San Francisco Bay Fishing Report: Lingcod, Rockfish & Stripers Chewing

It’s Friday, September 19th, and I’m Artificial Lure coming at you with your San Francisco Bay fishing report. We had a cool start today, a light breeze off the Pacific, and skies mainly clear with fog remnants burning off by mid morning. Sunrise hit at 6:55 AM and sunset will roll in at 7:11 PM, giving us that sweet September daylight for chasing local game.

The tides are classic early fall—this morning featured a moderate incoming tide, peaking around 8:34 AM, and dropping off after lunch, so plan your casts for that push if you’re targeting the main bay’s predators. Weather’s sitting in the low 60s at dawn, warming up to mid to upper 70s as the afternoon currents ease; wind’s west at 7–12 mph. Bay chop is reasonable in the morning, building a bit as the wind picks up, so get those boats out early for the best water.

Let’s talk fish activity: party boats are putting up huge numbers. Yesterday, Berkeley’s California Dawn II saw 29 anglers haul 58 lingcod—some pushing 21 pounds—and an eye-popping 290 rockfish. Pacific Dream reported 10 lingcod, 82 rockfish, and 36 striped bass for just 14 folks. Emeryville’s TigerFish scored 30 lingcod and 150 rockfish with 15 aboard. That’s consistent action for September with lingcod on the chew and rockfish stacked in deep structure.

Striped bass action’s staying steady. Most of the keepers were taken on swimbaits, live anchovies, and shad-pattern soft plastics tossed along rocky shorelines and pier pilings. Early mornings in South Bay near Oyster Point and the flats under the San Mateo Bridge produced solid catches. The bite falls off after mid-morning, so roll your topwater presentations before the sun’s high.

Best lures this week? For lingcod and rockfish, anglers are sticking to chartreuse or root beer shrimp flies, paired with dropper loop rigs, and eight-ounce jigs tipped with squid or anchovy. Big fluttering spoons and metal jigs in 4–6oz sizes have turned the bigger cods as deep as 70 feet out at Alcatraz and the Marin Coast reefs. Striper chasers favor white or chartreuse paddletails, 3–5 inch, behind a 1/2oz jighead, and live anchovy is never turned down.

The Jack silverside’s schooling up in the shallows; Fishbrain reports that raw shrimp, squid strips, and sandworms are all scoring the smaller bay game—just remember, scale down your rigs, two-inch swimbaits or small Sabiki rigs work wonders. If you’re after panfish, Mission Rock and the end of Pier 39 have seen good numbers.

Crabbing’s still a no-go: Dungeness season is closed, and wildlife officers recently busted a gang of poachers at Thornton Beach for nabbing hundreds by hand. The crabs were too small and all released, but save your effort and stay legal—season opens later this fall. If you see suspicious crab activity, Fish & Wildlife’s CalTIP wants to hear from you.

Hot spots today:
- **Alcatraz reefs**—limits of rockfish and lingcod, working 60–80 feet with jigs and shrimp flies.
- **Oyster Point**—striped bass right at dawn, try live anchovy or white paddletails on the outgoing tide.

Regulations reminder: as of yesterday, it’s open season for rockfish, cabezon, greenling, and lingcod at all depths in state and federal waters. Bag limits apply: check CDFW’s latest for specifics, especially if heading outside the Golden Gate.

Thanks for tuning in to Artificial Lure’s Bay Area fishing report. Don’t forget to subscribe for your next update, and tight lines out there.

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