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Bay Area Fishing Report: Halibut, Stripers, and Rockfish Bite Strong Ahead of Autumn Tides
Artificial Lure here with your Saturday morning fishing report for San Francisco Bay, October 11, 2025.
We’ve got classic autumn bay weather lined up: cool at first light with some fog, then partly sunny skies and highs in the upper 60s. Winds are light, but expect the usual SF breeze to pick up through the afternoon, so pack your layers. Sunrise hit at 7:13 AM and we’ll see the sun duck behind the hills at 6:39 PM.
On the water, prime conditions are shaping up nicely alongside the tides. The next high tide rolls in at 9:27 AM—sitting at just under five feet—followed by another low at 2:11 PM and a solid evening high at 7:38 PM right around sunset. Early morning and late evening are your windows for the best bites, especially with this tidal movement, so plan your tide swings accordingly, especially if you’re targeting those shallow flats or working rockpiles at slack tide according to the latest tide charts.
Now to the action: the bite has absolutely lit up the Bay this week. According to Friday counts from NorCal Fish Reports and 976-TUNA, party boats out of Berkeley and Emeryville are coming in heavy:
- The Happy Hooker brought in 22 halibut (to 25 lbs) and 32 striped bass for 16 folks.
- The New Easy Rider landed 26 lingcod alongside 130 rockfish for 12 anglers.
- California Dawn II and Pacific Dream both nailed halibut and full limits of bass.
- Over in SF, the Lovely Martha put 7 nice halibut and 30 linesider bass on the dock in just a half-day trip.
A few miles out, boats have found reefs loaded up: Sea Wolf and TigerFish both had 20+ quality lingcod and a literal boatload of rockfish for everyone aboard. Sculpin and rockfish numbers are strong for bottom bouncers, with over 1100 rockfish and nearly 700 sculpin caught yesterday among the local boats—101% proof that the fall variety bite is in full swing.
Hot spots? Start at the Berkeley Flats for halibut on the morning high. Paradise Cay and Angel Island remain striper magnets—casting swim baits and trolling hair-raisers are both high-percentage right now. On the rockfish/lingcod front, the Marin Coast reefs and Mile Buoy off the Golden Gate have been top producers, especially on the outgoing swing.
Best baits and lures: The name of the game is live anchovies for halibut and bass. For artificials, white and chartreuse swimbaits have been deadly, especially during low light. For rockfish and lings, a sardine- or squid-tipped jighead, or a root beer grub in fast water, is the ticket. Don’t forget the classic trap rig with live bait—if you can soak it near a drop-off, you’re going to get bit.
Other news: South Bay anglers reported steady schoolie bass and the odd keeper halibut near Oyster Point and the San Mateo Bridge. Fishermen working the breakwaters and piers have seen action on pile worms and salted anchovies, with bonus jacksmelt and the rare perch in the mix.
In the brackish upriver portion, some reported smallmouth and bluegill for the kids—always a good time up by Martinez and Benicia with cut bait or small spinners.
That’s a wrap from the Bay today. Thank you for tuning in—don’t forget to subscribe so you never miss the tide or the bite report. This has been a quiet please production, for more check out quiet please dot ai.
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This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI
Published on 2 months, 1 week ago