Waterlands

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Striped bassRetention open

Channel · California

Oyster Point Channel

37.67°N · 122.38°W · Channel · San Francisco Bay South of the Bay Bridge

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Best score today · 7 PM · Striped bass

81/100Great
Now
5812 PM PDT
Best window
7-10 PMFlood tide
Tide now
Ebbing6.0 ft ▼

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

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24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 12 PM · now

Time12PNOW
Score58Good
Tide6.0 ft ▼Ebbing
CurrentSlack0.0 kn
Wind5 kn Wgusts 9 · building
Sea stateModerate2.4 ft · 9 s
Air temp68°Mild
WeatherClear0% cloud
Water66°FObserved

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

San Francisco Groundfish Management Area

IN EFFECT NOW

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 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)
  • 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)

Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed

When Striped bass is best here

Peak season for Striped bass · 5 more weeks at peak

Striped bass season by week of the year. Peak season for Striped bass · 5 more weeks at peak.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
  • Off
  • This week

Striped bass in California

Spot profile

Oyster Point Channel

Depth
4-6 ftFlat bottom
Structure
Channel · Inner · Semi-exposedChannel · flat bottom
Season
Peak seasonStriped bass

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 Oyster Point Channel

Oyster Point Channel is a channel in San Francisco Bay South of the Bay Bridge, California. Depth is 4-6 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads channel, inner water and semi-exposed.

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

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.
California halibut
California halibut are ambush feeders that lie on sand or mud bottom, mostly in water shallower than 100 feet and often inside bays, harbors and estuaries. Drift or slow-troll a live anchovy or sardine on a sliding sinker rig, or bounce a swimbait along the bottom over flats, channel edges and sandy areas near structure. Keep the bait within a foot or two of the bottom and give a fish time to turn the bait before setting the hook.
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

  • South Basin

    Bay · 3.6 mi

    66
    Top: SurfperchPeak season
    • Surfperch 66
    • Cabezon 61
    • California halibut 60

    5 kt WL 4:41 PM · 2.3 ftH 10:31 PM · 6.4 ft

  • India Basin

    Bay · 4.6 mi

    66
    Top: SurfperchPeak season
    • Surfperch 66
    • Cabezon 61
    • California halibut 60

    5 kt WL 4:41 PM · 2.3 ftH 10:31 PM · 6.4 ft

  • Oyster Point

    Cape · 0.3 mi

    63
    Top: CabezonPeak season
    • Cabezon 63
    • Surfperch 61
    • Striped bass 59

    5 kt WL 5:06 PM · 2.2 ftH 10:42 PM · 6.8 ft

  • San Bruno Channel

    Channel · 1.2 mi

    61
    Top: SurfperchPeak season
    • Surfperch 61
    • California halibut 59
    • Pacific halibut 59

    5 kt WL 5:16 PM · 2.3 ftH 10:39 PM · 6.6 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.