Most of my bass fishing is done in deeper water. I have caught hundreds of bass pulling wire line down in the deeper spots of San Francisco Bay, and have guided others to thousands more, but none of those bass caught in deeper water can compare to the excitement of catching them in thin tidal water. When hooked up in the shallows, bass have no where to go but out, and will make some determined runs whereas those caught in the deeper water tend to bulldog it with shorter runs. In addition, many of the thin water areas are accessible from shore, a boon to those who are boatless. As you may have gathered, most of this shallow water bass fishing takes place at night.
Stripers are naturally nocturnal, and relish the protection that darkness brings.
There are several areas around the bay where bass can be caught during the daylight hours, and we will target those areas later. It is easy to pick out those spots that are mainly nocturnal. Simply visit an area at low tide and if there isn't enough water there to cover a striper' s back, you can bet good money that there's a night time spot. Examples of these spots would be the water off of St. Francis Yacht Club, the aforementioned Warm Water Cove, Candlestick State Park, the Tubes on the Candlestick Causeway, Sierra Point, Oyster Point, Fisherman's Park, the Showboat, and Coyote Point. While fish can be caught soaking bait, tossing lures will often bring better results.