Waterlands

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Striped bassRetention open

Bar · California

Fraser Shoal

38.06°N · 121.84°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 · 11 PM · Striped bass

79/100Great
Now
631 PM PDT
Best window
10 PM-12 AMFlood tide
Tide now
Flooding2.9 ft ▲

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

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24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 1 PM · now

Time1PNOW
Score63Good
Tide2.9 ft ▲Flooding
CurrentFlood1.3 kn · toward E
Wind3 kn Ngusts 11 · steady
Air temp83°Hot
WeatherClear0% cloud
Water68°FObserved

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

San Francisco Groundfish Management Area

IN EFFECT NOW

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 Closed (No retention)
  • 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)

Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed

When Striped bass is best here

Peak season for Striped bass · 5 more weeks at peak

Striped bass season by week of the year. Peak season for Striped bass · 5 more weeks at peak.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
  • Off
  • This week

Striped bass in California

Spot profile

Fraser Shoal

Depth
2-15 ftSlope
Structure
Shoal · Inner · ProtectedShoal · 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 Fraser Shoal

Fraser Shoal 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 2-15 ft, with a slope. Its profile reads shoal, inner water and protected.

Waterlands scores 11 species here; the best right now are striped bass, surfperch and California halibut. It is peak season now for striped bass, surfperch, rockfish and cabezon, and shoulder season for California halibut, leopard shark, white seabass and lingcod. Striped bass peak from June through July and from September through October. 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.
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.
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.

Nearby spots

Other spots within an easy run

  • Point San Joaquin

    Cape · 0.8 mi

    70
    Top: Striped bassPeak season
    • Striped bass 70
    • Surfperch 63
    • Rockfish 62

    3 kt NH 2:23 PM · 3.3 ftL 8:06 PM · 1.1 ft

  • East Reach

    Channel · 1.3 mi

    67
    Top: Striped bassPeak season
    • Striped bass 67
    • Leopard shark 65
    • Surfperch 63

    3 kt NH 2:11 PM · 3.4 ftL 7:51 PM · 1.1 ft

  • Broad Slough

    Bay · 0.8 mi

    66
    Top: California halibutShoulder season
    • California halibut 66
    • Leopard shark 65
    • Striped bass 65

    3 kt NH 2:23 PM · 3.3 ftL 8:06 PM · 1.1 ft

  • Middle Slough

    Channel · 1.4 mi

    65
    Top: Striped bassPeak season
    • Striped bass 65
    • California halibut 64
    • Leopard shark 62

    3 kt NH 2:11 PM · 3.4 ftL 7:51 PM · 1.1 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.