San Francisco Bay Fishing Report Today

San Francisco Bay Fishing Report Today

Download on the App Store

San Francisco Bay Fishing Report Today episodes

  • Bay Bite Heating Up: Early Summer Halibut and Stripers on the Tide
    Artificial Lure here with your San Francisco Bay fishing report.
    We’ve got a mild early-summer pattern on the Bay. Marine forecasts from the National Weather Service call for morning low clouds, afternoon clearing, and a light to moderate west wind building to 10–20 knots later in the day, especially in the Central and North Bay. Expect cool, damp mornings in the low to mid‑50s around the water, warming into the low 60s to near 70 inland once that sun punches through.
    Sunrise over the City is right around 5:45 a.m., with sunset close to 8:35 p.m., giving you a long, workable window. The best bite lately has lined up with the first light and the couple hours around the stronger tide swings, so plan to be set up early.
    Tides today inside the Gate are running a decent mixed cycle. Look for a pre‑dawn high, a late‑morning drop, then an afternoon flood that really starts to push around mid‑day. When that incoming starts rolling past Alcatraz and Angel Island, the stripers and halibut have been waking up, especially along current seams and edges.
    Recent action: party boats out of Fisherman’s Wharf and Berkeley have been reporting steady California halibut with some striped bass mixed in on the Berkeley Flats, Paradise, and the South Bay channels. On better days, boats are seeing a dozen to a few dozen legal halibut, plus bass limits possible when the tide and drift line up. Pier anglers at Fort Point, Muni Pier, and along the Embarcadero have picked up schoolie stripers and the occasional keeper halibut on live bait and soft plastics. A few leopard sharks and bat rays are also showing around the deeper channel edges and by Oyster Point.
    Best baits: live anchovies and shiners are still king for halibut and bay stripers. If you can’t get live bait, frozen anchovies, herring, or sardine fillets on a three‑way or sliding sinker rig have been doing work on the drift. For shore casters, pile worms and ghost shrimp are solid for sharks and rays.
    Best lures: 4–6 inch swimbaits in anchovy, sardine, or smelt patterns, on 1–2 oz jig heads, bounced slowly along the bottom, have been taking both halibut and bass. White, chartreuse, and root beer have been the go‑to colors. Metal spoons and Kastmaster‑style lures in chrome or chrome‑blue are a good call around the rocks and bridge pilings when the bass are pushing bait. For a more finesse approach, try small paddle tails or flukes on light jig heads along the pier pilings at first light.
    Couple of local hot spots to consider:
    1. Berkeley Flats and the east side of Angel Island: drifting live anchovy or swimbaits along the contour lines has produced consistent halibut with bonus stripers on the flood.
    2. Crissy Field to Fort Point: early and late in the day, working swimbaits and spoons along the beach and rock edges on a moving tide has turned up some quality stripers, with an outside shot at a halibut in the troughs.
    Water clarity’s been a bit variable with the wind and recent tides, so adjust color and profile to match: go brighter and larger in the murk, more natural when it cleans up. Keep an eye on that wind line; once the afternoon breeze really kicks, the drift speeds up and the bite usually tapers off.
    That’s it from your buddy Artificial Lure. Thanks for tuning in, and don’t forget to subscribe so you don’t miss the next Bay report. This has been a quiet please production, for more check out quiet please dot ai.
    Great deals on fishing gear https://amzn.to/44gt1Pn
    4 min
  • Early Summer Bay Bite: Stripers and Halibut on the Incoming Tide
    Name’s Artificial Lure, checking in with your San Francisco Bay fishing report.
    We’ve got a classic early summer pattern setting up around the Bay. Weather today is cool to mild: morning marine layer and patchy fog, then clearing to the mid‑60s to low‑70s with a light west to southwest breeze stiffening in the afternoon. Typical June stuff, so expect more chop and wind after lunch. Sunrise is right around 5:45 a.m., sunset about 8:35 p.m., giving you a big window to work the tides.
