Waterlands

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Striped bassRetention open

Channel · California

San Bruno Channel

37.65°N · 122.37°W · Channel · San Francisco Bay South of the Bay Bridge

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Best score today · 7 PM · Striped bass

81/100Great
Now
737 AM PDT
Best window
7-10 PMFlood tide
Tide now
Flooding1.6 ft ▲

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

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24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 7 AM · now

Time7ANOW
Score73Great
Tide1.6 ft ▲Flooding
CurrentFlood0.5 kn · toward S
Wind1 kn Sgusts 3 · steady
Sea stateModerate2.7 ft · 9 s
Air temp57°Mild
WeatherMostly cloudy76% 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)

Source: CDFW · synced yesterday

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

San Bruno Channel

Depth
6-8 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 San Bruno Channel

San Bruno Channel is a channel in San Francisco Bay South of the Bay Bridge, California. Depth is 6-8 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads channel, inner water and semi-exposed.

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

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.
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.
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

  • Oyster Point

    Cape · 1.1 mi

    75
    Top: Striped bassPeak season
    • Striped bass 75
    • Rockfish 70
    • White seabass 68

    1 kt SH 11:30 AM · 6.1 ftL 5:06 PM · 2.2 ft

  • South Basin

    Bay · 4.8 mi

    75
    Top: Striped bassPeak season
    • Striped bass 75
    • Surfperch 72
    • White seabass 68

    1 kt SH 11:12 AM · 5.9 ftL 4:41 PM · 2.3 ft

  • Oyster Point Channel

    Channel · 1.2 mi

    73
    Top: Striped bassPeak season
    • Striped bass 73
    • Lingcod 65
    • Surfperch 65

    1 kt SH 11:30 AM · 6.1 ftL 5:06 PM · 2.2 ft

  • San Bruno Shoal

    Bar · 4.5 mi

    71
    Top: Striped bassPeak season
    • Striped bass 71
    • Surfperch 67
    • California halibut 66

    1 kt SH 11:31 AM · 6.4 ftL 5:14 PM · 2.2 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.