VOL . 36 • ISS . 18
San Francisco Bay Facts
Seasons : Fishing for halibut , striped bass and leopard sharks is open year round in San Francisco Bay and outside of the Golden Gate . The bag limit for striped bass is two fish 18 inches or over ; halibut , three fish over 22 inches ; and leopard sharks , 3 fish over 36 inches . There are seasonal closures for salmon , sturgeon and soupfin sharks in San Francisco Bay .
Rockfish : The recreational fishery for rockfish ( Sebastes sp .) is open to divers and shore-based anglers year-round . This fishery is open to boat-based anglers from April 15 , 2017 through December 31 , 2017 . These species may only be taken or possessed in waters less than 240 feet ( 40 fathoms ) deep . The daily bag and possession limit is 10 fish in combination of all species within the RCG Complex ( includes all species of Rockfish , Cabezon and Greenlings ) per person , with a sub-limit on black rockfish ( 3 per person ) and canary rockfish ( 1 per person ), also included in the 10 fish RCG Complex aggregate limit . Yelloweye rockfish bronzespotted rockfish , and cowcod may not be retained ( bag limit : zero ).
Lingcod : The recreational fishery for lingcod ( Ophiodon elongatus ) is open to divers and shore-based anglers yearround . This fishery is open to boat-based anglers from April 15 , 2015 through December 31 , 2015 . Lingcod may only be taken or possessed in waters less than 240 ft ( 40 fm ) deep . The daily bag and possession limit is 2 fish , with a minimum size limit of 22 inches total length .
Charter boats : Sportfishing boats from throughout the Bay Area target halibut , striped bass , rockfish , lingcod and king salmon on San Francisco Bay and outside of the Golden Gatea during their respective seasons . Contact Chad Aho of Bay Charter Boats , 510-850-2285 or cell 510-672-6913 , at the Berkeley Marina . http :// www . baycharterboats . com . Other boats booking trips out of the Berkeley Marina include the California Dawn , ( 510 ) 417-5557 ; New Easy Rider , ( 707 ) 422-2050 ; Captain Hook , ( 510 ) 322-0493 ; Happy Hooker , 510-223-5388 , Hook ’ d Up Sportfishing , ( 707 ) 655-6736 ; Goldeneye 2000 , ( 510 ) 610-0888 ; and Right Hook Sportfishing , ( 916 ) 417-5670 . For more information , call the Berkeley Marina Sportfishing Center , ( 510 ) 849-3333 . The New Huck Finn , Sundance , Superfish , C-Gull II , New Seeker , New Salmon Queen , Sea Wolf and Wet Spot depart from the Emeryville Sportfishing Center , ( 510 ) 654-6040 . The Bass Tub , ( 415 ) 456-9055 , and Silver Fox Sportfishing , ( 415 ) 367-5600 , depart from Fisherman ’ s Wharf in San Francisco , while the Predator , ( 707 ) 342-8481 , and Morning Star , ( 800 ) 464-1431 , are berthed at the Vallejo Marina .
MAP FEATURE
Ross
Greebrae Larkspur
Corte Madera
Mill Valley
Marin City
Kirby Cove
Golden
Baker ' s Beach
Golden Gate Park
Richardson Bay
Belvedere
Lime Point
San Francisco
San Rafael
Tiburon
Sausalito
Pt . Cavallo
Gate
Legend
Shorefishing Areas
Launch Ramp Sportfishing Landing
San Quentin ( State Prison )
Fort Mason
Paradise Cove
Angel Island
Alcatraz Island
Loch Lomond Marina
Marin County
Contra Costa
Richmond San Rafael Bridge
Racoon Straits
McNears Beach
San Francisco Bay
Fisherman ' s
Wharf
Treasure Island
Van Ness
Protero Point
Mission Rock
Hunters Point
County
Cypress Point
Yerba Buena Island
San Pablo Marina
Potrero Point
City & County of San Francisco
Aug . 18 - Sept . 1 , 2017
Central
Pinole Point
San Francisco Bay Drawn by
Parkway
Richmond
Alameda County
Dewayne Hight
Richmond
San Pablo
Richmond Marina
Fleming Point
Golden Gate Fields Race Track
Berkeley Marina
Rec . Pier
Emeryville Marina
Emeryville
Oakland Bay Bridge
Oakland
Robert Crown State Beach
Alameda
Pablo
Ave
Pinole
El action Cerrito .
