Coming back to work after the long holiday weekend is always tough. Thursday is about the time where my existential work dread fades away into a “where am I fishing this weekend” bout of excitement. I’m stoked to say our options this weekend are plentiful.
Whether you are hunting sturgeon in the North Bay, catching crabs for dinner, or just hitting your local pier or beach for the love of the game, you’re going to be excited about these conditions.
But first, the reports!
Fingers crossed for calm surf
Fishing Reports this Week 🎣
N Huck Finn 23 Anglers | Lovely Martha 19 Anglers | Salty Lady 14 Anglers | Sea Wolf 20 Anglers | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Crab | 230 | 190 | 140 | 180 |
Rockfish | 23 | 190 | 140 | 200 |
Lingcod | 1 | 10 | 3 |
An exceptional day from Lovely Martha with 10 Ling caught between 19 anglers! Usually don’t see that number out of charters this time of year. Anglers are loading up on rockfish right now since the season ends at the end of December.
Bay Area Tides Social Media Report:
Sturgeon: Some absolute specimen are being caught up North. Check out the full write up below for some more details.
Striped Bass: Striper are still being caught in large numbers in San Pablo Bay and the surrounding tributaries. The Carquinez Strait is seeing good numbers right now. Seeing a little love down South by Dumbarton Pier too but not nearly as many.
Crab: Big rock crab as usual near the Golden Gate. Surprisingly there hasn’t been. a lot of Dungeness love on the Peninsula this year. Hoping things iron out.
No Trout Stocking Reports This Week 😔
Chasing Dinosaurs - Sturgeon Season Has Arrived 🦕
Like I mentioned, there are some huge sturgeon being caught in the Bay. Sturgeon fishing is catch and release only, and it’s super important to handle these living fossils with care. But if you hook a big one, you can be in for the fish of a lifetime.
I’m going to highlight three pillars for successful sturgeon fishing: The Where, The When, and The How.
The Where
Sturgeon fishing in the Bay Area revolves around the North Bay. According to the CDFW website the open areas are:
“From Oct. 1 through June 30: For ocean waters and San Francisco Bay east to downstream of the confluence of the Feather River on the Sacramento River and downstream of the I-5 bridge on the San Joaquin River.
From Oct. 1 through December 31: upstream of the confluence of the Feather River to the Highway 162 Bridge on the Sacramento River and upstream of the I-5 bridge on the San Joaquin River.”
Targeting sturgeon further south is actually illegal past January between Point Richmond & Chauncy to the Bay bridge starting in January. Targeting sturgeon is also illegal in all tributaries of the Sacramento & San Joaquin Rivers, upstream of the Sac River Highway 162 Bridge, entire North Coast district, and the Yolo Bypass, Toe Drain Canal, and Tule Canal upstream of the Lisbon Weir. Not complicated at all, right?
San Pablo Bay and Suisun Bay are go-to sturgeon fishing areas. Piers, shorelines, kayaks and boats in these areas are going to be filled with people fishing for white sturgeon. McNears Pier and China Camp have seen some monster sturgeon recently and in the past. The Napa River is also a notable spot in the San Pablo Bay.
The When
Sturgeon are bottom feeders and they love when the silt and mud get disturbed, releasing an abundance of food. They usually aren’t too dependent on tides, but they definitely like fast moving tides that stir up the floor. Look for big king tides where there is a lot of water moving, especially with outgoing tides that carry water out of the Delta into the Bay.
Winter is going to be the peak of legal sturgeon season in the Bay, so if you are wondering if now is a good time to try your luck, the answer is yes!
The How
I’m going to make a disclaimer here: always check the CDFW sturgeon regulations before heading out there. I do my best to provide accurate, up to date info but these things are constantly changing. Do it right.
Sturgeon fishing is going to be. a bait and wait game since they are bottom feeders. Depending on the season these baits will change - for example Salmon Rho is more effective when salmon are moving through the bay, etc.
Grass Shrimp
Mud Shrimp
Ghost Shrimp
Anchovies
Herring
Shad
Salmon Roe
Make sure you are using barbless hooks! This is a big regulation. I’d recommend a barbless circle hook to minimize any damage to the fish and have a better chance of catching them as they take your bait.
For rigs, most people recommend a sliding sinker rig, but use whatever you are comfortable with. I’d probably advise against the classic hi-lo rig but I’m sure there are people out there who would disagree with me.
