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Where to fish

  • Forecast
  • Catches

Mine

  • Favorites
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© 2026·AI-powered bite forecast
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United States / California / Richardson Bay

Bite forecast: Richardson Bay

  • 3.3 sq mi
Loading map…

Best fishing days for the next week

  1. TuesdaySeptember 8weather-based forecast
    39/100medium activity

    Partly cloudy: 63–90 °F

Nearby rivers

  • Larkspur Creek4 mi
  • Corte Madera Creek6 mi
  • Castro Creek8 mi

Nearby water bodies

  • LakeBelvedere Lagoon2 mi
  • SeaRaccoon Strait3 mi
  • BayAyala Cove4 mi
  • LakeRodeo Lagoon4 mi
  • SeaGolden Gate5 mi
  • BaySan Rafael Bay6 mi
  • PondMiller/Knox Lagoon7 mi
  • ReservoirPhoenix Lake7 mi
  • LakeMountain Lake7 mi
  • BaySan Pablo Strait7 mi

Richardson Bay (California) — a spot well known among anglers. About 8.7 km² in area. Close by — San Rafael, San Francisco and Richmond. A coastal water: the bite here is modelled for the sea, not for a river or a lake. Here you'll find a bite prediction — when fish are active and which hours give the best chances, adjusted for weather and pressure.

ThursdaySeptember 3weather-based forecast
38/100medium activity

Clear: 59–84 °F

  • WednesdaySeptember 2weather-based forecast
    34/100medium activity

    Clear: 55–82 °F

  • Nearby towns

    • San Rafael6 mi
    • San Francisco6 mi
    • Richmond8 mi
    Loading map…

    Catches

    Recorded 16 catches here. Most commonly caught: Chinook salmon, Lingcod, Rockfish. Peak season: June–September.

    • Striped bass — Richardson Bay, May 23, 2019, 9:47 AM
      2
      Striped bass
      Richardson Bay
      61 °F11 mph
      May 23, 2019, 9:47 AM
    • Chinook salmon
      Richardson Bay
      79 °F2 mph
      Oct 13, 2020, 2:51 PM
    • Chinook salmon
      Richardson Bay
      77 °F7 mph
      Sep 20, 2020, 3:43 PM
    • Lingcod
      Richardson Bay
      63 °F13 mph
      Sep 01, 2020, 4:05 PM
    • Rockfish
      Richardson Bay
      70 °F9 mph
      Aug 25, 2020, 3:29 PM
    • Chinook salmon
      Richardson Bay
      68 °F9 mph
      Jul 24, 2020, 3:34 PM
    • Chinook salmon
      Richardson Bay
      63 °F11 mph
      Jul 20, 2020, 4:58 PM
    • Chinook salmon
      Richardson Bay
      64 °F11 mph
      Jul 19, 2020, 4:37 PM

    Bite calendar

    Aug 31 – Sep 6
    Mon
    Tue
    Wed
    Thu
    Fri
    Sat
    Sun
    Bite activity:highmediumlowslow
    Based on:weatherseasonal
    What is a bite calendar?
    Coho salmonFlounderSteelheadStriped bassChinook salmonLingcodRockfishPacific halibut

    Coho salmon

    9/10 · Good

    Hourly activity

    0:006:0012:0018:0023:00
    Bite activity:highmediumlow

    The bite is strong — fish are active. Weather is steady, with no sharp swings — fish behave predictably.

    Peak bite hours

    Best time — 06:00–08:00 (dawn bite) and 19:00–21:00 (dusk bite).

    Tactics

    Look for structure — reefs, flats, channel edges; work them slowly near the bottom.

    Lures

    The water's turning murky — go with bright, noisy lures: trolling spoon or spinner.

    Gear

    It's a hot day — a hat, sunglasses, and plenty of water are a must. Winds will be strong — wind protection helps, and be careful if you're in a boat.

    Summary

    Worth going — it's a productive day.

    How this forecast is calculated

    Why this forecast

    The computed water temperature is around 78 °F — warmer than the 43–59 °F comfort range for Coho salmon: in the heat it drops deeper and feeds less often.

    Computed water temperature by month; the green band is the 43–59 °F comfort rangecomfort 43–59 °F78 °F
    JFMAMJJASOND

    Coho salmon works the twilight: the peaks are pinned to sunrise and sunset — their times are in the sun-and-moon card above.

    The day: daylight hours and when Coho salmon feeds0:0012:0024:00

    Pressure is dropping 0.06 inHg over the day — fish are usually more active ahead of a weather change.

    Pressure through the day, 0.06 inHg change
    00:00 · 29.8423:00 · 29.79 inHg

    One more input — the moon's feeding windows: within their hours the score sits higher than across the rest of the day. The window times are in the “Solunar feeding periods” card below.

    Feeding windows on the day scale0:0012:0024:00

    September is peak season for Coho salmon here.

    JFMAMJJASOND

    These are the same values the bite curve above was computed from. How the forecast works

    Tides

    • High water03:301.5 ft
    • Low water08:08-0.1 ft
    • High water14:563.5 ft
    • Low water22:10-2.0 ft
    0:006:0012:0018:0023:000:006:0012:0018:0023:00
    Sea level height by hour
    00:0001:0002:0003:0004:0005:0006:0007:0008:0009:0010:0011:0012:0013:0014:0015:0016:0017:0018:0019:0020:0021:0022:0023:00
    -0.4 ft0.5 ft1.1 ft1.5 ft1.5 ft1.2 ft0.6 ft0.1 ft-0.1 ft0.0 ft0.5 ft1.1 ft1.9 ft2.7 ft3.3 ft3.5 ft3.2 ft2.5 ft1.3 ft0.1 ft-1.0 ft-1.7 ft-2.0 ft-1.8 ft

    Open-Meteo tide model, grid point 6.6 mi away

    Water

    Water temp.
    63 °F
    In the model
    78 °F
    Wave
    2.1 ft
    Period
    10 s

    Open-Meteo Marine model, grid cell 6.6 mi from the waterbody. Values are daily means.

