UTERJanuary
Sturgeon in San Pablo Bay; perch in the surf
Ghost shrimp on the bottom on the big outgoing for sturgeon (catch-and-release only); barred perch on the Monterey and Half Moon Bay beaches. Boat groundfish closed for winter.
Point Conception to San Francisco Bay
Central California Coast fishing
What's biting in Central California Coast in October: striped bass, lingcod and rockfish at their peak, with albacore, white seabass and California halibut around too. Fish Scouter's season calendar follows 12 fish here month by month, from Morro Bay to Berkeley.
Rockfish and lingcod; the last albacore and halibut
A rugged, cold coast of kelp and granite — Big Sur, Monterey Bay's submarine canyon, Half Moon Bay, the Farallones — and San Francisco Bay, San Pablo and Suisun Bays running up into the Delta.
Morro BayMontereySanta CruzHalf Moon BaySan FranciscoBerkeley
Updated
Now · October
Rockfish and lingcod; the last albacore and halibut
Big Sur and Monterey reefs for rockfish and lings moving shallow; last albacore before the fall wind.
RockfishLingcodStriped bassAlbacore (longfin tuna)California halibut
This month here
From the season calendar, best firstPeakPeakPeakPeakLeavingLeavingAroundAroundAroundAround
Striped bass
Good on the Bay's tide rips.
Lingcod
Rockfish
Cabezon
Albacore (longfin tuna)
Last fish before the fall wind.
White seabass
Leaving with the first north swells.
California halibut
A few on warm afternoons.
Pacific yellowtail
Surfperch
White sturgeon
The water
The tide here
Mixed semidiurnal, 4–7 ft
Mixed semidiurnal — two highs and two lows a day, one pair much bigger than the other. Inside the Golden Gate the tide is the whole game — the big outgoing rips through the Gate and Raccoon Strait; sturgeon and halibut feed on the big tides, stripers on the change.
Structure that matters
Artificial reefLedge / hard bottomBeach / surfFishing pierGrass flatChannel edgeBridgePass / inletDock / pilingsWreck
After a cold front
Spring northwesterlies drive the strongest upwelling on the coast — cold green water, krill and anchovy, and the salmon that follow. Winter storms bring big swell and muddy runoff into the Bay, which is what puts sturgeon on the bite. Warm years bring albacore inshore and white seabass and yellowtail north of Point Conception.
Month by month
What's happening, and what to throwFebruary
Sturgeon peak; surf perch; stripers up in the Delta
Carquinez Strait and the Benicia channel edges for sturgeon; perch on the incoming tide.
March
Perch peak before they drop; the last sturgeon
Perch troughs at Pacifica and Monterey; stripers start moving down the Bay.
April
Groundfish and salmon open; stripers run the Bay
Rockfish and ling opener off Monterey and Morro Bay; ocean kings out of Monterey (2026 reopened after three closed years — check CDFW); stripers on the Bay reefs.
May
Kings on the anchovy off the Gate; halibut on the Bay flats
Troll or mooch anchovy under the birds off Half Moon Bay; drift live anchovy for halibut on the Berkeley Flats.
June
Salmon, halibut and surf stripers — the best month in the Bay Area
Kings off Pacifica and the Farallones; halibut off Alameda and Angel Island; poppers for stripers on Ocean Beach at dawn.
July
Peak halibut and stripers; albacore show offshore in warm years
Bay halibut on the incoming; surf stripers at Pacifica; albacore 30–60 miles out when the warm water pushes in.
August
Fall-run kings stage at the Gate; albacore offshore
Troll Point Bonita and Alcatraz for fall kings on the flood; tuna boats out of Half Moon Bay and Morro Bay on the temperature breaks.
September
Albacore peak; stripers back on the Bay reefs
Cedar plugs and live anchovy for albacore; Bay stripers on the reefs and rips; rockfish at the Farallones.
October · now
Rockfish and lingcod; the last albacore and halibut
Big Sur and Monterey reefs for rockfish and lings moving shallow; last albacore before the fall wind.
November
Pre-spawn lingcod; sturgeon return with the rain; perch in the surf
Lings shallow and aggressive before the winter closure; first sturgeon in San Pablo Bay after the rain.
December
Sturgeon and surfperch — the winter pattern
San Pablo and Suisun for sturgeon on the big winter tides; perch on the beaches; boat groundfish closes.
Fish guides for Central California Coast
When, where and what to use, fish by fishAlbacore (longfin tuna)CabezonCalifornia halibutChinook (king) salmonLingcodPacific bonitoPacific yellowtailRockfishStriped bassSurfperchWhite seabassWhite sturgeon
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