San Francisco Bay Fishing Report

The best and most consistent fishing in the bay continues to be around Rodeo with Jim Smith on the Happy Hooker boating 12 limits of stripers to 8-pounds and a bonus 24-pound halibut on Tuesday 11-17. He had bass action in San Pablo Bay and also in lower Suisun Bay. The majority of the fish came on the live sardines today with a few bullhead fish. The big halibut died on a live sardine, and this angler had lost two previous halibut this season at the boat, so the third time was the charm as deckhand Mike Verrone made sure this once went into the net. Jim will be out with open loads on Friday and Sunday.
John Akina at Oyster Point Bait, Tackle and Deli said there weren'2t any boats out today, but there are reports of stripers taken in the evenings off of the pier on frozen bait. He also has heard of sturgeon being found on the other side of the bay.
Mike at Mike's Bait in Oakland reported most fishermen are still heading up to San Pablo Bay with bullheads, but sturgeon fishing has picked up with a couple of fish taken daily from the shores along Bay Farm Island to the Dunbarton Bridge. This week's rain should stir things up in the south bay, and the sturgeon are expected to move in. Herring and ghost shrimp have been the top baits. Perch fishing has been slow, but mackerel is a big attraction on Sabiki rigs from the Estuary to Martin Luther King Park.
Warren Howe at Bay Tackle in El Cerrito said the Pinole shores has slowed down for stripers in the past couple of days, as well as the Eckley Pier in Crockett. They still have a high demand for bullheads, but overall interest is starting to wane already. He thought the stripers are starting to move up higher into the Delta. One boater has been limiting out daily on bullheads under the Benicia/Martinez Bridge with other fish found off of Rodeo. He said there has been a renewed interest in sturgeon fishing with reports of action along Bay Farm Island and south to Coyote Creek on grass shrimp, pile worms or eel or the above combinations.
Chris Seabourne at C Biscuits in Vallejo said striper fishing has started to slow down a bit, but there are still fish in the Napa River around Maritime, Sandy Beach, the Meadows and in the back sloughs. Bullheads, grass shrimp or anchovies have been the top baits. The tiny Dungeness are plaguing anglers working San Pablo Bay. There have been a few sturgeon in the Napa near the Towers on grass/ghost shrimp combinations.

The bass and halibut continue to bite in San Pablo Bay. On Wednesday 11-11 James on the Cal Dawn ran down from his winter berth at Martinez to the Rodeo flats and his 16 anglers landed limits of stripers to 12 pounds adding 3 halibut to 15. They lost a few other halibut and released several legal bass with most running 4 to 8 pounds. They were drifting with a combo platter of live sardines and mud suckers. James's dad Jim on the Happy Hooker was also drifting a cornucopia of live bait and reported 13 limits of stripers to 13 pounds. The Happy Hooker will be heading out of Martinez with a of live bait on Friday, Saturday and Sunday if they can roust up enough anglers. James is booking both day time and night trips when the tides are favorable for sturgeon. Dates for night trips will be announced this week and include a steak dinner with all the sides!!
Keith Fraser at Loch Lomond Bait in San Rafael said one party boat put in 12 limits of stripers on Tuesday 11-10 at Rodeo. The tides aregetting better every day, and they will be excellent by the weekend. He expects to feature live mud shrimp for the first time this weekend in celebration of the great tides.
Warren Howe reported some excellent striper fishing on white hairraisers at Fort Point. One angler in the shop said he landed a 20-pounder this week as part of at least 50 big fish taken from Fort Point this year. Sure hope he believes in catch and release. Howe said they continue to sell loads of bullheads for San Pablo Bay, but finding a decent supply is still a problem. He confirmed the good action on the Happy Hooker over the weekend in San Pablo Bay from customer that was pretty happy with the quick limits on Sunday. He said they were drifting mudsuckers near Rodeo. He added that pile worms are starting to pick up perch near the Racetrack, Pt. Molate and the Richmond Harbor from the shorelines.
Mike's Bait in Oakland reported three sturgeon were caught at Bay Farm Island yesterday, including two oversized to 95-inches and a legal fish on ghost shrimp. Hopefully the oversized fish were released, but there was some question about whether that occurred. The shoreline in the East Bay was re-opened last Thursday after the most recent oil spill. They continue to sell a huge number of bullheads for anglers working San Pablo Bay.

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