The edge · 600 ft · shelf break and canyons
Opah (Moonfish)
Lampris guttatus. Prime water reaches San Francisco in California right now (61°F at the surface).
LaneThe edge · 100 fa (600 ft)
Depth it holds656–3281 ft
Prime water57–68°F (workable 57–75°F)
Holds in the column328–984 ft down below the surface, over 656–3281 ft of water
Judged onsurface temperature (NASA MUR satellite)
Structurenone
The water column off San Francisco
The strip is the water itself, coloured by temperature from the surface down to the 584 ft surveyed bottom at that spot — one band per RTOFS model level. The outlined stretch is where Opah (Moonfish)'s temperature band (57–75°F) and the depth it holds actually overlap. That thickness is the number that matters: it is how much water you can work, not just whether the spot is warm enough somewhere. One model cycle, not a weekly archive — this holds still while the surface map scrubs.
How it's fished
A deep-drop bycatch of the offshore swordfish drops rather than a target you can plan on.
Region by region — right now
| Region | Season | Prime water | Temp | Fish it at | Months |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| California | in season | reaches San Francisco | 61°F | — | J F M A M J J |
"Fish it at" is where this species' temperature band and its holding depth overlap in the water column, from the RTOFS profile (13 levels, 0–300 m) — the depth to actually put a bait, not just the place. "Prime water" is the furthest sampled station on the 100-fathom lane whose surface temperature sits inside this species' band. It is water, not a sighting report.
Charted grounds on the 100-fathom lane