Summary:  Hot weather is a plus for stirring up the spawnish mood.  The fish are moving.  Minus tide cycles are shifting to the morning hours.  The watchword is Change. 
 

STRIPED BASS:  Better than it's been.  Ashby/Frontage Road, Marina Bay, China Camp, Sonoma Creek have all provided one or two nice keepers in the past week.  Pile worms and cut baits were responsible.  This time of year sees stripers meandering between the Bay Bridge and Crockett/Vallejo Bridge--they either aren't going upriver to spawn or just taking their time.  They are not returnees from the Delta.  But Spring makes them mobile and predatory just the same.  Get out the lures, set up the live bait rigs, and be mobile yourself.
 

STURGEON:  Last weekend of the Sturgeon Closure. The Mothball Fleet gets good marks for boaters and by now there should be some fish in Martinez and Port Costa, though the runoff makes it hard to hold bottom.  San Pablo Bay has them on the Marin coast, so China Camp through San Quentin Point are also possibilities when the tide brings in more  water.
 

PERCH: Same report as last week. This is a trend that only violent weather or frost will alter.   Pick a species.   In the East Bay it's all about black perch, pile perch, walleyed perch, and white perch.  For the first two, stick close to the rocks or pilings and use pile worms.  You can avoid the pain-in-the-neck walleyed that way, too.  White perch are about 10-15 out and also take pile worms.  Barred perch are at Butler's Beach and will hit grass shrimp, blood worms, and pile worms.  Some are along Ashby/Frontage Road on the same baits.   Rubberlip are scarce on this side but fairly abundant at both towers of the GG bridge.  Grass shrimp or even supermarket prawns will get you these and some striped perch.  Outside the Gate, the beaches have barred, redtail, and striped, with either pile worms or grubs (motor oil, pumpkinseed).  Sound like it's perch time?  Indeed.  It's the spawn around us. Bear that in mind as you quarry after perch.  Some are obviously gravid and easy to spot and release.  Others, not so certain.  Enjoy the action but try not to keep so much as release.
 

MISCELLANEOUS SPECIES:  Jacksmelt are at Berkeley Pier in good numbers.  They are oozing eggs. Halibut are just rumors right now.  But there are more rumors every day.    Rockfish are off the table until May 1.  Then lingcod will be limited to one per day at a minimum size of 30 inches.