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Fishing spots a neighbor actually knows

This is a local's guide to the fishing water of Marin and Sonoma counties: saltwater bays, piers, and open-coast beaches, freshwater lakes and reservoirs, and the rivers and creeks in between. For each spot it gives you what swims there, how you can fish it (shore, boat, or pier), and the rule or regulation to check before you cast, with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife as the final word on licenses, seasons, and limits.

Updated September 10, 2026 · Sales Associate · 01702383 · California

Ocean, bay & coast

Saltwater: bays, piers, and the open coast

From the long protected flats of Tomales Bay to the working harbor of Bodega Bay, this is where the North Bay's serious saltwater fishing happens. Some of these spots are walk-and-cast shore fishing, others are built around piers, boat launches, and harbor kayaks. The tides drive everything, so check the wind and the forecast before you pick one.

Photo coming

A placeholder image area for Tomales Bay. Peter photographs this water himself and will swap his own photo in here later.

01 Saltwater

Tomales Bay

A long, protected tidal bay and the classic West Marin fishing day.

West Marin, running from Point Reyes Station north to Dillon Beach

Fish it from shore, from a boat, or from one of the public piers for halibut, leopard shark, bat rays, striped bass, surfperch, and jacksmelt, with boat launches at Miller's Landing and hand launches near the highway.

Shore
Boat & kayak
Public piers

What's in the water

California halibut, leopard shark, bat rays, striped bass, surfperch, jacksmelt

Part of the bay sits inside the Tomales Bay Ecological Reserve; know the boundary lines before you anchor or dig bait.

Details and visitor info. CDFW: Tomales Bay Ecological Reserve

Photo coming

A placeholder image area for Lawson's Landing & Dillon Beach. Peter photographs this water himself and will swap his own photo in here later.

02 Saltwater

Lawson's Landing & Dillon Beach

Pier and surf fishing right at the mouth of Tomales Bay.

137 Marine View Drive, Dillon Beach

A private fishing resort open to day visitors: a long pier that fishes surfperch, jacksmelt, and halibut, surf-casting for barred and redtail surfperch plus striped bass in summer, and a boat ramp, bait shop, and rentals when you want a skiff on the bay.

Pier
Surf
Boat launch & rentals

What's in the water

Surfperch, jacksmelt, striped bass, halibut

Dillon Beach is privately operated; day-use parking and pier fees apply, so plan around the kiosk hours and book ahead on busy summer weekends.

Details and visitor info. Lawson's Landing: fishing

Photo coming

A placeholder image area for Bodega Bay. Peter photographs this water himself and will swap his own photo in here later.

03 Saltwater

Bodega Bay

Sonoma's working fishing harbor, from the jetties to the reefs.

Highway 1, about 60 minutes from Novato and Petaluma

Fish the harbor from the Doran spit and the great concrete jetties, launch a kayak or boat from the marina, or run the nearshore reefs for rockfish, lingcod, cabezon, and perch, with salmon as a seasonal prize offshore.

Shore & jetties
Marina ramp
Kayak
Charters & party boats

What's in the water

Rockfish, lingcod, cabezon, perch, halibut, salmon (seasonal)

The two big jetties (North Jetty at Bodega Head and the South Jetty off Doran Beach) fish well but get dangerous in rough water; never climb the rocks on big swells.

Details and visitor info. Sonoma County Parks: Doran Regional Park

Photo coming

A placeholder image area for Point Reyes National Seashore. Peter photographs this water himself and will swap his own photo in here later.

04 Saltwater

Point Reyes National Seashore

Open-ocean surf casting along miles of wild, windy beaches.

Point Reyes, from Drakes Bay north to Limantour and McClures

Park at the beach lots and walk out onto the sand to cast for surfperch, striped bass, halibut, and sole, with the sheltered water of Drakes Bay (Limantour and Drakes Beach) the calmest bets for stand-and-cast anglers.

Shore (beach fishing)
No ramp on the ocean side

What's in the water

Surfperch, striped bass, halibut, sole

Fishing is allowed from most seashore beaches and in Tomales Bay; the wild ocean beaches demand caution with sneaker waves, rip currents, and cold water.

Details and visitor info. NPS: Limantour Beach, Point Reyes

Photo coming

A placeholder image area for Bolinas Lagoon. Peter photographs this water himself and will swap his own photo in here later.

05 Saltwater

Bolinas Lagoon

A sheltered tidal estuary you can fish from the sand.

Bolinas, where Highway 1 and the coast meet

A roughly 1,100-acre tidal estuary and county preserve: stand on the sand at the north and south beach entrances or paddle a kayak for leopard shark, bat rays, striped bass, halibut, and perch working the channels and sandbars on the tide.

