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CabezonRetention openBay · California
Schooner Bay
38.07°N · 122.94°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 · 7 PM · Striped bass
- Now
- 677 AM PDT
- Best window
- 7-10 PMFlood tide
- Tide now
- Flooding1.3 ft ▲
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Schooner 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 · 7 AM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
100Tide: FloodingCurrent: 0.3 knWind & pressure
ECMWF
96Wind: 3 kt ENEPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
56Water temp: 56°F, primeLight: DawnSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 6.4 ftSeason & habitat · Cabezon
Species seasonality
80Season: PeakHabitat: Structure unmappedDepth: Out of rangeRegulations: Retention open
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
San Francisco Groundfish Management Area
Cabezon
Retention open- Daily limit
- 10 per day (10 rockfish, cabezon and greenlings combined)
- Possession
- Not published
- Size
- No minimum size limit.
- 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. RCG complex: all rockfish, cabezon, and kelp and rock greenlings combined. 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))
- 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)
- 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 Cabezon is best here
Peak season for Cabezon · 1 more week at peak
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- This week
Spot profile
Schooner Bay
- Depth
- About 2 ftNearest water
- Structure
- Bay · Inner · Protected
- Season
- Peak seasonCabezon
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 Schooner Bay
Schooner 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 in the nearest water is about 2 ft. Its profile reads bay, inner water and protected.
Waterlands scores 11 species here; the best right now are cabezon, striped bass and kelp greenling. It is peak season now for cabezon, striped bass, surfperch and rockfish, and shoulder season for kelp greenling, Chinook salmon, lingcod and white seabass. Cabezon peak from May through September. Striped bass peak from June through July and from September through October. Kelp greenling peak from October through November.
Tackle & technique
- 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.
- 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.
- Kelp greenling
- Kelp greenling are solitary bottom fish of rocky shores, jetties and kelp beds, usually in water shallower than 60 feet. Use a small number 4 to 6 hook with sand shrimp or marine worms, or a small lead-head grub, dropped to the bottom and reeled up slightly. Larger fish show in October and November when they spawn close to shore, and mornings tend to fish best.
Nearby spots
Other spots within an easy run
- Bull Point69
Cape · 0.8 mi
Top: CabezonPeak season- Cabezon 69
- Striped bass 68
- Rockfish 67
3 kt ENEH 11:18 AM · 4.6 ftL 5:14 PM · 2.0 ft
- Home Bay67
Bay · 1.0 mi
Top: CabezonPeak season- Cabezon 67
- Striped bass 66
- Kelp greenling 63
3 kt ENEH 11:18 AM · 4.6 ftL 5:14 PM · 2.0 ft
- Drakes Estero67
Bay · 1.8 mi
Top: CabezonPeak season- Cabezon 67
- Striped bass 67
- Surfperch 65
3 kt ENEH 10:05 AM · 4.8 ftL 3:28 PM · 2.4 ft
- Creamery Bay60
Bay · 1.1 mi
Top: RockfishPeak season- Rockfish 60
- Surfperch 60
- Lingcod 55
3 kt ENEH 10:05 AM · 4.8 ftL 3:28 PM · 2.4 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.