    2 SepWednesday, September 2
    +79°

    Clear · feels like +68°

    Low / high
    +55°…+83°
    Precipitation
    0.00 in
    Wind
    19 mph WSW
    Cloud cover
    0%
    Humidity
    12%
    Pressure
    29.87 inHg
    00:00+63°—11 mphwest wind, 11 mph31%0%
    01:00+61°—8 mphsouthwest wind, 8 mph34%0%
    02:00+59°—5 mphsouthwest wind, 5 mph36%0%
    03:00+57°—4 mphsouth wind, 4 mph38%0%
    04:00+56°—4 mphsoutheast wind, 4 mph36%0%
    05:00+56°—7 mpheast wind, 7 mph32%0%
    06:00+55°—6 mpheast wind, 6 mph32%0%
    07:00+55°—6 mpheast wind, 6 mph33%0%
    08:00+64°—10 mphwest wind, 10 mph26%0%
    09:00+68°—16 mphwest wind, 16 mph21%0%
    10:00+72°—16 mphwest wind, 16 mph18%0%
    11:00+76°—19 mphwest wind, 19 mph14%0%
    12:00+79°—19 mphsouthwest wind, 19 mph12%0%
    13:00+81°—20 mphwest wind, 20 mph11%0%
    14:00+82°—20 mphwest wind, 20 mph11%0%
    15:00+83°—21 mphwest wind, 21 mph12%0%
    16:00+81°—21 mphwest wind, 21 mph13%0%
    17:00+79°—21 mphwest wind, 21 mph14%0%
    18:00+77°—21 mphwest wind, 21 mph17%0%
    19:00+72°—15 mphwest wind, 15 mph20%0%
    20:00+68°—10 mphsouthwest wind, 10 mph24%0%
    21:00+66°—9 mphsouthwest wind, 9 mph26%0%
    22:00+64°—6 mphsoutheast wind, 6 mph27%0%
    23:00+63°—11 mphsoutheast wind, 11 mph32%0%
    +83°+69°+55°
    Weather throughout the day
    0:006:0012:0018:0023:00

    Sun and moon

    Wednesday, September 2
    The day: daylight and the hours the moon is above the horizon. Local time0:0012:0024:00
    DaylightMoon above the horizon
    Sunrise
    06:21
    Sunset
    19:13
    Day length
    12 h 52 min
    Sunshine hours
    12 h 1 min
    UV index
    7
    high
    Moon
    Waning gibbous
    Moonrise
    22:26
    Moonset
    12:43

    The day is 2 min shorter than yesterday.

    Sunshine hours count direct sun only — cloud cover cuts it, so it is shorter than daylight.

    Solunar feeding periods

    +10% in the windowWednesday, September 2
    Feeding windows on the day scale, local time0:0012:0024:00
    Major periodsMinor periods
    • Major04:10–06:10Moon overhead
    • Minor12:13–13:13Moonset
    • Major16:37–18:37Moon underfoot
    • Minor21:56–22:56Moonrise

    The windows are set by the moon's transit and rise, and the forecast above already accounts for them: within these hours the bite score sits higher than across the rest of the day, while the day's overall level still comes from the catch-calibrated model.

    What are solunar periods?

    BiteGuide·From anglers’ reports

    What actually worked on this water

    Based on 16 verified catchesPeriod: 2019–2020

    This is a summary of anglers' reports, not a proven cause of the bite: conditions lining up does not mean they drove it.

    By fish species

    vertical axis — number of catches

    0713
    13111
    Chinook salmonLingcodRockfishStriped bass
    By fish species
    ValueCatchesShare
    Chinook salmon1381%
    Lingcod16%
    Rockfish16%
    Striped bass16%

    By month

    vertical axis — number of catches

    047
    127321
    MayJunJulAugSepOct
    By month
    ValueCatchesShare
    May16%
    Jun213%
    Jul744%
    Aug319%
    Sep213%
    Oct16%

    By time of day

    vertical axis — number of catches

    047
    11257
    24789
    By time of day
    ValueCatchesShare
    02:0016%
    04:0016%
    07:00213%
    08:00531%
    09:00744%

    Air temperature, °F

    vertical axis — number of catches

    059
    934
    596877
    Air temperature, °F
    ValueCatchesShare
    59–66 °F956%
    68–75 °F319%
    77–84 °F425%

    Pressure, inHg

    vertical axis — number of catches

    0611
    4111
    29.7229.9230.12
    Pressure, inHg
    ValueCatchesShare
    29.72–29.88 inHg425%
    29.92–30.08 inHg1169%
    30.12–30.28 inHg16%

    Wind direction

    vertical axis — number of catches

    0612
    12121
    NSSWW
    Wind direction
    ValueCatchesShare
    N16%
    S213%
    SW1275%
    W16%

    Wind speed, mph

    vertical axis — number of catches

    059
    1393
    04913
    Wind speed, mph
    ValueCatchesShare
    0–2 mph16%
    4–7 mph319%
    9–11 mph956%
    13–16 mph319%