Waterlands

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Albacore tunaRetention open

Cape · California

Caspar Point

39.37°N · 123.83°W · Cape · Coastal waters from Cape Mendocino to Pt. Arena CA out 10 nm

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Best score today · 11 PM · Albacore tuna

72/100Great
Now
4411 AM PDT
Best window
11 PM-12 AMEbb tide
Tide now
Ebbing4.9 ft ▼

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

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24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 11 AM · now

Time11ANOW
Score44Fair
Tide4.9 ft ▼Ebbing
Current0.1 knmodeled · toward E
Wind5 kn NWgusts 11 · building
Sea stateRough6.6 ft · 9 s
Air temp61°Mild
WeatherClear16% cloud
Water55°FObserved

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

Mendocino Groundfish Management Area

IN EFFECT NOW

Albacore tuna

Retention open
Daily limit
25 per day
Possession
Not published
Size
Not published
Season
No closed season on file
Annual quota
Not published
Other
In addition to the general limit of 20 finfish.

From CDFW 2026 California Ocean Sport Fishing Regulations booklet (last updated July 17, 2026), read Sep 13

Other species here

  • 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)
  • Chinook salmon Closed (No retention)
  • 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)

Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed

When Albacore tuna is best here

Peak season for Albacore tuna · 4 more weeks at peak

Albacore tuna season by week of the year. Peak season for Albacore tuna · 4 more weeks at peak.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
  • Off
  • Not here
  • This week

Albacore tuna in California

Spot profile

Caspar Point

Depth
10-80 ftDrop-off
Structure
Point · Outer · ExposedPoint · drop-off
Season
Peak seasonAlbacore tuna

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 Caspar Point

Caspar Point is a cape in Coastal waters from Cape Mendocino to Pt. Arena CA out 10 nm, California. Depth is 10-80 ft, with a drop-off. Its profile reads point, outer water and exposed.

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

Tackle & technique

Albacore tuna
Albacore hold 30 to 100 miles off Oregon and Washington in clear blue water around 60 to 65 degrees, usually along a temperature break. Troll clones, cedar plugs and diving plugs at 6 to 8 knots until a fish hits, then stop and work the school near the surface with live anchovies, swimbaits or iron. Bar conditions and the long run decide most trips before the fish do.
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.
Pacific halibut
Halibut sit on sand and gravel bottoms near drop-offs, bars and pinnacles, most often in 90 to 500 feet in Alaska and on the shelf off Washington, Oregon and far northern California. Anchor up-current of a likely edge and fish herring, squid, octopus or a salmon head on a circle hook with 24 to 32 ounces of weight, or bounce a large jig on the bottom. The best bite usually comes in the hour around slack tide.

Nearby spots

Other spots within an easy run

  • Caspar Anchorage

    Bay · 0.6 mi

    65
    Top: SurfperchPeak season
    • Surfperch 65
    • Rockfish 56
    • Lingcod 51

    5 kt NWL 3:40 PM · 2.2 ftH 9:39 PM · 5.4 ft

  • Cabrillo Point

    Cape · 1.4 mi

    65
    Top: SurfperchPeak season
    • Surfperch 65
    • Pacific halibut 58
    • Rockfish 57

    5 kt NWL 3:40 PM · 2.2 ftH 9:39 PM · 5.4 ft

  • Noyo Bay

    Bay · 4.0 mi

    63
    Top: SurfperchPeak season
    • Surfperch 63
    • Rockfish 49
    • Pacific halibut 48

    2 kt WNWL 3:46 PM · 2.3 ftH 9:38 PM · 5.7 ft

  • Pacific Ocean

    Sea · 4.2 mi

    58
    Top: SurfperchPeak season
    • Surfperch 58
    • Rockfish 51
    • Pacific halibut 50

    5 kt NWL 3:40 PM · 2.2 ftH 9:39 PM · 5.4 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.