San Francisco Bay & Golden Gate Boats
Emeryville / Berkeley / Sausalito · near San Francisco / Berkeley · SF Bay Area
Fishing
At a glance
- Difficulty
- intermediate
- Best season
- Halibut & stripers spring–fall · salmon summer (quota) · rockfish outside
Permits and booking
- Licence required
- Yes
- Licence detail
- CA license (16+) required; sold aboard. Party boats from Emeryville, Berkeley, and Sausalito fish the bay for halibut/stripers and run outside the Gate for salmon and rockfish. Salmon quota-managed in 2026 — check CDFW.
What is here
- Features
- Fish beneath the Golden Gate & city skyline · Bay halibut & striped bass drifts · Salmon & rockfish outside the Gate · Iconic urban fishing
Worth knowing
- Dogs
- Not permitted
- Good for a first timer
- Yes
Fishing detail
- Water type
- ocean-boat
- Water
- salt
- Methods
- Trolling · Live bait · Drifting
- Boat
- boat
- Target species
- Halibut · Striped bass · King salmon (when open) · Lingcod & rockfish (outside)
- Intl tip
- Book from Emeryville Sportfishing, Berkeley Marina, or Sausalito. Bay halibut and stripers are the spring–fall staple; salmon (check CDFW) and rockfish are outside the Gate. Halibut drifting is beginner-friendly. The skyline views are unbeatable. Licenses aboard.
The guide
Fishing San Francisco Bay puts the Golden Gate Bridge, Alcatraz, and the city skyline as your backdrop while you drift for hali…
In the Guidebook
Everything above is yours for free. The written guide to San Francisco Bay & Golden Gate Boats — what it is actually like, and what we would tell a friend before they went — comes with the Guidebook.
Getting there
- Coordinates
- 37.838, -122.455