Tomales Help

I’m heading to Tomales Bay next weekend. My first time.
Any tips? Launch spot? Tackle? Lures?
Thanks in advance.

First if you are thinking of the 6th, or 7th the weather and tides are not looking good as of today.

Most launch at Miller Park in Marshall, but if you want a parking spot near the ramp you need to arrive 30 minutes before dawn. Otherwise you need to unload and then park in the overflow.

Live bait is best, and sometimes you can catch anchovies with a sabiki rig. Otherwise troll tray bait, or drift and jig a swim bait.

Most fish the channel on the other side of Hog Island. From the launch to Hog Island can be very shallow with a lot of eel grass so avoid those areas.

I’m planning on going there either On the 13th, or 14th. Tides look good so it is dependent on the weather. You can tag along if I decide to go.

I launched at Miller park in Tomales yesterday. Water was glass in the AM and still calm around noon. No luck, tried trolling but the eel grass was everywhere (including stuck up in my rudder). Lots of schools of jacksmelt. Thinking I might go back again whenever in the next 4 days if you end up going.

Is Miller Park open? Is it open for people from outside the county?

I met people from all over the world there on Wednesday...

The only thing I've caught out there are those shiners that are too big to drift. I love fishing out there because it's so flat but I've yet to get anything but those smelt

The only thing I've caught out there are those shiners that are too big to drift. I love fishing out there because it's so flat but I've yet to get anything but those smelt

Halibut got BIG mouth    I've caught them with 10" live Jack Smelts.

The only thing I've caught out there are those shiners that are too big to drift. I love fishing out there because it's so flat but I've yet to get anything but those smelt

My halibut average runs about .5 per trip, 40-50lbs bat rays 1.5 per trip, one hooked thresher shark, one unknown species of shark, lots of anchovies. I do much better in the SF Bay for halibut. However Tomales Bay is such a nature show it's totally worth it. You never know what you will see there.   

The only thing I've caught out there are those shiners that are too big to drift. I love fishing out there because it's so flat but I've yet to get anything but those smelt

Tomales has beaten me every time.

I've never caught a Hali or Striper, but I caught a total of 2 anchovies there last year 

Other than that, been skunked at least a dozen times at T-bay.  I've tried drift rigs with frozen herring I netted at Ferry Point, white scampi jigs, even the old ocean standard of squid.  Most of my attempts have been west to south of Hog, in 10'-40' in the channels, next to the channels, on the flats, etc.  I try to follow any location hints people have given me at the boat ramp, here, or at the Lawson's blog.

Nada, except for one scratched herring that came back missing a bite...between the hook and stinger hook.

I always see people cleaning fish by the launch.

This year i've bought a fish/depth finder, read every fishing report I can find about Tomales, watched probably every youtube vid of someone fishing there (they all make it look easy), and even studied the depth charts of the bay.

Gonna keep trying to catch some live bait to drift, and next time probably take some frozen anchovies as a backup.

Good luck

Is Miller Park open? Is it open for people from outside the county?

I met people from all over the world there on Wednesday...

What is the cost for parking, and do they still have the credit card Kiosk?

Is Miller Park open? Is it open for people from outside the county?

I met people from all over the world there on Wednesday...

What is the cost for parking, and do they still have the credit card Kiosk?

5$ and kiosk seemed to function...there's a big one in there for you...hopefully Spiffy as well...

The only thing I've caught out there are those shiners that are too big to drift. I love fishing out there because it's so flat but I've yet to get anything but those smelt

Those are both the standard baits, they'll slam a 6" perch or a 6-8' smelt any day...

The only thing I've caught out there are those shiners that are too big to drift. I love fishing out there because it's so flat but I've yet to get anything but those smelt

Tomales has beaten me every time.

I've never caught a Hali or Striper, but I caught a total of 2 anchovies there last year 

Other than that, been skunked at least a dozen times at T-bay.  I've tried drift rigs with frozen herring I netted at Ferry Point, white scampi jigs, even the old ocean standard of squid.  Most of my attempts have been west to south of Hog, in 10'-40' in the channels, next to the channels, on the flats, etc.  I try to follow any location hints people have given me at the boat ramp, here, or at the Lawson's blog.

Nada, except for one scratched herring that came back missing a bite...between the hook and stinger hook.

I always see people cleaning fish by the launch.

This year i've bought a fish/depth finder, read every fishing report I can find about Tomales, watched probably every youtube vid of someone fishing there (they all make it look easy), and even studied the depth charts of the bay.

Gonna keep trying to catch some live bait to drift, and next time probably take some frozen anchovies as a backup.

Good luck

You'll geetum...don't know why some catch and some don't.  There are personal nuances that I've learned that work for me but skunks are not rare...the recent bite has been at the top of the incoming and then again at the outgoing...check your bait every 15 to 20 minutes to make sure it looks yummy...ride them ledges and keep a tight circle if you smell fish...the bite does turn on and off, just gotta be on the fish which is the hope...

You'll geetum...don't know why some catch and some don't.  There are personal nuances that I've learned that work for me but skunks are not rare...the recent bite has been at the top of the incoming and then again at the outgoing...check your bait every 15 to 20 minutes to make sure it looks yummy...ride them ledges and keep a tight circle if you smell fish...the bite does turn on and off, just gotta be on the fish which is the hope...

Thanks for the reply, gonna keep at it!  Feel like hali might be on the menu this summer...

Tomales is a great equalizer. It’s smallish and there really are no secrets about fishing there. There’s a few guys who crush it out there, and a lot who go without.

Don’t shy away from huge baits, just give them more time to swallow it. Also don’t shy away from tiny baits like 3 or 4 inch anchovies. The trick with the tiny baits is keeping them alive. Small light wire hooks with a rapala knot or similar loop knot to keep them swimming free. Also light mono so they can swim free. Heavy mono or flouro will drag against a small chovie and they will die pretty quickly. Same with big heavy hooks. Look into SoCal live bait fishing for ideas on anchovies. And again I’m serious about light gear for the tiny anchovies. Whatever you think is light enough go half again 

 For me, Halibut, Leopard, Seven Gill, Spiny Dogfish, Smooth Hound, Bat Ray, Staghorn Sculpin, Mackerel, red crab, dungeness,

Then there's the occasional Striper and even WSB,   

Tomales is an awesome place, If you get tired of drifting with no action, anchor up and drop some bait, sharks n rays galore, (usually but not always), I have had full days with 0 action.

Have seen haliibut caught farther south into the bay over the flats.