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White seabassRetention 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 · 7 PM · White seabass
- Now
- 4811 AM PDT
- Best window
- 7-10 PMFlood tide
- Tide now
- High5.9 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 · 11 AM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
22Tide: High slackCurrent: 0.4 kn floodWind & pressure
ECMWF
95Wind: 3 kt WPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
74Water temp: 65°F, primeLight: Bright sunSolunar: Major periodSeas: 2.5 ftSeason & habitat · White seabass
Species seasonality
58Season: ShoulderHabitat: Structure unmappedDepth: Out of rangeRegulations: Retention open
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
San Francisco Groundfish Management Area
White seabass
Retention open- Daily limit
- 3 per day
- Possession
- Not published
- Size
- Minimum 28 in, total length. Or twenty and one-half inches alternate length (Section 28.35).
- Season
- No closed season on file
- Annual quota
- Not published
- Other
- CDFW pages disagree on the alternate length: the regulation text says 20.5 inches, the booklet summary table 21.5 inches, and the regional web pages 20 inches. Total length is 28 inches on all of them.
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)
- Surfperch Retention open (20 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 White seabass is best here
Shoulder season for White seabass · 5 more weeks at shoulder
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- Not here
- This week
Spot profile
South Basin
- Depth
- 1-3 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Bay · Inner · ProtectedBay · flat bottom
- Season
- Shoulder seasonWhite seabass
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 11 species here; the best right now are surfperch, cabezon and California halibut. It is peak season now for surfperch, cabezon, striped bass and rockfish, and shoulder season for California halibut, kelp greenling, leopard shark and Pacific halibut. Surfperch peak in May and from July through September. Cabezon peak from May through September. California halibut peak from May through August.
Tackle & technique
- 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.
- 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.
- Cabezon
- Cabezon sit in rock crevices, kelp beds and jetty boulders from the intertidal zone to about 100 feet and feed mostly on crabs and small fish. Fish a fish-finder rig with sand shrimp, squid or crab right on the bottom in the rocks, or drag a lead-head grub slowly through the kelp. Expect snags, and do not eat the roe, which is toxic.
Nearby spots
Other spots within an easy run
- India Basin71
Bay · 1.1 mi
Top: SurfperchPeak season- Surfperch 71
- Cabezon 66
- California halibut 65
3 kt WL 4:41 PM · 2.3 ftH 10:31 PM · 6.4 ft
- Lash Lighter Basin71
Bay · 1.3 mi
Top: SurfperchPeak season- Surfperch 71
- Cabezon 66
- California halibut 65
3 kt WL 4:41 PM · 2.3 ftH 10:31 PM · 6.4 ft
- Potrero Point68
Cape · 2.7 mi
Top: CabezonPeak season- Cabezon 68
- Surfperch 66
- Rockfish 63
3 kt WH 11:22 AM · 5.4 ftL 4:52 PM · 2.2 ft
- Oyster Point Channel64
Channel · 3.6 mi
Top: California halibutShoulder season- California halibut 64
- Surfperch 63
- Cabezon 60
3 kt WH 11:30 AM · 6.1 ftL 5:06 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.