Waterlands

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Chinook salmonRetention open

Bay · California

Creamery Bay

38.07°N · 122.96°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 · 6 PM · Chinook salmon

67/100Great
Now
4512 PM PDT
Best window
5-9 PMFlood tide
Tide now
Ebbing4.1 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
Score45Good
Tide4.1 ft ▼Ebbing
Current0.3 knmodeled · toward NNE
Wind3 kn WNWgusts 11 · steady
Sea stateRough6.6 ft · 9 s
Air temp74°Warm
WeatherClear0% cloud
Water58°FObserved

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

San Francisco Groundfish Management Area

IN EFFECT NOW

Chinook salmon

Closed
Daily limit
No retention
Possession
Not published
Size
Not published
Season
Sep 1 to Oct 31, 2026
Annual quota
Not published
Other
Closed from Point Arena south to 38°02' N. lat. The fall season is open only from 38°02' N. lat. south to Pigeon Point.

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)
  • 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)

Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed

When Chinook salmon is best here

Shoulder season for Chinook salmon · 1 more week at shoulder

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

Chinook salmon in California

Spot profile

Creamery Bay

Depth
Not sampled
Structure
Bay
Season
Shoulder seasonChinook salmon

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 Creamery Bay

Creamery Bay 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 rockfish, surfperch and lingcod. It is peak season now for rockfish, surfperch, cabezon and striped bass, and shoulder season for lingcod, Chinook salmon, Pacific halibut and California halibut. Rockfish peak from May through September. Surfperch peak in May and from July through September. Lingcod peak from April through May and from October through November.

Tackle & technique

Chinook salmon
Chinook hold near bait off points, kelp edges and tide rips, usually suspended 20 to 120 feet down and deeper as the sun gets higher. Troll slowly, under 2 mph, with a flasher and herring, hoochie or spoon on a downrigger, or mooch a plug-cut herring at the depth where the sounder shows bait. Winter blackmouth and feeder kings sit within 10 feet of the bottom in 60 to 200 feet.
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.
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

  • Bull Point

    Cape · 1.5 mi

    67
    Top: CabezonPeak season
    • Cabezon 67
    • Kelp greenling 59
    • Rockfish 56

    3 kt WNWL 5:14 PM · 2.0 ftH 10:30 PM · 5.2 ft

  • Schooner Bay

    Bay · 1.1 mi

    65
    Top: CabezonPeak season
    • Cabezon 65
    • Surfperch 61
    • Kelp greenling 58

    3 kt WNWL 5:14 PM · 2.0 ftH 10:30 PM · 5.2 ft

  • Drakes Estero

    Bay · 1.6 mi

    59
    Top: RockfishPeak season
    • Rockfish 59
    • Cabezon 58
    • Striped bass 57

    3 kt WNWL 3:28 PM · 2.4 ftH 9:21 PM · 5.5 ft

  • Barries Bay

    Bay · 1.2 mi

    57
    Top: RockfishPeak season
    • Rockfish 57
    • Surfperch 54
    • Lingcod 50

    3 kt WNWL 3:28 PM · 2.4 ftH 9:21 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.