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LingcodRetention openBay · California
San Rafael Bay
37.96°N · 122.48°W · Bay · 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 · 9 PM · Lingcod
- Now
- 5710 AM PDT
- Best window
- 7-10 PMFlood tide
- Tide now
- Flooding4.3 ft ▲
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when San Rafael Bay 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 · 10 AM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
96Tide: FloodingCurrent: 0.6 kn floodWind & pressure
ECMWF
84Wind: 1 kt NPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
61Water temp: 64°F, hotLight: Partly cloudySolunar: Near a majorSeas: 1.6 ftSeason & habitat · Lingcod
Species seasonality
54Season: ShoulderHabitat: Poor fitDepth: Out of rangeRegulations: Retention open
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
San Francisco Groundfish Management Area
Lingcod
Retention open- Daily limit
- 2 per day
- Possession
- Not published
- Size
- Minimum 22 in, total length
- Season
- Apr 1 to Dec 31, 2026
- Annual quota
- Not published
- Other
- Shore-based anglers and spear divers are exempt from groundfish seasons and depth limits. All groundfish fishing is prohibited at Cordell Bank. A descending device must be aboard when fishing from a boat.
From CDFW Summary of Recreational Groundfish Fishing Regulations (updated June 23, 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)
- 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)
- White seabass Retention open (3 per day)
- Yellowfin tuna Retention open (10 per day)
- Yellowtail Retention open (10 per day)
Source: CDFW · synced today
Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed
When Lingcod is best here
Shoulder season for Lingcod · 1 more week at shoulder
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- This week
Spot profile
San Rafael Bay
- Depth
- 2-4 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Bay · Inner · Semi-exposedBay · flat bottom
- Season
- Shoulder seasonLingcod
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 San Rafael Bay
San Rafael Bay is a bay in San Pablo Bay, Suisun Bay, the West Delta and the San Francisco Bay north of the Bay Bridge, California. Depth is 2-4 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads bay, inner water and semi-exposed.
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, cabezon and rockfish, and shoulder season for California halibut, leopard shark, white seabass and kelp greenling. 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
- 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.
- 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 Pedro75
Cape · 2.2 mi
Top: Striped bassPeak season- Striped bass 75
- White seabass 69
- Surfperch 66
1 kt NH 11:51 AM · 5.0 ftL 5:13 PM · 2.0 ft
- Invincible Rock70
Bar · 2.1 mi
Top: White seabassShoulder season- White seabass 70
- Rockfish 68
- Striped bass 67
1 kt NH 11:39 AM · 5.1 ftL 4:58 PM · 2.1 ft
- Whiting Rock70
Bar · 2.2 mi
Top: White seabassShoulder season- White seabass 70
- Rockfish 68
- Striped bass 67
1 kt NH 11:39 AM · 5.1 ftL 4:58 PM · 2.1 ft
- Corte Madera Channel63
Channel · 2.1 mi
Top: Striped bassPeak season- Striped bass 63
- Surfperch 60
- Lingcod 58
1 kt NH 11:26 AM · 4.7 ftL 4:49 PM · 2.3 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.