UPDATEDAUTO-REFRESH 5 MIN
Striped bassRetention openChannel · California
Harbor Channel
37.91°N · 122.36°W · Channel · 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 · 7 PM · Striped bass
- Now
- 752 AM PDT
- Best window
- 6-9 PMFlood tide
- Tide now
- Ebbing1.7 ft ▼
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Harbor Channel 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 AM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
81Tide: EbbingCurrent: 0.3 kn ebbWind & pressure
ECMWF
73Wind: 6 kt SSWPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
83Water temp: 64°F, primeLight: NightSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 1.8 ftSeason & habitat · Striped bass
Species seasonality
90Season: PeakHabitat: Usable structureDepth: 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 yesterday
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
Harbor Channel
- Depth
- 25-40 ftSlope
- Structure
- Channel · Inner · ProtectedChannel · 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 Harbor Channel
Harbor Channel is a channel in San Pablo Bay, Suisun Bay, the West Delta and the San Francisco Bay north of the Bay Bridge, California. Depth is 25-40 ft, with a slope. Its profile reads channel, inner water and protected.
Waterlands scores 11 species here; the best right now are striped bass, white seabass and lingcod. It is peak season now for striped bass, rockfish, surfperch and cabezon, and shoulder season for white seabass, lingcod, Chinook salmon and California halibut. Striped bass peak from June through July and from September through October. Lingcod peak from April through May and from October through November.
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.
- 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.
- Lingcod
- Lingcod ambush prey from rock outcrops, reef edges and kelp where current runs, most often in 30 to 300 feet, and males move shallow to guard nests in winter. Drift over the reef bouncing a lead-head swimbait or metal jig on the bottom, or fish herring or squid on a heavy leader, since their teeth cut light line. From jetties and rocky shore, work bait or jigs along the rocks on the incoming tide.
Nearby spots
Other spots within an easy run
- Point Potrero81
Cape · 0.6 mi
Top: Striped bassPeak season- Striped bass 81
- White seabass 73
- Rockfish 66
6 kt SSWL 4:24 AM · 0.3 ftH 11:05 AM · 5.1 ft
- Ford Channel75
Channel · 0.5 mi
Top: Striped bassPeak season- Striped bass 75
- White seabass 62
- Lingcod 61
6 kt SSWL 4:24 AM · 0.3 ftH 11:05 AM · 5.1 ft
- Potrero Turn75
Bend · 0.6 mi
Top: Striped bassPeak season- Striped bass 75
- White seabass 62
- Lingcod 61
6 kt SSWL 4:24 AM · 0.3 ftH 11:05 AM · 5.1 ft
- Inner Harbor Basin74
Bay · 0.7 mi
Top: Striped bassPeak season- Striped bass 74
- White seabass 66
- Rockfish 61
6 kt SSWL 4:24 AM · 0.3 ftH 11:05 AM · 5.1 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.