Waterlands

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Striped bassRetention open

Cape · California

Oulton Point

38.09°N · 121.64°W · Cape · 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

89/100Epic
Now
632 AM PDT
Best window
11 PM-12 AMFlood tide
Tide now
High2.9 ft

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

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24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 2 AM · now

Time2ANOW
Score63Good
Tide2.9 ftHigh
CurrentFlood0.4 kn · toward NE
Wind2 kn WSWgusts 5 · steady
Sea stateCalm0.1 ft · 3 s
Air temp59°Mild
WeatherClear1% cloud
Water67°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)

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

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

Oulton Point

Depth
5-15 ft
Structure
Point · Inner · Semi-exposed
Season
Peak seasonStriped bass

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 Oulton Point

Oulton Point is a cape in San Pablo Bay, Suisun Bay, the West Delta and the San Francisco Bay north of the Bay Bridge, California. Depth is 5-15 ft. Its profile reads point, inner water and semi-exposed.

Waterlands scores 11 species here; the best right now are striped bass, cabezon and leopard shark. It is peak season now for striped bass, cabezon, surfperch and rockfish, and shoulder season for leopard shark, kelp greenling, California halibut and Chinook salmon. Striped bass peak from June through July and from September through October. Cabezon peak from May through September. Leopard shark 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.
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.
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.

Nearby spots

Other spots within an easy run

  • Big Break

    Bay · 6.5 mi

    68
    Top: Leopard sharkShoulder season
    • Leopard shark 68
    • California halibut 64
    • Surfperch 64

    2 kt WSWL 9:44 AM · 0.1 ftH 3:57 PM · 2.7 ft

  • Webb Reach

    Channel · 2.2 mi

    64
    Top: Striped bassPeak season
    • Striped bass 64
    • Leopard shark 63
    • California halibut 61

    1 kt NWL 9:44 AM · 0.1 ftH 3:59 PM · 2.2 ft

  • Santa Clara Shoal

    Bar · 0.5 mi

    61
    Top: California halibutShoulder season
    • California halibut 61
    • Leopard shark 59
    • Surfperch 58

    2 kt WSWL 9:15 AM · 0.3 ftH 3:31 PM · 2.2 ft

  • San Andreas Shoal

    Bar · 2.9 mi

    56
    Top: Striped bassPeak season
    • Striped bass 56
    • Leopard shark 55
    • California halibut 54

    1 kt NWL 9:44 AM · 0.1 ftH 3:59 PM · 2.2 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.