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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 October 27, 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.

Before you go

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

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

Shore
Boat & kayak
Public piers

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

01 Saltwater

Tomales Bay

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.

What's in the water

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

Details and visitor info. CDFW: Tomales Bay Ecological Reserve

Before you go

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

137 Marine View Drive, Dillon Beach

Pier
Surf
Boat launch & rentals

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.

02 Saltwater

Lawson's Landing & 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.

What's in the water

Surfperch, jacksmelt, striped bass, halibut

Details and visitor info. Lawson's Landing: fishing

Before you go

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

Highway 1, about 60 minutes from Novato and Petaluma

Shore & jetties
Marina ramp
Kayak
Charters & party boats

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.

03 Saltwater

Bodega Bay

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.

What's in the water

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

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

Before you go

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

Point Reyes, from Drakes Bay north to Limantour and McClures

Shore (beach fishing)
No ramp on the ocean side

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.

04 Saltwater

Point Reyes National Seashore

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.

What's in the water

Surfperch, striped bass, halibut, sole

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

Before you go

A sheltered tidal estuary you can fish from the sand.

Bolinas, where Highway 1 and the coast meet

Shore
Kayak & small craft
No developed ramp

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.

05 Saltwater

Bolinas Lagoon

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.

What's in the water

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

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.

Before you go

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

About 15 miles west of Healdsburg, on Dry Creek

Boat ramps & marinas
Shore at Yorty Creek

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

01 Freshwater

Lake Sonoma

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.

What's in the water

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

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

Before you go

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

Spring Lake Regional Park, Santa Rosa

Shore
Small boats (no gas motors)

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.

02 Freshwater

Spring Lake

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.

What's in the water

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

Details and visitor info. Sonoma County Parks: fishing

Before you go

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

Off Novato Boulevard, about 3 miles west of downtown Novato

Shore only
No boats

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

03 Freshwater

Stafford Lake

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.

What's in the water

Channel catfish, bluegill, largemouth bass, crappie

Details and visitor info. Visit Novato: Stafford Lake Park

Before you go

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

West Marin, along the road between Nicasio and Point Reyes

Shore only
No boats, no ramp

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

04 Freshwater

Nicasio Reservoir

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.

What's in the water

Largemouth bass, crappie, channel catfish, bluegill

Details and visitor info. State fish advisory: Nicasio Reservoir

Before you go

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

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

Hike in
Shore only
No ramp

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

05 Freshwater

Kent 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.

What's in the water

Rainbow trout (stocked), largemouth bass, catfish

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

Before you go

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

Kentfield, at the south edge of Mount Tamalpais

Shore from the trail
No boats

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.

06 Freshwater

Phoenix Lake

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.

What's in the water

Largemouth bass, bluegill, redear sunfish, rainbow trout

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.

Before you go

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

From Healdsburg to Jenner, along River Road

Shore from parks
Kayak & float

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.

01 Rivers

Russian River

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.

What's in the water

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

Details and visitor info. Sonoma County Parks: fishing

Before you go

A tidal river you can fish right in town.

From downtown Petaluma down to San Pablo Bay

Shore: marina & park
Ramp at Lakeville/Petaluma

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

02 Rivers

Petaluma River

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.

What's in the water

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

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

Before you go

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

Drainage runs into the east side of Tomales Bay

Lower reach by the bay
Roadside pullouts

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.

03 Rivers

Walker Creek

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.

What's in the water

Steelhead, coho (seasonal run)

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

Before you go

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

Through Samuel P. Taylor State Park, west Marin

Upper reach near Alpine & Kent
Viewing area lower down

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

04 Rivers

Lagunitas Creek

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.

What's in the water

Coho salmon (protected), steelhead, trout

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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