UPDATEDAUTO-REFRESH 5 MIN
California halibutRetention openChannel · California
South Channel (historical)
37.76°N · 122.53°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 · California halibut
- Now
- 308 AM PDT
- Best window
- 6-9 PMFlood tide
- Tide now
- Flooding4.1 ft ▲
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when South Channel (historical) 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 · 8 AM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
91Tide: FloodingCurrent: 1.3 kn floodWind & pressure
ECMWF
83Wind: 1 kt SPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
49Seas over the limit · capped at 30Water temp: 65°F, primeLight: DawnSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 4.9 ftSeason & habitat · California halibut
Species seasonality
65Season: ShoulderHabitat: Usable structureDepth: In rangeRegulations: Retention open
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
San Francisco Groundfish Management Area
California halibut
Retention open- Daily limit
- 2 per day
- Possession
- 2 in possession
- Size
- Minimum 22 in, total length
- Season
- No closed season on file
- Annual quota
- Not published
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))
- 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)
- 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 California halibut is best here
Shoulder season for California halibut · 5 more weeks at shoulder
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- This week
Spot profile
South Channel (historical)
- Depth
- 35-45 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Channel · Outer · ExposedChannel · flat bottom
- Season
- Shoulder seasonCalifornia halibut
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 South Channel (historical)
South Channel (historical) 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 35-45 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads channel, outer water and exposed.
Waterlands scores 11 species here; the best right now are striped bass, Chinook salmon and lingcod. It is peak season now for striped bass, surfperch, rockfish and cabezon, and shoulder season for Chinook salmon, lingcod, white seabass and kelp greenling. Striped bass peak from June through July and from September through October. Chinook salmon peak from June through August. Lingcod peak from April through May and from October through November.
Tackle & technique
- California halibut
- California halibut are ambush feeders that lie on sand or mud bottom, mostly in water shallower than 100 feet and often inside bays, harbors and estuaries. Drift or slow-troll a live anchovy or sardine on a sliding sinker rig, or bounce a swimbait along the bottom over flats, channel edges and sandy areas near structure. Keep the bait within a foot or two of the bottom and give a fish time to turn the bait before setting the hook.
- 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.
- Chinook salmon
- Chinook hold near bait off points, kelp edges and tide rips, usually suspended 20 to 120 feet down and deeper as the sun gets higher. Troll slowly, under 2 mph, with a flasher and herring, hoochie or spoon on a downrigger, or mooch a plug-cut herring at the depth where the sounder shows bait. Winter blackmouth and feeder kings sit within 10 feet of the bottom in 60 to 200 feet.
Nearby spots
Other spots within an easy run
- Point Lobos70
Cape · 1.6 mi
Top: Striped bassPeak season- Striped bass 70
- White seabass 63
- Chinook salmon 60
1 kt SH 10:00 AM · 5.0 ftL 3:31 PM · 2.2 ft
- Lands End70
Cape · 2.3 mi
Top: Striped bassPeak season- Striped bass 70
- White seabass 63
- Chinook salmon 60
1 kt SH 10:00 AM · 5.0 ftL 3:31 PM · 2.2 ft
- South Bay68
Bay · 3.1 mi
Top: Striped bassPeak season- Striped bass 68
- Surfperch 65
- White seabass 60
1 kt SH 10:49 AM · 4.9 ftL 4:06 PM · 2.2 ft
- Bonita Cove63
Bay · 4.1 mi
Top: RockfishPeak season- Rockfish 63
- Surfperch 62
- Lingcod 59
1 kt SH 10:32 AM · 5.2 ftL 3:56 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.