Bodega and SF Bay anglers eye tide swings as fall sets in

What's next

Expect that tide pattern to hold through the next few days: lows around 3:10 to 3:46 a.m. Pacific time at both stations, with highs building to roughly 9:41 to 10:27 a.m. That late-morning high window is worth building a weekend trip around, since it lines up with daylight and the lighter currents a waning moon brings, rather than fighting a bigger exchange closer to new or full moon.

If the current trend holds, look for surface temperatures to keep easing toward the upper 40s to low 50s over the next couple of weeks as the seasonal cool-down continues along this stretch of coast. Smaller tidal swings through the rest of this lunar cycle should make for more consistent timing day to day than the bigger pushes earlier in the month, which is useful for planning around work schedules rather than chasing a single peak tide.

Context

Mid-October in Northern California sits squarely in the fall transition, with water sliding through the 50s along the open coast and inside the Bay as it has here. A waning crescent moon producing smaller tidal exchanges than the recent full or new moon is typical for this stage of the lunar cycle. Nothing in the current readings points to an early or late season; conditions read as on-schedule for the calendar.