Waterlands

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LingcodRetention 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 · Lingcod

79/100Great
Now
612 AM PDT
Best window
6-9 PMFlood tide
Tide now
Ebbing1.3 ft ▼

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

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24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 2 AM · now

Time2ANOW
Score61Good
Tide1.3 ft ▼Ebbing
CurrentEbb0.3 kn · toward WNW
Wind4 kn SSWgusts 9 · steady
Sea stateLight chop1.2 ft · 7 s
Air temp59°Mild
WeatherMostly cloudy77% cloud
Water66°FObserved

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

San Francisco Groundfish Management Area

IN EFFECT NOW

Lingcod

Retention open
Daily limit
2 per day
Possession
Not published
Size
Minimum 22 in, total length
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. A descending device must be aboard when fishing from a boat.

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))
  • Kelp greenling Retention open (10 per day (10 rockfish, cabezon and greenlings combined))
  • Leopard shark Retention open (3 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 Lingcod is best here

Shoulder season for Lingcod · 1 more week at shoulder

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

Lingcod in California

Spot profile

Alameda Harbor

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

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, rockfish and white seabass. It is peak season now for striped bass, rockfish, surfperch and cabezon, and shoulder season for white seabass, lingcod, leopard shark and California halibut. Striped bass peak from June through July and from September through October. Rockfish peak from May through September.

Tackle & technique

Lingcod
Lingcod ambush prey from rock outcrops, reef edges and kelp where current runs, most often in 30 to 300 feet, and males move shallow to guard nests in winter. Drift over the reef bouncing a lead-head swimbait or metal jig on the bottom, or fish herring or squid on a heavy leader, since their teeth cut light line. From jetties and rocky shore, work bait or jigs along the rocks on the incoming tide.
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.
Rockfish
Rockfish live on rocky reefs, pinnacles and kelp from the shoreline out past 300 feet, with black and blue rockfish schooling mid-water over shallow reefs and copper, quillback, yelloweye and vermilion sitting tight to deeper bottom. Drift over the structure with a shrimp fly above a lead-head grub or metal jig, or a squid strip, and reel up a few cranks after touching bottom to cut snags. Use a descending device to release any fish brought up from deep water.

Nearby spots

Other spots within an easy run

  • Airport Channel

    Channel · 3.2 mi

    76
    Top: Striped bassPeak season
    • Striped bass 76
    • White seabass 62
    • Lingcod 61

    4 kt SSWL 4:03 AM · 0.4 ftH 11:06 AM · 5.5 ft

  • San Leandro Bay

    Bay · 2.5 mi

    75
    Top: Striped bassPeak season
    • Striped bass 75
    • White seabass 67
    • Rockfish 61

    4 kt SSWL 4:10 AM · 0.4 ftH 11:08 AM · 5.5 ft

  • 74
    Top: Striped bassPeak season
    • Striped bass 74
    • Rockfish 67
    • White seabass 66

    4 kt SSWL 4:00 AM · 0.4 ftH 10:59 AM · 5.2 ft

  • Brooklyn Basin

    Channel · 0.5 mi

    73
    Top: Striped bassPeak season
    • Striped bass 73
    • Lingcod 61
    • Rockfish 61

    4 kt SSWL 3:56 AM · 0.4 ftH 10:30 AM · 5.2 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.