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27 km of the Petaluma River navigation corridor, with channel depths from USACE hydrographic survey. The river tops out around 39 ft. The depth chart is built from real state fisheries GPS surveys, so the humps, channels and drop-offs you see are measured, not guessed. The rest of this page walks each species through its year, using the map's own scoring.
Traced from the shoreline, Petaluma River runs 7,951 acres with 20.8 miles of edge. The shoreline is moderately structured (index 1.7) — enough points and pockets to pattern. Roughly 69% of the water is 15 ft or less, the band where the food chain lives. Call it 5.9 mi long by 2.8 mi wide at the broadest reach. For a second option, San Pablo Bay lies 11 mi southeast.
When the water first warms, steelhead slide up into 3 to 20 ft. By summer they slide out to 4 to 39 ft, and by winter most fish are in 4 to 15 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Channel current seam (mile 2.0): a current seam around 16 ft that scores prime in summer. In summer the feeding windows fall in early morning and the evening. Keep an orange dodger + fly high in the column or a thin spoon off boards rigged through the warm months.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 20 ft | dawn & dusk | Channel current seam (mile 2.0) (16 ft) | Small spoon or spinner at the mouths, Jig + waxworm under float |
| Summer | 4 to 39 ft | dawn & dusk | Channel current seam (mile 2.0) (16 ft) | Orange dodger + fly high in the column, Thin spoon off boards |
| Fall | 5 to 30 ft | dawn & dusk | Channel current seam (mile 2.0) (16 ft) | Spinner (silver/blue), Casting spoon |
| Winter | 4 to 15 ft | midday | Current seam (mile 6.1) (13 ft) | Float jig (black/purple), Bead rig |
In spring, chinook salmon run shallow here, mostly 5 to 39 ft. Summer keeps them at 12 to 39 ft, and they winter in 12 to 39 ft. Spring chinook salmon concentrate at Channel current seam (mile 2.0), a prime-rated current seam around 16 ft. Fish it in early morning and the evening and you'll meet the bite. You won't need more than a flasher + fly (green/white) or a magnum spoon on downrigger most summer days.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 5 to 39 ft | dawn & dusk | Channel current seam (mile 2.0) (16 ft) | Trolled spoon (orange/gold), Stickbait off planer boards |
| Summer | 12 to 39 ft | dawn & dusk | Channel current seam (mile 2.0) (16 ft) | Flasher + fly (green/white), Magnum spoon on downrigger |
| Fall | 8 to 39 ft | dawn & dusk | Channel current seam (mile 2.0) (16 ft) | J-plug (glow), Flasher + fly |
| Winter | 12 to 39 ft | midday | Channel current seam (mile 2.0) (16 ft) | Small spoon on a slow troll, Stickbait deep |
Come spring, look for striped bass tight to the bank in 5 to 20 ft. They move out to 12 to 39 ft in summer and finish the year down in 12 to 39 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Main-channel hole (mile 0.3): a creek channel around 14 ft that scores prime in winter. Best bite is early morning and the evening. A flutter spoon (deep) or an umbrella rig (trolled) is the honest summer answer here.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 5 to 20 ft | dawn & dusk | Channel current seam (mile 2.0) (16 ft) | Bucktail jig + trailer, Walking topwater (dawn) |
| Summer | 12 to 39 ft | dawn & dusk | Channel current seam (mile 2.0) (16 ft) | Flutter spoon (deep), Umbrella rig (trolled) |
| Fall | 10 to 35 ft | dawn & dusk | Channel current seam (mile 2.0) (16 ft) | Topwater walker, Jerkbait |
| Winter | 12 to 39 ft | midday | Main-channel hole (mile 0.3) (14 ft) | Alabama rig (slow), Flutter spoon |
4 pieces of structure are mapped here — Outside-bend hole (mile 3.7), around 17 ft, is the deepest of them.
Season dates, license requirements, and size and bag limits for California waters are set by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife — and special regulations can apply to Petaluma River specifically, so confirm the current rules before you fish.
Check the official California fishing regulations →
Petaluma River is about 39 ft (12 m) deep at its deepest point. The depth chart here comes from real state fisheries GPS surveys, so the contours reflect measured depths.
Anglers target steelhead, chinook salmon, striped bass on Petaluma River. This isn't a survey of the water — none is published for it — but an informed estimate from the species common to the region, narrowed by this water's depth, size and each species' range.
Channel current seam (mile 2.0) is the top-rated area: a current seam in about 16 ft of water that rates prime for steelhead in summer. Every other rated spot, per species and season, is on the map above.
For steelhead, the summer bite is best in early morning and the evening. Each species page section below lists the seasonal windows, and the map shows a live NOW badge when you're inside one.
Fishing on Petaluma River is regulated by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. Check the official California regulations for current license requirements, season dates, and size and bag limits — special regulations can apply to this specific water.
San Pablo Bay 11 mi · Napa River 13 mi · Richardson Bay 19 mi · Suisun Bay 30 mi · Lake Berryessa 34 mi · Big Break 46 mi · Franks Tract 51 mi · Bethany Reservoir 56 mi · Clifton Court Forebay 56 mi · Lake Del Valle 59 mi · Clear Lake 62 mi · American River (Lower) 70 mi
See how Petaluma River stacks up: best striped bass lakes in California · best chinook salmon lakes in California · best steelhead lakes in California
Browse all California fishing maps or see every water on DepthScout. Bathymetry credit: state fisheries survey programs. How we build these maps. Fish here with a sonar unit that logs? Send us your depth data and we'll improve this chart, credited to you. For fishing guidance only, never navigation.