San Francisco Bay & Ocean Fishing Report

Report Updated April 23, 2012

GOOD SALMON FISHING!!

Well, salmon fishing remains good…mostly at points to the south and north of the Gate. The best fishing is South…down below Half Moon and the boats out of Pillar Point have been hitting New Year’s Island with excellent results. Up north, the Bodega Bay boats have also been finding fishing that ranges from scratchy one day to really solid the next. So far, an outstanding start to the season!!

Inside the Bay, there are bass starting to head down from the rivers and there was a 44 pounder caught on eel at the Mothball Fleet. Halibut fishing is waking up a bit too.

SALMON NEED WATER! You can help by becoming a member of the Golden Gate Salmon Association: A non-profit group fighting to restore Central Valley salmon habitat and ensure both spot and commercial fisheries remain sustainable. Check out the GGSA’s inaugural dinner in Sacramento on April 26. Click for Details!

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Local Radio Report

Outdoors with Craig Hanson
Craig Hanson has been a fixture in the San Francisco Bay saltwater fishing scene for decades and he gives ya all you need to know about hot local bites, upcoming opportunities all the good inland freshwater stuff. Check him out every Sunday on KNBR 1050 AM from 6 AM to 6:45 AM

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About San Francisco Bay

With the amount of urbanization that surrounds San Francisco Bay, it’s a wonder there are any fish here at all. But fish there are! Stripers, halibut and sturgeon make up the Bay’s Big 3 and Chinook salmon pass through here en route to their spawning rivers every fall, too. You’ve also got hard-pulling sharks like leopards, soupfins and sevengills, not to mention rockfish and lingcod. For the light tackle enthusiast, there’s also plenty of perch and jacksemlt and a few starry flounder.

Trolling for Halibut Tips
The Not-so-secret Sturgeon Bait
Shallow Water Rockfishing