Waterlands

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White seabassRetention open

Gut · California

Steinberger Slough

37.53°N · 122.24°W · Gut · San Francisco Bay South of the Bay Bridge

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Best score today · 7 PM · White seabass

80/100Great
Now
4012 PM PDT
Best window
7-10 PMFlood tide
Tide now
High6.2 ft

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

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24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 12 PM · now

Time12PNOW
Score40Fair
Tide6.2 ftHigh
CurrentSlack0.1 kn
Wind3 kn Ngusts 11 · steady
Air temp71°Warm
WeatherClear0% cloud
Water66°FObserved

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

San Francisco Groundfish Management Area

IN EFFECT NOW

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)

Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed

When White seabass is best here

Shoulder season for White seabass · 5 more weeks at shoulder

White seabass season by week of the year. Shoulder season for White seabass · 5 more weeks at shoulder.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
  • Off
  • Not here
  • This week

White seabass in California

Spot profile

Steinberger Slough

Depth
Under 1 ftNearest water
Structure
Channel · Inner · Protected
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 Steinberger Slough

Steinberger Slough is a gut in San Francisco Bay South of the Bay Bridge, California. Depth in the nearest water is under 1 ft. Its profile reads channel, inner water and protected.

Waterlands scores 11 species here; the best right now are California halibut, surfperch and leopard shark. It is peak season now for surfperch, cabezon, striped bass and rockfish, and shoulder season for California halibut, leopard shark, kelp greenling and Pacific halibut. California halibut peak from May through August. Surfperch peak in May and from July through September. Leopard shark 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.
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.
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

  • Little Coyote Point

    Cape · 3.3 mi

    69
    Top: California halibutShoulder season
    • California halibut 69
    • Cabezon 67
    • Leopard shark 64

    3 kt NL 5:14 PM · 2.3 ftH 10:59 PM · 7.3 ft

  • Seal Slough

    Gut · 4.1 mi

    67
    Top: California halibutShoulder season
    • California halibut 67
    • Surfperch 67
    • Leopard shark 61

    3 kt NL 5:14 PM · 2.2 ftH 10:43 PM · 7.1 ft

  • Westpoint Slough

    Gut · 3.0 mi

    66
    Top: California halibutShoulder season
    • California halibut 66
    • Surfperch 65
    • Leopard shark 64

    3 kt NL 5:36 PM · 2.3 ftH 10:57 PM · 7.9 ft

  • Redwood Point

    Cape · 2.4 mi

    64
    Top: CabezonPeak season
    • Cabezon 64
    • Surfperch 60
    • Kelp greenling 59

    3 kt NL 5:34 PM · 2.3 ftH 10:54 PM · 7.8 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.