Waterlands

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Albacore tunaRetention open

Bay · California

Arena Cove

38.91°N · 123.71°W · Bay · Coastal Waters from Point Arena to Point Reyes California out to 10 nm

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Best score today · 7 AM · Albacore tuna

68/100Great
Now
4410 AM PDT
Best window
5 PM-12 AMFlood tide
Tide now
High4.8 ft

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

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24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 10 AM · now

Time10ANOW
Score44Fair
Tide4.8 ftHigh
Current0.2 knmodeled · toward NNW
Wind3 kn NNWgusts 9 · building
Sea stateVery rough7.3 ft · 9 s
Air temp60°Mild
WeatherPartly cloudy36% cloud
Water54°FObserved

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

San Francisco 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

Arena Cove

Depth
15-25 ft
Structure
Bay · Outer · Semi-exposed
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 Arena Cove

Arena Cove is a bay in Coastal Waters from Point Arena to Point Reyes California out to 10 nm. Depth is 15-25 ft. Its profile reads bay, outer water and semi-exposed.

Waterlands scores 12 species here; the best right now are surfperch, rockfish and Pacific halibut. 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. Rockfish peak from May through September. Pacific halibut peak from May through July.

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.
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.

Nearby spots

Other spots within an easy run

  • Robinson Reef

    Bar · 14 mi

    70
    Top: CabezonPeak season
    • Cabezon 70
    • Surfperch 67
    • Kelp greenling 65

    4 kt WNWL 3:35 PM · 1.8 ftH 9:31 PM · 4.8 ft

  • Robinson Point

    Cape · 14 mi

    69
    Top: CabezonPeak season
    • Cabezon 69
    • Surfperch 67
    • Kelp greenling 64

    4 kt WNWL 3:35 PM · 1.8 ftH 9:31 PM · 4.8 ft

  • Havens Anchorage

    Bay · 10 mi

    64
    Top: SurfperchPeak season
    • Surfperch 64
    • Rockfish 54
    • Lingcod 49

    4 kt WNWL 3:35 PM · 1.8 ftH 9:31 PM · 4.8 ft

  • Saunders Reef

    Bar · 5.1 mi

    63
    Top: SurfperchPeak season
    • Surfperch 63
    • Rockfish 58
    • Pacific halibut 55

    4 kt WNWL 3:39 PM · 2.3 ftH 9:32 PM · 5.5 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.