    Tides are running a solid mixed cycle. Early morning brings a good incoming push, with a decent high mid‑morning, then a draining outgoing through the afternoon, and another flood building into the evening. On this kind of pattern, the bite usually turns on at the start of the incoming and again on the first part of the outgoing when that water starts to move sideways off the flats and points.
    Striped bass are still the headliners. Anglers inside the Central Bay and around the South Bay channels have been picking up schoolie to mid‑slot fish, with a few bigger models in the mix. Shore guys tossing swimbaits and bucktail jigs along Crissy Field, Fort Point, and the rock walls near Pier 32 have been seeing steady action when the current is swinging. Boat anglers drifting live anchovies or shiners around Alcatraz, Angel Island, and the Berkeley Flats are reporting decent counts, especially early on the flood.
    Halibut fishing has been solid but not wide‑open. Drifters pulling live anchovies, herring, or shiners along the edges of the shipping channel, the Oyster Point area, and the Alameda Flats are putting a handful of keepers on deck when they stick with it through the tide changes. Plastics like 4–5 inch paddle tails in smelt or anchovy patterns, or white gulp‑style grubs on a dropper loop, are getting bit when the bait’s scattered. Think slow, near‑bottom, and keep that bait just ticking the mud.
    Leopard sharks and bat rays are making a strong showing in the usual mudflat haunts. Soaking squid, anchovies, and oily baits off Candlestick, Brisbane, and the San Mateo shoreline has been good fun, especially for folks fishing from shore. Not a bad backup plan when the bass and halibut get finicky.
    For lures, keep it simple:
    – For stripers, go with 4–6 inch white or pearl paddle‑tail swimbaits on 1/2 to 1 oz jigheads, chrome or bone topwaters at first light in calmer pockets, and bucktail jigs with a strip of squid or gulp.
    – For halibut, 4–5 inch glow or white swimbaits, gulp jerk shads, and slow‑rolled spoons near bottom do work when the live bait bite slows.
    For natural bait, live anchovy is king in the Bay right now, followed by live shiner perch or smelt if you can net them. Frozen anchovies, sardines, and squid will still produce, especially for sharks and rays, but the fresher the better.
    Couple of hot spots to put on your short list:
    – The Berkeley Flats and the edges toward the Emeryville and Richmond channel for a mixed halibut and striper shot on the drift during the incoming.
    – Crissy Field to Fort Point for shore‑based stripers at first light, tossing swimbaits and topwater into that current seam when the tide starts to move.
    Work the moving water, keep an eye on that afternoon wind, and you’ll give yourself a good shot at some quality Bay fish today.
    Thanks for tuning in, and don’t forget to subscribe so you don’t miss the next report.
    This has been a quiet please production, for more check out quiet please dot ai.
    Great deals on fishing gear https://amzn.to/44gt1Pn
    4 min
  • Summer Halibut Bite Heats Up: Your SF Bay Fishing Game Plan
    This is Artificial Lure with your San Francisco Bay fishing report.
    We’re sitting on a classic summer pattern around the Central and South Bay. NOAA’s tide tables show a pre-dawn low followed by a strong mid‑morning flood and an afternoon ebb, so plan around that incoming water for your prime bite window. Light morning wind under 10 knots with patchy bay fog giving way to 60s and low 70s by afternoon, according to the National Weather Service. Sunrise is just after 5:45 a.m., sunset a little after 8:30 p.m., giving you a long glow period at both ends of the day.
    Halibut are still the headliner. Local party boats reporting in the last few days have been steady on keeper California halibut inside the Bay, with some boats hanging limits or near limits for a light load and a decent pick on stripers mixed in. Most of the action has been on the usual drifting program: tray herring, anchovies, or shiner perch on three‑way rigs in 15–40 feet. Add a chartreuse or glow hoochie over the bait if the water dirties up.
    Striped bass remain spread from Ocean Beach inside to the Oakland Flats and up toward the San Rafael Bridge. Private boaters and shore casters have been scoring schoolies with a few legal fish tossing white or bone SP Minnows, 4–5 inch paddle‑tail swimbaits on 3/8–1 oz heads, and small hair jigs. At night, the bridge pilings and lit piers have kicked out fish on bloodworms, pile worms, and cut anchovy.
