San Francisco Bay

BAYS SAN MATEO COAST SALMON/S.F. BAY HALIBUT
by Cal Kellogg
(Berkeley) Charter boats from Berkeley and Emeryville traveled south last week and end up scoring well on salmon, but wind and rough conditions over the weekend kept boats inside the bay. Hopefully once the conditions calm down, skippers will find the salmon holding closer to the Golden Gate.
Captains Joe and Joey Gallia have been scoring near limits of salmon while traveling south. The fish are being caught on rigged bait and many of the fish boated have weighed in at over 10 pounds.
Cal Kellogg will be hosting a salmon fishing focused School of Fishing trip aboard the New Easy Rider on May 30. If youd like to book a trip on that trip and perhaps take home one of the prizes Cal brings on his sponsored trips, give Captain Gallia a call at (707) 422-2050.
With salmon fishing out of the question, charter boats like the Happy Hooker, Lovely Linda, C-Gull II and New Huck Finn all worked the bay for halibut and sharks.
Captain Jim Smith of the Happy Hooker put his clients on 11 halibut with several in the 12 pound class while drifting with live smelt, shiners and anchovies.
Captain Jack Chapman of Lovely Linda Sportfishing tried his hand at halibut drifting with frozen tray bait. When that only resulted in a couple bites he turned his focus to shark fishing and his clients ended up bringing 6 leopards and a sevengill to the boat. Three leopards were kept and the rest of the sharks were released.
On Saturday the C-Gull II and New Huck Finn combined for 6 halibut to 14 pounds, 12 stripers to 7 pounds, a 21 pound leopard shark and a 44 pound soupfin shark.
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Area Fishing Maps
Anderson Reservoir
Coyote Lake
Lake Del Valle
Lexington Reservoir
San Pablo Bay
Shadow Cliffs
Pt. Reyes

Great Places to Fish
The San Francisco bay offers a wide variety of fishing opportunities. All the anadromous species pass through the Golden Gate during their migrations. In the bay you will find California halibut, leopard shark, sturgeon, and striped bass. The sportfishing fleet frequents the Cordell Banks and the Farallon Islands. Both are excellent rock fisheries and during the season you will also find salmon. The local reservoirs provide warm water fresh fishing with the most notable being San Pablo Reservoir. Every once and a while you hear of a bass pushing 10 lbs. If you're in the Bay Area and you just have to fish, this might be the spot. Pier fishing is available at Pacifica and Berkeley.