Waterlands

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LingcodRetention open

Bay · California

San Leandro Bay

37.75°N · 122.22°W · Bay · San Francisco Bay South of the Bay Bridge

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Best score today · 8 AM · Lingcod

79/100Great
Now
5511 PM PDT
Best window
11 PM-12 AMEbb tide
Tide now
Ebbing5.1 ft ▼

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

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24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 11 PM · now

Time11PNOW
Score55Good
Tide5.1 ft ▼Ebbing
CurrentEbb0.8 kn · toward N
Wind6 kn SWgusts 10 · steady
Sea stateLight chop1.2 ft · 7 s
Air temp60°Mild
WeatherOvercast95% 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)

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

San Leandro Bay

Depth
Up to 4 ftFlat bottom
Structure
Bay · Inner · ProtectedBay · flat bottom
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 San Leandro Bay

San Leandro Bay is a bay in San Francisco Bay South of the Bay Bridge, California. Depth is up to 4 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads bay, inner water and protected.

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

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.
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

  • Airport Channel

    Channel · 0.7 mi

    79
    Top: Striped bassPeak season
    • Striped bass 79
    • Leopard shark 68
    • White seabass 64

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

  • Mulford Point

    Cape · 4.2 mi

    77
    Top: Striped bassPeak season
    • Striped bass 77
    • White seabass 68
    • Rockfish 66

    6 kt SWL 4:30 AM · 0.6 ftH 11:05 AM · 6.2 ft

  • Alameda Harbor

    Channel · 2.5 mi

    76
    Top: Striped bassPeak season
    • Striped bass 76
    • Rockfish 67
    • White seabass 66

    6 kt SWL 3:56 AM · 0.4 ftH 10:30 AM · 5.2 ft

  • Brooklyn Basin

    Channel · 2.8 mi

    75
    Top: Striped bassPeak season
    • Striped bass 75
    • Rockfish 62
    • Lingcod 61

    6 kt SWL 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.