San Francisco, CA

Rockfish (Sebastes spp.)

Sebastes spp.

Dozens of species share one habit: structure. Rockfish are the reliable backbone of BC bottom fishing and perfect for new boat anglers.

Largemouth Bass

Micropterus salmoides

Ambush predators of warm, weedy water. Bass reward anglers who fish cover precisely and slow down when the sun is high.

California Halibut

Paralichthys californicus

California's inshore flatfish, an ambush predator that lies on sand beside channels, piers and rock in bays and along open beaches. Slow-bounced swimbaits and live bait drifted along bottom are the standard producers.

Albacore Tuna

Thunnus alalunga

A fast, schooling tuna that visits the west coast in summer and fall where warm blue water pushes inshore. Albacore are found by trolling temperature breaks, then taken on live bait and jigs once a school is stopped at the boat.

Striped Bass

Morone saxatilis

A powerful migratory bass shared by both coasts — Atlantic beaches and rivers, and San Francisco Bay and Delta on the Pacific side. Stripers school on baitfish, feed hard at night and in current, and hit plugs, swimbaits and bait alike.

Redtail Surfperch

Amphistichus rhodoterus

The largest and most popular surfperch on the Pacific coast, caught by wading sandy beaches and casting small baits into the troughs. Redtails school just behind the breakers and bite sand crabs and shrimp readily.

Pacific Mackerel

Scomber japonicus

The west coast's bait-machine — Pacific mackerel swarm piers and kelp lines in green-backed schools, keeping pier kids busy and filling bait tanks for the whole fishery.

Barred Surfperch

Amphistichus argenteus

The king of the California beach — barred surfperch crush sand crabs in the trough all winter, giving surf casters big, broad-shouldered fights in knee-deep foam.