Some other quick notes:
Try not to remove the sturgeon from the water, it’s illegal to do so for large sturgeon and green sturgeon
Patience and persistence is key here, don’t expect to be catching a ton of these on your first time out there
Shallows are great for sturgeon, but if you know any areas with deep troughs or drop offs it could be worth a try
Be very mindful of the regulations, there are a lot and I would not be surprised if I didn’t cover any
Handle these fish with care! Their numbers have dwindled significantly. Poaching a sturgeon is an egregious offense.
References & Further Reading
Weekend Fishing Forecasts - Curated Spots
China Camp 🦕 (San Pablo Sturgeon)
Friday 12/5 | Saturday 12/6 | Sunday 12/7 | |
|---|---|---|---|
Wind Factor | Light | Medium Light | Light |
Swell Height (ft) | 1.8 | 2.1 | 2.2 |
Wave Power (kJ) | 67 | 101 | 111 |
Wave Interval (sec) | 10.6 | 11.2 | 11.4 |
Pressure (in) | 30.18 | 30.18 | 30.24 |
High Tides (ft) | 5.1 @ 1:30 AM 7.4 @ 11:53 AM | 5.2 @ 2:24 AM 7.2 @ 12:43 PM | 5.2 @ 3:17 AM 6.9 @ 1:35 PM |
Low Tides (ft) | 2.7 @ 5:49 AM -1.6 @ 7:05 PM | 2.8 @ 6:43 AM -1.5 @ 7:55 PM | 2.8 @ 7:40 AM -1.2 @ 8:46 PMe |
Our Rating | Great | Good | Good |
Ocean Beach 🦀
Friday 12/5 | Saturday 12/6 | Sunday 12/7 | |
|---|---|---|---|
Wind Factor | Medium Light | Medium | Medium Light |
Swell Height (ft) | 2.7 | 3.1 | 3.3 |
Wave Power (kJ) | 152 | 222 | 255 |
Wave Interval (sec) | 10.6 | 11.2 | 11.4 |
Pressure (in) | 30.21 | 30.18 | 30.24 |
High Tides (ft) | 7.3 @ 9:46 AM | 5.2 @ 12:17 AM 7.2 @ 10:36 AM | 5.2 @ 1:10 AM 6.9 @ 11:28 AM |
Low Tides (ft) | 3.1 @ 3:49 AM -1.8 @ 5:05 PM | 3.1 @ 4:43 AM -1.7 @ 5:55 PM | 3.2 @ 5:40 AM -1.4 @ 6:46 PM |
Our Rating | Great | Good | Good |
Suisun Bay (Sturgeon & Striper) 🦕 🐟
Friday 12/5 | Saturday 12/6 | Sunday 12/7 | |
|---|---|---|---|
Wind Speed (mph) | Light | Light | Light |
Swell Height (ft) | 0.5 | 0.6 | 0.6 |
Wave Power (kJ) | 6 | 8 | 8 |
Wave Interval (sec) | 10.6 | 11.2 | 11.4 |
Pressure (in) | 30.18 | 30.18 | 30.24 |
High Tides (ft) | 4.0 @ 2:32 AM 6.0 @ 12:48 PM | 4.0 @ 3:29 AM 5.9 @ 1:37 PM | 4.1 @ 4:24 AM 5.6 @ 2:30 PM |
Low Tides (ft) | 2.2 @ 7:04 AM -0.6 @ 9:07 PM | 2.3 @ 8:04 PM -0.6 @ 9:58 PM | 2.3 @ 9:06 AM -0.5 @ 10:47 PM |
Our Rating | Great | Great | Great |
Treasure Island (A Classic) 🐟
Friday 12/5 | Saturday 12/6 | Sunday 12/7 | |
|---|---|---|---|
Wind Speed (mph) | Medium Light | Medium | Medium Light |
Swell Height (ft) | 1.8 | 2.1 | 2.1 |
Wave Power (kJ) | 67 | 98 | 108 |
Wave Interval (sec) | 10.6 | 11.2 | 11.4 |
Pressure (in) | 30.21 | 30.18 | 30.24 |
High Tides (ft) | 5.3 @ 12:37 AM 7.7 @ 11:00 AM | 5.3 @ 1:31 AM 7.5 @ 11:50 AM | 5.3 @ 2:24 AM 7.2 @ 12:42 PM |
Low Tides (ft) | 3.0 @ 4:57 AM -1.8 @ 6:13 PM | 3.1 @ 5:51 AM -1.7 @ 7:03 PM | 3.1 @ 6:48 AM -1.4 @ 7:54 PM |
Our Rating | Great | Good | Good |
*Always check conditions before going out there, this data may no longer be up to date so please be safe
Good luck out there! I’m thinking about featuring some subscriber catches in these posts, so don’t hesitate to reply or message matt@hookedwest for a feature.