Fishing
When to go, what's biting, and what to bring. Bite windows come from live NOAA tide predictions at the Golden Gate — fish the moving water around each turn, and favor the windows that land at first or last light.
Loading NOAA tide predictions for San Francisco (Golden Gate)…
Where to go
Proven shore and pier spots. Each card shows the spot's best hours from the live tide windows, matched to the tide stage that spot actually fishes on.
When: Last two hours of the flood into high slack; a dawn flood is the A-plus combo. The ebb rips too hard to hold bottom.
How: Sliding-sinker anchovy off the end for halibut while the flood runs; throw swimbaits along the west riprap at first light for stripers. Jacksmelt on sabikis all day.
Free public pier, no license needed. Parking at Crissy Field East Beach.
Spot page — 14-day outlook →
When: Flood tide pushes bait into Horseshoe Cove — fish the back half of the flood through high slack, early morning before the wind.
How: Live shiner or frozen anchovy on a sliding rig for halibut on the sandy inside; herring show December–March. Watch the current seam off the pier corner on the flood.
Free public pier, no license needed. Park at Fort Baker; short walk.
Spot page — 14-day outlook →
When: Light beats tide here — first light through mid-morning. Any moving water works; a morning high tide adds casting reach over the surf line.
How: Crab snares ocean-side from November's Dungeness opener; salmon rigs under floats when the season is open and anchovies are thick. Stripers blitz the surf line in fall.
Free public pier, no license needed. Street parking fills early on crab openers.
Spot page — 14-day outlook →
When: Sharks and rays eat on any moving tide — the evening into dark stretch of whichever window is running is the reliable play.
How: Oily bait (mackerel, squid, midshipman) on a fish-finder rig, rod in a holder, drag loose. Circle hooks save fish and re-rigging time.
Free public pier, no license needed. Marina parking next to the pier.
Spot page — 14-day outlook →
When: The big winter ebb is the tide — fish the windows around the low turns, strongest after a week of rain. Summer evenings for sharks.
How: Grass or ghost shrimp on a sturgeon snell, heavy weight to hold the ebb. Sturgeon are catch-and-release, single barbless hook — check the current rules before targeting.
Marin county park (entry fee); license required on this pier. Full facilities.
Spot page — 14-day outlook →
When: The flood floods the warm flats and brings the fish with it — fish the windows around the high turns, dusk into dark for the sharks.
How: Long cast, bait on the bottom, and let the flood bring them to you. Windiest spot on this list by afternoon — mornings are calmer.
State rec area (day-use fee for lots); license required from shore.
Spot page — 14-day outlook →
When: The cove is shallow — the flood brings the water and the fish; fish the windows around the high turns, midday is fine here.
How: Family-friendly: jacksmelt and perch on light gear all tide, a soaked bait rod for stripers and rays. Protected from wind when everywhere else is blown out.
Free public pier in a regional park, no license needed. Big lots, calm water.
Spot page — 14-day outlook →
When: Flood over the rocks at dawn or dusk — the classic East Bay striper program. Halibut off the sandy edges on the same tide.
How: Walk the wall throwing a 6" swimbait or topwater at first light; a moving bait out-fishes a soaked one here. Watch your footing on the rocks at high water.
Shore fishing — license required. Street parking along Shoreline Dr.
Spot page — 14-day outlook →
When: San Pablo Bay rules: the winter ebb after rain for sturgeon, any strong moving tide for stripers and rays the rest of the year.
How: The deepest water of any Bay pier is right off the end — heavy weights hold the ebb. Sturgeon are catch-and-release on single barbless hooks; check the rules.
Free public pier (regional park parking fee), no license needed. Long walk or shuttle in.
Spot page — 14-day outlook →
When: Incoming tide through high in daylight for perch; fall mornings on any tide when stripers push bait through the troughs.
How: Read the beach at low tide first — fish the troughs and rip corners you marked. Never turn your back on the waves here; this surf is serious.
Shore fishing — license required. Park along the Great Highway.
Spot page — 14-day outlook →
What's biting in August
Peak targets first. Open each fish for the spots, technique, and the exact rod-reel-rig setup to bring.
California halibutPeak
Best time: Mid-flood through high slack, mid-morning — drift while the current runs; the bite gets soft right at slack.
Where: Central bay flats — Berkeley flats, Alcatraz, Treasure Island, Paradise Cay. Drift with the current over 15–40 ft of sand.
How: Drift live bait just off the bottom on a sliding-sinker rig, or slow-troll a hoochie/anchovy combo. Softest bite in the bay — feed them a three-count before swinging.
| Rod | 7' medium-light conventional, fast tip (halibut rod) |
| Reel | Small low-profile or round conventional, smooth drag |
| Line | 30–40 lb braid, 3 ft of 20–25 lb fluoro leader |
| Rig | Sliding sinker (6–12 oz) above swivel, size 2 live-bait hook or two-hook trap rig |
| Bait | Live anchovy or shiner perch; frozen 'chovy or 4–5" swimbait when live isn't around |
CDFW size and bag limits apply (currently 22" minimum); check current regs before keeping fish.
