Chinook (king) salmon fishing in Central California Coast

In Central California Coast, Chinook (king) salmon peak May–July and are around April–September, according to Fish Scouter's month-by-month season calendar. May: Kings on the bait balls off Half Moon Bay and the Farallones; troll or mooch a whole anchovy under the birds.

1. JanuaryNot here
2. FebruaryNot here
3. MarchNot here
4. AprilArrivingMonterey and south open first — trolling anchovy-sized hoochies and bait behind a flasher off Moss Landing. 2026 is the first real season since the 2023–25 closures; areas close on their harvest guideline, so check CDFW the week you go.
5. MayPeakKings on the bait balls off Half Moon Bay and the Farallones; troll or mooch a whole anchovy under the birds.
6. JunePeakBest ocean month out of the Gate — fish the 50–150 ft line on the anchovy schools, deeper as the sun gets up.
7. JulyPeakBig kings feeding hard off Pacifica, Duxbury and the Channel; mooching an anchovy on a sliding sinker when they're stacked.
8. AugustLeavingSacramento fall-run kings stage off the Golden Gate and push into the Bay — trolling at Point Bonita and Alcatraz on the flood.
9. SeptemberAroundLast of the fall-run fish moving up through San Pablo Bay toward the Delta — whatever's left of the season, check if it's still open.
10. OctoberNot here
11. NovemberNot here
12. DecemberNot here

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.

Fish Scouter charts 19 lake, 1 ledge / hard bottom spots in the Central Coast & San Francisco Bay map area — the kinds Chinook (king) salmon hold on.

• HerringCut-plug for salmon: head off at an angle, guts out, two hooks in tandem so it spins slow behind a flasher or a banana weight. Whole and live on a circle hook for stripers where the herring run.
• Anchovies (Pacific)Nose- or collar-hooked on a #4 to 1/0 hook and fly-lined with no weight, or on a dropper loop; a dozen tossed over the side as chum keeps the bass and bonito up.
• Salmon eggs (roe)A dime-sized spawn sac tied in mesh, or single eggs on a #10 to #6 egg hook, drifted along the bottom for steelhead, trout and salmon. Check the state's rule — bait is banned on many trout and salmon waters.

• Leader40–60 lb fluorocarbon
• Hook4/0–8/0
• Braid50–100 lb

Feeds in 44–60°F water, best at 50–56°F.

All about Chinook (king) salmon · Central Coast & San Francisco Bay, the whole year