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Striped bassRetention openBay · California
South Basin
37.72°N · 122.38°W · Bay · San Francisco Bay South of the Bay Bridge
Species here · tap to switch
Best score today · 10 PM · Striped bass
- Now
- 713 PM PST
- Best window
- 8 PM-12 AMEbb tide
- Tide now
- Flooding4.2 ft ▲
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when South Basin 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 PM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
100Tide: FloodingCurrent: 1.0 kn floodWind & pressure
ECMWF
64Wind: 5 kt WNWPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
84Water temp: 62°F, primeLight: Late afternoonSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 2.6 ftSeason & habitat · Striped bass
Species seasonality
72Season: ShoulderHabitat: Structure unmappedDepth: In rangeRegulations: Retention open
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
San Francisco Groundfish Management Area
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 Closed (No retention)
- 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 today
Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed
When Striped bass is best here
Shoulder season for Striped bass · 4 more weeks at shoulder
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- This week
Spot profile
South Basin
- Depth
- 1-3 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Bay · Inner · ProtectedBay · flat bottom
- Season
- Shoulder 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 South Basin
South Basin is a bay in San Francisco Bay South of the Bay Bridge, California. Depth is 1-3 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads bay, inner water and protected.
Waterlands scores 9 species here; the best right now are striped bass, kelp greenling and lingcod. It is peak season now for kelp greenling and lingcod, and shoulder season for striped bass, surfperch, cabezon and rockfish. Striped bass peak from June through July and from September through October. Kelp greenling peak from October through November. Lingcod peak from April through May and from October through November.
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.
- 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.
- 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.
Nearby spots
Other spots within an easy run
- Oyster Point Channel75
Channel · 3.6 mi
Top: LingcodPeak season- Lingcod 75
- Striped bass 69
- Kelp greenling 65
5 kt WNWH 6:02 PM · 6.2 ftL 1:06 AM · 0.1 ft
- Potrero Point74
Cape · 2.7 mi
Top: Striped bassShoulder season- Striped bass 74
- Lingcod 71
- Kelp greenling 67
5 kt WNWH 5:54 PM · 5.5 ftL 12:52 AM · 0.1 ft
- India Basin71
Bay · 1.1 mi
Top: Striped bassShoulder season- Striped bass 71
- Kelp greenling 70
- Lingcod 69
5 kt WNWH 5:54 PM · 5.9 ftL 12:46 AM · 0.2 ft
- Lash Lighter Basin71
Bay · 1.3 mi
Top: Striped bassShoulder season- Striped bass 71
- Kelp greenling 70
- Lingcod 69
5 kt WNWH 5:54 PM · 5.9 ftL 12:46 AM · 0.2 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.