Chinook Salmon Turn On Below Pigeon Point as Half Moon Bay Bite Improves

What's Biting

What's Next

**Salmon South of Pigeon Point**

The cooling trend underway since the April 11 season opener is the defining story for NorCal offshore anglers right now. Western Outdoor News — Saltwater's report from Captain Jared Davis of the Salty Lady confirms the surface below Pigeon Point has settled to 54°F — a temperature firmly in the Chinook's preferred 50–56°F band. If the upwelling pattern driving this cooldown holds through the weekend, salmon fishing should remain productive or improve further. The practical takeaway: aim for pre-dawn departures before the 10–11 m/s winds logged Wednesday morning build to their afternoon peak. An early run puts anglers on the bite during the morning calm window before chop arrives and forces a shorter day.

**Rockfish and Lingcod on Offshore Structure**

Sustained upwelling benefits more than just salmon. Cooler, nutrient-rich surface water pushes baitfish tight to structure on the reefs and ledges west of Half Moon Bay and Bodega. No specific captain reports from Bodega grounds were available this cycle, but this is seasonally the right window — water temperatures in the low-to-mid 50s concentrate lingcod and rockfish before they make their deeper summer movements. Vertical jigging and dropper-loop rigs on structure in the 100–200-foot range should produce. Always check current state regulations for any lingcod or rockfish depth restrictions before targeting these species.

**Bay Stripers and Halibut Inside the Gate**

Inside SF Bay, the waning crescent moon keeps tidal swings modest this week — a mixed signal for striper fishing, which typically peaks on the strongest tidal exchanges of the month. The more reliable play this week may be Pacific halibut on the shallow sandy flats, where a subdued tide allows live-bait presentations to hold depth without washing off-station. As the moon cycle progresses toward a new moon and tidal amplitude builds, the channel edges, East Bay rips, and south-end shoals become worth targeting at first and last light for stripers.

**Wind and Sea State**

Both buoys 46026 and 46013 logged 10–11 m/s at the 4 a.m. observation, and neither transmitted wave height data this cycle. Consult the National Weather Service marine forecast for coastal waters before committing to an offshore run. If afternoon breezes have been building to 15–20 knots intraday, morning weather windows will close fast and conditions outside the Gate may be rougher than buoy readings suggest.

Context

May is historically one of the strongest months of the spring Chinook salmon season in Northern California. The current sea surface temperature of 53–54°F — confirmed by both NOAA buoy 46026 and the Half Moon Bay surface reading cited by Western Outdoor News — Saltwater — falls squarely within the long-term seasonal norm for this corridor. The California Current and coastal upwelling typically suppress surface temperatures through April and May, pulling them down from warmer winter readings and concentrating the nutrients that drive the bait aggregations Chinook follow inshore.

What is notable about 2026 is the late-April warmth. Per Western Outdoor News — Saltwater, the Half Moon Bay opener on April 11 found surface water at 58°F — atypically warm for early spring — which brought bonito into the zone ahead of schedule. The rapid cooldown to 54°F by mid-May puts conditions back near the historical mean and represents the upwelling pattern re-asserting itself. The bonito exit is the clearest indicator: bonito are warm-water opportunists that typically do not appear reliably in NorCal until SSTs push well above 60°F in summer. Their mid-spring departure is seasonally appropriate and a bullish sign for the salmon grounds.

No captain or tackle-shop reports from Bodega Bay were available in this reporting cycle, so it is not possible to say whether the bay to the north is running ahead of, behind, or on schedule with historical patterns. Bodega Bay salmon timing generally tracks the Half Moon Bay corridor with slight variation depending on local upwelling geography.

The season as a whole appears to be recovering from a warm-start disruption and realigning with typical May conditions. If upwelling holds and the thermal break below Pigeon Point strengthens rather than dissipates, the coming weeks could represent the peak of the spring Chinook season for the NorCal coast.