Shore
Kayak & small craft
No developed ramp

What's in the water

Leopard shark, bat rays, striped bass, halibut, perch

The lagoon is a Marin County preserve; it is a tidal system, so the best fishing rides the incoming tide, and some nearby areas are considering new fishing rules, so check signs at the beach.

Details and visitor info. Marin County Parks: Bolinas Lagoon

Lakes & reservoirs

Freshwater lakes and reservoirs

Marin and Sonoma reservoirs pull double duty as drinking water and fishable water, which is exactly why the boat rules differ lake to lake. Planted trout, plus healthy bass, crappie, and catfish fisheries, make these consistent family fishing lakes; just read each lake's boat and access rules before you go.

Photo coming

A placeholder image area for Lake Sonoma. Peter photographs this water himself and will swap his own photo in here later.

01 Freshwater

Lake Sonoma

Big, boat-friendly, and the best bass water in Sonoma County.

About 15 miles west of Healdsburg, on Dry Creek

A large Army Corps reservoir with launch ramps and marinas where boat fishing generally out-fishes the shore for largemouth and smallmouth bass, black crappie, rainbow trout, and channel catfish, plus landlocked Chinook salmon and steelhead, with Yorty Creek the main shore spot.

Boat ramps & marinas
Shore at Yorty Creek

What's in the water

Largemouth & smallmouth bass, crappie, rainbow trout, catfish, landlocked Chinook

Salmon and steelhead rules and trout limits can change by season, so read the current county and CDFW boards before you keep fish.

Details and visitor info. US Army Corps: fishing at Lake Sonoma

Photo coming

A placeholder image area for Spring Lake. Peter photographs this water himself and will swap his own photo in here later.

02 Freshwater

Spring Lake

A planted park lake with a short walk from the parking lot.

Spring Lake Regional Park, Santa Rosa

A year-round regional park lake stocked by CDFW with rainbow trout and holding largemouth bass and bluegill; fish it from the shoreline or from small craft, but only electric or non-combustion motors on the water.

Shore
Small boats (no gas motors)

What's in the water

Rainbow trout (stocked), largemouth bass, bluegill, redear sunfish

Lake Ralphine at Howarth Park, just north in Santa Rosa, offers the same stocked-trout fishing; check the park's postings for the current plant dates.

Details and visitor info. Sonoma County Parks: fishing

Photo coming

A placeholder image area for Stafford Lake. Peter photographs this water himself and will swap his own photo in here later.

03 Freshwater

Stafford Lake

Novato's drinking-water lake, with real shore fishing.

Off Novato Boulevard, about 3 miles west of downtown Novato

A 139-acre reservoir wrapped in Stafford Lake County Park: shore-only fishing for channel catfish, bluegill, and largemouth bass around the launch of the lake, with no boats allowed because it is the town's water supply, and plenty of disc golf and trails when the fish go quiet.

Shore only
No boats

What's in the water

Channel catfish, bluegill, largemouth bass, crappie

The park charges a day-use fee and closes at posted hours; bring your own gear, food, and water.

Details and visitor info. Visit Novato: Stafford Lake Park

Photo coming

A placeholder image area for Nicasio Reservoir. Peter photographs this water himself and will swap his own photo in here later.

04 Freshwater

Nicasio Reservoir

Marin's quiet, boat-free water for bass and catfish.

West Marin, along the road between Nicasio and Point Reyes

A wide, peaceful reservoir with roadside shoulder access and no boats of any kind: bank fishing for largemouth bass, crappie, channel catfish, and bluegill along the quiet shoreline off the county road.

Shore only
No boats, no ramp

What's in the water

Largemouth bass, crappie, channel catfish, bluegill

California's health advisory recommends limiting or avoiding largemouth bass and carp from Nicasio; read the state advisory before keeping anything.

Details and visitor info. State fish advisory: Nicasio Reservoir

Photo coming

A placeholder image area for Kent Lake. Peter photographs this water himself and will swap his own photo in here later.

05 Freshwater

Kent Lake

A hike-in watershed lake that gets stocked with trout.

In the Mount Tamalpais watershed, reached by trail above Alpine Lake

A quiet reservoir on the north flank of Mount Tamalpais that you reach by trail rather than ramp: the shorelines and coves fish for stocked rainbow trout plus largemouth bass and catfish from brushy bank casting water.

Hike in
Shore only
No ramp

What's in the water

Rainbow trout (stocked), largemouth bass, catfish

No facilities at the water's edge; pack in everything you need and pack out every line, hook, and wrapper you bring.

Details and visitor info. CDFW: public fishing locations in Marin

Photo coming

A placeholder image area for Phoenix Lake. Peter photographs this water himself and will swap his own photo in here later.

06 Freshwater

Phoenix Lake

A small Ross Valley reservoir with a flat, shaded loop trail.

