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Kelp greenlingRetention openBay · California
Oakland Middle Harbor
37.80°N · 122.33°W · Bay · San Francisco Bay South of the Bay Bridge
Species here · tap to switch
Best score today · 7 PM · Kelp greenling
- Now
- 483 AM PDT
- Best window
- 6-9 PMFlood tide
- Tide now
- Ebbing0.9 ft ▼
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Oakland Middle Harbor 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 · 3 AM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
44Tide: EbbingCurrent: 0.3 kn ebbWind & pressure
ECMWF
100Wind: 4 kt SSEPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
34Water temp: 66°F, hotLight: NightSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 1.7 ftSeason & habitat · Kelp greenling
Species seasonality
77Season: ShoulderHabitat: Usable structureDepth: In rangeRegulations: Retention open
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
San Francisco Groundfish Management Area
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
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- This week
Spot profile
Oakland Middle Harbor
- Depth
- 20-40 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 Oakland Middle Harbor
Oakland Middle Harbor is a bay in San Francisco Bay South of the Bay Bridge, California. Depth is 20-40 ft, with a slope. Its profile reads bay, inner water and protected.
Waterlands scores 11 species here; the best right now are striped bass, white seabass and rockfish. It is peak season now for striped bass, rockfish, surfperch and cabezon, and shoulder season for white seabass, lingcod, California halibut and Chinook salmon. Striped bass peak from June through July and from September through October. Rockfish peak from May through September.
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.
- White seabass
- White seabass hold along kelp bed edges and over nearby sand where market squid gather, usually in 20 to 80 feet of water and shallower as the water warms. Fish a live squid on a dropper loop or fly-line a sardine near the kelp at dawn, dusk and after dark, especially around the spring full moon. Tagged fish spend most of their time in 52 to 66 degree water.
Nearby spots
Other spots within an easy run
- Oakland Inner Harbor76
Bay · 2.3 mi
Top: Striped bassPeak season- Striped bass 76
- White seabass 67
- Rockfish 66
4 kt SSEL 4:36 AM · 0.3 ftH 11:22 AM · 5.3 ft
- Oakland Outer Harbor75
Bay · 0.9 mi
Top: Striped bassPeak season- Striped bass 75
- Rockfish 66
- White seabass 66
4 kt SSEL 4:30 AM · 0.3 ftH 11:17 AM · 5.2 ft
- Bar Channel74
Bay · 1.4 mi
Top: Striped bassPeak season- Striped bass 74
- Lingcod 61
- White seabass 61
4 kt SSEL 4:27 AM · 0.3 ftH 11:14 AM · 5.2 ft
- Outer Harbor Entrance Channel73
Bay · 0.6 mi
Top: Striped bassPeak season- Striped bass 73
- Lingcod 60
- Rockfish 59
4 kt SSEL 4:25 AM · 0.3 ftH 11:10 AM · 5.3 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.