Waterlands

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White seabassRetention open

Channel · California

West Reach

38.06°N · 121.99°W · Channel · San Pablo Bay, Suisun Bay, the West Delta and the San Francisco Bay north of the Bay Bridge

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Best score today · 11 PM · White seabass

83/100Great
Now
5711 AM PDT
Best window
10 PM-12 AMFlood tide
Tide now
Flooding3.0 ft ▲

Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine

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24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 11 AM · now

Time11ANOW
Score57Good
Tide3.0 ft ▲Flooding
CurrentFlood1.1 kn · toward E
Wind2 kn Ngusts 9 · steady
Air temp72°Warm
WeatherClear0% cloud
Water67°FObserved

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

San Francisco Groundfish Management Area

IN EFFECT NOW

White seabass

Retention open
Daily limit
3 per day
Possession
Not published
Size
Minimum 28 in, total length. Or twenty and one-half inches alternate length (Section 28.35).
Season
No closed season on file
Annual quota
Not published
Other
CDFW pages disagree on the alternate length: the regulation text says 20.5 inches, the booklet summary table 21.5 inches, and the regional web pages 20 inches. Total length is 28 inches on all of them.

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)
  • 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)
  • Yellowfin tuna Retention open (10 per day)
  • Yellowtail Retention open (10 per day)

Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed

When White seabass is best here

Shoulder season for White seabass · 5 more weeks at shoulder

White seabass season by week of the year. Shoulder season for White seabass · 5 more weeks at shoulder.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
  • Off
  • Not here
  • This week

White seabass in California

Spot profile

West Reach

Depth
25-45 ftSlope
Structure
Channel · Inner · Semi-exposedChannel · slope
Season
Shoulder seasonWhite seabass

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 25-45 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, leopard shark and surfperch. It is peak season now for striped bass, surfperch, rockfish and cabezon, and shoulder season for leopard shark, California halibut, lingcod and Chinook salmon. Striped bass peak from June through July and from September through October. Leopard shark peak from May through August. Surfperch peak in May and from July through September.

Tackle & technique

White seabass
White seabass hold along kelp bed edges and over nearby sand where market squid gather, usually in 20 to 80 feet of water and shallower as the water warms. Fish a live squid on a dropper loop or fly-line a sardine near the kelp at dawn, dusk and after dark, especially around the spring full moon. Tagged fish spend most of their time in 52 to 66 degree water.
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.
Leopard shark
Leopard sharks cruise shallow mudflats, sloughs and channel edges in bays, most often in less than 15 feet of water, and follow the flooding tide onto the flats to feed on crabs, worms, clams and small fish. Anchor or fish from shore or a pier with a sliding sinker rig and a chunk of squid, mackerel or ghost shrimp on the bottom. The bite is often better into the evening and at night.

Nearby spots

Other spots within an easy run

  • Middle Point

    Cape · 0.3 mi

    71
    Top: Striped bassPeak season
    • Striped bass 71
    • Rockfish 67
    • Surfperch 65

    2 kt NH 1:12 PM · 4.1 ftL 6:46 PM · 1.4 ft

  • Suisun Bay

    Bay · 0.5 mi

    70
    Top: SurfperchPeak season
    • Surfperch 70
    • Leopard shark 69
    • Striped bass 68

    2 kt NH 1:12 PM · 4.1 ftL 6:46 PM · 1.4 ft

  • East Reach

    Channel · 0.8 mi

    69
    Top: Striped bassPeak season
    • Striped bass 69
    • Leopard shark 66
    • Surfperch 65

    2 kt NH 1:52 PM · 3.8 ftL 7:26 PM · 1.4 ft

  • Port Chicago Reach

    Channel · 0.9 mi

    69
    Top: Striped bassPeak season
    • Striped bass 69
    • Leopard shark 66
    • California halibut 65

    2 kt NH 1:12 PM · 4.1 ftL 6:46 PM · 1.4 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.