SF Bay Weekend Bite Report: Rockfish, Crab, and Striper Action Heating Up

Artificial Lure here—good morning anglers. Here’s your Saturday, November 8, 2025 fishing report for San Francisco Bay and nearby saltwater.

Sunrise hit at 6:43 a.m. and we’ll lose light just after 5:03 p.m. Today’s tides bring a strong swing: expect a morning high at 2:13 a.m. (4.85 ft), low at 6:29 a.m. (3.04 ft), the biggest high at 12:35 p.m. (6.66 ft), and the evening ebb pushing out at 7:40 p.m. (-1.35 ft), according to Tide-Forecast.com. That morning outgoing tide should set up solid striper and halibut action at creek mouths and around the flats.

Weatherwise, it’s starting off calm and cool, with only patchy fog and light onshore breezes. AccuWeather and NWS both mention the weekend will warm up and stay sunny—a great recipe for a full day on the water after that evening chill. But there’s a Beach Hazards Statement in effect until 9 a.m., so watch out for sneaker waves and rip currents, especially along the ocean beaches and jetties, as flagged by the National Weather Service San Francisco.

Now, fish counts are confirming the late fall run is straight-up hot for bottom fishers and crabbers. California Dawn and the Emeryville party fleet have been stuffing sacks: counts from California Dawn show 190 Dungeness crab and 139 rockfish for 19 anglers yesterday. The New Huck Finn, TigerFish, and others are double-limiting on Dungeness and rockfish, with boats routinely hitting 10-crab and 10-rockfish limits per rod by lunch, based on NorCalFishReports and local docks.

Rockfish are biting down anywhere from Treasure Island out to the Marin Coast and especially near the Farallon Islands if you can get across the bar safely. Lingcod are also making their late season showing—with 2 to 10 lings per trip ranging from just-legal to a few 10- to 15-pounders mixed in. There are solid counts of cabezon and even some halibut holding in mud flats near Oyster Point on the last of the incoming tide. Sculpin, sanddab, sheephead, and perch are filling in the mixed bag, especially at deeper structure and pinnacles.

Striped bass chasers have been rewarded around the Richmond shoreline—the mid-bay rockpiles and the edges of the South Bay have been producing keeper linesiders, mostly mid-20-inch fish with some pushing 30. Swimbait anglers, like those seen on YouTube, report aggressive surface takes at slack and outgoing tide near Oyster Point and the Berkeley Flats. Live bait, if you can get it, is still a top ticket.

For lures, locals are crushing it on 4- to 6-inch white and chartreuse swimbaits for stripers and halibut. Metal jigs and root beer scampi tails bounced along hard bottoms draw the lingcod and big rockfish. If soaked bait is more your style, nothing beats squid strips or live anchovy this week—bring your shrimp flies and a two-hook bottom rig for a sure haul. Crabs are stacking up in 30- to 80-foot depths—drop pots around Angel Island or the Marin shoreline.

Hot spots today? The Berkeley Flats are hands-down a striper and halibut favorite, especially around first light and the top of the afternoon high. Closer to the Gate, the Marin Coast and Point Bonita reefs hold big rockfish and lings, but only if the swell stays down. Don’t sleep on Paradise Pier and Oyster Point for walk-on action—perfect with a light setup and some grass shrimp.

That’s today’s San Francisco Bay fishing update from Artificial Lure. Thanks for tuning in; be sure to subscribe so you never miss a bite. This has been a Quiet Please production, for more check out quietplease dot ai.

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