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Kelp greenlingRetention openGut · California
Spoonbill Creek
38.05°N · 121.89°W · Gut · 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 · 6 PM · Kelp greenling
- Now
- 507 AM PDT
- Best window
- 5-8 PMEbb tide
- Tide now
- Ebbing0.2 ft ▼
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Spoonbill Creek 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
43Tide: EbbingCurrent: 1.0 kn ebbWind & pressure
ECMWF
99Wind: 3 kt WSWPressure: RisingWater temp & sky
NDBC
38Water temp: 66°F, hotLight: DawnSolunar: Between periodsSeason & habitat · Kelp greenling
Species seasonality
70Season: ShoulderHabitat: Usable structureDepth: In rangeRegulations: Retention open
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
San Francisco Groundfish Management Area
Kelp greenling
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. CDFW limits and seasons cover kelp and rock greenlings together.
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 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))
- 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 Kelp greenling is best here
Shoulder season for Kelp greenling · 1 more week at shoulder
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- This week
Spot profile
Spoonbill Creek
- Depth
- 6-30 ftSlope
- Structure
- Estuary · Inner · ProtectedEstuary · slope
- Season
- Shoulder seasonKelp greenling
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 Spoonbill Creek
Spoonbill Creek is a gut in San Pablo Bay, Suisun Bay, the West Delta and the San Francisco Bay north of the Bay Bridge, California. Depth is 6-30 ft, with a slope. Its profile reads estuary, inner water and protected.
Waterlands scores 11 species here; the best right now are striped bass, surfperch and lingcod. It is peak season now for striped bass, surfperch, rockfish and cabezon, and shoulder season for lingcod, white seabass, leopard shark and California halibut. Striped bass peak from June through July and from September through October. Surfperch peak in May and from July through September. Lingcod peak from April through May and from October through November.
Tackle & technique
- 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.
- 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 Wall75
Cape · 0.2 mi
Top: Striped bassPeak season- Striped bass 75
- White seabass 67
- Rockfish 64
3 kt WSWL 8:04 AM · 0.1 ftH 2:11 PM · 3.4 ft
- Point Emmet75
Cape · 1.1 mi
Top: Striped bassPeak season- Striped bass 75
- White seabass 67
- Chinook salmon 60
3 kt WSWL 8:04 AM · 0.1 ftH 2:11 PM · 3.4 ft
- West Reach73
Channel · 1.1 mi
Top: Striped bassPeak season- Striped bass 73
- White seabass 60
- Leopard shark 58
3 kt WSWL 8:04 AM · 0.1 ftH 2:11 PM · 3.4 ft
- Point Wise72
Cape · 0.3 mi
Top: Striped bassPeak season- Striped bass 72
- White seabass 63
- Rockfish 60
3 kt WSWL 7:37 AM · 0.2 ftH 1:52 PM · 3.8 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.