Berkeley

Does anyone fish in the bay near Berkeley or does everyone just take the drive to other locations? This is the closest area for me to launch And was wondering if the fishing was  alright in the bay. I don't know anything about fishing up here in Nor Cal

I'd like to know about this as well.  Anyone?

Just moved from Alameda a couple months ago, you can launch at the Rockwall, behind Encinal High School, rarely got skunked if you are OK chasing, leopard shark, stingrays, perch, small rockfish and small cabezon along the wall with an occasional halibut mixed in. 

I tend not to fish the bay since I practice catch and eat. Not crazy about the high levels of pollution in the bay. I would rather drive the extra 30 minutes to fish the ocean since it has much better fishing anyways.

At one time I fished a lot in the bay catching rays, sharks, halibut, stripers, salmon and sturgeon.  Unfortunately my wife almost died eating sturgeon from bay and I believe it was a contamination issue.  I have fished near golden gate since she got sick and got stripers in the bay and rock fish on the outside of the gate. I just traded others my bay caught fish for some ocean rock fish and all was good. 

It's hard to pass up convenience fishing spots and don't if you are a catch and release guy. 

Thanks guys.  I appreciate the replies.  I'd be interested in doing some topwater fishing.  I read in a different post here that one could topwater fish for stripers in the cove behind Cesar Chaves Park and Golden Gate Fields.  Can anyone confirm that?  Also, I'm not much for dropping bait and sitting around.  What and where else would you recommend fishing in this area with topwater lures or swim-bait?  Would like to get an idea as to where here in the immediate area and perhaps what a short drive will get us.  Thanks again to all for the feedback.

You can catch halibut & stripers in the flats near Berkeley. Launch out of Berkeley or Emeryville -- there's a windsurf ramp out there. I'll meet you out there some time.

Behind Costco off of Central Ave in Richmond can be good for stripers, especially in the Fall when the wind dies down. There are places to launch around Pt Isabel. It's very rewarding to catch fish in your own backyard but I don't eat anything out of the bay except the occasional halibut.

Hi Kevin,

I live in Oakland and when I first started out I went out from the Alameda Rockwall lauching ramp many times to get my kayak in the ocean. If you have never fished in the Bay, it can be quite treachous. The incoming tide and outgoing tide flows are something else and if you get caught outside in the wind, the Bay can be very choppy. Very different from choppy waters in the open ocean. I's like paddling through a endles chops without the swells of the open ocean.
I have also found out the hard way that you have to really calculate the incoming (high) and outgoing (low) tides. I made the mistake of paddling in on the peak of an outgoing tide and it was like paddling upstream in  river (even with a Hobie,it was a ballbuster!!!
I would also reccomend buying  the "SAN PABLO BAY-SAN FRANCISCO BAY Fishing map by Fish n Map Co. It is made of plastic and it is specifically for fishing the Bay, will give you major launching sites and and depth contours, GPS coodinates of the entire Bay. It is amazing that a lot of the Bay is very shallow, especially around Berkeley. I bought my map at Dicount Mart's Bay Tackle Sporting Goods in El Cerrito, 5815 Cutting Bvd., 510-235-2032.

I gained a lot of respect for the Bay after going our a number of times. You do not want to get caught out there if the wind picks or at the peak of outgoing tides.

I now mostly going fishing at Half Moon Bay, it's not too far and you can't beat the launch sites, beauty and most of the time, you hook up with something that's good to eat.

Also, it's always a good idea to go out in the ocean with someone and I trust that you have all the safety stuff (wet suit, VHF radio, good PFD). A Fisfinder is pretty essential for finding holes that can easily be bypassed.

Hey Bryan Easton, where did you move to?

Take Care,

Da Bruddah ( Michael)

You can catch halibut & stripers in the flats near Berkeley. Launch out of Berkeley or Emeryville -- there's a windsurf ramp out there. I'll meet you out there some time.

Thanks Piski.  I just might take you up on that 

So aside from giving this area a try, it seems that my best bet might be to head towards benicia.  Feel free to chime in with your best tips for that area

Kevin,

I live in Oakland  I have fished the Rockwall a few times and was never skunked. I usually drive to HMB, SC, or bolinas. Would be willing to try other spots in the bay. I usually have Tuesday and Wednesday off. If you can make a trip either of those days hit me up. I'd love to explore my backyard more.

Dave.

So aside from giving this area a try, it seems that my best bet might be to head towards benicia.  Feel free to chime in with your best tips for that area

No fishing tips, just a comment on wind and tides.  Anywhere in the bay system wind and tides are a real concern, it's amazing how strong the tides can be, remember the bay is the drain system for a huge part of CA. 

The area just off of Benicia is a bit tucked in out of the main Carquinez Strait flow path and is an OK place to paddle around some.   Conversely I've gone out of the Martinez marina on a strong outgoing tide and was able to make no headway against the tide and was lucky to make it back into the marina without getting washed past the entrance, even at that it would just have been a shore landing and walk back to the truck.

The prevailing winds especially in summer afternoons are generally west to east,  launching from any point and heading west is a good idea, as the afternoon wind can help your return trip, again conversely I've heard but not experienced, that launching from say Oyster Pt, and heading out into the bay can be hazardous due to getting caught by that strong west to east flow pushing you directly away from your launch. 

Just a really long winded note saying watch out for the winds and tides in the bay area, they can help you out or ruin your day.