No catechism but that Berkeley Berth has been the best accepted berth in the East Bay aback it was resurfaced and adequate aback in 1959. There’s no bigger abode to bolt jack and top smelt, branch and an array of flounders, arbiter and added basal dwellers. Alike the odd striper or halibut is begin here, and I once, in an El Nino year continued ago, bent 17 pompano!

Wind and tides key results. Admission tides ambit in from Richmond so that’s the ancillary of the berth to bend alike admitting best bend the adverse bottomward accepted side. If there’s no aboriginal incoming, bend the aftermost two hours of the approachable on the up accepted - Bay Bridge - ancillary of the berth instead. Come aboriginal and you abstain afternoon apprehension that addled up the shallows. Tip: on best summer canicule there will be brume in the Golden Gate. Back it clears you’ve got 30 account afore the apprehension arrive. It’s additionally advantageous to bend at night beneath the lights on calm nights.

Catching jack and top agglutinate is the activity accomplishment here. Rig ablaze rod with a long, not round, float and use three #10 continued brand snelled hooks three, bristles and seven anxiety below. Add abundant attempt to erect (stand up) the float. Thread on accumulation worms cut into segments a bit best than the bend shank. Agglutinate and, at low tide, branch on the basal hook, will chaw and accelerate the worms up the snell so you can bolt assorted bend on one bait. My brother Bruce holds the ancestors almanac with 13 agglutinate on one worm. He’s now a purist so catches his agglutinate today with baby streamers, and division ounce and abate spoons.

Cast at a 45 amount bend about 50 anxiety off one of the askance berth supports, reel in baggy so you can feel the float as it swings in appear the pier. Just afore the float hits the axle reel in smartly. Best hits will be felt, rather than seen. Don’t be afraid about addled a bend in. Take your time and you can apprehend double- or triple-headers.

While cat-and-mouse for the abbreviate periods of activity back agglutinate schools run you can either bend accumulation worms or mussels on #8 hooks as abutting to the pilings as possible, or casting added rigs with cut allurement or alive shiners abroad from the piers for stripers, sharks, skates or rays. Alive shiners fished bristles anxiety beneath floats and drifted abroad from the berth can aftermath stripers too.

The best spots to fish are the pier’s end, the right side about three quarters of the way out where there’s a shell bed, and, for bottom fish like little rockfish, just off the seawall.

Logistics are easy, there’s good parking, bathrooms at the pier base, all sorts of fish cleaning stations, several nearby restaurants, a marina bait and tackle shop with live bait and even a bus down University Avenue from UC Berkeley. 

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