Waterlands

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Kelp greenlingRetention open

Bay · California

Bolinas Bay

37.89°N · 122.67°W · Bay · 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 · Kelp greenling

72/100Great
Now
431 PM PDT
Best window
6-9 PMFlood tide
Tide now
Ebbing2.9 ft ▼

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

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14-day forecast

Best days to fish

Best: Fri · 85

24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 1 PM · now

Time1PNOW
Score43Fair
Tide2.9 ft ▼Ebbing
CurrentEbb0.4 kn · toward W
Wind4 kn WNWgusts 13 · steady
Sea stateRough5.1 ft · 9 s
Air temp77°Warm
WeatherClear3% cloud
Water62°FObserved

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

San Francisco Groundfish Management Area

IN EFFECT NOW

Kelp greenling

Retention open
Daily limit
10 per day (10 rockfish, cabezon and greenlings combined)
Possession
Not published
Size
No minimum size limit.
Season
Apr 1 to Dec 31, 2026
Annual quota
Not published
Other
Shore-based anglers and spear divers are exempt from groundfish seasons and depth limits. All groundfish fishing is prohibited at Cordell Bank. RCG complex: all rockfish, cabezon, and kelp and rock greenlings combined. A descending device must be aboard when fishing from a boat. CDFW limits and seasons cover kelp and rock greenlings together.

From CDFW Summary of Recreational Groundfish Fishing Regulations (updated June 23, 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))
  • 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)
  • White seabass Retention open (3 per day)
  • Yellowfin tuna Retention open (10 per day)
  • Yellowtail Retention open (10 per day)
Always check with CDFW ↗Fishing license ↗

Source: CDFW · synced today

Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed

When Kelp greenling is best here

Shoulder season for Kelp greenling · 1 more week at shoulder

Kelp greenling season by week of the year. Shoulder season for Kelp greenling · 1 more week at shoulder.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
  • Off
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Kelp greenling in California →

Spot profile

Bolinas Bay

Depth
35-45 ftFlat bottom
Structure
Bay · Outer · ExposedBay · flat bottom
Season
Shoulder seasonKelp greenling

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 Bolinas Bay

Bolinas Bay is a bay in San Pablo Bay, Suisun Bay, the West Delta and the San Francisco Bay north of the Bay Bridge, California. Depth is 35-45 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads bay, outer water and exposed.

Waterlands scores 11 species here; the best right now are rockfish, striped bass and lingcod. It is peak season now for rockfish, striped bass, surfperch and cabezon, and shoulder season for lingcod, white seabass, Chinook salmon and Pacific halibut. Rockfish peak from May through September. Striped bass peak from June through July and from September through October. Lingcod peak from April through May and from October through November.

Tackle & technique

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.
Rockfish
Rockfish live on rocky reefs, pinnacles and kelp from the shoreline out past 300 feet, with black and blue rockfish schooling mid-water over shallow reefs and copper, quillback, yelloweye and vermilion sitting tight to deeper bottom. Drift over the structure with a shrimp fly above a lead-head grub or metal jig, or a squid strip, and reel up a few cranks after touching bottom to cut snags. Use a descending device to release any fish brought up from deep water.
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

View all on map →
  • Duxbury Reef

    Bar · 1.8 mi

    70
    Top: RockfishPeak season
    • Rockfish 70
    • Lingcod 64
    • Cabezon 59

    4 kt WNWL 4:28 PM · 1.6 ftH 10:17 PM · 3.9 ft

  • Duxbury Point

    Cape · 1.9 mi

    67
    Top: RockfishPeak season
    • Rockfish 67
    • Striped bass 61
    • Lingcod 60

    4 kt WNWL 4:28 PM · 1.6 ftH 10:17 PM · 3.9 ft

  • Bolinas Point

    Cape · 3.4 mi

    67
    Top: RockfishPeak season
    • Rockfish 67
    • Striped bass 61
    • Lingcod 60

    4 kt WNWL 4:28 PM · 1.6 ftH 10:17 PM · 3.9 ft

  • Bolinas Lagoon

    Bay · 1.9 mi

    58
    Top: RockfishPeak season
    • Rockfish 58
    • Striped bass 56
    • Surfperch 53

    4 kt WNWL 4:28 PM · 1.6 ftH 10:17 PM · 3.9 ft

Open in the tide map

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.