posted 05-02-2010 02:58 PM ET (US)        

I've been flying in and out of Oakland and San Francisco more than usual recently, and it occurred to me that I hardly ever see any small skiffs fishing the area near the airports, despite the presence of plenty of marinas and boating activity. The first conclusion I'm forced to jump to is, that there simply aren't many fish in those areas? But why? Is it that those areas a relatively structure-free, mud flats?

I'm relatively new to nearshore fishing, only about a year of experience. In my local area, Santa Barbara, there are rich kelp forests just outside the harbor, to the right. They are full of fish. I see them on days when the water is clear. BUT almost nobody fishes there. I used to fish there nearly every day the surf was flat, and hardly caught anything. I remain completely baffled as to why the fish "just don't bite" in that area. Yet if I go out the harbor and turn left, just east of the pier, there is a very thin kelp stand, and you almost always catch something. The fish there DO bite.

So, back to the lower SF bay again. Is it that there are plenty of fish, but they just don't bite? Or just no fish?

And why the heck do fish not bite, even when there are plenty of them? Maybe that's the universal whine of all fishermen?

-Peter

posted 05-03-2010 11:33 AM ET (US)            

Another factor is just human nature many people do not take the time to learn a particular body of water and they flock to where others are already catching. The deeper draft party boats and commercial guys stick to the deeper water and the recreational anglers assume that where the party boats and commercials are is where the fish are. So they fish the same deep water even though their shallow draft boats could fish the shallow water. Let me tell you if a party boat goes in shallow a bunch of skiffs will be around him like flies in a matter of minutes. As soon as a bunch of the small boats move in to the shallow water the fish will be gone or they will just shut down. Seen it happen many times.

Most people fishing the bay fish the edge of the channels and most game fish are caught in water from 10 - 30 feet deep i.e. the edge of the channels/deeper water. There are some excellant striper and sturgeon areas in the south bay especially when there is a herring spawn but they are not as well known as the Berkely flats, Oyster point, San Bruno Shoals or Alameda Rockwall. As long as people are catching fish in the better known locations there is no reason for most anglers to try to hunt down a new area.

Why fish bite or when has always been the question fisherman ask. Try fishing those areas one hour on either side of the tide change that is when the fish are most active. Sometimes a bite lasts only 20-30 minutes and you have to be there at the right time to catch em.

posted 05-10-2010 01:52 AM ET (US)            

That said, the fishing can be very good working the channels in those flats. Mostly very shallow, but can be very productive.

You usually come in from the South, and most boats are North of the runway.