SF Bay Fishing Report: Stripers, Halibut, Rockfish Biting Across the Bay

Artificial Lure here with your San Francisco Bay fishing report for Friday, November 21, 2025.

Let’s start with today’s **conditions**: morning lows in the mid 50s, lingering patchy fog along the coast and Bay, and afternoon NW winds expected to build slightly as the day wears on. Water temperatures around the Bay are right in the mid-50s—a sweet spot for fall fishing. Sunrise was at 6:57am and sunset will be at 4:54pm.

On the **tidal front**, we’re sitting pretty with a high tide rolling in at 12:56am around 4.6 ft, and the morning low easing in about 5:03am at 3.3 ft. The flood peaks at 11:00am touching 6.0 ft and we’ll see the evening ebb drop to -0.5 ft just after 6pm. That high tidal coefficient means a lot of water movement and fish on the move, especially around slack and peak tides—ideal conditions for working structure and pier edges.

**Recent catches** have been solid all across the Bay and the party boats. Fish Emeryville just reported 17 halibut and 2 striped bass landed in a single morning last week. For rockfish, local party boats like the Dolphin out of Fisherman’s Landing are consistently seeing big counts, with trips tagging 160-plus rockfish per session and showing mix bites of sheepshead, sculpin, sand bass, and the occasional halibut. Stripers are pushing bait up against Crissy Field, Fort Point, and the Embarcadero piers—especially during the first and last hours of the tide swing.

**Target species** today include striped bass, California halibut, rockfish, and leopard sharks. Rockfishing outside the Golden Gate is productive when winds drop, but inside the Bay, predatory bass and halibut are the game.

For **lure selection**, locals swear by 3–5 inch paddle-tail swimbaits in anchovy or herring colors for stripers. Bucktail jigs and hair raisers work wonders near current seams, especially when matched to the day’s tidal push. When it comes to bait, live anchovy or cut sardine is king. For halibut, slow-trolled herring-pattern plugs or drifted squid do the trick. Sharks and rays are chewing on squid and oily scraps at night along channel edges and around piers.

For **rockfish**, bottom rigs tipped with squid or shrimp get the bites—especially out past Alcatraz or under the Marin Headlands on calm days.

**Hot spots** right now:
- Crissy Field: Stripers thick at dawn on moving tides.
- Berkeley Flats: Halibut and bass when wind allows, especially mid-tide.
- Alcatraz Island: Rockfish biting solid for boaters working the edges.
- Fort Point: Piers see action at low-light with paddle-tails and cut bait.

**Best bite times** are always right around dawn and dusk, and today, solunar activity is above average, so capitalize on those tidal changes. Watch for bird activity and bait dimples on the surface—stripers and halibut won’t be far behind.

That wraps up the Friday rundown from San Francisco Bay. Thanks for tuning in, and make sure to hit 'Subscribe' so you don’t miss a report.

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