Waterlands

UPDATEDAUTO-REFRESH 5 MIN

Striped bassRetention open

Bar · California

Arch Rock

37.83°N · 122.44°W · Bar · San Pablo Bay, Suisun Bay, the West Delta and the San Francisco Bay north of the Bay Bridge

LOADING MAP

Best score today · 7 PM · Striped bass

76/100Great
Now
5411 AM PDT
Best window
6-10 PMFlood tide
Tide now
High4.9 ft

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

Notify me when Arch Rock scores 75+

Checked every morning against the 14-day forecast. Free by push and email.

Sign in to set an alert

24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 11 AM · now

Time11ANOW
Score54Good
Tide4.9 ftHigh
CurrentFlood1.2 kn · toward E
Wind3 kn Wgusts 6 · building
Sea stateModerate2.5 ft · 9 s
Air temp64°Mild
WeatherClear5% cloud
Water63°FObserved

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

San Francisco Groundfish Management Area

IN EFFECT NOW

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 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)
  • 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 Striped bass is best here

Peak season for Striped bass · 5 more weeks at peak

Striped bass season by week of the year. Peak season for Striped bass · 5 more weeks at peak.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
  • Off
  • This week

Striped bass in California

Spot profile

Arch Rock

Depth
60-90 ftDrop-off
Structure
Ledge · Inner · Semi-exposedLedge · drop-off
Season
Peak 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 Arch Rock

Arch Rock is a bar in San Pablo Bay, Suisun Bay, the West Delta and the San Francisco Bay north of the Bay Bridge, California. Depth is 60-90 ft, with a drop-off. Its profile reads ledge, inner water and semi-exposed.

Waterlands scores 11 species here; the best right now are cabezon, kelp greenling and rockfish. It is peak season now for cabezon, rockfish, surfperch and striped bass, and shoulder season for kelp greenling, California halibut, lingcod and Pacific halibut. Cabezon peak from May through September. Kelp greenling peak from October through November. Rockfish peak from May through September.

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.
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.
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.

Nearby spots

Other spots within an easy run

  • Shag Rocks

    Bar · 0.4 mi

    69
    Top: CabezonPeak season
    • Cabezon 69
    • Kelp greenling 62
    • Rockfish 62

    3 kt WL 4:24 PM · 2.2 ftH 10:15 PM · 5.5 ft

  • Harding Rock

    Bar · 0.6 mi

    69
    Top: CabezonPeak season
    • Cabezon 69
    • Kelp greenling 62
    • Rockfish 62

    3 kt WL 4:27 PM · 2.2 ftH 10:14 PM · 5.3 ft

  • Anita Rock

    Bar · 1.3 mi

    65
    Top: CabezonPeak season
    • Cabezon 65
    • Rockfish 59
    • Surfperch 58

    3 kt WL 4:06 PM · 2.2 ftH 10:01 PM · 5.5 ft

  • Alcatraz Shoal

    Bar · 0.4 mi

    63
    Top: CabezonPeak season
    • Cabezon 63
    • California halibut 62
    • Surfperch 62

    3 kt WL 4:24 PM · 2.2 ftH 10:15 PM · 5.5 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.