Leopard sharkPeak
Best time: Any moving tide; evening into dark is prime, especially a summer flood over warm flats.
Where: Mudflats and channels bay-wide — South Bay sloughs, Candlestick, Berkeley pier area, Crissy Field on the flood.
How: Soak an oily bait on the bottom in a moving tide and let them eat. The most reliable big-fish tug in the bay, great from shore.
| Rod | 8'–10' medium-heavy surf or boat rod |
| Reel | 6000-size spinning or small conventional |
| Line | 40–50 lb braid, 40 lb mono top-shot or leader |
| Rig | Fish-finder/sliding rig, 4–8 oz pyramid weight, 5/0–7/0 circle hook, short wire or 60 lb mono bite leader |
| Bait | Midshipman, mackerel chunks, squid, salmon bellies — the oilier the better |
36" minimum, bag of 3 (verify current CDFW regs).
Rockfish & lingcodPeak
Best time: Softer exchanges make fishable drifts — go on smaller tide swings, morning before the wind.
Where: Outside the Golden Gate — Marin coast, Farallones (party boat), or the reefs off Pacifica. Not really an inside-the-bay fishery.
How: Vertical jigging or dropper-loop bait fishing over rocky structure. Lings eat big swimbaits and live sanddabs near the bottom.
| Rod | 6'6"–7' medium-heavy boat rod |
| Reel | Conventional 20–30 size, high retrieve |
| Line | 50 lb braid, 30–40 lb leader |
| Rig | Double dropper loop with 8–16 oz, or 4–8 oz jigs and 6–8" swimbaits |
| Bait | Squid strips, live sanddabs for lingcod, or artificials only where required |
Season, depth limits, and sub-bag limits set annually by CDFW — check before the trip.
King salmon (ocean)Peak
Best time: First light through mid-morning on the ocean; finding the bait matters more than the tide.
Where: Ocean waters off the Gate — Duxbury, the W buoy, Pacifica. Party boats out of SF, Sausalito, Emeryville and Berkeley when the season is open.
How: Troll anchovies behind a flasher at depth, or mooch/drift when the fleet finds bait. Season and quotas are set each spring and have been sharply restricted in recent years.
| Rod | 8' moderate-action salmon trolling rod |
| Reel | Conventional with line counter |
| Line | 25–30 lb mono |
| Rig | Flasher + anchovy in a crowbar head, sinker release with 1–3 lb ball, single barbless hooks required |
| Bait | Brined anchovies or herring |
Season set annually (often closed or very short) — confirm CDFW/PFMC dates before planning a trip.
Striped bassIn season
Best time: Last two hours of the ebb or flood at dawn or dusk — moving water plus low light is the whole formula.
Where: Everywhere current pushes bait — Raccoon Strait, Alameda rockwall, Oyster Point, Brothers/Sisters islands, beach troughs at Ocean Beach in fall.
How: Fish the last two hours of a big ebb or flood. Toss swimbaits and topwater at dawn, or soak cut bait on the bottom. Trolling worm-tail jigs covers water fast.
| Rod | 7'–9' medium-heavy spinning |
| Reel | 4000–5000 spinning reel |
| Line | 30 lb braid, 20 lb mono or fluoro leader |
| Rig | ¾–2 oz jig heads, hard baits, or a fish-finder rig for bait |
| Bait | 6" paddle-tail swimbaits, Pencil Poppers, anchovies, bullheads, pile worms |
18" minimum, 2-fish bag (verify current CDFW regs).
Surfperch & jacksmeltIn season
Best time: Incoming tide in daylight — the two hours before high, in the trough behind the first breaker.
Where: Ocean Beach, Baker Beach, Pacifica surf for barred perch; any bay pier for jacksmelt and walleye perch. The everyday shore option.
How: Light Carolina rig cast into the trough behind the first breaker; for jacksmelt, a sabiki or high-low rig under a float off the pier. Fast, kid-friendly action.
| Rod | 7'–9' light/medium spinning |
| Reel | 2500–4000 spinning reel |
| Line | 10–15 lb braid, 8 lb fluoro leader |
| Rig | Carolina rig with ½–1 oz egg sinker, size 4–6 hooks, or sabiki/high-low rigs |
| Bait | Sand crabs, pile worms, Gulp! sandworms, small strips of squid |
No license needed on public piers; license required on beaches. Standard finfish bag limits.
California sport fishing license required for everyone 16+ — except on public piers, where anyone can fish free. Report cards are required for sturgeon.
Seasons, sizes, and bag limits change annually — confirm current CDFW regulations before keeping anything. Tide predictions are NOAA's; wind and swell still decide whether a day is fishable.