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Bodega Bay Fishing Report

Updated Fri, Sep 4, 2026 from live gauge and weather data

Sonoma's salty harbor: crab-and-salmon culture, rock cod grounds past the head and the wind-carved coast Hitchcock made famous.

3/5
Fair. Fish the windows.A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.
Next tide
Low 12:40 AM
Air / High
64 / 64 F
Wind
W 8 mph

Sources: NOAA tides 9415625, Open-Meteo, solunar calculated for these coordinates.

Satellite view
Friday
4
September 2026

Today's Fishing Report

Generated this morning from live readings: gauge, weather model, sun and moon. A fresh report is published here every morning.

3/5Fair. Fish the windows.A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.

Bodega Bay sits in the sweet spot of the season: active fish and workable weather. Today brings a mixed sky, wind W around 8 mph, steady pressure near 1015 hPa and a high of 64. Tides: high 6:39 AM and 4:49 PM, low 10:41 AM: the moving water either side of each change is when this place feeds. Water sits around 68 F for the season (estimated). With the last quarter, the solunar majors run 5:39 AM-7:39 AM and 5:39 PM-7:39 PM: the windows to build the day around.

The plan, species by species

California halibutGood

Prime season: bounce swimbaits and grubs down current seams over 10-40 ft of sand near structure edges, harbor mouths and eelgrass borders. Slow is the whole secret: keep bottom contact.

Rockfish (Pacific)Good

Full season: work kelp edges and pinnacles with 2-4 oz leadheads and plastics. The bigger vermilions and coppers hold tight to the hard bottom below the school.

SurfperchFair

Steady pick in the first trough: sand crabs where you can rake them, 2-inch motor-oil grubs where you cannot. Moving tides fish best: the last two hours of the flood push feeders tight to the sand.

Tomorrow: Similar at 60 F. The solunar majors shift about 50 minutes later.Next report: Sat, Sep 5, 6:30 AMHow this report is made →

Water and weather

Live readings.

Tides

NOAA station 9415625 (Bodega Harbor Entrance). Fish the moving water either side of each change.

Fri
HIGH6:39 AM3.8 ft
LOW10:41 AM3.5 ft
HIGH4:49 PM5.9 ft
Sat
LOW12:40 AM0.2 ft
HIGH8:04 AM4.1 ft
LOW12:13 PM3.6 ft
HIGH6:03 PM6.0 ft

Right now

Latest readings

Air temp64 F
High / Low64 / 52 F
WindW 8-8 mph
Pressure1015.0 hPa, steady
Sky / Rain35% cloud, 1%
Sunrise / Sunset06:44 / 19:37
MoonLast Quarter, 50%
Water temp (seasonal)~68 F est.

Bite planner

Hour-by-hour bite forecast for today. Tap a bar to see why.

5 AM8 AM11 AM2 PM5 PM8 PMsunrisesunsetPRIMEPRIME

Next 7 days

Tap a day for the detailed outlook.

Fri Sep 4 · Showers, 64/52 F, wind 12 mph, rain 1%

Fair or better. A 12 mph breeze puts a working chop on the banks it hits: fish the wind-blown side.

Species guide

The species that matter on Bodega Bay: seasons, structure and how to fish each one. Today's ratings live in the report above.

Surfperch illustration

Surfperch

Best: Dec-Apr spawning surf

The Pacific surf's honest wage: barred and redtail surfperch schooling in the wash, paying anglers who read the beach. Steady pick in the first trough: sand crabs where you can rake them, 2-inch motor-oil grubs where you cannot. Moving tides fish best: the last two hours of the flood push feeders tight to the sand.

California halibut illustration

California halibut

Best: Apr-Jul flats and bays

The flatfish that thinks it is a bass: ambushing anchovies over sand from San Diego bays to San Francisco flats. Prime season: bounce swimbaits and grubs down current seams over 10-40 ft of sand near structure edges, harbor mouths and eelgrass borders. Slow is the whole secret: keep bottom contact.

