Maya: Good morning, Bay Area anglers, and welcome to Tides and Fishing, San Francisco and San Pablo Bay. It is Tuesday, October sixth, twenty twenty-six, and I am Maya.
Devon: And I am Devon. It is early, the fleet is rolling, and the water is calling. Maya, what are the tides doing today?
Maya: Here are the Noah tide predictions for the central bay at San Francisco. Another classic mixed semidiurnal day, two unequal highs and two unequal lows. The first low came in at minus zero point zero six feet at two thirty-eight this morning, so right now the tide is on the flood, pushing back in.
Devon: A minus tide before dawn means the morning flood is your window.
Maya: Exactly. The first high is five point two five feet at nine forty-four A M, right when the party boats are settling onto the rockfish grounds. Then we slide back to a low of two point one one feet at three oh two this afternoon, and the day wraps with an evening high of five point five eight feet at eight fifty-eight P M.
Devon: And up in San Pablo Bay at Richmond?
Maya: Same shape, running a touch higher. Low of zero point zero eight feet at three fifteen A M, high of five point six two feet at ten eleven A M, second low of two point one nine feet at three thirty-nine this afternoon, and the high of the day, five point nine three feet, at nine twenty-six tonight.
Devon: Any above-normal flags on the board?
Maya: None at all. The flag threshold is seven feet, and the highest tide in the whole two-day outlook is that five point nine three footer at Richmond tonight. Tides are well within the normal range, with no coastal flooding concerns. For tomorrow, Wednesday October seventh, the pattern shifts a little later at San Francisco: a low of zero point zero seven feet at three twenty-five A M, a high of five point five four feet at ten nineteen A M, a low of one point four seven feet at three fifty-four this afternoon, and a high of five point five three feet at nine fifty-nine P M.
Devon: Tides sorted. Now the part everyone cares about. What is biting?
Maya: It is October in the Bay Area, and the fleet is writing big numbers. Yesterday at Emeryville, the New Huck Finn ran a full day with just thirteen anglers and put up limits of lingcod plus one hundred thirty rockfish, and because October keeps things interesting, they also landed a mako shark and a blue shark.
Devon: Limits of lingcod on a light load. That boat knows where they live.
Maya: It does. And the bonito blitz is still wide open. Yesterday the Happy Hooker put one hundred sixty-six bonito on the deck for fifteen anglers, that is full limits, plus about three quarters of a limit on rockfish and five lingcod. Their sister boat, the Pacific Dream, added one hundred seventy-six bonito. Between the two boats that is three hundred forty-two bonito in a single day.
Devon: That is a full-on wide-open bite. What about the salmon?
Maya: Still going. The California Dawn went out this morning with a light load specifically hunting salmon, right after a strong rockfish and lingcod combo trip yesterday in flat calm weather. And the reports keep backing it up: the Lovely Martha put eighteen salmon on the deck for sixteen anglers on a recent half day trip, and Hog Heaven reported twenty-three salmon up to thirty pounds. A second source confirms limits of ocean kings outside the Gate, and live-bait drifters inside the bay are still picking up striped bass, with limits on some days and a few halibut in the mix.
Devon: So where do I point the boat?
Maya: For the party-boat crowd: rockfish and lingcod on the coastal reefs and the islands, bonito all over the inshore water if you have the gear for a fast fish, and king salmon outside the Golden Gate. Inside the bay, if it gets choppy outside, the old standby is drifting live bait in the central bay for striped bass and the occasional halibut.
Devon: One heads-up for the weekend warriors: Fleet Week is coming, and the air show over the Bay is this Friday, so expect extra boat traffic on the water later this week.
Maya: Good call. Now, the marine weather. The National Weather Service forecast for the bay zones today is calm. In San Pablo Bay and the bay north of the Bay Bridge, expect a southwest wind around five knots, rising to five to ten knots in the afternoon. South of the Bay Bridge, a northwest wind around five knots, rising to five to ten knots in the afternoon.
Devon: Any warnings to worry about?
Maya: None. No small craft advisories, no gale warnings, no marine warnings of any kind are in effect for the bay today. Outside the Golden Gate, winds stay light too, with seas of three to four feet. So it is a green light for small boats today, with two cautions. First, there is patchy dense fog in the forecast for Tuesday morning, so run your radar and sound your horn if you are crossing the bar early. Second, the swell across the San Francisco Bar can run more than twice as high as the surrounding water, and the strongest ebb current hits two point two knots at two ten this afternoon, which is exactly when waves get cranky across the bar. Time your crossing for slack water if you can.
Devon: And looking ahead?
Maya: The outlook builds later in the week. Winds increase Friday into the weekend with near-gale to gale force gusts possible on the outer waters and seas building rough. Today is the calm window, so fish it while you have it.
Devon: Let us look up. What is the sky doing for the night anglers?
Maya: The sky is giving you a gift tonight. The moon is a thin waning crescent, only about a fifth of its face lit, and it does not rise until the small hours of the morning. That means the whole evening after sunset is essentially moonless. Dark water, dark skies.
Devon: No moon glare to wash out the stars or put off the night bite.
Maya: Exactly. And with dark skies, the autumn sky is yours. The Great Square of Pegasus is standing tall overhead, Cassiopeia rides high in the northeast like a crooked W, and the band of the Milky Way still arcs from southwest to northeast in the early evening. And here is a treat for the early risers: that thin crescent moon snuggles up to the bright planet Jupiter in the eastern sky before dawn. Back east the moon actually passes right in front of Jupiter in a rare occultation, but from our side of the country we just get the beautiful close pairing, and that is plenty.
Devon: But this is the Bay Area, so I have to ask about the fog.
Maya: You do, and here is the honest answer. The Weather Service is calling for patchy dense fog Tuesday morning along the coast, and the marine layer loves to slide in overnight even after a clear evening. So here is the deal: if the sky is clear at ten P M, get out there, because the stars will be spectacular. But do not be surprised if the fog eats the sky after midnight. Check the sky yourself before you commit to a late run, and bring a jacket either way.
Devon: Dark skies, big tides, and limits on the deck. That is an October Tuesday in the Bay Area.
Maya: It sure is. That is our briefing for Tuesday, October sixth. Fish the flood, mind the fog, respect the bar, and we will see you back here tomorrow morning with fresh tides, fresh scores, and the Wednesday outlook. Tight lines.