Podcast Episode Details
Back to Podcast Episodes
"San Francisco Bay Fishing Report: Soft Bites, Limit Stripers and More"
Artificial Lure here with your San Francisco Bay fishing report for Wednesday, September 17, 2025. The weather is starting off cool and calm, with patchy morning fog burning off to reveal clear skies as the day moves on. Expect highs reaching into the upper 60s and a light west wind in the afternoon. Sunrise was at 6:53 AM, and sunset will be at 7:17 PM, giving us just over twelve hours of prime fishing light.
Today’s tides set the pace for local fishing action. According to Tides4Fishing, we’re looking at a low tidal coefficient—starting around 39 early morning and rising to 46 by evening—so the water won’t move much. High tide is just before 8 AM, then a slow drop and a gentle afternoon flood. This means slow currents and softer bites, making finesse presentations a must.
Striped bass have been the headline all week. Local boats like Lovely Martha report back-to-back limit days—yesterday’s half-day trip delivered limits for all nine anglers before shifting to catch-and-release. The bite’s been steady through the channel approaches and around South Harbor, with bass stacked up where the tidal push meets shallow flats.
Halibut are still playing, with a handful appearing daily—boats out of Berkeley returned with a couple of keepers mixed in with thick numbers of sanddabs and a few rockfish. California Dawn and Sea Wolf running out of Emeryville brought back monster lingcod, loads of rockfish, and enough sanddab to keep the decks busy.
Lure selection for today is all about matching the natural forage. For bass, chartreuse paddle-tail swimbaits are putting in work, but live anchovies or pile worms bounced along the bottom are unbeatable. In softer currents, drifting cut sardine for halibut is best—bring a few ghost shrimp if you’re fishing the surfline, since September marks the tail end for crabs and the start of the fall bait transition. Fishthesurf.com recommends swapping out crab imitations for shrimp or sardine right now.
If you’re working structure near Alcatraz or Treasure Island, toss a Strike King Coffee Tube—rigged with a jighead—that crawfish profile turns up lingcod and even the occasional feisty sand bass. Rockfish are hungry for shrimp bits or squid on a hi-lo rig, especially when the current slows midday.
Hot spots to target right now:
- **Crissy Field Flats:** Early morning for striped bass and halibut, especially around peak high tide.
- **Berkeley Pier:** Lingcod and rockfish are chewing just beyond the breakwater; listen for boats working pots or hitting the rocky ledges.
- **South Harbor Channels:** Sandbass and schoolie stripers are moving up as the tide creeps in—focus on corners where the current eddies.
Fish counts yesterday stayed strong: Emeryville’s Sea Wolf landed 48 lingcod and 240 rockfish on a single trip, and the California Dawn put up 40 lingcod and 200 rockfish for a crew of 20. Stripers continue to dominate catches, with local guides reporting release-after-limit action nearly every trip out.
Remember, the lower tidal flow means fish are less active, so patience and lighter gear can make the difference. Braided mainline with a long fluorocarbon leader is the ticket for cautious halibut or finicky bass. For bait, anchovies and sardines remain the go-to, but don’t forget pile worms or shrimp if the bite’s soft around the bottom.
Thanks for tuning in to today’s report—subscribe for more daily updates and insider tips. This has been a Quiet Please production, for more check out quietplease dot ai.
Great deals on fishing gear https://amzn.to/44gt1Pn
This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI
Published on 3 months ago