Two days ago I fished Crissy field early morning and the water was slightly murky. I had a decent bite and even had a small fish on – I’m guessing it was a halibut. I also saw someone pull a nice one out near the end of the wildlife area.

Today however was so different. It was a -1.75ft low tide and the water was almost opaque. It always amazes me how the onset of big tides stirs up the mud, even at Crissy which is so close to the Golden Gate. The water did clear a bit as the tide started to sweep in, but it was still really murky.

I really don’t have a strategy yet for big tides. I saw plenty of old guys on the pier tossing live bait but not getting bites. I also saw bait fisherman farther down the beach toward the trees. Maybe big tides means bait instead of lures? Or perhaps I should just go across the bay and poke pole on these really low tides.

In the mean time, I’m going to wait for the next set of halibut tides, or perhaps give Ocean Beach a try for stripers.