Your Sunday Fishing Report

Conditions have been pretty hit or miss recently. Fishing in the Bay has been great, but the coast is a little dicey.

With ling/rockfish season over, and a couple months to go until Spring, options are a bit limited. We’re focused in on just a couple fish here in January.

If you’re on the coast it’s surf perch season. There are fewer anglers with the winter weather and lack of stripers, making it the perfect time to get some reps in.

If you’re fishing in the Bay it’s all in on sturgeon, sharks, and rays. The bite has been hot and there is plenty of shoreline to explore.

So let’s take a look at the reports and some areas that will be good this week!

While prime charter crab combos are over, looks like anglers are still getting some action out there! Pacific Pearl pulling up a bunch of crabs and sand dabs for their clients this week.

*Counts Via Fish Emeryville

January stockings are still going strong!

Like I mentioned, the fishing right now can get a little funky if you’re not used to winter angling. There is plenty to catch, but you need to adjust what you’re targeting. So let’s take a look!

White Sturgeon are the prized catch right now. January sturgeon fishing in the Bay is all about patience and timing, not volume.

Cold water slows everything down, so you are waiting on short bite windows tied to clean tide changes (usually late ebb into early flood along deep channel edges.) If you commit to soaking bait, staying put, and fishing legally, January can quietly be one of the more rewarding months of the year.

Sharks and rays in the Bay are a patience game, not a numbers game. Cold water shortens bite windows, with most action happening around tide changes near deep flats, channels, and structure. If you settle in with good bait and give it time, they will eventually find you.

January surf perch fishing from the coast is more about reading water and covering ground. You are looking for soft structure like troughs, seams, and foam lines during manageable swell windows, especially around an incoming tide or an early outgoing tide.

Keep it simple, surf perch are easy to catch once you find them. They can be great sport fishing or even decent eating if you know how to prepare perch. That leads me to:

January sand dabs can be a grind, but they are one of the more consistent options when the rest of the coast feels slow. Cold water keeps them glued to the bottom, so it comes down to fishing small baits on light gear along sandy flats and troughs. On the right day you can stack fish. These are great to eat fried up.

Herring fishing in the Bay is all about timing and paying attention. When they show up, it is usually in tight windows tied to tides, water clarity, and bait movement along shorelines and shallow structure. So pay attention and be ready to move. These are great for bait, or you can fry them up and even pickle them yourself!

Finally, crabbing on the Pacific coast is still reliable. Grab a net and hit a pier, or invest in a snare setup! Oily fish works the best as bait in my opinion.

Rough conditions early in the week are giving way to better fishing in a couple days. The Bay will be more protected for most of the week, but it might be best to wait on the Pacific coast.

Looking a little dicey early, but great opportunity for crabs, perch, and sand dabs.

Nice and protected all week. Looking for sturgeon, sharks, and rays around China Camp.

Another classic spot for sharks and rays, will be good sport fishing this week.

*Always check conditions before going out there, this data may no longer be up to date so please be safe

Good luck out there 😎