Bait shops with Live Bait near the Bay?

Can you wait until Sat. Do you own a cast net? Living in SanLeandro, driving to lake Merritt in Oakland and back, or then fishing, is how folks off up round here obtain our shiners, smelt, anchovies, bullheads an what not. Ideally, you become the man with the bait and the Carma grows again. That way all those folks whose fate it is to go and catch the bait, will not have to increase the pieces needed to make sure it's a fair fishing field before breaking off a little more sweet Carma. There are several places too consistently catch bait. I simply gave one up. As long as shiners, Jack, and Top smelt remain off the endangered species radar, we got bait.

Is there anywhere in Marin or Sonoma counties to use a throw net or sabiki to catch live bait without launching out onto the bay? You do not need to post that info up here. I would not. Rather pm the info to those that ask if you want to. Wouldn't want the commercial bait catchers to ruin your spot if word got out. If there are any such spots. jim

Do you guys ever use live shiners  or anchoives for Lings? After throwing a little keeper last weekend, it was hit so hard ( but lost  )I am definitely thinking about stocking up with a few next time up the coast.

Shiners are great RF bait.

One time while drifting live shiners for halibut (in January  ) next to the Doran Jetty I kept hooking all kinds of pesky rockfish!

Just another defense for Keith: he's just a character. When he goes, who's going to take his place? He's the last of his kind in the Bay Area - it's sooo hard to stay in business as a bait shop, especially in Marin-expensive-as-hell-county. This guy has been holding it down for at least thirty years - him & his birds, especially one surly Night Heron that's around the same age as Keith and probably only alive because Keith throws him the dying shiners each day. My dad and I used to buy bait from him when I was age five before fishing the Marin Rod & Gun Club Pier. Dealing with Barnacle Bob is all part of the fishing experience.

Another thing about Keith is that he's been politically active, just grass roots really. He LOVES the birds of the bay, has names for a bunch of fowl that most people wouldn't be able to differentiate. Anybody out there able to recognize a specific Sea Gull?  He's preached conservationally to a lot of folk over the years helping to incubate a culture of love for the bay; videos on the Internet talking about preserving the environment, challenging people to think outside their norm, etc. WITHOUT BEING A HIPPY about it.

You just got to get used to him, and realize he's been bothered a million times by jumpy fishermen and bratty kids. He knows he's weird and cantankerous. Just be grateful and positively humorous yourself & he'll warm up. Definitely don't have an instant gratification attitude, just because your bringing your money to him you deserve anything. He's not in it for money, he's only doing it for love of the game. In this case it's his game and we just need to play along. One move in the game would be to buy a bucket from him & then return with the same bucket to re-use it. That says your paying attention. When you don't want the bucket anymore he'll give you a full refund even if the bucket's been thru hell.

Marin is a weird place and weird people come out of there, myself included  .

Well put, B. Shadee.

I like Keith. The only problem I have with him is him telling me he has live shiners only to get there and have him tell me..."Oh they'll be here in about an hour."

Other than that you gotta realize how many idiots he deals with on a daily basis.

You know... Keith's a shyster too!

Well, sorry everybody for being on a soap box. I guess that place just stirs my old memories.

i think keith told me that this year was 40 years at the bait shop? thirty something owning it (does he co-own with Art?)...the guy's a fixture and a fossil!