🎣 2025 Salmon Opener Report: Lessons from the Water

🎣 2025 Salmon Opener Report: Lessons from the Water

Salmon season kicked off with a bang in 2025. Nearly every angler in the Bay Area was on the water—private boats, six-pack charters, party boats—you name it. Most charters were limiting out on King salmon by 9 AM, heading back to port, reloading with a second group, and coming home with full coolers twice in a day.

Saturday, June 7

We left Alameda just after 6 AM, making our way through the Potato Patch and hugging the right side of the channel as we headed out toward Duxbury Reef. While conditions were downright pleasant that morning, leaving the Bay is never something to take lightly—the area around the Golden Gate can turn dangerous fast, especially in heavy swell or during strong tide exchanges. Always check your conditions and be ready for sudden changes.

  • West winds ranged from 4 to 14 mph

  • Swells were 4–5 ft with a steady 10-second period

  • Tides: Low at 5:05 AM, high at 11:42 AM, low again at 4:20 PM

We trolled Krippled anchovies behind flashers on Deep Six divers, working both the 80 ft and 50 ft zones—but no takers. With weather holding steady, we decided to run farther offshore to the Farallon Islands and tried a few exploratory passes along the southeast side. 

We were surrounded by bait and got a bit sidetracked watching the Humpback whales and mola molas cruising through the slick. Despite all the life in the water, it felt like a ghost town—no boats, no hookups, and no salmon. After a quick troll on the southeast side of the Farallons, we decided to head back toward the coast and spent the rest of the day working the Stinson Beach area. We saw a few hookups but had no bites ourselves.

Meanwhile, just a few miles away on the southwest side of the Farallons, tucked in a thick bank of fog, anglers were limiting out left and right. We missed the bite by a few miles and one patch of fog. That’s fishing.

Sunday, June 8

We adjusted our plan. This time, we left Alameda at 4 AM and crossed the bar just after 5, then ran left out the Gate, following a convoy of big charter boats straight toward the Farallons.

Conditions were rougher—ebb tide was moving hard at 4:48 AM (–0.3 ft), making for a choppy ride west. But by 7:30 AM, we had lines in the water and were surrounded by boats already hooking up.

We found ourselves right in the “salmon water”—that plankton-rich, reddish tint that often signals bait activity and feeding fish. We worked the 50 ft zone, and by 10 AM, we had our first limits of the season. The swell was still around 5 ft, but with a long 18-second period, the ride felt smooth and easy.

Our biggest fish of the weekend came that morning—a 10-pound King, caught while mooching a Krippled anchovy in the 30 ft zone. That bite made the trip.

We also lost two fish that just didn’t stick and picked up one undersized shaker before heading back.

🧭 Takeaways for the Season:

  • Follow the life. Look for bait balls, diving birds, red-tinted plankton blooms, or feeding whales—salmon are usually close behind.

  • Fish the fog. Some of the best bites happen right in the thick of it—don’t let low visibility fool you.

  • Mind the marine conditions. Long-period swells and moderate west winds made this opener fishable and productive.

  • Plan around the tides. Crossing the Golden Gate on an ebb can make or break your ride—know your tide tables.

  • Depth matters. We got the most action in the 50 ft range, but our biggest fish came out of 30 ft.

If this opening weekend taught us anything, it’s that location, timing, and ocean knowledge are everything. We’ll keep tracking conditions and sharing reports to help more anglers get on fish and stay safe out there. We're looking forward to hearing the official salmon counts from Fish and Game and keeping an eye on how the season progresses. If all goes well, we’ll be back on the water chasing Kings again July 5–6—rods ready and hopes high.

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