    On the rockfish and lingcod front, the bite just outside the Gate along the Marin Coast and down toward Pacifica has been solid when the swell lays down. Party boats are reporting full rockfish limits with a handful of lings. Shrimp flies tipped with squid strips, small scampis, and metal jigs in blue/white or chrome are doing damage in 60–150 feet.
    Best lures and baits right now:
    - For halibut: live anchovy, shiner perch, or herring on a three‑way; drifting swimbaits like Big Hammers or similar in smelt or sardine patterns when you’re short on bait.
    - For stripers: white/bone minnow plugs, 4–6 inch paddle tails in white, pearl, or chartreuse, bucktail jigs, plus bloodworms, pile worms, sardine and anchovy chunks for soakers.
    - For lings and rockfish: shrimp flies, 4–6 inch rubber swimbaits in root beer or motor oil, metal jigs like diamond or knife‑style iron.
    A couple of local hot spots to key on:
    - **Alameda Rockwall / South Bay Flats** – Consistent halibut drifts on the flood, plus bass cruising the edges. Focus on 15–30 feet and keep that bait just off the bottom.
    - **Berkeley Flats / SF Waterfront** – Classic summer area for both halibut and stripers. Work the edges of the flats into deeper water, and don’t be afraid to grind through the tide changes here.
    If you’re shorebound, hit Fort Point, Fort Mason, or the piers along the Embarcadero with pile worms or swimbaits on the early flood and last light.
    That’s your Bay report from Artificial Lure. Thanks for tuning in, and don’t forget to subscribe so you never miss a tide.
    This has been a quiet please production, for more check out quiet please dot ai.
    Great deals on fishing gear https://amzn.to/44gt1Pn
    4 min
  • June Tides and Bay Edge Bite: Stripers, Halibut, and the Golden Hour Window
    Good morning, anglers—**Artificial Lure** here with your San Francisco Bay fishing report for today. The bay is waking up under a **June tide swing**, with the best action lining up around the moving water, especially the first push of daylight and the evening ebb. For exact tides, check your local tide app before you launch, because the bay’s bite can flip fast with a hard current.
    Weather-wise, expect classic Bay Area summer conditions: **cool mornings, breezy afternoons, and patchy fog near the Gate and the city front**. That usually means the best window is the early run before the wind gets honest. Sunrise is right around the early-morning edge, and sunset comes late enough to give you a solid evening bite if the wind settles.
    Recent local reports have been pointing to a mixed bag of **striped bass, halibut, jacksmelt, staghorn sculpin, and scattered leopard shark** activity around the bay edges. The better fish are showing where bait is stacking—anchovies, sardines, and small baitfish pushing along current seams, channel edges, and the shadow lines near structure. The striped bass have been most willing to chase, while halibut are more likely to pin a bait on the bottom in the calmer stretches.
    If you’re throwing artificials, the hot setup is still a **3- to 5-inch swimbait** on a 1/2-ounce jighead, or a **paddle-tail with a slow, steady retrieve** along the drop-offs. For bass, a **soft plastic grub** or a **jerk shad** worked with short pauses can trigger reaction strikes. If you want to fish bait, go with **fresh anchovy, pile worm, or cut bait** on a sliding sinker rig for halibut and bass; for sturgeon water, *if you’re targeting them where legal*, eel and ghost shrimp are the classic names in the game. Smell and freshness matter more than fancy presentation when the current is moving.
    A couple of hot spots to keep on your radar: **the shoreline around Candlestick/India Basin on the right tide** and **the Alameda/Oakland flat edges and channel mouths** for halibut and bass. If you want a more classic city-side play, **the north and east sides of the Bay Bridge approaches** can produce when bait schools tuck in and the tide starts to run. The key is simple: fish the edges, fish the moving water, and don’t stay married to one spot if the bait isn’t there.
    So rig light enough to feel the bottom, watch the birds, and work the tide instead of fighting it. Thanks for tuning in, and don’t forget to subscribe. This has been a quiet please production, for more check out quiet please dot ai.
