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Striped bassRetention openCape · California
Willow Point
38.09°N · 122.84°W · Cape · Coastal Waters from Point Arena to Point Reyes California out to 10 nm
Species here · tap to switch
Best score today · 7 PM · Striped bass
- Now
- 4811 AM PDT
- Best window
- 7-10 PMFlood tide
- Tide now
- Flooding4.6 ft ▲
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Willow Point 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 · 11 AM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
24Tide: FloodingCurrent: 0.3 knWind & pressure
ECMWF
57Wind: 2 kt WPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
40Water temp: 57°F, primeLight: Bright sunSolunar: Major periodSeas: 5.8 ftSeason & habitat · Striped bass
Species seasonality
95Season: PeakHabitat: Usable structureDepth: In rangeRegulations: Retention open
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
San Francisco Groundfish Management Area
Striped bass
Retention open- Daily limit
- 2 per day
- Possession
- Not published
- Size
- Minimum 18 in, total length
- Season
- No closed season on file
- Annual quota
- Not published
- Other
- Angling, spearfishing or bow and arrow only. No sinker over 4 pounds, no power-driven gurdy or winch, no snagging. The CDFW San Francisco Bay District page states the same limits for the bay: two fish, 18 inches total length.
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)
- Chinook salmon Closed (No retention)
- 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)
- 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 Striped bass is best here
Peak season for Striped bass · 5 more weeks at peak
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- This week
Spot profile
Willow Point
- Depth
- About 3 ftNearest water
- Structure
- Point · Inner · Protected
- Season
- Peak seasonStriped bass
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 Willow Point
Willow Point is a cape in Coastal Waters from Point Arena to Point Reyes California out to 10 nm. Depth in the nearest water is about 3 ft. Its profile reads point, inner water and protected.
Waterlands scores 12 species here; the best right now are cabezon, surfperch and kelp greenling. It is peak season now for cabezon, surfperch, rockfish and striped bass, and shoulder season for kelp greenling, lingcod, Pacific halibut and white seabass. Cabezon peak from May through September. Surfperch peak in May and from July through September. Kelp greenling peak from October through November.
Tackle & technique
- Striped bass
- Striped bass feed where moving tide pushes bait past structure: inlets, points, jetties, bridge pilings and rips in the surf, usually in 2 to 40 feet of water. Fish dawn, dusk and night hardest, casting plugs, bucktails and soft plastics or drifting live bunker and eels, and chunk bait on the bottom in current. In midsummer the larger fish drop deeper or feed mostly after dark.
- 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.
- 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.
Nearby spots
Other spots within an easy run
- Millerton Point68
Cape · 1.3 mi
Top: CabezonPeak season- Cabezon 68
- Surfperch 66
- Kelp greenling 61
2 kt WL 5:14 PM · 2.0 ftH 10:30 PM · 5.2 ft
- Bull Point68
Cape · 5.0 mi
Top: CabezonPeak season- Cabezon 68
- Kelp greenling 61
- Rockfish 58
2 kt WL 5:14 PM · 2.0 ftH 10:30 PM · 5.2 ft
- Home Bay66
Bay · 4.7 mi
Top: CabezonPeak season- Cabezon 66
- Surfperch 62
- Kelp greenling 60
2 kt WL 5:14 PM · 2.0 ftH 10:30 PM · 5.2 ft
- Duck Cove66
Bay · 4.8 mi
Top: SurfperchPeak season- Surfperch 66
- Cabezon 62
- Kelp greenling 60
3 kt WNWL 6:05 PM · 1.8 ftH 10:27 PM · 4.9 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.