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CabezonRetention openBar · California
Colby Reef
39.25°N · 123.80°W · Bar · Coastal waters from Cape Mendocino to Pt. Arena CA out 10 nm
Species here · tap to switch
Best score today · 7 AM · Cabezon
- Now
- 303 PM PDT
- Best window
- 7-11 PMHigh slack
- Tide now
- Low2.6 ft
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Colby Reef scores 75+
Checked every morning against the 14-day forecast. Free by push and email.
14-day forecast
Best days to fish
24-hour conditions · rolling from now
Conditions · 3 PM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
44Tide: Low slackCurrent: 0.2 knWind & pressure
ECMWF
76Wind: 11 kt NWPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
44Seas over the limit · capped at 30Water temp: 56°F, primeLight: Bright sunSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 7.9 ftSeason & habitat · Cabezon
Species seasonality
74Season: PeakHabitat: Usable structureDepth: Out of rangeRegulations: Retention open
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
Mendocino Groundfish Management Area
Cabezon
Retention open- Daily limit
- 10 per day (10 rockfish, cabezon and greenlings combined)
- Possession
- Not published
- Size
- No minimum size limit.
- Season
- Apr 1 to Dec 31, 2026
- Annual quota
- Not published
- Other
- Shore-based anglers and spear divers are exempt from groundfish seasons and depth limits. RCG complex: all rockfish, cabezon, and kelp and rock greenlings combined. A descending device must be aboard when fishing from a boat.
From CDFW Summary of Recreational Groundfish Fishing Regulations (updated June 23, 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))
- 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)
Source: CDFW · synced today
Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed
When Cabezon is best here
Peak season for Cabezon · 1 more week at peak
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- This week
Spot profile
Colby Reef
- Depth
- 140-190 ftDrop-off
- Structure
- Reef · Outer · ExposedReef · drop-off
- Season
- Peak seasonCabezon
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 Colby Reef
Colby Reef is a bar in Coastal waters from Cape Mendocino to Pt. Arena CA out 10 nm, California. Depth is 140-190 ft, with a drop-off. Its profile reads reef, outer water and exposed.
Waterlands scores 12 species here; the best right now are Pacific halibut, albacore tuna and cabezon. It is peak season now for albacore tuna, cabezon, rockfish and striped bass, and shoulder season for Pacific halibut, California halibut, kelp greenling and lingcod. Pacific halibut peak from May through July. Albacore tuna peak from September through October. Cabezon peak from May through September.
Tackle & technique
- Cabezon
- Cabezon sit in rock crevices, kelp beds and jetty boulders from the intertidal zone to about 100 feet and feed mostly on crabs and small fish. Fish a fish-finder rig with sand shrimp, squid or crab right on the bottom in the rocks, or drag a lead-head grub slowly through the kelp. Expect snags, and do not eat the roe, which is toxic.
- 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.
- 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.
Nearby spots
Other spots within an easy run
- Bull Rock52
Bar · 2.3 mi
Top: Pacific halibutShoulder season- Pacific halibut 52
- Albacore tuna 30
- Cabezon 30
11 kt NWH 8:53 PM · 5.3 ftL 3:40 AM · 0.4 ft
- Van Damme Beach50
Bay · 1.7 mi
Top: SurfperchPeak season- Surfperch 50
- Rockfish 46
- Pacific halibut 43
11 kt NWH 8:53 PM · 5.3 ftL 3:40 AM · 0.4 ft
- Buckhorn Cove47
Bay · 1.0 mi
Top: SurfperchPeak season- Surfperch 47
- Rockfish 46
- Pacific halibut 44
11 kt NWH 8:53 PM · 5.3 ftL 3:40 AM · 0.4 ft
- Albion Cove43
Bay · 1.9 mi
Top: Pacific halibutShoulder season- Pacific halibut 43
- Albacore tuna 30
- Cabezon 30
11 kt NWH 8:53 PM · 5.3 ftL 3:40 AM · 0.4 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.