Inshore · 60 ft · beaches, bays, inlets and rips
Pacific Barracuda
Sphyraena argentea. Prime water reaches San Francisco in California right now (61°F at the surface).
LaneInshore · 10 fa (60 ft)
Depth it holds16–131 ft
Prime water61–72°F (workable 61–77°F)
Holds in the column0–98 ft down below the surface, over 16–131 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 52 ft surveyed bottom at that spot — one band per RTOFS model level. The outlined stretch is where Pacific Barracuda's temperature band (61–77°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
Fast-retrieved chrome or a fly-lined sardine along the kelp line and outer edges.
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 10-fathom lane whose surface temperature sits inside this species' band. It is water, not a sighting report.
Charted grounds on the 10-fathom lane