Waterlands

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White seabassRetention 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 · White seabass

79/100Great
Now
528 AM PDT
Best window
10 PM-12 AMFlood tide
Tide now
Low0.1 ft

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

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24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 8 AM · now

Time8ANOW
Score52Good
Tide0.1 ftLow
CurrentEbb1.4 kn · toward WNW
Wind3 kn Wgusts 6 · steady
Air temp58°Mild
WeatherPartly cloudy48% cloud
Water66°FObserved

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

San Francisco Groundfish Management Area

IN EFFECT NOW

White seabass

Retention open
Daily limit
3 per day
Possession
Not published
Size
Minimum 28 in, total length. Or twenty and one-half inches alternate length (Section 28.35).
Season
No closed season on file
Annual quota
Not published
Other
CDFW pages disagree on the alternate length: the regulation text says 20.5 inches, the booklet summary table 21.5 inches, and the regional web pages 20 inches. Total length is 28 inches on all of them.

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)
  • Striped bass Retention open (2 per day)
  • Surfperch Retention open (20 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 White seabass is best here

Shoulder season for White seabass · 5 more weeks at shoulder

White seabass season by week of the year. Shoulder season for White seabass · 5 more weeks at shoulder.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
  • Off
  • Not here
  • This week

White seabass in California

Spot profile

Fraser Shoal

Depth
2-15 ftSlope
Structure
Shoal · Inner · ProtectedShoal · slope
Season
Shoulder seasonWhite seabass

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 leopard shark. It is peak season now for striped bass, surfperch, rockfish and cabezon, and shoulder season for leopard shark, Pacific halibut, white seabass and California halibut. Striped bass peak from June through July and from September through October. Surfperch peak in May and from July through September. Leopard shark peak from May through August.

Tackle & technique

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.
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.

Nearby spots

Other spots within an easy run

  • Point San Joaquin

    Cape · 0.8 mi

    66
    Top: Striped bassPeak season
    • Striped bass 66
    • White seabass 59
    • Rockfish 58

    3 kt WL 8:19 AM · 0.1 ftH 2:23 PM · 3.3 ft

  • East Reach

    Channel · 1.3 mi

    64
    Top: Striped bassPeak season
    • Striped bass 64
    • Leopard shark 57
    • California halibut 55

    3 kt WL 8:04 AM · 0.1 ftH 2:11 PM · 3.4 ft

  • Middle Slough

    Channel · 1.4 mi

    63
    Top: Striped bassPeak season
    • Striped bass 63
    • California halibut 56
    • Leopard shark 55

    3 kt WL 8:04 AM · 0.1 ftH 2:11 PM · 3.4 ft

  • Broad Slough

    Bay · 0.8 mi

    62
    Top: Striped bassPeak season
    • Striped bass 62
    • Leopard shark 58
    • Surfperch 58

    3 kt WL 8:19 AM · 0.1 ftH 2:23 PM · 3.3 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.