Rodeo
Sam Pablo Res
17
Hercules
Fishing Notes
• Halibut can be taken in the central bay year round , but the best months are generally from April through October . Live bait drifting is the main method that anglers use to catch the halibut , though trolling is also very effective . Both live anchovies and shiner perch are productive baits . Top areas to fish include the Berkeley Flats , Paradise Cay , Southampton Shoal , Richardson Bay , Angel Island , Alcatraz and Crissy Field . Generally , the smaller tides when the water is relatively clear yield the best
• Striped Bass also offer year round fishing , but these hard-fighting fish generally appear at the same times as the halibut , since both species are drawn into the central Kensington bay feed by large schools of anchovies that move into the area from spring through the late fall .
Albany Live bait anglers target the rocks and reefs of the bay , including the Rockpile , Shag Rock , Yellow Bluff and Mel ' s Reef . Trollers can also bag lots of schoolie stripers while using white and chartreuse worm tail jigs and Rat-L-Traps at the top of the tide . Shore fishing for striped bass can be fabulous when you find a concentration of fish on the flats , particularly in the Oakland , Emeryville and Berkeley area . Toss out swim baits , Kastmasters and Krocodiles for past-paced light tackle action .
• Leopard , Soupfin and Sevengill Sharks are often caught by anglers drifting for halibut and stripers . To target the leopards , fish midshipmen and squid for bait in the deep holes . The sevengills and soupfins can be taken on large cut baits in the deep water at Yellow Bluff and Angel Island . Piedmont
• Lingcod and Blue , Brown and Other Rockfish move into the bay from the adjoining ocean waters to feed on anchovies , herring and other forage . These bottomfish are caught on the central bay reefs during the slower tides . Excellent rockfish action is available at times just outside the Golden Gate Bridge at Seal Rocks , the Mile Light and Point Bonita . eral days before ours , coming back to the port with 4 halibut and one striper for 3 anglers . “ We also threw back 10 stripers ,” he noted . On our trip , we started at Paradise Cay , due to the heavy wind on the bay . Paradise is always protected from the wind ; that is probably how it got its name . “ The halibut fishing has been really good this year ,” Aho explained . “ On the slower tides , we are fishing the deeper water where we hook the larger fish . When the tides are bigger , we fish the shallower water .” “ The thing I like is the variety of fish that you can catch while live bait fishing , including halibut , stripers , rockfish , lingcod and occasionally a shark ,” he said . Aho served as deckhand on the New Keesa from 1990 until when he got his captain ’ s license in 1994 while the Captain Mike O ’ Connell was still alive . He skippered the New Keesa from 1994 , as a relief skipper , until 2002 when O ’ Connell passed away of a heart attack . “ The halibut fishing is very good this year ,” he stated . “ Our best year ever for halibut was 1994 . This year there ’ s a lot of shaker halibut in the system , along with undersized stripers , pointing to great fishing in the future .” He started trips in his new boat in June . The boat , made out of a Fiberglass hull for the navy , was used as a Vessel Assist rescue boat and a commercial fishing boat before he purchased it last November and refitted it for fishing on San Francisco Bay and the ocean with a Cummings engine . The fishing was tough for keeper fish on the day we fished , but we did manage to catch a keeper halibut and striper at Paradise Cay . Although we didn ’ t put a lot of keeper fish in the boat , we all had a lot of fun catching and release undersized halibut and stripers both at the cay and off Angel Island . During the trip , Aho and I reminisced about the antics of Cliff Anfinson and his long time friend , O ’ Connell , back in the 1980 ’ s and 1990 . They were two of the funniest and most feisty guys I ’ ve ever met . They were also strong critics of government policies and advocates for fishery restoration and conservation who showed up at meetings , hearings and protests . They often played outrageous jokes on one another and other skippers . When O ’ Con- nell finally bought a cell phone for his boat , he bought a plan with limited free minutes . So Anfinson told commercial and recreation anglers on the radio that that it was Mike ’ s Birthday that day – and to call him on his cell phone to wish him well . During the trip , O ’ Connell received one call after another from folks wishing him “ Happy Birthday ,” even though it wasn ’ t his birthday . Soon his free minutes were exhausted , according to Aho . In addition to live bait fishing on the bay , Aho is available for rockfish and salmon trips outside of the Golden
Gate and shark and sturgeon charters in the bay out of the Berkeley Marina . On his latest trip outside the Golden Gate , the 4 anglers fishing with Aho landed 4 salmon to 10 pounds while mooching with anchovies at 45 to 50 feet deep . They also kept a half dozen quality blue and brown rockfish , as well as releasing others , before targeting salmon . For more information , contact Bay Charter Boats , 510-850-2285 or cell 510-672-6913 , http :// www . baycharterboats . com /
Paradise Cay is one of the best spots to fish for halibut and striped bass on San Francisco Bay . Photo by DAN BACHER , Fish Sniffer Staff .