Bite forecast: San Francisco Bay

246.1 sq mi
depth up to 33 ft

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Bite forecast: San Francisco Bay

246.1 sq mi
depth up to 33 ft

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Best fishing days for the next week

Measured river conditions are available for San Francisco Bay: current gauge height, streamflow, and water temperature when reported by the source.

Water

Water temp · measured

62 °F

In the model

67 °F

USGS gauge SAN FRANCISCO BAY A PIER 17 A SAN FRANCISCO CA, 2 mi away · measured 2026-10-20 22:45 · data source · provisional data, subject to revision

When the fish bite — season by month

California: the months when each species peaks and when it goes quiet. The current month is outlined. The bottom row counts the catches logged on this water in each month.

Bite season by month for the species of California
Fish	January	February	March	April	May	June	July	August	September	October	November	December
Steelhead	peak	peak	active	fair	active	peak	peak	peak	active	peak	peak	peak
Flounder	fair	active	peak	active	active	active	peak	active	active	fair	slow	slow
Striped bass	fair	active	peak	peak	active	active	active	peak	active	fair	slow	slow
Chinook salmon	slow	slow	slow	active	peak	peak	peak	active	fair	slow	slow	slow
Coho salmon	slow	slow	slow	slow	fair	active	peak	peak	peak	fair	slow	slow
Lingcod	fair	active	peak	peak	fair	fair	fair	fair	slow	slow	slow	slow
Pacific halibut	fair	active	peak	active	fair	fair	fair	fair	slow	slow	slow	slow
Rockfish	fair	active	peak	peak	fair	fair	fair	fair	slow	slow	slow	slow
Catches here	0	1	1	1	0	5	9	1	1	1	0	1

peak
active
fair
slow

BiteGuideFrom anglers’ reports

What actually worked on this water

Based on 21 verified catchesPeriod: 2017–2020

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

By fish species
Value	Catches	Share
Striped bass	10	48%
Chinook salmon	8	38%
Lingcod	2	10%
Pacific halibut	1	5%
Rockfish	1	5%

By time of day
Value	Catches	Share
02:00	1	6%
03:00	2	11%
04:00	1	6%
05:00	1	6%
08:00	4	22%
09:00	8	44%
11:00	1	6%

Air temperature, °F
Value	Catches	Share
50–57 °F	3	15%
59–66 °F	14	70%
68–75 °F	2	10%
77–84 °F	1	5%

Pressure, inHg
Value	Catches	Share
29.72–29.88 inHg	2	10%
29.92–30.08 inHg	16	80%
30.12–30.28 inHg	2	10%

Wind direction
Value	Catches	Share
N	1	5%
NE	3	15%
S	1	5%
SW	11	55%
W	4	20%

Wind speed, mph
Value	Catches	Share
4–7 mph	6	30%
9–11 mph	9	45%
13–16 mph	5	25%

By the water

3 cities

Nearest towns and cities

Nearby rivers

8 rivers

Other nearby places to fish

Nearby water bodies

10 water bodies

Other nearby waters

Shape and shoreline

shoreline 144 mi
shoreline index 2.6
3 islands
fetch 43 mi
calmest north-east — south-west

The shoreline is heavily indented — bays, points and spits. Look for largemouth bass at the mouths of the bays and on the drop-offs behind the points. The islands add structure: drop-offs around their perimeter and channels between them and the bank. The largest water around: all 11 neighbours are smaller.

The wind builds its wave along the north-west — south-east axis — 43 mi of open water; along north-east — south-west there is only 17 mi. When it runs down the main axis, the calm water sits against the bank it blows from, while the wave and the silt go to the far one — and the fish follow them there to feed.

About this water body

San Francisco Bay (California) — a spot well known among anglers. About 637.4 km² in area, up to 10 m deep. Close by — San Francisco, San Mateo and South San Francisco. A coastal water: the bite here is modelled for the sea, not for a river or a lake. A smart bite calendar — moon phase, atmospheric pressure, and weather combined into an hourly fish-activity forecast for the coming days.

Bite forecast: San Francisco Bay

Help us make this forecast better

Bite forecast: San Francisco Bay

Best fishing days for the next week

Water

When the fish bite — season by month

By fish species

By the water

Nearby rivers

Nearby water bodies

Shape and shoreline

About this water body

About this water body

By the water

Best fishing days for the next week

Nearby rivers

Nearby water bodies

Shape and shoreline

When the fish bite — season by month

By fish species

Water

Bite calendar

Coho salmon

Hourly activity

Why this forecast

Tides

Water

Sun and moon

Solunar feeding periods

Bite calendar

Fishing reports

Coho salmon

Hourly activity

Coho salmon

Hourly activity

Why this forecast

Tides

Water

Sun and moon

Solunar feeding periods

Coho salmon

Hourly activity

Fishing reports