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Striped bassRetention openBay · California
Dowest Slough
38.02°N · 121.84°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 · 11 PM · Striped bass
- Now
- 562 PM PDT
- Best window
- 11 PM-12 AMFlood tide
- Tide now
- High3.4 ft
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Dowest Slough 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 · 2 PM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
40Tide: High slackCurrent: 0.7 kn floodWind & pressure
ECMWF
73Wind: 3 kt NNWPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC
43Water temp: 68°F, primeLight: Bright sunSolunar: Between periodsSeason & habitat · Striped bass
Species seasonality
88Season: PeakHabitat: Structure unmappedDepth: In rangeRegulations: 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
Dowest Slough
- Depth
- 10-45 ftNearest water
- Structure
- Bay · Inner · ProtectedBay · slope
- Season
- Peak seasonStriped bass
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 Dowest Slough
Dowest Slough is a bay in San Pablo Bay, Suisun Bay, the West Delta and the San Francisco Bay north of the Bay Bridge, California. Depth in the nearest water is 10-45 ft, with a slope. Its profile reads bay, inner water and protected.
Waterlands scores 11 species here; the best right now are leopard shark, surfperch and California halibut. It is peak season now for surfperch, cabezon, striped bass and rockfish, and shoulder season for leopard shark, California halibut, kelp greenling and Chinook salmon. Leopard shark peak from May through August. Surfperch peak in May and from July through September. California halibut peak from May through August.
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.
- Leopard shark
- Leopard sharks cruise shallow mudflats, sloughs and channel edges in bays, most often in less than 15 feet of water, and follow the flooding tide onto the flats to feed on crabs, worms, clams and small fish. Anchor or fish from shore or a pier with a sliding sinker rig and a chunk of squid, mackerel or ghost shrimp on the bottom. The bite is often better into the evening and at night.
- 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
- New York Slough65
Channel · 1.0 mi
Top: Leopard sharkShoulder season- Leopard shark 65
- California halibut 63
- Surfperch 62
3 kt NNWL 7:51 PM · 1.1 ftH 1:29 AM · 3.6 ft
- Middle Slough64
Channel · 1.1 mi
Top: California halibutShoulder season- California halibut 64
- Leopard shark 63
- Surfperch 61
3 kt NNWL 7:51 PM · 1.1 ftH 1:29 AM · 3.6 ft
- Point Beenar63
Cape · 0.5 mi
Top: CabezonPeak season- Cabezon 63
- Surfperch 62
- Striped bass 60
3 kt NNWL 7:54 PM · 1.1 ftH 1:38 AM · 3.7 ft
- Antioch Point62
Cape · 1.0 mi
Top: SurfperchPeak season- Surfperch 62
- Cabezon 60
- Striped bass 60
3 kt NNWL 7:54 PM · 1.1 ftH 1:38 AM · 3.7 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.