McNears Beach Pier
San Rafael, San Pablo Bay — the winter sturgeon shoreline.
When: The big winter ebb is the tide — fish the windows around the low turns, strongest after a week of rain. Summer evenings for sharks.
How: Grass or ghost shrimp on a sturgeon snell, heavy weight to hold the ebb. Sturgeon are catch-and-release, single barbless hook — check the current rules before targeting.
Marin county park (entry fee); license required on this pier. Full facilities.
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What to target at McNears Beach Pier
Peak targets first. Open each fish for the spots, technique, and the exact rod-reel-rig setup to bring.
Leopard sharkPeak
Best time: Any moving tide; evening into dark is prime, especially a summer flood over warm flats.
Where: Mudflats and channels bay-wide — South Bay sloughs, Candlestick, Berkeley pier area, Crissy Field on the flood.
How: Soak an oily bait on the bottom in a moving tide and let them eat. The most reliable big-fish tug in the bay, great from shore.
| Rod | 8'–10' medium-heavy surf or boat rod |
| Reel | 6000-size spinning or small conventional |
| Line | 40–50 lb braid, 40 lb mono top-shot or leader |
| Rig | Fish-finder/sliding rig, 4–8 oz pyramid weight, 5/0–7/0 circle hook, short wire or 60 lb mono bite leader |
| Bait | Midshipman, mackerel chunks, squid, salmon bellies — the oilier the better |
36" minimum, bag of 3 (verify current CDFW regs).
Striped bassIn season
Best time: Last two hours of the ebb or flood at dawn or dusk — moving water plus low light is the whole formula.
Where: Everywhere current pushes bait — Raccoon Strait, Alameda rockwall, Oyster Point, Brothers/Sisters islands, beach troughs at Ocean Beach in fall.
How: Fish the last two hours of a big ebb or flood. Toss swimbaits and topwater at dawn, or soak cut bait on the bottom. Trolling worm-tail jigs covers water fast.
| Rod | 7'–9' medium-heavy spinning |
| Reel | 4000–5000 spinning reel |
| Line | 30 lb braid, 20 lb mono or fluoro leader |
| Rig | ¾–2 oz jig heads, hard baits, or a fish-finder rig for bait |
| Bait | 6" paddle-tail swimbaits, Pencil Poppers, anchovies, bullheads, pile worms |
18" minimum, 2-fish bag (verify current CDFW regs).