Striped Bass Show Near Santa Cruz As NorCal Coastal Water Stays Cool

What's biting

What's next

Both stations show their next low tide landing in the early afternoon: 2:50 PM at the Bay entrance, 2:10 PM at the Bodega-area station. No incoming high is logged yet in this data, so expect a longer outgoing push through midday, the window Western Outdoor News tied to the Striped Bass working the surf near Santa Cruz. The Waxing Gibbous moon builds toward stronger tidal swings heading into the weekend, worth planning around if that beach bite holds and works its way north toward the Bay.

Context

Low-to-mid-50s water is on the cool side even for this coast's upwelling season, when northwest winds typically hold surface temps down through September. That fits the pattern behind Striped Bass and bait sitting tight to the beach, as described in the Santa Cruz report. The Bodega-area outer coast normally reads a few degrees colder than the sheltered Bay entrance this time of year, which lines up with the gap between the two readings here.