week of Jul 20 · SST 62–72°F
California — this week
SST 62–72°F · Albacore, California Halibut, White Seabass prime · Albacore pushing in. Live MUR satellite water temperatures (change is vs. seven days ago). Tap any spot on the chart with Fish mode on for a point-by-point breakdown.
Water temperature — south to north
| Spot | Now | Week Δ |
|---|---|---|
| San Diego | 72°F | +0.9°F |
| Channel Islands | 70°F | +3.1°F |
| Monterey | 62°F | +0.9°F |
| San Francisco | 62°F | +4.1°F |
Migration line — weekly movement
| Species | Prime water reach | Trend |
|---|---|---|
| Albacore | prime water reaches San Francisco | advanced (was Monterey) |
The northernmost sampled spot whose water sits in the species' habitable band, now vs. a week ago. Fish follow temperature — this is the leading edge, not a sighting report.
In season now — temperature fit
| Species | Fit | Prime | Technique |
|---|---|---|---|
| Albacore | 100 | 59–66°F | Troll jigs at 6-8 kt on the warm side of clear blue-water breaks. |
| California Halibut | 100 | 57–68°F | Drift live bait or swimbaits over sand flats adjacent to structure. |
| White Seabass | 100 | 57–68°F | Live squid over squid nests and kelp edges; dawn and grey light. |
| California Yellowtail | 100 | 64–73°F | Surface iron or live sardines at kelp paddies and high spots. |
| Calico Bass (Kelp Bass) | 100 | 59–72°F | Swimbaits and weedless plastics through kelp stringers and boiler rocks. |
| Pacific Bluefin Tuna | 100 | 61–70°F | Glide the boat to foamers and sonar marks; flat-falls at night. |
| Rockfish (complex) | 11 | 45–57°F | Shrimp flies or jigs over rocky reefs; check depth limits for the complex. |
| Chinook (King) Salmon | 11 | 48–57°F | Downrigger flasher + spoon near bait balls along current seams and rips. |
| Lingcod | 5 | 45–55°F | Large jigs or swimbaits pounded on rockpiles and pinnacles. |
Named grounds in California
Cortez Bank
California Yellowtail · White Seabass · Bluefin Tuna
Tanner Bank
California Yellowtail · Rockfish (complex) · Calico Bass (Kelp Bass)
Nine Mile Bank
California Yellowtail · Calico Bass (Kelp Bass) · Yellowfin Tuna
The Farallon Islands
Rockfish (complex) · Lingcod · Chinook (King) Salmon
Monterey Submarine Canyon
Chinook (King) Salmon · Rockfish (complex) · Albacore
Method: habitat-envelope scoring against live NOAA MUR SST at the sampled spots; season windows and envelopes hand-curated from NOAA Fisheries profiles. No catch hearsay — when it says a species fits, it means the water does.
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