Monday Morning Bay Fishing: Stripers Biting, Halibut Hot on the Flats

Hey folks, this is Artificial Lure, your go-to guy for all things angling in the San Francisco Bay Area. It's early Monday, April 6th, 2026, around 3 AM PDT, and the bay's whispering promises of a solid day on the water.

Tides today: Low at 4:17 AM (-0.8 ft), high at 10:32 AM (5.2 ft), then low again at 5:01 PM (0.1 ft) per NOAA charts—fish the outgoing for striper chases and incoming for halibut holds. Weather's mild: partly cloudy, temps climbing from 52°F to 68°F, light westerly winds 5-10 knots, per National Weather Service. Sunrise at 6:45 AM, sunset 7:42 PM—prime dawn patrol windows.

Fish activity's picking up post-front. Striped bass are keying on shad schools, with reports of 20-30 fish days on live bait rigs. Halibut averaging 8-15 lbs hitting paddle tails, and leopard sharks cruising flats on night tides. Recent catches: 12 stripers to 28 inches off Alcatraz yesterday (SF Fishing Forum), limits of halibut near Angel Island (Bay Area Fish Reports), plus Dungeness crab pots filling fast. Lingcod starting to show on rocky points.

Best lures: Rat-L-Traps or Yo-Zuri Crystal Minnows in chrome for stripers; 4-inch Big Hammer whites for halibut. Live bait? Anchovies or sardines on a sliding sinker, or ghost shrimp for perch. Go light leaders in this clarity.

Hot spots: Hit the Oakland Bar on the drop tide for stripers, or Paradise Cay flats for flatties—easy access, parking's good.

Stay safe, check regs, and tight lines!

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This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI

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