San Francisco Bay Fishing Report: Tides, Stripers, Halibut, and More

Morning’s light is just starting to stretch over the Bay, and the tide’s already on the move. Out here in San Francisco, the sun came up around 7:13 a.m., and it’ll set early again tonight, about 4:50 p.m., so we’re working with short days and long shadows. The tide this morning at San Francisco’s Ocean Beach is running low around 7:23 a.m. at about 3.1 feet, then it’ll build to a solid high around 1:15 p.m. at 6.2 feet, before dropping again into a negative low near -0.1 feet by 8:16 p.m. That kind of push and pull is gold for Bay fishing right now.

Weather’s been crisp and mostly clear, with light winds and decent visibility, perfect for reading the water. The outer coast at Ocean Beach is seeing waves in the 5–6 foot range, so if you’re launching from there, be smart and stay off the rocks when that swell’s running. Inside the Bay, it’s calmer, and that’s where most of the action’s been lately.

Striped bass are still hanging around, especially near the Golden Gate and in the deeper channels around Alcatraz and Treasure Island. Fish Emeryville’s dock reports show consistent rockfish and some nice halibut bites over the past week, with anglers pulling in limits of rockfish and a fair number of California halibut. Dungeness crab season’s in full swing, and the traps are coming up packed, so if you’re crabbing, focus on the deeper holes near the Bay Bridge and around the Emeryville shoreline.

For lures, keep it simple: 1/4 to 3/8 oz jigs in white, chartreuse, or pink are working well for stripers and rockfish, especially on the incoming tide. Small swimbaits and paddle tails on a jig head are deadly around structure. If you’re after halibut, a 3–4 inch Gulp! or Z-Man in white or shrimp color on a 1/4 oz jig head, drifted slowly over sandy flats near the bridge or near the Richmond shoreline, is your best bet.

Live bait’s still king for serious fish. Fresh pile worms and sand crabs are pulling halibut and bass alike, and fresh shrimp or small live anchovies are money for rockfish and stripers around the piers and near the Gate.

Two hot spots to hit today: First, the area around the Golden Gate Bridge pilings on the incoming tide, especially from mid-morning through early afternoon. Second, the flats near the Richmond–San Rafael Bridge, where halibut and bass are staging in the deeper channels.

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