Species guide · California
Striped bass fishing in California
Morone saxatilis, a sea-run species also called striper, rockfish and rock. Listed for the Northern California region. Peak season, about 6 more weeks.
Right now it scores best in San Francisco Bay South of the Bay Bridge at 77, one of 7 California bay systems where the Waterlands engine is scoring it.
Season now
Peak seasonSeason by month
From the Waterlands saltwater species research: when the fish are present and biting, not whether retention is open.
Northern California
Peak season, about 6 more weeks- Jan: Off season
- Feb: Off season
- Mar: Shoulder season
- Apr: Shoulder season
- May: Shoulder season
- Jun: Peak season
- Jul: Peak season
- Aug: Shoulder season
- Sep: Peak season
- Oct: Peak season
- Nov: Shoulder season
- Dec: Off season
Peak: Jun to Jul, Sep to Oct. In season (shoulder or peak): Mar to Nov.
Research notes, Northern California region
Introduced San Francisco Bay-Delta population. CDFW: fish winter in the bays and Delta, move up into the Delta to spawn in spring, return to the bays by mid-June where summer fishing peaks and some fish run the ocean beaches from Pacifica to Monterey Bay, then school on anchovies and herring in the bays in fall before moving back to the Delta from October. The spring spawning run is in fresh water, so bay and surf spots peak in summer and fall.
Seasons and limits in these notes are background. The regulations below and the regulator’s own page govern.
Where it's scoring now · 7
California bay systems ranked by the Waterlands engine's striped bass score this hour.
Best window today 6-11 PM (82) · Best day Fri, Sep 18 at 8 PM (86) · 30 named spots
Best window today 5 PM-12 AM (79) · Best day Fri, Sep 18 at 7 PM (84) · 159 named spots
Best window today 5-9 PM (77) · Best day Fri, Sep 18 at 7 PM (80) · 27 named spots
Best window today 6-10 PM (75) · Best day Mon, Sep 28 at 3 AM (82) · 28 named spots
Best window today 5-10 PM (76) · Best day Fri, Sep 18 at 7 PM (82) · 28 named spots
Best window today 5-10 PM (77) · Best day Fri, Sep 18 at 7 PM (83) · 50 named spots
How and where it feeds
- Water temperature
- Feeds from 45°F to 77°F, best between 55°F and 68°F.
- Water depth
- 2 to 60 ft of water.
- Structure
- Rip, inlet, point, jetty, surf, channel and bridge, in that order of preference.
- Tide and current
- Prefers moving water and outgoing tide, with moderate current.Moving water is the rule. The outgoing tide at inlets, creek mouths and estuary outflows flushes bait to waiting fish, while the incoming tide pushes fish onto flats and marsh edges. Tide rips off points and reefs fish best while the current is building, and dead slack is usually slow. Very strong current (Cape Cod Canal, the Race) fishes well for anglers who can hold bottom or swing lures through it.
- Light
- Bites best around dawn and dusk; feeds at night too.
- Pressure
- Tends to feed as pressure falls ahead of weather.
- Wind and sea limits
- 20 kt of wind and 5 ft of sea. The Waterlands engine scores hours down as conditions pass them.
Tackle and technique
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.
- Methods
- casting, surfcasting, live lining, chunking, trolling, jigging, fly fishing
- Lures
- bucktail jigs, soft plastic swimbaits, topwater pencil poppers, metal spoons, swimming plugs, tube and worm, umbrella rigs
- Bait
- live menhaden (bunker), eels, clams, bloodworms and sandworms, mackerel, anchovy and sardine (California), shiner perch (California)
Regulations
California Department of Fish and Wildlife. Synced with CDFW Sep 17, 2026.
No reviewed striped bass rule for California is on file yet. Check with CDFW before you keep one.