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"Bay Area Fishing Forecast: Stripers, Halibut & Offshore Action to Chase"
Artificial Lure here, bringing you the San Francisco Bay fishing report for Saturday, August 30, 2025. Early risers grabbed their first cast right after a mild sunrise at 6:38 am, with sunset coming at 7:40 pm—plenty of daylight to chase that bite. According to Tide-Forecast.com, we had a 6:16 am high tide peaking around 3.7 feet, then a lowering tide heading toward 10:18 am, back to another good push on the 4:50 pm high, topping 5.3 feet. The tidal coefficient is sitting low today, so expect gentle current and a little more of a finesse game.
Weather’s classic late-August: cool foggy mornings giving way to mid-60s by afternoon, maybe touching 70 in sheltered spots. Wear the layers—you could be chilly out by the Gate and sweating at Candlestick.
Striped bass are the headline in the bayside action. Lovely Martha Fish Reports just capped off another half-day trip with limits for all—18 anglers landed their 36 bass on the 24th, and word is the run hasn’t slowed much this week. Drifting live anchovy, sardine, or shiner perch has been tops, but if you’re tossing lures, try a 3/4 oz. hair jig or a white paddle-tail swimbait, slow rolled over current seams or around Alcatraz and the Berkeley Flats.
Halibut have stayed solid in the East Bay, with scattered reports of keepers up to 15 pounds taken on drifting live bait from the Alameda Rockwall out toward Paradise Cay. Slow-trolling a green or chartreuse fluke works too, especially around softer tides like we’re seeing now. Focus on 8-20 feet, especially around turn of the tide.
Rockfish trips out the Gate have been productive when the weather allows, according to Nor Cal Fish Reports and Fisherman's Landing. Rock piles off Marin and the Farallon Islands kicked out limits of assorted rockfish plus the odd lingcod—shrimp flies tipped with squid are tough to beat, and a 4-6 oz metal jig can wake up the bigger lings.
Big news offshore—Albacore made an appearance just west of San Francisco, best after this week’s August 28 report from local tuna chasers and echoed in fishing media. Trollers are hooking albacore, but also intercepting jumbo yellowtail and bluefin. If you’ve got the boat and conditions, head 30–50 miles out, run small cedar plugs or feather jigs, and be ready on the troll rod.
Best hot spots today:
- **Alcatraz and Angel Island:** For bass, try the deeper rips on the outgoing tide and watch for fish showing on your finder.
- **Berkeley Flats/Pier 39 area:** Great for halibut and bass, especially with live bait on light tackle.
Bait-wise, nothing beats live anchovy, but frozen shad and squid are catching their share for bank anglers at Fort Point, Crissy Field, or along Emeryville shoreline.
Final tip—soft tides mean slow presentations, lighter weights, and focusing on structure. Early and late in the day should see the most activity, especially in the first hour after sunrise and the last hour before dusk.
Thanks for tuning in to today’s San Francisco Bay fishing report. If you found this helpful, make sure to subscribe so you don’t miss a bite! This has been a quiet please production, for more check out quiet please dot ai.
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Published on 1 day, 14 hours ago