Select a state to find fishing and boating information:
Get A Fishing License
Get started fishing today, purchase your fishing license online, check regulations and more.
Register A Boat
Register your boat today. Learn how to register your vessel, boating laws and more.
Home > Take Me Fishing Blog > March 2018 > Top Reasons to plan a San Francisco Salmon Fishing Trip
When folks talk about where to fish in California these days, a surprise pops up. In 2017 San Francisco salmon fishing was hot. The weather is starting to warm, and spring is a short time away which makes salmon fishing San Francisco a “must do” experience
Charter captains running San Francisco fishing trips are optimistic. In the past, fish stocks of between 800,000 and 1 million were considered normal. Those numbers aren't bad but considering the number of salmon in other parts of the Pacific Northwest they're a bit flat. But then a little magic happened. In 2014, the results of a stocking of 12 million juvenile salmon from the Coleman National Fish Hatchery showed up off of the San Francisco coast, and everyone was hooking up. This stocking happened thanks to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Gold Gate Salmon Associate, so thanks to them for their efforts. Here's how to get in on the action.
Look for big tides around the May and June full and new moons. Those tides move a lot of water and it's the time when saltwater fish move. Water temperatures in the low 50's are prime time for San Francisco salmon fishing. That's also a good time to look for good amounts of plankton which then attracts baitfish. If that all lines up this spring it should be an epic salmon fishing season.
Salmon traditionally are caught in the spring and summer in Northern California. The coast of Marin and the southern tip of the Pt. Reyes peninsula are solid fisheries. In late summer they'll move further north towards Sacramento.
Trolling is a common way to catch these salmon. Diving planes and cannonball sinkers put lures at the 15-20 foot depth. Downriggers are also used as they'll get the lures to between 50 and 100 feet deep. Hot top water action comes from captains who follow the birds, and live bait like anchovies, plugs or softplastics are top producers.
This spring and summer stay focused on San Francisco salmon fishing reports. With luck those young fish will be bigger this year.
Do you like this content? Subscribe to our Newsletter and get all the information you need to learn, plan, and equip for your next fishing adventure.
Tom Keer is an award-winning writer who lives on Cape Cod, Massachusetts. He is a columnist for the Upland Almanac, a Contributing Writer for Covey Rise magazine, a Contributing Editor for both Fly Rod and Reel and Fly Fish America, and a blogger for the Recreational Boating and Fishing Foundation’s Take Me Fishing program. Keer writes regularly for over a dozen outdoor magazines on topics related to fishing, hunting, boating, and other outdoor pursuits. When they are not fishing, Keer and his family hunt upland birds over their three English setters. His first book, a Fly Fishers Guide to the New England Coast was released in January 2011. Visit him at www.tomkeer.com or at www.thekeergroup.com.
The largemouth bass is the most popular freshwater game fish in the U.S. Learn more about how you can identify a largemouth bass, where to catch it and what bait and lures to use.
NEWSLETTER SIGNUP
Sign-up to receive our monthly newsletter with interesting blogs about fishing and boating. Get fishing tips and tricks and read personal stories from anglers who live and breathe fishing and boating. Learn new fishing skills, boating resources, fishing etiquette, conservation and more.
Please complete the following fields to subscribe to our newsletter.
SUBSCRIBERS PREFERENCES
What information would you like?