    Great deals on fishing gear https://amzn.to/44gt1Pn
    3 min
  • Bay Summer Bite: Tide and Current Are Your Best Friends in Early June
    Good morning from **Artificial Lure** with your San Francisco Bay fishing report for today. The Bay is lining up for a classic early-summer bite: expect **good moving-water action**, with the best windows around the **first push of tide and the last of the outgoing**, when bait gets funneled along the edges of the channel and the fish get active.
    For **tides**, check the local tide table before you launch or shore-cast, because the Bay is all about timing; the bite usually sharpens when current starts to move and softens on slack. For **weather**, the pattern for mid-June in San Francisco is usually a cool marine morning, a bit of wind, and clearer conditions later in the day, so dress in layers and be ready for fog near the Gate and the Central Bay.
    **Sunrise and sunset** are working in your favor right now with long daylight and a solid early bite window at dawn and again near dusk. If you’re fishing before work, get on the water early and fish the skinny edge, rips, and current seams.
    Recent local action in and around the Bay has been strongest on **striped bass**, with mixed catches of **halibut**, **shakers**, and the occasional **starry flounder** in the right back-bay mud and channel edges. On the rock and bridge side, anglers have also been picking up **surf perch** and scattered **rockfish** where the rules and seasons allow. The fish have been keying on bait schools, so when you find birds, nervous water, or flickering anchovies, you’ve found the strike zone.
    For **lures**, the best producers are usually:
    - **5–7 inch soft plastics** on a jig head, worked slow near structure
    - **Swimbaits** in anchovy, smelt, or motor-oil colors
    - **Metal jigs** when bait is stacked and the current is moving
    - **Bucktails** or **paddle tails** for halibut along sandy edges
    For **bait**, keep it simple:
    - **Live anchovies** if you can get them
    - **Pile worms** for perch and mixed bay species
    - **Ghost shrimp** or **market shrimp** for halibut and bottom fish
    - **Pile worms and bloodworms** when the bite gets finicky in shallow water
    If you want a couple of **hot spots**, I’d start with **the Berkeley Flats** for halibut and bass on the moving tide, and **Candlestick / the South Bay shoreline** for stripers and mixed action when bait is pushing through. If the wind lays down, **around the Golden Gate edges** can light up for stripers and bait-feeding fish, especially where current stacks up hard.
    My local read: fish the **current**, not the clock. Keep your retrieve natural, stay mobile, and don’t leave bait unless you’ve fished both sides of the tide. If one edge goes quiet, slide 50 yards and keep hunting.
    Thanks for tuning in, and be sure to **subscribe** for the next report. **This has been a quiet please production, for more check out quiet please dot ai.**
    Great deals on fishing gear https://amzn.to/44gt1Pn
    3 min
  • SF Bay Fishing Report: Halibut on the Flats, Stripers at the Gate
    This is Artificial Lure with your San Francisco Bay fishing report.
    We’re sitting on a cool, gray start around the Bay this morning. Typical marine layer, light onshore breeze 5–10 knots, and daytime highs topping out in the low 60s. Forecast calls for that breeze to bump up to 10–15 in the afternoon with a steady west wind and a light chop on the Central Bay.
    Sunrise is right around a quarter past five, with sunset just after eight-thirty, so you’ve got a long window to work those tide swings. Early and late are still your best bets, especially if you can line them up with the start of an incoming or the top of the flood.
    We’re on a mid‑June tide cycle, so expect decent morning water movement, easing off mid‑day, then another push late afternoon into evening. Think slower currents in the South Bay, more ripping water through the Gate and around Alcatraz and Angel.
    Striped bass action has been steady, not wide‑open but consistent. Schoolie linesides with occasional legals are showing along the San Francisco shoreline, Crissy Field to Fort Point, and inside the Bay Bridge span. Boat guys tossing swimbaits and small paddletails in baitfish colors—white, pearl, and chartreuse—are doing well on the first of the incoming. Shore casters are getting fish on 3/4‑oz jigheads with 4–5 inch plastics, and the night bite has been decent around lighted structure.
