Waterlands

NWS zone PZZ540 · Northern California

Coastal Waters from Point Arena to Point Reyes California out to 10 nm fishing forecast

California · Pacific coast

Score now

67Great
Cabezon · 11:00 AM PDT
Named spots
27
Species scored
12
Tide stations
1
Open in the tide mapAll California bay systems

Overview

Coastal Waters from Point Arena to Point Reyes California out to 10 nm is NWS marine zone PZZ540 on the California Pacific coast, in the Northern California species region. The Waterlands engine treats it as open coast, near shore. It holds 27 named features from the USGS Geographic Names Information System and has 1 NOAA tide station nearby.

12 species are scored here in this forecast; Cabezon, Rockfish, Surfperch, Albacore tuna and Striped bass are at peak season now.

At 11:00 AM it scores 67 (great), led by Cabezon. The best window for the rest of today is 6-11 PM (ebb tide), peaking at 80 for Striped bass. Over the next 14 days the best hour is Fri, Sep 18 at 7 AM, scoring 80.

Best times to fish

Waterlands engine forecast computed 2:20 AM PDT.

Best window today

6-11 PM · Ebb tide

Top species: Striped bass

80Great

Best hour of each day, next 14 days

  1. Fri, Sep 18

    80

    7 AM

    Surfperch

    Best day

  2. Sat, Sep 19

    78

    8 PM

    Striped bass

  3. Sun, Sep 20

    75

    9 PM

    Striped bass

  4. Mon, Sep 21

    75

    9 AM

    Cabezon

  5. Tue, Sep 22

    74

    7 AM

    Rockfish

  6. Wed, Sep 23

    71

    8 AM

    Cabezon

  7. Thu, Sep 24

    71

    7 AM

    Rockfish

  8. Fri, Sep 25

    72

    8 AM

    Rockfish

  9. Sat, Sep 26

    76

    7 PM

    Striped bass

  10. Sun, Sep 27

    77

    2 AM

    Striped bass

  11. Mon, Sep 28

    78

    6 PM

    Striped bass

  12. Tue, Sep 29

    77

    12 AM

    Striped bass

  13. Wed, Sep 30

    74

    5 PM

    Striped bass

  14. Thu, Oct 1

    79

    5 PM

    Striped bass

Species · 12

Listed for the Northern California region. Scores are this hour; season is where the species is in its year.

66Great
CabezonScorpaenichthys marmoratus · nearshore

Peak season, about 1 more week · Best day Fri, Sep 18 at 7 AM (79)

66Great
RockfishSebastes spp. · nearshore

Peak season, about 1 more week · Best day Fri, Sep 18 at 7 PM (77)

65Great
SurfperchEmbiotocidae (mainly Amphistichus spp.) · surf

Peak season, about 1 more week · Best day Fri, Sep 18 at 7 AM (80)

62Good
Albacore tunaThunnus alalunga · pelagic

Peak season, about 5 more weeks · Best day Fri, Sep 18 at 7 AM (67)

61Good
Pacific halibutHippoglossus stenolepis · bottom

Shoulder season, about 1 more week · Best day Fri, Sep 18 at 7 AM (65)

57Good
LingcodOphiodon elongatus · nearshore

Shoulder season, about 1 more week · Best day Fri, Sep 18 at 7 PM (69)

56Good
Kelp greenlingHexagrammos decagrammus · nearshore

Shoulder season, about 1 more week · Best day Fri, Sep 18 at 7 AM (70)

55Good
Striped bassMorone saxatilis · sea-run

Peak season, about 6 more weeks · Best day Fri, Sep 18 at 7 PM (80)

49Good
California halibutParalichthys californicus · bottom

Shoulder season, about 6 more weeks · Best day Fri, Sep 18 at 7 AM (65)

49Good
White seabassAtractoscion nobilis · nearshore

Shoulder season, about 6 more weeks · Best day Thu, Oct 1 at 5 PM (68)

30Fair
Leopard sharkTriakis semifasciata · inshore

Shoulder season, about 6 more weeks · Best day Tue, Sep 29 at 3 AM (63)

20Poor
Chinook salmonOncorhynchus tshawytscha · sea-run

Shoulder season, about 1 more week · Best day Fri, Sep 18 at 12 AM (20)

Named spots · 27

Ranked by score this hour. Each spot has its own hourly forecast, tide, current and regulations.

15 more spots, A to Z

Nearest tide stations

Arena CoveNOAA 941684138 mi

Regulations

CDFW saltwater regulations Buy a California fishing license License types

California Department of Fish and Wildlife. Synced with CDFW Sep 18, 2026. Rules shown verified Sep 13, 2026.

This bay system’s spots fall in North of Point Conception (27 spots), San Francisco Management Area (27 spots), San Francisco salmon area (27 spots) and South of Point Arena (27 spots).

