What You Can Catch on San Francisco Bay, Month by Month

Halibut, striped bass and sharks are open all year in San Francisco Bay. Rockfish and lingcod open April 1 and close December 31. King salmon has a short season set each spring, and white sturgeon is catch and release only in 2026. The table shows the whole year, and the sections below give the limits for each fish and the trip to book.

San Francisco Bay fishing calendar

How to read it: "Open" and "Closed" are the 2026 CDFW rules for the San Francisco area. "Best" marks the months regional guides typically name as the strongest, so read it as typical rather than certain. *Central San Francisco Bay is closed to sturgeon fishing January 1 to March 15. Salmon dates for 2027 are set in spring 2027.

California halibut

• Months: open all year. Typically best from about April to August.
• Where: inside San Francisco Bay.
• Method: baits and lures worked near the bottom. Captain Molly picks the approach on the day.
• Limits (CDFW 2026): 2 fish per day north of Point Sur, at least 22 inches.
• Book: the half-day fishing charter (4 hr), the shared half-day trip at $400 per angler, or the full-day charter.

Striped bass

• Months: open all year. Spring and late summer through fall are typically best.
• Where: inside San Francisco Bay.
• Method: bait or lures, depending on where the fish are feeding.
• Limits (CDFW 2026): 2 fish per day, at least 18 inches. No sinker over 4 pounds.
• Book: the half-day fishing charter or the full-day charter.

King (Chinook) salmon

• Months (2026, San Francisco area): June 27 to July 22, August 1 to 23, and September 1 to October 31 from near Point Reyes (38°02' N) to Pigeon Point. Closed statewide from November 1, 2026. CDFW and the Pacific Fishery Management Council set the 2027 seasons in spring 2027.
• Where: in the ocean outside the Golden Gate, where the salmon are now. Later in the season they may come into the Bay, which falls under the same ocean rules.
• Method: trolling.
• Limits (CDFW 2026): 2 per day, any species except coho, at least 20 inches. Barbless hooks and one rod per angler. Circle hooks are required when fishing bait by any method other than trolling. Only one daily bag limit may be kept aboard in ocean waters.
• Book: the San Francisco salmon fishing charter (8 hours, $2,400 for up to 4). Full season details: the 2026 salmon season guide.

Rockfish and lingcod

• Months (2026, San Francisco Management Area): open at all depths April 1 to December 31, closed January 1 to March 31.
• Where: offshore, around the Farallon Islands, about 30 miles west of the Golden Gate Bridge. Groundfish fishing is prohibited on Cordell Bank.
• Method: fishing near the bottom over rocky ground.
• Limits (CDFW 2026): 10 rockfish, cabezon and greenling combined per day, of which no more than 1 copper, 2 vermilion or sunset, and 2 canary rockfish. Quillback, yelloweye, cowcod and bronzespotted rockfish may not be kept. Lingcod: 2 per day, at least 22 inches. A descending device must be on board to return released rockfish to depth.
• Book: the Farallon Islands fishing charter (8 hours, $2,280 for up to 4).

Sharks

• Months: open all year. Leopard sharks are typically most active from summer into fall.
• Which sharks: leopard shark, brown smoothhound, sevengill, soupfin and thresher.
• Where: inside San Francisco Bay.
• Method: bait fished on the bottom.
• Limits (CDFW 2026): leopard shark 3 per day, at least 36 inches; sevengill and sixgill 1 of each; soupfin 1; thresher 2. White sharks may not be taken. On Molly's Boats every shark is released, whatever the limit.
• Book: the 3-hour afternoon shark trip ($740, 1:00 PM start), or a half-day charter.

White sturgeon

• Months (2026): catch and release only, October 1 to June 30. Closed July 1 to September 30. Central San Francisco Bay, bounded by Point Chauncy to Point Richmond, the Bay Bridge, and Point Lobos to Point Bonita, is closed to sturgeon fishing January 1 to March 15. That area includes the waters around Alcatraz and the Golden Gate. Regional guides typically name October to December and March to May as the best months.
• Where: regional guides typically point to San Pablo Bay and Suisun Bay. Captain Molly decides where to fish on the day.
• Method: bait on the bottom, on one single barbless hook.
• Rules (CDFW 2026): daily and annual bag limits are zero. A sturgeon report card ($8.13 for 2026/27) is required even for catch and release. Fish over 60 inches fork length may not be taken out of the water. No gaffs and no lip grippers. Green sturgeon may not be taken or removed from the water.
• Book: the half-day or full-day fishing charter, and tell Captain Molly in the booking notes that you want to fish for sturgeon.

Tides and the Bay

The tide pushes water in and out of San Francisco Bay through the Golden Gate, so the water inside is always moving. It changes how fast a bait drifts, where fish gather to feed and how the water behaves at the Gate. Captain Molly plans each trip around the day's tide and weather and decides where to fish once she knows what you're after. You choose your start time from the ones offered at booking.

Two Bay rules apply to everyone: one line per angler with no more than 3 hooks, and a California fishing license for every angler 16 and older (how to buy one).

Not offered

• Crab: we don't run crab trips. Dungeness crab may never be taken inside San Francisco or San Pablo bays, and the ocean season is separate.
• Tuna: not offered.

Which trip to book

Every private charter carries up to 4 anglers from Hyde Street Harbor at Fisherman's Wharf. See all San Francisco fishing charters, or if it's your first time, read your first fishing charter on San Francisco Bay.