Waterlands

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Striped bassRetention open

Cape · California

Point San Pablo

37.97°N · 122.43°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 · 7 PM · Striped bass

86/100Epic
Now
7611 PM PDT
Best window
11 PM-12 AMEbb tide
Tide now
Ebbing5.3 ft ▼

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

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24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 11 PM · now

Time11PNOW
Score76Great
Tide5.3 ft ▼Ebbing
CurrentSlack0.1 kn
Wind3 kn Sgusts 6 · steady
Sea stateLight chop1.9 ft · 8 s
Air temp56°Mild
WeatherClear7% cloud
Water64°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 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)

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

Point San Pablo

Depth
6-70 ftNearest water
Structure
Point · Inner · Semi-exposedPoint · drop-off
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 Point San Pablo

Point San Pablo is a cape in San Pablo Bay, Suisun Bay, the West Delta and the San Francisco Bay north of the Bay Bridge, California. Depth in the nearest water is 6-70 ft, with a drop-off. Its profile reads point, inner water and semi-exposed.

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

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.
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.

Nearby spots

Other spots within an easy run

  • Point Orient

    Cape · 0.6 mi

    76
    Top: Striped bassPeak season
    • Striped bass 76
    • Cabezon 64
    • White seabass 64

    3 kt SL 4:46 AM · 0.3 ftH 11:39 AM · 5.1 ft

  • San Pablo Strait

    Channel · 1.0 mi

    73
    Top: Striped bassPeak season
    • Striped bass 73
    • California halibut 63
    • Cabezon 59

    3 kt SL 5:01 AM · 0.3 ftH 11:51 AM · 5.0 ft

  • Whiting Rock

    Bar · 0.6 mi

    69
    Top: Striped bassPeak season
    • Striped bass 69
    • Cabezon 65
    • Rockfish 65

    3 kt SL 4:46 AM · 0.3 ftH 11:39 AM · 5.1 ft

  • Invincible Rock

    Bar · 0.9 mi

    69
    Top: Striped bassPeak season
    • Striped bass 69
    • Cabezon 65
    • Rockfish 65

    3 kt SL 4:46 AM · 0.3 ftH 11:39 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.