    Halibut fishing remains the main draw. Drifters working live anchovies and herring in the South Bay channels, along the Berkeley Flats, and the Alameda side have been putting some nice keepers in the box. Bounce‑ball trollers pulling hoochies or small anchovy‑pattern plugs behind flashers are also scoring. The bite has been best on the slower parts of the tide—top of the flood and the beginning of the ebb—when you can keep baits near bottom without too much line angle.
    Leopard sharks and bat rays are chewing in the usual mudflat haunts. Any of the piers with access to deeper mud and a bit of current—Fort Point, Pier 32, or out toward Candlestick—are worth a soak. Squid strips, oily chunks of mackerel, or anchovy on a simple fish‑finder rig will keep you busy, especially on the outgoing.
    As for lures, keep it simple:
    - For halibut: 4–6 inch swimbaits in sardine, anchovy, or smelt patterns; slow roll them just off bottom.
    - For stripers: bucktail jigs, hair raisers, and small metal spoons for working rips and current seams, especially when the wind kicks up.
    - For bait: live anchovies if you can get them, otherwise frozen herring, sardines, and squid will handle halibut, sharks, and rays.
    A couple of hot spots to circle for today:
    First, the Berkeley Flats. That broad, relatively shallow shelf between Berkeley and Angel Island has been a classic early‑summer halibut drift. Set up on the edge of the flats on the last half of the incoming and drift across the contour lines, watching your sounder for bait schools.
    Second, the Alameda Rockwall and adjacent flats. It’s been a solid producer of both halibut and stripers when the tide lays down. Work parallel drifts along the rocks with live bait or swimbaits, and don’t ignore the deeper edges where the current softens—fish like to tuck in there on the heavier flows.
    If you’re stuck on shore, Crissy Field to Fort Point is still a go‑to. Work the edges of the bar and the rip lines during the slower parts of the tide. Stripers will push bait right up on the beach when the wind and current line up.
    Water temps are still on the cool side, so don’t be afraid to slow your presentation. Let that swimbait tick bottom, and give halibut an extra second before you swing. For bait fishing, shorter leaders and just enough weight to hold will out‑fish the guys dragging big pyramids around.
    That’s the San Francisco Bay rundown from Artificial Lure. Thanks for tuning in, and don’t forget to subscribe so you never miss a report.
    This has been a quiet please production, for more check out quiet please dot ai.
    Great deals on fishing gear https://amzn.to/44gt1Pn
    5 min
  • Early Summer Halibut Heat: Morning Floods and Live Bait Dominate SF Bay
    This is Artificial Lure with your San Francisco Bay fishing report.
    We’ve got a classic early-summer pattern on the Bay. Weather’s starting cool with marine layer and light wind, then building to breezy northwest this afternoon. Expect mid‑50s in the morning, climbing into the 60s later, with that usual afternoon chop once the wind kicks up. Sunrise is right around 5:45 a.m., sunset about 8:35 p.m., giving you a long window to work both tides.
    Tides are running decent swings the next couple of cycles. Think low tide pre‑dawn, flooding through mid‑morning, then a solid afternoon outgoing. That morning flood has been the money tide for halibut and stripers inside the Bay, especially where you can drift along edges from 15 to 35 feet.
    Halibut fishing has been the main show lately. Party boats and six‑packs coming out of Fisherman’s Wharf and Berkeley have been reporting anywhere from a fish per rod to near limits on the better days, with a mix of keeper halibut in the 22–30 inch class and a few doormats over 15 pounds. Stripers are mixed in, mostly schoolies with the occasional 10–15 pounder.
    Live bait is still king. If the bait receivers have them, **live anchovies** and **live shiners** are your best bet for halibut—drifted on a three‑way rig with just enough weight to tap bottom. If you’re running artificials, go with **5–6 inch swimbaits** in anchovy, smelt, or white, on 1–2 ounce jigheads. Slow, steady drifts with short hops off bottom are getting bit.
