Waterlands

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California halibutRetention open

Bar · California

Centissima Reef

37.83°N · 122.55°W · Bar · 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 · 6 PM · California halibut

72/100Great
Now
306 AM PDT
Best window
5-9 PMFlood tide
Tide now
Flooding1.5 ft ▲

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

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24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 6 AM · now

Time6ANOW
Score30Fair
Tide1.5 ft ▲Flooding
CurrentFlood0.8 kn · toward ENE
Wind2 kn SSEgusts 4 · steady
Sea stateRough5.1 ft · 9 s
Air temp56°Mild
WeatherMostly cloudy52% cloud
Water65°FObserved

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

San Francisco Groundfish Management Area

IN EFFECT NOW

California halibut

Retention open
Daily limit
2 per day
Possession
2 in possession
Size
Minimum 22 in, total length
Season
No closed season on file
Annual quota
Not published

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))
  • 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)
  • White seabass Retention open (3 per day)
  • Yellowfin tuna Retention open (10 per day)
  • Yellowtail Retention open (10 per day)

Source: CDFW · synced yesterday

Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed

When California halibut is best here

Shoulder season for California halibut · 5 more weeks at shoulder

California halibut season by week of the year. Shoulder season for California halibut · 5 more weeks at shoulder.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
  • Off
  • This week

California halibut in California

Spot profile

Centissima Reef

Depth
45-60 ftSlope
Structure
Reef · Outer · ExposedReef · slope
Season
Shoulder seasonCalifornia 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 Centissima Reef

Centissima Reef 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 45-60 ft, with a slope. Its profile reads reef, outer water and exposed.

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

Tackle & technique

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.
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.
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.

Nearby spots

Other spots within an easy run

  • Sears Rock

    Bar · 0.1 mi

    65
    Top: RockfishPeak season
    • Rockfish 65
    • White seabass 64
    • Striped bass 62

    2 kt SSEH 10:32 AM · 5.2 ftL 3:56 PM · 2.2 ft

  • Bonita Channel

    Channel · 0.5 mi

    61
    Top: Striped bassPeak season
    • Striped bass 61
    • Lingcod 55
    • Rockfish 54

    2 kt SSEH 10:32 AM · 5.2 ftL 3:56 PM · 2.2 ft

  • Four Fathom Bank

    Bar · 0.9 mi

    59
    Top: RockfishPeak season
    • Rockfish 59
    • Striped bass 56
    • White seabass 56

    2 kt SSEH 10:32 AM · 5.2 ftL 3:56 PM · 2.2 ft

  • Potatopatch Shoal

    Bar · 1.6 mi

    57
    Top: Striped bassPeak season
    • Striped bass 57
    • Rockfish 55
    • Surfperch 55

    2 kt SSEH 10:32 AM · 5.2 ftL 3:56 PM · 2.2 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.