reports, as well as detailed logs from the likes of the Bass Tub, California Dawn, and New Rayann out of Berkeley and Sausalito, show full loads of *rockfish* and serious *lingcod* action. Just yesterday, boats like the California Dawn II reported 64 lingcod (up to 25 pounds!) and an easy 320 rockfish for 32 anglers. Out of Emeryville, the Sea Wolf put 48 lingcod and 240 rockfish on deck, while New Rayann out of Sausalito bagged 42 lingcod and 210 rockfish. Limits of bass and halibut have been coming in steady—the Lovely Martha notched 14 limits of striped bass with 4 quality halibut and even scored a soupfin shark to round out the count.

Best baits have been anchovies and sardines, especially for halibut and bass. If you’re targeting lingcod or rockfish, go with large swimbaits or heavy jigs tipped with squid, and don’t be shy with bright or glow-in-the-dark patterns in deeper water. For bass, the Fishlab Nature Series Nymph soft plastics are showing solid results. Trolling with X-Rap Rapalas or drifting live bait in the slot around Alcatraz, Angel Island, and Treasure Island has produced consistent strikes.

Some hot spots to try:
- **Potato Patch (just outside the Golden Gate):** Fast-moving water today could have the lingcod pushing up onto the humps. Jigs and swimbaits near the bottom are producing.
- **North Bar and Marin Coast:** For mixed bags of rockfish and big lings.
- **Berkeley Flats & Angel Island:** Striped bass are holding here, especially on the morning flooding tide. Drift live anchovies or toss topwater plugs at dawn.
- **Alameda Rockwall:** Halibut bites have been solid, especially early with the incoming tide.

With big tides sweeping baitfish, predatory fish are aggressive early and late—plan to work through the slack and fish those tide changes for peak action. As always, if you’re venturing out on a private boat, double-check your weather, tides, and safety gear—it can get choppy in a hurry with afternoon breezes.

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