    For stripers, **topwater walkers** and **poppers** at first light along current seams, rock walls, and around the pier shadows can be electric. Once the sun’s up, switch to **white bucktail jigs**, **paddle‑tail swimbaits**, or **hair raisers** in chartreuse or white. Shore casters have been picking off fish on cut anchovy and sardine on a sliding sinker rig, especially on the outgoing.
    A couple hot spots to circle on your mental chart:
    • **Alameda Rockwall & South Bay flats** – The rockwall and nearby flats have been steady for halibut on the morning flood. Slow drifts parallel to the structure, 20–30 feet of water, have been putting fish in the box.
    • **Berkeley Flats & Treasure Island area** – Good mix of halibut and schoolie stripers. Work the edges of the flats on the incoming and the drop‑offs on the outgoing. When the wind’s down, drifting here with live bait or swimbaits has been very productive.
    Pier and shore anglers around **Fort Point, Pier 7, and Candlestick** have been seeing a mix of schoolie stripers, jacksmelt, and the odd halibut from shore. Best bets there are high‑low rigs with pile worms or pieces of anchovy, and Carolina rigs with whole anchovies for a shot at halibut tight to the bottom.
    Overall fish activity has been best early and late, bracketing the stronger parts of the tide. Midday, once the wind stacks up the waves, bites slow and presentations get tougher, so plan your trip around that morning flood or the later afternoon outgoing if the wind allows.
    That’s your Bay report from Artificial Lure. Thanks for tuning in, and don’t forget to subscribe so you don’t miss the next update.
    This has been a quiet please production, for more check out quiet please dot ai.
    Great deals on fishing gear https://amzn.to/44gt1Pn
    4 min
  • Early Summer Bay Striper and Halibut Bite: Timing the Tides and First Light
    Name’s Artificial Lure, checking in with your San Francisco Bay fishing report.
    We’ve got a classic early‑summer pattern setting up around the Bay. Weather Underground and the National Weather Service are calling for typical June conditions: cool morning marine layer, light west to northwest wind building to 10–20 knots this afternoon, and a high in the low 60s along the water. Expect some chop in the afternoon on the Central and North Bay, so plan your smaller craft trips for the morning slack.
    Timeanddate and NOAA tide tables show a predawn high tide, dropping to a mid‑morning low, then a solid afternoon flood pushing back in through the Gate. That outgoing morning water has been kicking bait out of the South Bay flats and around the Alameda/Oakland shoreline, while the afternoon flood has been stacking fish along current breaks and rock structure.
    Sunrise hit right around 5:45 a.m., with sunset just after 8:30 p.m., so you’ve got long light windows. First light through the first couple hours of the flood this evening has been the sweet spot.
    Recent chatter from local party boats and pier regulars has the striped bass bite staying steady, not wide‑open but consistent. Schoolie stripers in the 18–26 inch range are showing around Crissy Field, Fort Point, and the rock walls near Oyster Point. A few bigger models have been coming from the deeper edges near Alcatraz and Angel Island. Halibut fishing has been decent, especially in the South Bay and Central Bay drifts, with a mix of keeper and short fish and occasional limits for the more patient crews.
    On the lures side, this is prime time for **swimbaits** and **minnow‑style plugs**. Think 3–5 inch paddletails in anchovy or smelt colors on 1/2 to 1 ounce heads for the bass and halibut, slow‑rolling just off bottom on the drift. For shore casters, white or bone‑colored topwater walkers at first light along Crissy or the Berkeley shoreline can draw explosive striper hits when the wind is down. Small metal spoons or Kastmaster‑style jigs in chrome or chrome/blue are still a staple around the piers when the anchovies push in.
    Best bait right now: live anchovies and shiners for halibut, rigged on a three‑way or sliding sinker in 15–35 feet of water. Drifting the Berkeley Flats, the Alameda Rockwall, or the edges off Treasure Island has been producing. For stripers, bloodworms, pile worms, and cut anchovy or sardine on a fish‑finder rig are working from shore spots like Candlestick, Oyster Point, and the San Mateo shoreline.
    A couple of hot spots to circle:
    - **Berkeley Flats / Emeryville Channel** – Good halibut action on the drift with live bait, plus schoolie stripers mixed in when the bait schools show on the meter.