Ocean waters north of Point Conception (34°27' N. lat.) · CDFW

Albacore tunaRetention open

25 per day

Season: No closed season on file

In addition to the general limit of 20 finfish.

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

Striped bassRetention open

2 per day · Minimum 18 in, total length

Season: No closed season on file

Angling, spearfishing or bow and arrow only. No sinker over 4 pounds, no power-driven gurdy or winch, no snagging. The CDFW San Francisco Bay District page states the same limits for the bay: two fish, 18 inches total length.

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

White seabassRetention open

3 per day · Minimum 28 in, total length. Or twenty and one-half inches alternate length (Section 28.35).

Season: No closed season on file

CDFW pages disagree on the alternate length: the regulation text says 20.5 inches, the booklet summary table 21.5 inches, and the regional web pages 20 inches. Total length is 28 inches on all of them.

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

San Francisco Groundfish Management Area · CDFW

CabezonRetention open

10 per day (10 rockfish, cabezon and greenlings combined) · No minimum size limit.

Season: Apr 1 to Dec 31, 2026

Shore-based anglers and spear divers are exempt from groundfish seasons and depth limits. All groundfish fishing is prohibited at Cordell Bank. RCG complex: all rockfish, cabezon, and kelp and rock greenlings combined. A descending device must be aboard when fishing from a boat.

CDFW Summary of Recreational Groundfish Fishing Regulations (updated June 23, 2026) · verified Sep 13, 2026

California halibutRetention open

2 per day · 2 in possession · Minimum 22 in, total length

Season: No closed season on file

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

Kelp greenlingRetention open

10 per day (10 rockfish, cabezon and greenlings combined) · No minimum size limit.

Season: Apr 1 to Dec 31, 2026

Shore-based anglers and spear divers are exempt from groundfish seasons and depth limits. All groundfish fishing is prohibited at Cordell Bank. RCG complex: all rockfish, cabezon, and kelp and rock greenlings combined. A descending device must be aboard when fishing from a boat. CDFW limits and seasons cover kelp and rock greenlings together.

CDFW Summary of Recreational Groundfish Fishing Regulations (updated June 23, 2026) · verified Sep 13, 2026

LingcodRetention open

2 per day · Minimum 22 in, total length

Season: Apr 1 to Dec 31, 2026

Shore-based anglers and spear divers are exempt from groundfish seasons and depth limits. All groundfish fishing is prohibited at Cordell Bank. A descending device must be aboard when fishing from a boat.

CDFW Summary of Recreational Groundfish Fishing Regulations (updated June 23, 2026) · verified Sep 13, 2026

RockfishRetention open

10 per day (10 rockfish, cabezon and greenlings combined) · No minimum size limit.

Season: Apr 1 to Dec 31, 2026

Shore-based anglers and spear divers are exempt from groundfish seasons and depth limits. All groundfish fishing is prohibited at Cordell Bank. Within the 10-fish RCG limit: no more than 1 copper rockfish, 2 canary rockfish, and 2 vermilion/sunset rockfish. RCG complex: all rockfish, cabezon, and kelp and rock greenlings combined. A descending device must be aboard when fishing from a boat. Yelloweye, cowcod, bronzespotted and quillback rockfish may not be kept.

CDFW Summary of Recreational Groundfish Fishing Regulations (updated June 23, 2026) · verified Sep 13, 2026

San Francisco Management Area (ocean salmon) · CDFW

Chinook salmonClosed

No retention

Season: Sep 1 to Oct 31, 2026

Closed from Point Arena south to 38°02' N. lat. The fall season is open only from 38°02' N. lat. south to Pigeon Point.

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

South of Point Arena (Pacific halibut) · CDFW

Pacific halibutRetention open

1 per day · 1 in possession

Season: Apr 1 to Dec 31, 2026

Closes early if the quota for south of Point Arena is reached. Check the CDFW Pacific halibut page before fishing. When angling, no more than one line with two hooks. The 2026 booklet (Section 28.20) still says the season ends November 15 statewide. CDFW web pages and the 2026 federal rule (91 FR 23369) keep south of Point Arena open through December 31.

CDFW Current Ocean Recreational Fishing Regulations, San Francisco Region (updated September 1, 2026) · verified Sep 13, 2026

Statewide

Leopard sharkRetention open

3 per day · Minimum 36 in, total length

Season: No closed season on file

Closed in the Groundfish Exclusion Areas off southern California.

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

SurfperchRetention open

20 per day · Minimum 10.5 in, total length. Redtail surfperch only. No minimum size for other surfperch.

Season: No closed season on file

In San Francisco Bay and San Pablo Bay, surfperch are closed April 1 through July 31 and the limit is 5 (shiner perch excepted). 20 surfperch in combination, not more than 10 of any one species. Shiner perch have a separate limit of 20.

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

Other California bay systems