SF Bay - Where to fish?

[BackCountryHNTR]

Hello,

Can you recommend some places to go and try surf or pier fishing close to the Bay Area? I'm completely new to fishing so any suggestions are welcome

Thanks!

 

[palladin]

You should probably double check, as I haven't been there in a while, but I think you can still fish and crab pot off of the Santa Cruz pier.

 

[Shmave23]

What do you wanna fish for???? Ive been to all the Santa Cruz and Capitola piers. For sharks and rays we go to a pier that is right under the benicia bridge. Ive personally seen a dude pull out a 6ft 7gill shark from the pier. Ive pulled out a few nice size lepoard sharks. Just fun to have them put up a good fight. Catch and Release always tough.

-Dave

 

[palladin]

What do you wanna fish for???? Ive been to all the Santa Cruz and Capitola piers. For sharks and rays we go to a pier that is right under the benicia bridge. Ive personally seen a dude pull out a 6ft 7gill shark from the pier. Ive pulled out a few nice size lepoard sharks. Just fun to have them put up a good fight. Catch and Release always tough.

-Dave

Making a LARGE set of pliers an essential accessory! :thumbs up2:

 

[BackCountryHNTR]

Thanks guys!
Shmave23, well ideally I would like to eat some of what I catch and the gear I have is limited, so probably no sharks right now, maybe some bass or other smaller fish...I went once to Martinez marina, but did not catch anything...actually I've never catch anything, so any suggestions are welcome. Santa Cruz sounds like a fun trip, but anything closer to Concord, would be great...What do you think of the Pittsburg pier?

 

[Shmave23]

Ive never been to Pittsburg pier but try it out. I would apply the same tactics as SC and Cap. piers.

If you try Santa Cruz or Capitola piers. Bring two or three rigs depending on how many people are gonna go with you. One on your poles should be rigged with the (multie hook w/ flashy jig set up) I dunno what else to call it. Put little bits of shrimp and strait down from the pier catching your LIVE BAIT (usually macrell's) for your other rigs. Get some sinker slider set ups if you dont already have them. Hook them in the nose or tail whatever and toss that sucker in hopefully he's still swimming.
-I never usually use floater's.
Dont use a crab net there are allot of sea lions and they will take what ever you tie onto your crab net or basket. Had allot of Samon heads stolen. Need to crab away from piers where there are not a family of sea lions living.
I hope you catch something good to eat.:toast-yellow:

-Dave

 

[BackCountryHNTR]

Thanks man! That sounds like could be a lot of fun!

 

[Tino B]

The Martinez marina has a pier where guys do OK on striper.
Its not the most fun fishing just waiting in the wind but they do catch plenty when the weather is right.
There is also bank fishing at a place called Lake Chabot not too far away.
Took the wife there and had a good time fishing for rainbow trout, bass, and blue gill.
I do not fish much close to home and prefer to spearfish in the ocean.
Good luck.

 

[Live2hunt]

Del Valle Reservoir in Livermore has some nice trout. I heard they have stripers there too but I've never caught any.

 

[BackCountryHNTR]

Thanks guys!

Tino, what would you consider to be the "right weather"? Thanks again

 

[Shmave23]

The Martinez marina has a pier where guys do OK on striper.
Its not the most fun fishing just waiting in the wind but they do catch plenty when the weather is right.
There is also bank fishing at a place called Lake Chabot not too far away.
Took the wife there and had a good time fishing for rainbow trout, bass, and blue gill.
I do not fish much close to home and prefer to spearfish in the ocean.
Good luck.

Lake Chabot is where its at if you wanna catch a lunker of a trout. They are always planting there. On tues they have a discount on half price boat rentals. Every once in a while they'll get a few truck loads of Canadian raised trout all trophy size 5-10lbs. And I believe the biggest bass ever caught out of there was 17lbs. nicknamed "Dotty".

-Dave

 

[palladin]

Del Valle Reservoir in Livermore has some nice trout. I heard they have stripers there too but I've never caught any.

I'd second Del Valle. I had a great time when I was there last. Along with
stripers, they plant trout and channel cats.

 

[BackCountryHNTR]

Nice! Lots of options close by...Anyone tried Lafayette Reservoir?

 

[shoottime]

Another option close to Del Valle is Shadow Cliffs Reservoir. It is a lot smaller and is more protected from the wind. They plant many of the same species as Del Valle, trout, largemouth bass, catfish, but it doesn't contain the stripers. I hear that the stripers in Del Valle feed on the trout that they stock, that is another reason they plant larger fish, they don't become Purina Fish food.

As for Santa Cruz and Capitola piers, they're slow right now, except for perch. A better bet is to walk the beaches south of Capitola looking for the rip currents and throw little curly tail grubs and retrieve just off the bottom. Once you find one, many more will follow in that same spot. The piers fish best in the spring and summer when the bait is in and the halibut are right behing them as well as stripers off the beaches below Capitola clear to the mouth of the Salinas River.

You might also think about getting a steelhead card and head to our northern rivers for steelhead. Mattole, Eel, Russian, Mad, Van Duzen, 10 Mile, Gualala, Noyo, Navarro, Trinity, Klamath, and Smith are just some of them and all can be productive. The San Lorenzo in Santa Cruz can be good, but you have to know where and how to fish it. It is my local river and I'll be heading out Sat. morning for the first time this season. The main thing, get out there and try. It beats working!!!

 

[BackCountryHNTR]

Thanks Shoottime! Yeah it definitely beats working!

I'll try and go out this Sunday...maybe in the early afternoon, so it's not so freaking cold....brrrrr brrrr:snowflakes:
:toast-yellow: