In San Diego, between Memorial Day and 4th of July - approx 6 months after first bananas are visible.

So I need to keep waiting . Is there a way to tell looking at them if they are ready to be picked? Does the flower have to be completely gone ??

Holly

Here is a link that might be useful: Pictures of my banana

The only sure way it to watch for color change. However, they also tend to swell and become rounder when close to ripening. This is more pronounced in some varieties, and minimal in others, so it is often hard to judge.