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SurfperchRetention openBay · California
San Leandro Bay
37.75°N · 122.22°W · Bay · San Francisco Bay South of the Bay Bridge
Species here · tap to switch
Best score today · 7 PM · Surfperch
- Now
- 757 PM PDT
- Best window
- 7-9 PMFlood tide
- Tide now
- Flooding4.3 ft ▲
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when San Leandro Bay 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 · 7 PM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
100Tide: FloodingCurrent: 1.0 kn floodWind & pressure
ECMWF
100Wind: 7 kt SSWPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
79Water temp: 67°F, warmLight: DuskSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 1.6 ftSeason & habitat · Surfperch
Species seasonality
84Season: PeakHabitat: Usable structureDepth: In rangeRegulations: Retention open
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
San Francisco Groundfish Management Area
Surfperch
Retention open- Daily limit
- 20 per day
- Possession
- Not published
- Size
- Minimum 10.5 in, total length. Redtail surfperch only. No minimum size for other surfperch.
- Season
- No closed season on file
- Annual quota
- Not published
- Other
- In San Francisco Bay and San Pablo Bay, surfperch are closed April 1 through July 31 and the limit is 5 (shiner perch excepted). 20 surfperch in combination, not more than 10 of any one species. Shiner perch have a separate limit of 20.
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)
- Striped bass Retention open (2 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 today
Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed
When Surfperch is best here
Peak season for Surfperch · 1 more week at peak
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- This week
Spot profile
San Leandro Bay
- Depth
- Up to 4 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Bay · Inner · ProtectedBay · flat bottom
- Season
- Peak seasonSurfperch
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, surfperch and California halibut. It is peak season now for striped bass, surfperch, cabezon and rockfish, and shoulder season for California halibut, white seabass, leopard shark and Chinook salmon. Striped bass peak from June through July and from September through October. Surfperch peak in May and from July through September. California halibut peak from May through August.
Tackle & technique
- 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.
- 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.
Nearby spots
Other spots within an easy run
- Airport Channel82
Channel · 0.7 mi
Top: Striped bassPeak season- Striped bass 82
- California halibut 71
- Leopard shark 70
7 kt SSWH 9:53 PM · 6.2 ftL 4:39 AM · 0.3 ft
- Mulford Point81
Cape · 4.2 mi
Top: Striped bassPeak season- Striped bass 81
- Rockfish 72
- Cabezon 70
7 kt SSWH 10:10 PM · 6.8 ftL 5:07 AM · 0.4 ft
- Alameda Harbor78
Channel · 2.5 mi
Top: Striped bassPeak season- Striped bass 78
- Rockfish 73
- California halibut 71
7 kt SSWH 9:48 PM · 5.8 ftL 4:32 AM · 0.3 ft
- Brooklyn Basin77
Channel · 2.8 mi
Top: Striped bassPeak season- Striped bass 77
- California halibut 69
- Lingcod 68
7 kt SSWH 9:48 PM · 5.8 ftL 4:32 AM · 0.3 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.
