ReelCaster

San Francisco Fishing Report & Forecast

Today's best window: 8 AM to 11 AM

Do I need a license in San Francisco?

View San Francisco fishing map

The next 14 days in San Francisco

Data from: ECMWF + GFS + BlueCaster

  • Two weeks ahead

    Most forecasts stop at the weekend. This one runs a full 14 days, so you can pick the day before you book the time off.

  • One number, out of 100

    The best score anything in San Francisco reaches that day. Green is good, amber is fair, red is slow, and you can read it from across the room.

  • 12,432 scores behind it

    37 spots, every hour of every day, out to 14. This row is the best of them.

Sun
Nov 1
Mon
Nov 2
Tue
Nov 3
Wed
Nov 4
Thu
Nov 5
Fri
Nov 6
Sat
Nov 7
Sun
Nov 8
Mon
Nov 9
Tue
Nov 10
Wed
Nov 11
Thu
Nov 12
Fri
Nov 13

Hour by hour today at Point Bonita

All times PDT

  • One real spot

    A city has no tide or wind of its own, so this is Point Bonita, the most fished spot in San Francisco, scored for Chinook Salmon.

  • Six readings, one clock

    Tide, current, wind, sea, air and sky, all lined up on the same hour, so you can see what is actually driving the score.

  • Currents, not just tides

    Modelled flow for the water off San Francisco, so you can see slack coming before you leave the dock.

Conditions
Time
10 AM
Now
Score
77
Good
Tide
3.4 ft ▲
Flooding
Current
—
Flood
Wind
4 kn
WSW · steady
Sea state
Easy
2.5 ft @ 13 s SW
Air temp
59°
Mild
Weather
Overcast
83% cloud
Hour 10 AM. Score 77 Good. Tide 3.4ft Rising ▲. Current +0.1kn Slack. Wind 4kn WSW G8. Sea 2.5 ft @ 13 s SW Easy. Air 59.4°.

The spots people actually fish in San Francisco

31 more on the map

  • A year of catch reports

    The order here is how much each mark actually gets fished, not today's guess. The busiest water in San Francisco comes first.

  • Today's number too

    Beside each name is the best score that spot reaches today, so you can weigh a proven mark against a good forecast.

  • Every spot has a page

    Its own chart, its own species and its own rules, worked out the same way as everything above.

Every spot we score in San Francisco

Bathymetry: NONNA-10 + NRCan

  • Real charted seabed

    Depth soundings, not a stock map. The banks, reefs and drop-offs are where you can see them.

  • 37 spots, all scored

    Every spot we cover around San Francisco, each one carrying its own number for today.

  • Point at any of them

    The name, how busy a mark it is, and the tide, sea and seabed at its best hour.

Create custom spots

Our full model on your custom private spots.

  1. Drop a pinAnywhere on the water. The ledge you found, the bay nobody talks about.
  2. Name itYour name for it, not ours. It stays private to your account.
  3. Choose speciesPick what you fish there, and it starts scoring from the next run.

What you can keep in San Francisco today

  • Chinook SalmonKeep in places2 a day · min 20"Open at 34 of 37 spots we cover
  • LingcodKeep2 a day · min 22"Open at all 32 spots we cover
  • California HalibutKeep2 a day · min 22"Open at all 24 spots we cover
  • Striped BassKeep2 a day · min 18"Open at all 6 spots we cover
  • Blue RockfishKeep10 a dayOpen at all 19 spots we cover
  • Black RockfishKeepOpen at all 19 spots we cover
  • Rockfish (Aggregate)Keep10 a dayOpen at all 9 spots we cover
  • CabezonKeepOpen at all 10 spots we cover

Rules differ between groundfish management areas and change in season. Check CDFW for the groundfish management area you are fishing before you keep anything.

All 37 spots in San Francisco

Every spot we cover around San Francisco has its own page, with the tide, the wind and the next 14 days.

That was one day. Pro opens the next fourteen.

Every spot on this map, hour by hour, two weeks out, with alerts when your water crosses the score you set.

$0 today, then $33 USD a year, which is $2.75 a month. Card required, cancel any time.

When to fish San Francisco

Each row is shaded against that species' own best month here, so a dark cell means a good month for that fish rather than a comparison between them.

Relative abundance by month for each species around San Francisco
SpeciesJanuaryFebruaryMarchAprilMayJuneJulyAugustSeptemberOctoberNovemberDecember
Chinook Salmon
Lingcod
California Halibut
Striped Bass
Blue Rockfish
Black Rockfish
Rockfish (Aggregate)
Cabezon

Chinook Salmon: January none, February none, March good, April peak, May peak, June peak, July peak, August peak, September good, October none, November none, December none. Lingcod: January fair, February good, March good, April fair, May fair, June fair, July fair, August good, September good, October good, November good, December good. California Halibut: January none, February poor, March good, April excellent, May peak, June excellent, July peak, August peak, September good, October fair, November none, December none. Striped Bass: January none, February poor, March poor, April none, May poor, June excellent, July peak, August peak, September peak, October excellent, November poor, December none. Blue Rockfish: January fair, February fair, March fair, April good, May good, June excellent, July excellent, August good, September good, October fair, November fair, December fair. Black Rockfish: January fair, February fair, March good, April good, May good, June excellent, July excellent, August good, September good, October fair, November fair, December fair. Rockfish (Aggregate): January fair, February fair, March fair, April fair, May good, June good, July good, August good, September good, October good, November fair, December fair. Cabezon: January fair, February fair, March fair, April good, May good, June good, July fair, August fair, September good, October fair, November fair, December good.