    - **Crissy Field to Fort Point line** – Shore and kayak anglers picking off stripers in the low‑light windows on topwater and swimbaits, with the better fish often sitting just outside the breakers on the outgoing tide.
    If you’re boating, keep an eye on that afternoon wind; it comes up fast. If you’re on foot, time your sessions around the top and bottom of the tide shifts—those windows have been making the difference between a long walk and a full stringer.
    That’s the word from around San Francisco Bay. Thanks for tuning in, and don’t forget to subscribe so you never miss a report.
    This has been a quiet please production, for more check out quiet please dot ai.
    Great deals on fishing gear https://amzn.to/44gt1Pn
    4 min
  • Summer Stripers and Halibut Heat Up the Bay: Your Early June Fishing Guide
    Name’s Artificial Lure, checking in with your San Francisco Bay fishing report.
    We’re sitting on a mild early‑summer pattern around the Bay. National Weather Service marine forecasts call for morning low clouds, clearing to hazy sun mid‑day, with highs in the low 60s along the water and a west wind building to 10–20 knots by afternoon. According to NWS tide tables for the Golden Gate, we’ve got a decent mid‑morning incoming and a strong afternoon outgoing, which should light up the bite on the edges of the channels and current seams. Sunrise is right around 5:45 a.m., sunset near 8:30 p.m., giving you a long window to work those tides.
    Striped bass have been the headliner. Local party boats and pier regulars have been reporting solid schoolie action with a mix of keeper‑size fish. Most of the recent counts have been in the “steady pick” category—nothing insane, but plenty of bass if you move around and fish the current. South Bay shorelines, the Oakland side, and the flats around Alameda have all kicked out fish. Berkeley Flats and Crissy Field have also given up some nicer models for the folks who stick it out through the wind.
    Best producers for stripers have been **soft‑plastic swimbaits** in natural baitfish colors—think 4–5 inch paddle tails in sardine, anchovy, or smelt patterns—slow‑rolled just off the bottom on the incoming. Topwater has had its moments at first light: pencil poppers and walking baits in bone or chrome when the birds are working and bait is up. At night and in stained water, try darker plugs and 5–7 inch glide baits around lit structure, bridge pilings, and marina mouths. Live anchovies, bullheads, or mudsuckers under a sliding sinker rig are still money if you’re soaking bait from shore or anchored up.
    Halibut have been quietly consistent more than wide‑open. Recent private‑boat and charter chatter has put most of the better fish on the **drifted live bait**—anchovies and herring—along the shipping channel edges, from the Berkeley Pier line down toward the South Bay, and around Treasure Island and Angel Island. Drifting dead bait—tray herring or cured anchovies—still works if you keep it moving just off the bottom. For artificials, 3–4 ounce jigheads with 5–6 inch paddletails or hoochies in white, glow, or root beer are doing damage when worked slow and steady in 20–40 feet.
    Leopard sharks and bat rays are keeping things interesting in the back bays and mud flats. Use squid strips or oily baits like mackerel on simple fish‑finder rigs. Great option if you’ve got kids or just want steady action on a lazy tide.
    For you lure junkies, pack:
    - 4–5 inch paddle tails in sardine, anchovy, and dark shad
    - 1/2 to 1 ounce jigheads
    - A couple of pencil poppers and walking baits in bone/chrome
    - 5–6 inch white or glow swimbaits for halibut on the drift
    For bait anglers, best bets:
    - Live anchovies or shiners from the local bait receivers when available
    - Squid and mackerel strips for sharks and rays
    - Anchovies, sardines, or herring cut baits on hi‑low or sliding rigs
    A couple of current hot spots to aim at:
    - **Berkeley Flats / Shipping Channel Edge**: Drifting for halibut along the drop‑off has been steady, with bonus schoolie stripers on the same drifts when the tide is moving.
    - **Crissy Field to Fort Point**: Early‑morning and evening striper action on swimbaits and topwater when the birds are up and the current’s pushing bait along the beach and rock line. Fish the slower water pockets and seams rather than the full rip.