Rockfish (Pacific) illustration

Rockfish (Pacific)

Best: Apr-Oct open season

The Pacific reef's crowd: black, blue, vermilion and twenty cousins stacked on structure, biting like they mean it. Full season: work kelp edges and pinnacles with 2-4 oz leadheads and plastics. The bigger vermilions and coppers hold tight to the hard bottom below the school.

When to come: the Bodega Bay calendar

Activity by species and month, and how the water warms through the year. Tap any cell.

Species activity by month

1 = slow, 5 = peak. Current month highlighted.

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Surfperch
California halibut
Rockfish (Pacific)
SlowPeak

Water temperature through the year

Typical surface temperature for this water type; today is around 68 F (estimated, not a reading).

506070JanMarMayJulSepNovSep, ~68 F now

Angler reports

Real reports from real anglers, reviewed before publishing. The water log below tracks each day automatically.

No angler reports yet this weekBe the first: your report helps every angler who checks Bodega Bay today, and we feature the best catch of the week.

Water log, last days

Auto-logged from live data
Thu, Sep 3

5/5 Excellent. Go now. Everything lines up: pressure, wind and light are in your favor. California halibut led the card at excellent. High of 65 F, wind to 14 mph.

Wed, Sep 2

5/5 Excellent. Go now. Everything lines up: pressure, wind and light are in your favor. California halibut led the card at excellent. High of 70 F, wind to 10 mph.

Tue, Sep 1

4/5 Good. Solid day ahead. Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up. California halibut led the card at excellent. High of 68 F, wind to 9 mph.

Where roughly, what depth, what bait. Skip anything you want to keep secret.
Only used to send you this water's report each week. No spam, ever.

Before you go

License

California requires a valid fishing license for adults. Buy online from the state agency; one-day options exist for visitors.

Regulations

California license. Rockfish zones/depths: crab seasons and gear rules: check CDFW current for both.

Access

Westside ramp, Doran launch, harbor party-boat docks; jetty and public-dock crabbing.

About this water

Sonoma's fishing harbor, Sonoma County, CA. Crab, cod and the wind-carved coast.

Fishing Bodega Bay: the full guide

The working harbor

Bodega Bay stays a fishing town first: crab pots stack the docks, the party-boat fleet runs the rock cod grounds off Bodega Head, and salmon seasons (when open) send the fleet to the Cordell Bank's edges. Hitchcock's birds made it famous: the fishing keeps it honest.

The boat calendar

Rockfish trips (May-December typical: sanctuary depth rules apply) work the reefs north and south: blacks and blues over the pinnacles, lings in the rocks: while Dungeness season (November's opener: a regional holiday) fills combo trips: pots pulled between rockfish drifts. Salmon's quota years add the king game: review current: the harbor holds its breath each April announcement.

Inside the head

The harbor and Bodega's protected flats run a quieter fishery: perch off the jetty, jacksmelt schools, crabbing from the public docks (snares and traps: no boat needed), and the occasional halibut in the channel's sand. Doran Beach's protected curve fishes surfperch when the outer coast blows: which is often: this is wind country.

Coast practicalities

Westside and Doran launches serve trailer boats (the bar at the head demands respect: check conditions religiously), the party boats book from the harbor docks, and the outer beaches (Salmon Creek south to the head) fish perch and stripers-strays in the troughs. Fog and wind write every schedule: mornings, layers, flexibility.

Common questions

When is crab season at Bodega Bay?

Recreational Dungeness typically opens in November (delays for whale-safety windows possible: check CDFW). The opener is Sonoma's unofficial holiday: pots, pull, feast.

Can you fish Bodega Bay without a boat?

The jetty's perch and rockfish, dock crabbing with snares, and Doran's protected surf: a real fishery on foot. The party boats handle the deep water for everyone else.

Is fishing good at Bodega Bay right now?

Check the daily report at the top of this page: it is regenerated every morning from live data. Today's read: Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.

Nearby waters

Russian River11 miLake Sonoma28 miLake Berryessa48 miClear Lake52 miSan Pablo Reservoir52 miPacifica56 mi
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