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Striped bassRetention openBay · California
Bolinas Lagoon
37.92°N · 122.68°W · Bay · San Pablo Bay, Suisun Bay, the West Delta and the San Francisco Bay north of the Bay Bridge
Species here · tap to switch
Best score today · 7 PM · Striped bass
- Now
- 565 PM PDT
- Best window
- 6-9 PMFlood tide
- Tide now
- Flooding1.7 ft ▲
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Bolinas Lagoon 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 · 5 PM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
24Tide: FloodingCurrent: SlackWind & pressure
ECMWF
77Wind: 5 kt NWPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
65Water temp: 66°F, primeLight: Late afternoonSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 4.9 ftSeason & habitat · Striped bass
Species seasonality
85Season: PeakHabitat: Structure unmappedRegulations: Retention open
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
San Francisco Groundfish Management Area
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)
Source: CDFW · synced today
Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed
When Striped bass is best here
Peak season for Striped bass · 5 more weeks at peak
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- This week
Spot profile
Bolinas Lagoon
- Depth
- Not sampled
- Structure
- Bay
- Season
- Peak seasonStriped bass
NOAA NCEI DEM, sampled Sep 14. Depths are feet below the DEM vertical datum, not chart datum (MLLW), so they can differ from a chart by a few feet. Not for navigation.
About this spot
Fishing Bolinas Lagoon
Bolinas Lagoon is a bay in San Pablo Bay, Suisun Bay, the West Delta and the San Francisco Bay north of the Bay Bridge, California.
Waterlands scores 11 species here; the best right now are Pacific halibut, striped bass and surfperch. It is peak season now for striped bass, surfperch, rockfish and cabezon, and shoulder season for Pacific halibut, Chinook salmon, lingcod and white seabass. Pacific halibut peak from May through July. Striped bass peak from June through July and from September through October. Surfperch peak in May and from July 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.
- 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.
- 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
- Duxbury Reef61
Bar · 2.3 mi
Top: RockfishPeak season- Rockfish 61
- Pacific halibut 59
- Lingcod 57
5 kt NWH 10:17 PM · 3.9 ftL 5:14 AM · 0.5 ft
- Bolinas Point61
Cape · 2.7 mi
Top: RockfishPeak season- Rockfish 61
- Cabezon 60
- Striped bass 60
5 kt NWH 10:17 PM · 3.9 ftL 5:14 AM · 0.5 ft
- Duxbury Point60
Cape · 2.0 mi
Top: Striped bassPeak season- Striped bass 60
- Rockfish 57
- Lingcod 53
5 kt NWH 10:17 PM · 3.9 ftL 5:14 AM · 0.5 ft
- Bolinas Bay57
Bay · 1.9 mi
Top: Pacific halibutShoulder season- Pacific halibut 57
- Striped bass 57
- Surfperch 54
5 kt NWH 10:17 PM · 3.9 ftL 5:14 AM · 0.5 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.