Waterlands

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Chinook salmonClosed

Cape · California

Bruhel Point

39.61°N · 123.79°W · Cape · Coastal waters from Cape Mendocino to Pt. Arena CA out 10 nm

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Best score today · 11 PM · Chinook salmon

71/100Great
Now
207 AM PDT
Best window
11 PM-12 AMEbb tide
Tide now
Flooding2.5 ft ▲

Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine

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24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 7 AM · now

Time7ANOW
Score20Poor
Tide2.5 ft ▲Flooding
Current0.3 knmodeled · toward NNE
Wind3 kn ESEgusts 6 · easing
Sea stateRough6.7 ft · 9 s
Air temp50°Cool
WeatherOvercast100% cloud
Water55°FObserved

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

Mendocino Groundfish Management Area

IN EFFECT NOW

Chinook salmon

Closed
Daily limit
No retention
Possession
Not published
Size
Not published
Season
Sep 1 to Dec 31, 2026
Annual quota
Not published
Other
CDFW expects 2027 season dates in April 2027.

From CDFW Current Ocean Recreational Fishing Regulations, Mendocino Region (updated August 10, 2026), read Sep 13

Other species here

  • Albacore tuna Retention open (25 per day)
  • Barred sand bass Retention open (4 per day (5 kelp bass, barred sand bass and spotted sand bass combined))
  • Cabezon Retention open (10 per day (10 rockfish, cabezon and greenlings combined))
  • California halibut Retention open (2 per day)
  • Coho salmon Closed (No retention)
  • Kelp bass Retention open (5 per day (5 kelp bass, barred sand bass and spotted sand bass combined))
  • Kelp greenling Retention open (10 per day (10 rockfish, cabezon and greenlings combined))
  • Leopard shark Retention open (3 per day)
  • Lingcod Retention open (2 per day)
  • Mahi-mahi Retention open (10 per day)
  • Pacific bluefin tuna Retention open (2 per day)
  • Pacific halibut Retention open (1 per day)
  • Rockfish Retention open (10 per day (10 rockfish, cabezon and greenlings combined))
  • Sablefish Retention open (10 per day)
  • Striped bass Retention open (2 per day)
  • Surfperch Retention open (20 per day)
  • White seabass Retention open (3 per day)
  • Yellowfin tuna Retention open (10 per day)
  • Yellowtail Retention open (10 per day)

Source: CDFW · synced yesterday

Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed

When Chinook salmon is best here

Shoulder season for Chinook salmon · 1 more week at shoulder

Chinook salmon season by week of the year. Shoulder season for Chinook salmon · 1 more week at shoulder.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
  • Off
  • Not here
  • This week

Chinook salmon in California

Spot profile

Bruhel Point

Depth
4-15 ftNearest water
Structure
Point · Outer · Semi-exposed
Season
Shoulder seasonChinook salmon

NOAA NCEI DEM, sampled Sep 14 on a 464 m grid. Depths are feet below mean sea level, not chart datum (MLLW), so they can differ from a chart by a few feet. Not for navigation.

About this spot

Fishing Bruhel Point

Bruhel Point is a cape in Coastal waters from Cape Mendocino to Pt. Arena CA out 10 nm, California. Depth in the nearest water is 4-15 ft. Its profile reads point, outer water and semi-exposed.

Waterlands scores 12 species here; the best right now are rockfish, surfperch and lingcod. It is peak season now for rockfish, surfperch, albacore tuna and cabezon, and shoulder season for lingcod, Pacific halibut, California halibut and kelp greenling. Rockfish peak from May through September. Surfperch peak in May and from July through September. Lingcod peak from April through May and from October through November.

Tackle & technique

Chinook salmon
Chinook hold near bait off points, kelp edges and tide rips, usually suspended 20 to 120 feet down and deeper as the sun gets higher. Troll slowly, under 2 mph, with a flasher and herring, hoochie or spoon on a downrigger, or mooch a plug-cut herring at the depth where the sounder shows bait. Winter blackmouth and feeder kings sit within 10 feet of the bottom in 60 to 200 feet.
Rockfish
Rockfish live on rocky reefs, pinnacles and kelp from the shoreline out past 300 feet, with black and blue rockfish schooling mid-water over shallow reefs and copper, quillback, yelloweye and vermilion sitting tight to deeper bottom. Drift over the structure with a shrimp fly above a lead-head grub or metal jig, or a squid strip, and reel up a few cranks after touching bottom to cut snags. Use a descending device to release any fish brought up from deep water.
Surfperch
Surfperch feed in the troughs and holes within about 30 feet of the waterline, just outside the first set of breakers. Cast a two-hook high-low or Carolina rig with size 4 to 2 hooks and a 1 to 6 ounce pyramid sinker and let the surge work it through the trough. Fish the incoming tide on beaches with a steep drop, and switch to jetties, pilings and bays when the surf is too big.

Nearby spots

Other spots within an easy run

  • Cape Vizcaino

    Cape · 8.6 mi

    71
    Top: Striped bassPeak season
    • Striped bass 71
    • Cabezon 69
    • Rockfish 68

    4 kt ENEH 10:26 AM · 4.7 ftL 3:39 PM · 2.2 ft

  • Williams Point

    Cape · 10 mi

    69
    Top: CabezonPeak season
    • Cabezon 69
    • Striped bass 69
    • Rockfish 68

    4 kt ENEH 10:26 AM · 4.7 ftL 3:39 PM · 2.2 ft

  • Ten Mile River Bluff

    Cape · 3.2 mi

    67
    Top: RockfishPeak season
    • Rockfish 67
    • Surfperch 67
    • Lingcod 63

    3 kt ESEH 10:26 AM · 4.7 ftL 3:39 PM · 2.2 ft

  • Rockport Bay

    Bay · 9.0 mi

    67
    Top: Striped bassPeak season
    • Striped bass 67
    • Kelp greenling 64
    • Surfperch 64

    4 kt ENEH 10:26 AM · 4.7 ftL 3:39 PM · 2.2 ft

Scores and forecasts are for planning only and can be wrong. Conditions on the water change fast; check the marine forecast before you go. Regulations change during the season, so confirm limits and closures with CDFW before you keep a fish.