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Pacific halibutRetention openChannel · California
Southampton Shoal Channel
37.91°N · 122.42°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 · Pacific halibut
- Now
- 566 AM PDT
- Best window
- 7-10 PMFlood tide
- Tide now
- Flooding1.1 ft ▲
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Southampton Shoal Channel 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 · 6 AM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
96Tide: FloodingCurrent: SlackWind & pressure
ECMWF
84Wind: 1 kt SSWPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
55Water temp: 64°F, hotLight: DawnSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 1.6 ftSeason & habitat · Pacific halibut
Species seasonality
55Season: ShoulderHabitat: Usable structureDepth: Out of rangeRegulations: Retention open
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
San Francisco Groundfish Management Area
Pacific halibut
Retention open- Daily limit
- 1 per day
- Possession
- 1 in possession
- Size
- Not published
- Season
- Apr 1 to Dec 31, 2026
- Annual quota
- Not published
- Other
- Closes early if the quota for south of Point Arena is reached. Check the CDFW Pacific halibut page before fishing. When angling, no more than one line with two hooks. The 2026 booklet (Section 28.20) still says the season ends November 15 statewide. CDFW web pages and the 2026 federal rule (91 FR 23369) keep south of Point Arena open through December 31.
From CDFW Current Ocean Recreational Fishing Regulations, San Francisco Region (updated September 1, 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)
- 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 Pacific halibut is best here
Shoulder season for Pacific halibut · 1 more week at shoulder
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- Not here
- This week
Spot profile
Southampton Shoal Channel
- Depth
- 25-50 ftSlope
- Structure
- Channel · Inner · Semi-exposedChannel · slope
- Season
- Shoulder seasonPacific 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 Southampton Shoal Channel
Southampton Shoal Channel 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 25-50 ft, with a slope. Its profile reads channel, inner water and semi-exposed.
Waterlands scores 11 species here; the best right now are striped bass, California halibut and lingcod. It is peak season now for striped bass, surfperch, rockfish and cabezon, and shoulder season for California halibut, lingcod, Pacific halibut and white seabass. Striped bass peak from June through July and from September through October. California halibut peak from May through August. Lingcod peak from April through May and from October through November.
Tackle & technique
- Pacific halibut
- Halibut sit on sand and gravel bottoms near drop-offs, bars and pinnacles, most often in 90 to 500 feet in Alaska and on the shelf off Washington, Oregon and far northern California. Anchor up-current of a likely edge and fish herring, squid, octopus or a salmon head on a circle hook with 24 to 32 ounces of weight, or bounce a large jig on the bottom. The best bite usually comes in the hour around slack 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.
- 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.
Nearby spots
Other spots within an easy run
- Cypress Point70
Cape · 1.9 mi
Top: Striped bassPeak season- Striped bass 70
- Rockfish 64
- California halibut 63
1 kt SSWH 11:14 AM · 5.3 ftL 4:44 PM · 2.3 ft
- Castro Rocks68
Bar · 1.3 mi
Top: RockfishPeak season- Rockfish 68
- White seabass 64
- Cabezon 63
1 kt SSWH 11:14 AM · 5.3 ftL 4:44 PM · 2.3 ft
- Richmond Harbor Entrance Channel67
Channel · 1.3 mi
Top: Striped bassPeak season- Striped bass 67
- California halibut 60
- Lingcod 59
1 kt SSWH 11:14 AM · 5.3 ftL 4:44 PM · 2.3 ft
- Southampton Shoal62
Bar · 1.8 mi
Top: Striped bassPeak season- Striped bass 62
- California halibut 59
- Rockfish 58
1 kt SSWH 11:17 AM · 4.8 ftL 4:38 PM · 2.1 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.