Waterlands

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Chinook salmonRetention open

Bay · California

Drakes Estero

38.05°N · 122.94°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 · 11 PM · Chinook salmon

72/100Great
Now
5410 AM PDT
Best window
11 PM-12 AMEbb tide
Tide now
High4.8 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 · 76

24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 10 AM · now

Time10ANOW
Score54Good
Tide4.8 ftHigh
Current0.7 knmodeled · toward NW
Wind1 kn Wgusts 8 · building
Sea stateRough6.0 ft · 9 s
Air temp66°Mild
WeatherPartly cloudy32% cloud
Water57°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)
Always check with CDFW ↗Fishing license ↗

Source: CDFW · synced today

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

Drakes Estero

Depth
About 3 ft
Structure
Bay · Inner · Semi-exposed
Season
Shoulder seasonChinook salmon

NOAA NCEI DEM, sampled Sep 14 on a 464 m grid. Depths are feet below mean sea level, not chart datum (MLLW), so they can differ from a chart by a few feet. Not for navigation.

About this spot

Fishing Drakes Estero

Drakes Estero 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 about 3 ft. Its profile reads bay, inner water and semi-exposed.

Waterlands scores 11 species here; the best right now are cabezon, surfperch and kelp greenling. It is peak season now for cabezon, surfperch, striped bass and rockfish, and shoulder season for kelp greenling, Chinook salmon, Pacific halibut and lingcod. Cabezon peak from May through September. Surfperch peak in May and from July through September. Kelp greenling peak 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.
Cabezon
Cabezon sit in rock crevices, kelp beds and jetty boulders from the intertidal zone to about 100 feet and feed mostly on crabs and small fish. Fish a fish-finder rig with sand shrimp, squid or crab right on the bottom in the rocks, or drag a lead-head grub slowly through the kelp. Expect snags, and do not eat the roe, which is toxic.
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

View all on map →
  • Bull Point

    Cape · 1.3 mi

    65
    Top: CabezonPeak season
    • Cabezon 65
    • Rockfish 64
    • Striped bass 61

    1 kt WH 11:18 AM · 4.6 ftL 5:14 PM · 2.0 ft

  • Home Bay

    Bay · 1.6 mi

    63
    Top: CabezonPeak season
    • Cabezon 63
    • Surfperch 60
    • Kelp greenling 58

    1 kt WH 11:18 AM · 4.6 ftL 5:14 PM · 2.0 ft

  • Barries Bay

    Bay · 0.8 mi

    60
    Top: SurfperchPeak season
    • Surfperch 60
    • Chinook salmon 50
    • Pacific halibut 48

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

  • Creamery Bay

    Bay · 1.6 mi

    58
    Top: SurfperchPeak season
    • Surfperch 58
    • Chinook salmon 49
    • Pacific halibut 47

    1 kt WL 3:28 PM · 2.4 ftH 9:21 PM · 5.5 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.