Waterlands

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Pacific halibutRetention open

Cape · California

Berkeley Point

37.86°N · 122.32°W · Cape · San Pablo Bay, Suisun Bay, the West Delta and the San Francisco Bay north of the Bay Bridge

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Best score today · 7 PM · Pacific halibut

82/100Great
Now
5412 PM PDT
Best window
6-9 PMFlood tide
Tide now
Ebbing5.0 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
Score54Good
Tide5.0 ft ▼Ebbing
CurrentEbb0.1 kn · toward N
Wind5 kn Wgusts 9 · building
Sea stateLight chop1.6 ft · 8 s
Air temp68°Mild
WeatherClear0% cloud
Water66°FObserved

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

San Francisco Groundfish Management Area

IN EFFECT NOW

Pacific halibut

Retention open
Daily limit
1 per day
Possession
1 in possession
Size
Not published
Season
Apr 1 to Dec 31, 2026
Annual quota
Not published
Other
Closes early if the quota for south of Point Arena is reached. Check the CDFW Pacific halibut page before fishing. When angling, no more than one line with two hooks. The 2026 booklet (Section 28.20) still says the season ends November 15 statewide. CDFW web pages and the 2026 federal rule (91 FR 23369) keep south of Point Arena open through December 31.

From CDFW Current Ocean Recreational Fishing Regulations, San Francisco Region (updated September 1, 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)
  • 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)
  • 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 Pacific halibut is best here

Shoulder season for Pacific halibut · 1 more week at shoulder

Pacific halibut season by week of the year. Shoulder season for Pacific halibut · 1 more week at shoulder.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
  • Off
  • Not here
  • This week

Pacific halibut in California

Spot profile

Berkeley Point

Depth
3-8 ftFlat bottom
Structure
Point · Inner · Semi-exposedPoint · flat bottom
Season
Shoulder seasonPacific halibut

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 Berkeley Point

Berkeley Point is a cape in San Pablo Bay, Suisun Bay, the West Delta and the San Francisco Bay north of the Bay Bridge, California. Depth is 3-8 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads point, inner water and semi-exposed.

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

Tackle & technique

Pacific halibut
Halibut sit on sand and gravel bottoms near drop-offs, bars and pinnacles, most often in 90 to 500 feet in Alaska and on the shelf off Washington, Oregon and far northern California. Anchor up-current of a likely edge and fish herring, squid, octopus or a salmon head on a circle hook with 24 to 32 ounces of weight, or bounce a large jig on the bottom. The best bite usually comes in the hour around slack tide.
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.
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.

Nearby spots

Other spots within an easy run

  • 67
    Top: SurfperchPeak season
    • Surfperch 67
    • Cabezon 64
    • California halibut 64

    3 kt NNWL 4:36 PM · 2.1 ftH 10:17 PM · 5.7 ft

  • Berkely Reef

    Bar · 1.2 mi

    65
    Top: CabezonPeak season
    • Cabezon 65
    • Rockfish 63
    • California halibut 61

    3 kt NNWL 4:29 PM · 2.3 ftH 10:25 PM · 5.6 ft

  • Fleming Point

    Cape · 1.6 mi

    63
    Top: CabezonPeak season
    • Cabezon 63
    • Surfperch 61
    • Striped bass 60

    3 kt NNWL 4:39 PM · 2.2 ftH 10:24 PM · 5.6 ft

  • Point Isabel

    Cape · 2.4 mi

    63
    Top: CabezonPeak season
    • Cabezon 63
    • Surfperch 61
    • Striped bass 60

    3 kt NNWL 4:39 PM · 2.2 ftH 10:24 PM · 5.6 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.