Kentfield, at the south edge of Mount Tamalpais

A compact Marin Municipal reservoir at the foot of Mount Tam: fish the shoreline for largemouth bass, bluegill, and redear sunfish, with planted trout making appearances, and circle the water on a level trail that works with a family or a fly rod in hand.

Shore from the trail
No boats

What's in the water

Largemouth bass, bluegill, redear sunfish, rainbow trout

This is drinking water for central Marin: no swimming, no wading, and no boats, but the shoreline and trail are open to anglers all year.

Details and visitor info. CDFW: public fishing locations in Marin

Rivers & streams

Rivers and streams

Steelhead in the winter, striped bass in the fall, and a famous salmon spawn up Lagunitas Creek every year. River fishing here is seasonal by nature: flows, closures, and spawning protections move the rules around annually, so this section points you at the right stretch and the current regulations to check first.

Photo coming

A placeholder image area for Russian River. Peter photographs this water himself and will swap his own photo in here later.

01 Rivers

Russian River

The big river: steelhead, shad, bass, and a seasonal salmon run.

From Healdsburg to Jenner, along River Road

Pick a public bank spot like Guerneville, Monte Rio, Steelhead Beach, or Wohler Bridge for winter steelhead and rainbow trout, a late-fall salmon passage, and through the warm months striped bass, American shad, smallmouth bass, and catfish, or float a kayak and fish the gravel bars.

Shore from parks
Kayak & float

What's in the water

Steelhead, rainbow trout, chinook, striped bass, shad, smallmouth bass

Salmonid seasons, bait, and gear rules change every year and vary by river section; check the CDFW board for the Russian River before any trip.

Details and visitor info. Sonoma County Parks: fishing

Photo coming

A placeholder image area for Petaluma River. Peter photographs this water himself and will swap his own photo in here later.

02 Rivers

Petaluma River

A tidal river you can fish right in town.

From downtown Petaluma down to San Pablo Bay

A tidal river that runs from the Petaluma Marina past Shollenberger Park down to San Pablo Bay: cast stripers from the marina boardwalk or the park's edge, or launch a boat from the municipal ramp for striped bass (fall is prime), plus white sturgeon, leopard shark, bat rays, and flounder riding the tide.

Shore: marina & park
Ramp at Lakeville/Petaluma

What's in the water

Striped bass, white sturgeon, leopard shark, bat rays, flounder

A big tidal cycle with real current: the best fishing tracks the moving water, and the flats turn to mud quickly at low tide.

Details and visitor info. City of Petaluma: Marina & Turning Basin

Photo coming

A placeholder image area for Walker Creek. Peter photographs this water himself and will swap his own photo in here later.

03 Rivers

Walker Creek

A West Marin steelhead creek with its mouth on a bay.

Drainage runs into the east side of Tomales Bay

A short, cold creek that is mostly a winter steelhead stream: fishing is open only in the lower reach below Highway 1 near the mouth, where steelhead and passing coho stage before the spawn.

Lower reach by the bay
Roadside pullouts

What's in the water

Steelhead, coho (seasonal run)

Most of the Walker Creek watershed sits on private ranch land and is closed to angling; the legal fishing water is the short reach near the bay mouth.

Details and visitor info. California Trout: Walker Creek coho project

Photo coming

A placeholder image area for Lagunitas Creek. Peter photographs this water himself and will swap his own photo in here later.

04 Rivers

Lagunitas Creek

Marin's headline coho stream, best known for the winter spawn.

Through Samuel P. Taylor State Park, west Marin

Home to the largest wild coho spawning run on the Central California coast: fishing is tightly limited, but the reach between Alpine and Kent Lakes opens for trout fishing from late April into March, and the Leo T. Cronin Fish Viewing Area near Samuel P. Taylor Park is the perfect no-rod seat for the winter-run viewing.

Upper reach near Alpine & Kent
Viewing area lower down

What's in the water

Coho salmon (protected), steelhead, trout

Much of the lower creek closes entirely to angling to protect spawning fish; read the posted closures at each gate before you wade in.

Details and visitor info. Marin Water: fisheries & wildlife

Regulations and licenses: the CDFW rules rule every spot here.

Every one of the waters above, salt and fresh alike, is managed to the same book: a valid California sport fishing license for anyone 16 and older, plus the seasons, limits, gear, and special-area rules set by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. That means marine protected area lines in the bay, annual-held salmon closures on the rivers, reservoir-specific consumption advisories, and trout plan records on the lakes. The rules change by water and by season, so make it a habit to check the CDFW regulations page before every trip, the same way you check the tide.

California Department of Fish and Wildlife: fishing rules

The water tells you about the neighborhood.

When a buyer tells me they like to fish, I show them where they will actually stand and cast from their new home. If you are weighing Petaluma against Novato, or one side of the county against the other, these fishing spots are part of the equation, and I know them all.

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