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Getting Ready for Northern California Saltwater Species

© Louis Bignami

STRIPED BASS fishing is never hotter than at the South Tower of the Golden Gate Bridge in June and July when minus tides flush anchovy and other baitfish out of San Francisco Bay. Party and party boaters line up to drift the south side of this massive pier. At times the action here smacks of Roller Derby, and you certainly need at least 30-pound test line to haul fish aboard. Party boats provide a better "bumper boat" and do book up daily, but weekdays provide a little space. Monday and Thursday seem the least crowded days, but the best action is on days with maximum differences between high and low water.

The usual striped bass alternative outside the gate sends live bait boats off the beaches to chum schools of stripers away from frustrated surf casters. There's no faster action. Pick a lively anchovy, hook it lightly through the lips and gently fling it out to the boils. Tip: Free spool line so the anchovy drops and you should get a bigger striper. Just keep the slack out with a thumb or finger, close the bait or tighten the drag as you drop the rod tip to point it at the fish and then heave home!

Aside from the beach action, striper boats head out towards Seal Rock and sometimes catch stripers balling baits near shore. In-bay action at Alcatraz and such on the incoming tide is a good bet. There are more stripers all the way up the Northern California coast and into Oregon, and a smaller striper fishery to the south - see sections

SIDEBAR: More than 30-ago, on a Monday when bookings were slow and party boat skippers and deckhands would go out to fish on their own, we had a day of limits. Stripers limits at the South Tower filled in 30 minutes: Halibut over by Seal Rocks came to gaff in an hour and change. Trolling over to Duxbury Reef limited everyone on salmon. We finished with full cod sacks off the Marin Coast. This may not have been the first "Potlucking" trip, but an ANGLER MAGAZINE article Filled the Monday booking slack in short order. Today, if you bring two or three rods to suit varied techniques, pot lucking is the best bet outside the peak periods when a single species smokes. Some skippers have even added bonus crab fishing - Given the depth of the water it's fortunately hydraulic rather than by hand, but at $5 a pound, six crabs certainly help offset charter fees! See Crabs below

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