Hey all I have a friend of mine I want to get into fishing where is a good starting place and what's the basic saltwater set up it's been awhile since I myself have been out in the saltwater ,coyote point ,pillar point, pescadaro how are these places doing

in my opinion, a good basic setup for saltwater fishing would be a hi-lo rig. pretty much the only set-up i learned from my pops as a kid. its a simple setup with 2 loops for hooks, and a sinker at bottom. in case you're not sure what it looks like, here's a link to a picture of the rig.

http://www.stripersonline.com/ubb547/im ... am_rig.jpg

you can easily tie this setup yourself, or for $3 at most tackleshops, they sell the nice pre-tied looking set-ups ready to go. hope that helps.

I spent some time in the Van Ness Pier near Fisherman's Wharf last summer.
I think it is a good place for new fisherman if you live in San Francisco because the tide is always calmer than the pier facing Pacific Ocean.
You can also throw the crab net while you're fishing.
The rig I used is a hi-lo bottom wire rig sold by local tackle store.
It looks like this http://cgi.ebay.com/Bottom-Fishing-Double-Rig-25-pack-/200523026512?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item2eb01a9050
You just need to put the pre-tied hook #1,2 or 6 and hook a 2 oz sinker to the swivel on the bottom and you're ready to go.
You can use whatever bait you want, sardine, shrimp, squid.
I caught some rock fish there. My friends also caught perch, leopard shark, sting ray(drastic fight) there, but you will need to throw down the crab net to land those big guys if you are lucky.

Thanks guys I will be checking it out

What type of bait should I use and is Manrisa a good place to start? Oh can you have mor than one pole in the water?

If you are fishing from a coastal beach, you can use as many rods as you want as long as you are not targeting rockfish. If you happen to catch a rockfish, then you can only use 1 rod, with a 2 hook maximum. The baits vary with the species targeted. Surf fishing can be challenging at first, but keep trying and don't give up.

If you are fishing from a pier, you are allowed 2 lines maximum. That is, either 2 fishing lines in the water, or 1 fishing line and 1 crab net, or 2 crab nets in the water at any time. There is no take of dungeness crabs in the bay (west of the Golden Gate, for example: Van Ness Pier). Also, you are allowed a maximum of 3 hooks per line in SF Bay.

The best advice I can give to a fisherman new to the saltwater scene is to get a copy of the CA saltwater fishing regulations and the supplement, read them thoroughly, and always take it with you wherever you go. Sometimes the DFG wardens aren't exactly sure about the regulations themselves, and you may be able to talk yourself out of a possible ticket. Also, find a map of the MLPA / MPA areas. You may not be allowed to fish certain stretches of the coast. Good luck, be safe, and have fun.

All those places are great to fish . My favorite place is Capitola. If your brave enough on the pier they rent skiffs for $75 all day, you get a crack at rock cod , lingcod , halibut, white sea bass, and whatever else you can catch. Look them up search: Capitola Boat and Bait . If you go ask for Ed and he'll set you up. You won't be disapointed . Look for the coupon on the web site.

Thanks for the great advice I'm going out this Sunday rain or shine.

ya ive fished about a mile out of capitola for rockcod in a buddy's boat and had our limit of 30 by 930am between three of us. we were using squid on a double hook setup with an 8 oz. weight on the bottom. the rig was prepackaged. also saw the boats hawghunter was talking about and there decent size boats for three ppl. i might have to rent one since its only 75..