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Chinook salmonClosedBay · California
Tomales Bay
38.17°N · 122.91°W · Bay · Coastal Waters from Point Arena to Point Reyes California out to 10 nm
Species here · tap to switch
Best score today · 7 PM · Chinook salmon
- Now
- 2012 PM PDT
- Best window
- 7-10 PMFlood tide
- Tide now
- Ebbing4.3 ft ▼
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Tomales Bay scores 75+
Checked every morning against the 14-day forecast. Free by push and email.
14-day forecast
Best days to fish
24-hour conditions · rolling from now
Conditions · 12 PM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
78Tide: EbbingCurrent: 0.2 knWind & pressure
ECMWF
100Wind: 4 kt WPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
30Water temp: 58°F, warmLight: Bright sunSolunar: Near a majorSeas: 5.8 ftSeason & habitat · Chinook salmon
Species seasonality
55Closed season · capped at 20Season: ShoulderHabitat: Usable structureDepth: In rangeRegulations: Closed
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
San Francisco Groundfish Management Area
Chinook salmon
Closed- Daily limit
- No retention
- Possession
- Not published
- Size
- Not published
- Season
- Sep 1 to Oct 31, 2026
- Annual quota
- Not published
- Other
- Closed from Point Arena south to 38°02' N. lat. The fall season is open only from 38°02' N. lat. south to Pigeon Point.
From CDFW 2026 California Ocean Sport Fishing Regulations booklet (last updated July 17, 2026), read Sep 13
Other species here
- Albacore tuna Retention open (25 per day)
- Barred sand bass Retention open (4 per day (5 kelp bass, barred sand bass and spotted sand bass combined))
- Cabezon Retention open (10 per day (10 rockfish, cabezon and greenlings combined))
- California halibut Retention open (2 per day)
- Coho salmon Closed (No retention)
- Kelp bass Retention open (5 per day (5 kelp bass, barred sand bass and spotted sand bass combined))
- Kelp greenling Retention open (10 per day (10 rockfish, cabezon and greenlings combined))
- Leopard shark Retention open (3 per day)
- Lingcod Retention open (2 per day)
- Mahi-mahi Retention open (10 per day)
- Pacific bluefin tuna Retention open (2 per day)
- Pacific halibut Retention open (1 per day)
- Rockfish Retention open (10 per day (10 rockfish, cabezon and greenlings combined))
- Sablefish Retention open (10 per day)
- Striped bass Retention open (2 per day)
- Surfperch Retention open (20 per day)
- White seabass Retention open (3 per day)
- Yellowfin tuna Retention open (10 per day)
- Yellowtail Retention open (10 per day)
Source: CDFW · synced today
Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed
When Chinook salmon is best here
Shoulder season for Chinook salmon · 1 more week at shoulder
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- Not here
- This week
Spot profile
Tomales Bay
- Depth
- 10-20 ft
- Structure
- Bay · Outer · Semi-exposed
- Season
- Shoulder seasonChinook salmon
NOAA NCEI DEM, sampled Sep 14 on a 464 m grid. Depths are feet below mean sea level, not chart datum (MLLW), so they can differ from a chart by a few feet. Not for navigation.
About this spot
Fishing Tomales Bay
Tomales Bay is a bay in Coastal Waters from Point Arena to Point Reyes California out to 10 nm. Depth is 10-20 ft. Its profile reads bay, outer water and semi-exposed.
Waterlands scores 12 species here; the best right now are surfperch, cabezon and kelp greenling. It is peak season now for surfperch, cabezon, rockfish and striped bass, and shoulder season for kelp greenling, Pacific halibut, lingcod and white seabass. Surfperch peak in May and from July through September. Cabezon peak from May through September. Kelp greenling peak from October through November.
Tackle & technique
- Chinook salmon
- Chinook hold near bait off points, kelp edges and tide rips, usually suspended 20 to 120 feet down and deeper as the sun gets higher. Troll slowly, under 2 mph, with a flasher and herring, hoochie or spoon on a downrigger, or mooch a plug-cut herring at the depth where the sounder shows bait. Winter blackmouth and feeder kings sit within 10 feet of the bottom in 60 to 200 feet.
- Surfperch
- Surfperch feed in the troughs and holes within about 30 feet of the waterline, just outside the first set of breakers. Cast a two-hook high-low or Carolina rig with size 4 to 2 hooks and a 1 to 6 ounce pyramid sinker and let the surge work it through the trough. Fish the incoming tide on beaches with a steep drop, and switch to jetties, pilings and bays when the surf is too big.
- Cabezon
- Cabezon sit in rock crevices, kelp beds and jetty boulders from the intertidal zone to about 100 feet and feed mostly on crabs and small fish. Fish a fish-finder rig with sand shrimp, squid or crab right on the bottom in the rocks, or drag a lead-head grub slowly through the kelp. Expect snags, and do not eat the roe, which is toxic.
Nearby spots
Other spots within an easy run
- Preston Point67
Cape · 3.3 mi
Top: CabezonPeak season- Cabezon 67
- Surfperch 65
- Kelp greenling 59
4 kt WL 5:21 PM · 1.7 ftH 10:33 PM · 4.7 ft
- Duck Cove65
Bay · 1.9 mi
Top: SurfperchPeak season- Surfperch 65
- Cabezon 61
- Kelp greenling 58
4 kt WL 6:05 PM · 1.8 ftH 10:27 PM · 4.9 ft
- Toms Point65
Cape · 3.9 mi
Top: CabezonPeak season- Cabezon 65
- Surfperch 64
- Rockfish 60
4 kt WL 4:26 PM · 2.0 ftH 9:49 PM · 4.8 ft
- Clam Island Bar64
Bar · 4.7 mi
Top: SurfperchPeak season- Surfperch 64
- Cabezon 59
- Rockfish 55
4 kt WL 4:26 PM · 2.0 ftH 9:49 PM · 4.8 ft
Scores and forecasts are for planning only and can be wrong. Conditions on the water change fast; check the marine forecast before you go. Regulations change during the season, so confirm limits and closures with CDFW before you keep a fish.