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Chinook salmonRetention openChannel · California
West Reach
38.04°N · 121.88°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 · 11 PM · Chinook salmon
- Now
- 569 AM PDT
- Best window
- 10 PM-12 AMFlood tide
- Tide now
- Flooding0.3 ft ▲
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF · Waterlands engine
Notify me when West Reach 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 · 9 AM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
75Tide: FloodingCurrent: 0.5 kn ebbWind & pressure
ECMWF
88Wind: 2 kt WSWPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC
55Water temp: 67°F, hotLight: MorningSolunar: Between periodsSeason & habitat · Chinook salmon
Species seasonality
58Season: ShoulderHabitat: Usable structureDepth: In rangeRegulations: Retention open
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
San Francisco Groundfish Management Area
Chinook salmon
Closed- Daily limit
- No retention
- Possession
- Not published
- Size
- Not published
- Season
- Sep 1 to Oct 31, 2026
- Annual quota
- Not published
- Other
- Closed from Point Arena south to 38°02' N. lat. The fall season is open only from 38°02' N. lat. south to Pigeon Point.
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))
- California halibut Retention open (2 per day)
- 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 today
Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed
When Chinook salmon is best here
Shoulder season for Chinook salmon · 1 more week at shoulder
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- Not here
- This week
Spot profile
West Reach
- Depth
- 1-40 ftSlope
- Structure
- Channel · Inner · ProtectedChannel · slope
- Season
- Shoulder seasonChinook salmon
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 West Reach
West Reach 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 1-40 ft, with a slope. Its profile reads channel, inner water and protected.
Waterlands scores 11 species here; the best right now are striped bass, California halibut and leopard shark. It is peak season now for striped bass, rockfish, surfperch and cabezon, and shoulder season for California halibut, leopard shark, lingcod and Chinook salmon. Striped bass peak from June through July and from September through October. California halibut peak from May through August. Leopard shark peak from May through August.
Tackle & technique
- 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.
- 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
- Point Emmet71
Cape · 0.1 mi
Top: Striped bassPeak season- Striped bass 71
- Rockfish 66
- Cabezon 63
2 kt WSWH 2:11 PM · 3.4 ftL 7:51 PM · 1.1 ft
- Point Wise71
Cape · 1.1 mi
Top: Striped bassPeak season- Striped bass 71
- Rockfish 65
- Cabezon 63
2 kt WSWH 1:52 PM · 3.8 ftL 7:26 PM · 1.4 ft
- Point Wall67
Cape · 1.1 mi
Top: Striped bassPeak season- Striped bass 67
- Rockfish 63
- Cabezon 60
2 kt WSWH 2:11 PM · 3.4 ftL 7:51 PM · 1.1 ft
- Spoonbill Creek65
Gut · 1.1 mi
Top: Striped bassPeak season- Striped bass 65
- California halibut 62
- Surfperch 62
2 kt WSWH 2:11 PM · 3.4 ftL 7:51 PM · 1.1 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.