Summary: It's a new year and there are some serious changes that shoreliners must be aware of.  First and foremost are the draconian restrictions on rockfish, including monkeyface eel,  lingcod, greenling, cabezon, and the sebastes genus of rockfish: you can't keep any from now until July 1.  Don't get busted!  Also be sure you stay out of the closed area when you are quarrying after sturgeon.
 
 
 

STRIPED BASS: Not great locally.  Stripers are getting caught in San Pablo Bay on a variety of baits, mostly by sturgeon hunters using shrimp offerings, and the usual cut baits will also produce. Point Pinole and across to China Camp is the range, with shots by the mouths of Sonoma Creek and the Petaluma River. Live bullheads are good from Glen Cove through the Benicia Bridge, and mudsuckers are attracting some big loners in Montezuma Slough.

STURGEON:  The good news is that the Closure isn't hurting anyone because the fish haven't been active within these borders for some time.  The bad news is that they haven't been  snatching baits elsewhere, either.  Best bets, such as they be, are the South Bay near the Oakland Airport and Point Pinole.  Montezuma Slough has them at the bridge and the old red barn pier area.  Shrimp baits, salmon roe, eels, all are equally so-so.  Still no word on herring spawns.

PERCH: Wintertime patterns are in full force.  Black, white, and pile perch are all available on pile worms and grass shrimp along the rocks and pilings of the East Bay.  Work the incoming tide through the top and stay close for the black perch and pile perch.  Cast out about 20 feet for the white perch.   When the outgoing gets rolling the action dies hard.  Wait for the bottom of the tide and fish the rocky shelves by both towers of the Golden Gate Bridge for striped, pile, black, and rubberlip perch, all in fairly nice sizes.  Limits are pretty common nowadays.

MISCELLANEOUS SPECIES:   Kingfish are all over the bays, especially in the deeper channels.  Flounder are in the mudflats in San Pablo Bay.