Waterlands

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Kelp greenlingRetention open

Channel · California

Alameda Harbor

37.78°N · 122.25°W · Channel · San Francisco Bay South of the Bay Bridge

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Best score today · 7 PM · Kelp greenling

81/100Great
Now
495 AM PDT
Best window
6-10 PMFlood tide
Tide now
Flooding0.4 ft ▲

Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine

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24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 5 AM · now

Time5ANOW
Score49Good
Tide0.4 ft ▲Flooding
CurrentSlack0.0 kn
Wind2 kn SSEgusts 5 · steady
Sea stateLight chop1.6 ft · 7 s
Air temp57°Mild
WeatherPartly cloudy34% cloud
Water66°FObserved

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

San Francisco Groundfish Management Area

IN EFFECT NOW

Kelp greenling

Retention open
Daily limit
10 per day (10 rockfish, cabezon and greenlings combined)
Possession
Not published
Size
No minimum size limit.
Season
Apr 1 to Dec 31, 2026
Annual quota
Not published
Other
Shore-based anglers and spear divers are exempt from groundfish seasons and depth limits. All groundfish fishing is prohibited at Cordell Bank. RCG complex: all rockfish, cabezon, and kelp and rock greenlings combined. A descending device must be aboard when fishing from a boat. CDFW limits and seasons cover kelp and rock greenlings together.

From CDFW Summary of Recreational Groundfish Fishing Regulations (updated June 23, 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 Retention open (2 per day (2 salmon combined))
  • Coho salmon Closed (No retention)
  • Kelp bass Retention open (5 per day (5 kelp bass, barred sand bass and spotted sand bass 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 yesterday

Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed

When Kelp greenling is best here

Shoulder season for Kelp greenling · 1 more week at shoulder

Kelp greenling season by week of the year. Shoulder season for Kelp greenling · 1 more week at shoulder.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
  • Off
  • This week

Kelp greenling in California

Spot profile

Alameda Harbor

Depth
10-30 ftSlope
Structure
Bay · Inner · ProtectedBay · slope
Season
Shoulder seasonKelp greenling

NOAA NCEI DEM, sampled Sep 14 on a 3.4 m grid. Depths are feet below NAVD 88, not chart datum (MLLW), so they can differ from a chart by a few feet. Not for navigation.

About this spot

Fishing Alameda Harbor

Alameda Harbor is a channel in San Francisco Bay South of the Bay Bridge, California. Depth is 10-30 ft, with a slope. Its profile reads bay, inner water and protected.

Waterlands scores 11 species here; the best right now are striped bass, surfperch and Pacific halibut. It is peak season now for striped bass, surfperch, rockfish and cabezon, and shoulder season for Pacific halibut, California halibut, white seabass and leopard shark. Striped bass peak from June through July and from September through October. Surfperch peak in May and from July through September. Pacific halibut peak from May through July.

Tackle & technique

Kelp greenling
Kelp greenling are solitary bottom fish of rocky shores, jetties and kelp beds, usually in water shallower than 60 feet. Use a small number 4 to 6 hook with sand shrimp or marine worms, or a small lead-head grub, dropped to the bottom and reeled up slightly. Larger fish show in October and November when they spawn close to shore, and mornings tend to fish best.
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.
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

  • 60
    Top: Striped bassPeak season
    • Striped bass 60
    • Rockfish 55
    • Cabezon 53

    2 kt SSEH 11:22 AM · 5.3 ftL 4:48 PM · 2.2 ft

  • Brooklyn Basin

    Channel · 0.5 mi

    59
    Top: Striped bassPeak season
    • Striped bass 59
    • Pacific halibut 54
    • California halibut 51

    2 kt SSEH 11:01 AM · 5.6 ftL 4:42 PM · 2.2 ft

  • Airport Channel

    Channel · 3.2 mi

    58
    Top: Striped bassPeak season
    • Striped bass 58
    • Pacific halibut 54
    • California halibut 53

    2 kt SSEH 11:29 AM · 5.7 ftL 4:51 PM · 2.1 ft

  • San Leandro Bay

    Bay · 2.5 mi

    57
    Top: Striped bassPeak season
    • Striped bass 57
    • Pacific halibut 53
    • Surfperch 50

    2 kt SSEH 11:31 AM · 5.7 ftL 4:58 PM · 2.1 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.