Who is in the lakes and streams?

.....but what about next year?   


Is salt water completely off the table?  You have linda mar in your backyard, half moon bay 15 minutes down the coast, 25-30 minutes over the hill to oyster point, santa cruz about an hour south and another 35-40 minutes you got monterey.  If you ever decided to fish the salt you'd be set.....   

You are so right...but I am not experienced in the salt...

The tides, rip currents, keeping up with the tide charts etc...I will have to learn that little by little...not to mention I feel safer going out by my self in a lake versus the cold ass pacific.  But we will see...I tried surfing once...I sold my board a week later...cold water is for the birds...

Plenty of smaller lakes in/near the bay area that are kayak'able

I saw the ones in the east bay...Livermore and Chabot look nice.  Chabot has an algae problem. 

Livermore looks like a much cleaner lake. 

Lake Merced is a cesspool and should be pumped dry.  What a shit show for a lake in one of the most expensive places to live in the nation.  Sad really.

Anderson & Coyote are just south.  Coyote has some good bass fishing & there are some good areas to Anderson though a bit of a paddle from the launch.  All of which require a mussel inspection as does most all lakes in CA.

+1 on not eating anything that comes out of almost any lake in CA due to high mercury levels.

You are so right...but I am not experienced in the salt...

The tides, rip currents, keeping up with the tide charts etc...I will have to learn that little by little...not to mention I feel safer going out by my self in a lake versus the cold ass pacific.  But we will see...I tried surfing once...I sold my board a week later...cold water is for the birds...

lol, I hear ya. I don't know if I just got lazy or old but getting suited up on the side of the highway, dragging my yak a 1/4 mile through the sand and getting beaten up by wind and chop has lost a bit of its appeal 

Its not always like that though, people tend  behave like yakfishing is the preparation/equipment equivalent to a space flight.  The pacific should always be respected but that doesn't mean you can't just slip on a wetsuit, grab your radio and go pothole the kelp beds for cod just outside the harbor in hmb for a couple hours.  That's pretty much what a lot of us did when we were still figuring this game out, in a lot of ways it was a lot more fun.
       

True, 

I may just give up on this "want" and try to find something else to get into...Going to fish in a polluted lake to catch fish you cant eat just sounds absolutely retarded and a waste of money in my opinion.

For those who live in the better parts of Ca, I am super jealous of you all.  lol.   

I don't know if I just got lazy or old       

Why can't it be both? 

Not all of these allow kayaks/boats. But here's a basic list of places to go fishing in the Bay area off the top of my head...I probably forgot a few.
East bay: Del Valle, Chabot, Shadow Cliffs, Quary Lakes, San Pablo, Los Vaqueros, Don Castro, Elizabeth, Lake Merritt, Temescal, Contra Loma, Lafeyette Res, the Delta!
Peninsula: gross Lake Merced
South bay: Anderson, Coyote, Calero, Chesbro, Uvas, Almaden, Guadalupe, Stevens Creek Res, Lexington, Cunningham, Sandy Wool, Vasona, Coyote Creek, O'Neill Forebay, San Luis res, Los Banos res, Henry Coe backcountry, Pinto lake
North bay: Bon Tempe, Lagunitas, Nicasio, Kent Lake, Berryessa, Hennessy, Sonoma, Napa River, Putah Ck, Russian River

When it comes to freshwater options, the peninsula sucks. But you at least have closer opportunities than down here in Monterey...I have to drive at least an hour for fishable water...usually more like 2-3hrs. But then again, I am like 2 minutes from the ocean so....

I don't know if I just got lazy or old       

Why can't it be both? 

Not all of these allow kayaks/boats. But here's a basic list of places to go fishing in the Bay area off the top of my head...

No personal watercraft (boats, canoes, kayaks and/or float tubes) are allowed on Los Vaqueros. 

Going to fish in a polluted lake to catch fish you cant eat just sounds absolutely retarded and a waste of money in my opinion.

I do it all the time.....I enjoy fishing......and it's cheaper than seeing a shrink 

True, 

I may just give up on this "want" and try to find something else to get into...Going to fish in a polluted lake to catch fish you cant eat just sounds absolutely retarded and a waste of money in my opinion.

For those who live in the better parts of Ca, I am super jealous of you all.  lol.   

You COULD eat them, it just isn't suggested that you do so    Why do guys fish bass tournaments?  They sure don't eat their catch!  Seems like you might be better off on dry land ... 

I grew up bass fishing...its fun...but I like to take a weekend...go camping, kayaking, etc.

Too many rules, regulations here.  Boats arent aloud here but you can camp...but dont get in the water...

Boats are aloud here...you can get in the water...but you cant camp...

Lol what a shit show.

I gotta get back to the gulf...or move to hawaii. lol.

Country boy trapped on the peninsula...thats all I have to say.  hahahaha

I am going to go do a charter boat every other month...that should get my ich fixed for the moment...and I can kick back and fish for fish I can eat.

I lived in Florida for several years.  Diversity of fishing here is, in my opinion, as good.  Not as many large game species but being located here on the coast, within a few hours drive I can be in fresh or salt or high sierra lakes/streams/mountains.  Have to factor in a little drive time for the pleasure of fishing these areas.  Regulations in other states are getting as bad as ours.  Slot size limits, fewer bag limits, etc...  What they don't tell you in other states is that the fish are, in some cases just as contaminated, yet CA mandates that it tells the residents ... other places they don't care enough to tell you.  I'd be hard pressed to eat any shellfish, shrimp or most fish from the Gulf since the BP spill.  That ecosystem took a hard hit.  We won;t be much better off here on the west with the warm, nuclear water coming our way. 

I grew up bass fishing...its fun...but I like to take a weekend...go camping, kayaking, etc.

Too many rules, regulations here.  Boats arent aloud here but you can camp...but dont get in the water...

Boats are aloud here...you can get in the water...but you cant camp...

Lol what a shit show.

I gotta get back to the gulf...or move to hawaii. lol.

Country boy trapped on the peninsula...thats all I have to say.  hahahaha

Bout the closest to camping, kayaking, hiking, quality water & fish, etc. locally is Lake Sonoma. I'm sure there are others but I am quite fond of that lake!

Of course, you have to find a local lake with WATER in it first!