  • Chinook Salmon. Chinook staging in the Gulf of the Farallones and off SF build through spring as ocean feeding intensifies, peaking mid-June through August when mature fish concentrate before their fall spawning migration up the Sacramento system. Abundance drops sharply September–October as fish enter the bay and rivers, leaving offshore waters largely empty through winter with only a scattered residual presence.
  • Lingcod. Lingcod are resident bottomfish present year-round on SF Bay Area reefs and rocky structure, so abundance never hits zero. The strongest concentrations occur in fall (Sep–Nov) when post-spawn adults and recruits are aggressive and dense on nearshore reefs, with a secondary late-winter/early-spring bump as mature males move shallow to guard nest sites (Dec–Mar); a summer softening reflects fish holding deeper in warmer, less productive surface conditions.
  • California Halibut. California halibut move into San Francisco Bay and nearshore areas as water warms, with a strong spring spawning influx (Mar–May) peaking in early summer as bait like anchovies flood the bay; a secondary late-summer/early-fall peak (Aug–Sep) reflects warm water and abundant forage before fish disperse to deeper, cooler water in winter.
  • Striped Bass. Striped bass stage a spring migration up through SF Bay toward the Delta spawning grounds (roughly March-May), producing an early peak, then a strong fall peak (Sept-Nov) as fish return bayward chasing anchovy and herring before dispersing to deeper channels and the Delta over winter, keeping some year-round presence in the estuary.
  • Blue Rockfish. Blue Rockfish are resident, non-migratory reef dwellers around San Francisco's nearshore rocky structure and remain present year-round, so abundance stays broadly stable with no true biological zeros. Peak local density occurs late spring through summer (roughly May–August) when upwelling drives plankton and baitfish over the reefs and adults aggregate in shallower water, tapering modestly in winter as fish disperse to slightly deeper, calmer holds during storm-driven swells.
  • Black Rockfish. Black rockfish are resident, non-migratory reef dwellers off San Francisco, so they're present year-round with only modest seasonal variation. Abundance peaks in summer (July–September) when upwelling drives baitfish concentrations and fish move shallower into accessible nearshore reefs, with a gradual winter lull as fish disperse into deeper water during storm-driven swells.
  • Rockfish (Aggregate). Rockfish are resident, structure-oriented groundfish present year-round on SF's nearshore reefs, so the curve stays broad and relatively flat. Abundance peaks in late summer through early fall (August–September) when warm stable water, strong upwelling-driven forage, and post-spawn juvenile recruitment concentrate fish on the reefs, with a modest winter dip as some species move deeper and are less densely aggregated inshore.
  • Cabezon. Cabezon are resident, non-migratory ambush predators on SF's rocky reefs and kelp edges, so they're present year-round with only gentle seasonal variation. The strongest peak reflects the spring nest-guarding period (males aggressively defend egg masses from ~March–May) plus a secondary late-summer bump as young-of-year recruit and adults feed heavily; winter shows a mild dip during colder water and post-spawn dispersal.

Before you go

Management areas

Water around San Francisco falls into 2 areas, and the rules can differ between them. California Department of Fish and Wildlife sets them.

  • San Francisco
  • SF Bay
Licence you need

California sport fishing license

California Department of Fish and Wildlife · 2026

Annual, resident aged 16 or older: $64.54

Ocean Enhancement Validation $7.30, required on an annual license to fish ocean waters south of Point Arguello. A one-day or two-day license does not need it.

One sport fishing license covers ocean and inland water. Anglers 15 and younger need no license. Fishing from a public pier in ocean or bay waters needs no license either.

Do I need a license in San Francisco?Buy from California Department of Fish and Wildlife

Fishing San Francisco

San Francisco sits at the mouth of its namesake bay, where the Pacific meets a maze of channels, shoals, and rocky outcrops fanning out toward the Golden Gate. Chinook Salmon lead the fishery from April through September, with California Halibut running strong from April into August and Lingcod holding through late winter and again from August into fall. The 40 spots here range from sheltered inside waters around the bay's islands and points to more exposed rocks and shoals nearer the open coast. Anglers work the salmon primarily by trolling, following the fish as they move through the deeper channels during the warmer months. The heart of the season falls across spring and summer, though the rockfish and lingcod grounds extend productive fishing into the shoulder months on either side.

Common questions about San Francisco

›Do I need a fishing license in San Francisco?

Yes. Fishing around San Francisco needs the California sport fishing license from California Department of Fish and Wildlife. $64.54 a year for a resident aged 16 or older in 2026. The Ocean Enhancement Validation ($7.30) is required on an annual license to fish ocean waters south of Point Arguello. A one-day or two-day license does not need it. One sport fishing license covers ocean and inland water. Anglers 15 and younger need no license. Fishing from a public pier in ocean or bay waters needs no license either.

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