    As always, watch the wind forecast, keep an eye on that afternoon blow, and respect the currents around the Gate and bridge zones.
    Thanks for tuning in, and don’t forget to subscribe so you never miss a Bay report.
    This has been a quiet please production, for more check out quiet please dot ai.
    Great deals on fishing gear https://amzn.to/44gt1Pn
    4 min
  • Early Summer Stripers and Halibut: Work the Tide Changes for Your Best Shot
    This is Artificial Lure with your San Francisco Bay fishing report.
    We’ve got a classic early summer pattern lining up. The National Weather Service is calling for morning marine layer along the coast, burning off late, with light west winds building to 10–15 knots this afternoon and a typical afternoon chop on the Central and North Bay. Inland temps are warmer, but on the water you’re looking at comfortable 60s, cooler near the Gate.
    Sunrise is just after 5:45 a.m. and sunset is a bit after 8:30 p.m., so you’ve got a long window to work those tide swings. Local tide tables show a decent pre-dawn incoming, topping out mid‑morning, then a dropping tide through the afternoon into the evening low. That morning flood and the first push of the afternoon ebb should be your money times, especially around structure and channel edges.
    Striped bass are still the headliner. Party boats and private skiffs working the South Bay, Oyster Point to the San Mateo Bridge, have been reporting solid schoolie action with a few bigger models mixed in. Trollers pulling broken‑back minnows and small chartreuse/white swimbaits along the edge of the main channel have been putting limits together. Shore anglers at Candlestick, Oyster Point, and along the San Leandro shoreline have been picking off bass on pile worms, anchovies, and 4–5 inch paddle‑tail plastics.
    Halibut fishing remains steady rather than wide‑open, but there are quality fish around. Boats drifting the Berkeley Flats, Crissy Field, and Alcatraz area have been bringing in a mix of keepers and shorts. Live anchovies and shiner perch are still king, but those drifting herring‑pattern swimbaits or white flukes on a light drop‑shot are getting bit, especially on that slower part of the tide.
    Inside the Gate, around Angel Island and the Rockpile, you’ll find a mix of stripers and halibut with an occasional lingcod if you slide a little deeper. High‑low rigs tipped with squid strips or sardines bounced along the bottom near structure have been producing a mixed bag.
    Best lures right now:
    - For stripers: 4–5 inch chartreuse/white or pearl swimbaits, silver spoons, and topwater walkers at first light in the shallows.
    - For halibut: 4–6 inch smelt or herring‑pattern swimbaits on 1–2 oz heads, white flukes on drop‑shot or Carolina rigs.
    - For multi‑species bait rigs: simple hi‑los with squid, anchovy, or sardine strips.
    If you’re fishing bait, bring anchovies, sardines, pile worms, and a little squid. Keep your leaders light and your hooks sharp; the water has decent clarity on the last of the flood, and a clean presentation matters.
    A couple of local hot spots to think about:
    - Berkeley Flats: drifting for halibut on the last of the flood and first of the ebb, with a shot at bass roaming the edges.
    - Oyster Point to San Mateo Bridge: trolling channels for schoolie stripers early, then bait‑soaking from shore or anchored up once the wind comes up.
    - Bonus call‑out: Crissy Field on a weaker wind morning can be a sleeper for halibut and the stray big striper cruising the beach.
    Work the tide changes, keep moving until you find clean marks and bait on the meter, and don’t be afraid to downsize your offerings if the bite turns picky.
    Thanks for tuning in, and don’t forget to subscribe so you never miss a Bay report.
    This has been a quiet please production, for more check out quiet please dot ai.
    Great deals on fishing gear https://amzn.to/44gt1Pn
    4 min

About San Francisco Bay Fishing Report Today

From the publisher's feed

Dive into "San Francisco Fishing Report Today" for your daily dose of fishing adventures, tips, and local insights. Whether you're a seasoned angler or a curious beginner, join us each day to stay updated on the latest catches, hotspots, and fishing conditions in the vibrant waters of San Francisco Bay. Tune in and reel in the excitement!