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Chinook salmonClosedCape · California
Black Point
38.68°N · 123.43°W · Cape · Coastal Waters from Point Arena to Point Reyes California out to 10 nm
Species here · tap to switch
Best score today · 11 PM · Chinook salmon
- Now
- 208 AM PDT
- Best window
- 11 PM-12 AMEbb tide
- Tide now
- Flooding3.2 ft ▲
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Black Point 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 · 8 AM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
86Tide: FloodingCurrent: 0.4 knWind & pressure
ECMWF
100Wind: 4 kt NPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
69Water temp: 54°F, primeLight: DawnSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 5.5 ftSeason & habitat · Chinook salmon
Species seasonality
65Closed season · capped at 20Season: ShoulderHabitat: Prime structureDepth: In rangeRegulations: Closed
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
San Francisco Groundfish Management Area
Chinook salmon
Closed- Daily limit
- No retention
- Possession
- Not published
- Size
- Not published
- Season
- Sep 1 to Oct 31, 2026
- Annual quota
- Not published
- Other
- 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.
From CDFW 2026 California Ocean Sport Fishing Regulations booklet (last updated July 17, 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
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- Not here
- This week
Spot profile
Black Point
- Depth
- 25-90 ftDrop-off
- Structure
- Point · Outer · ExposedPoint · drop-off
- 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 Black Point
Black Point is a cape in Coastal Waters from Point Arena to Point Reyes California out to 10 nm. Depth is 25-90 ft, with a drop-off. Its profile reads point, outer water and exposed.
Waterlands scores 12 species here; the best right now are rockfish, surfperch and cabezon. It is peak season now for rockfish, surfperch, cabezon and striped bass, and shoulder season for lingcod, kelp greenling, white seabass and Pacific halibut. Rockfish peak from May through September. Surfperch peak in May and from July through September. Cabezon peak from May through September.
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
- Rocky Point69
Cape · 4.1 mi
Top: CabezonPeak season- Cabezon 69
- Rockfish 69
- Striped bass 68
4 kt NH 10:06 AM · 4.1 ftL 3:35 PM · 1.8 ft
- Gualala Point69
Cape · 7.2 mi
Top: CabezonPeak season- Cabezon 69
- Rockfish 68
- Striped bass 68
4 kt NH 10:06 AM · 4.1 ftL 3:35 PM · 1.8 ft
- Horseshoe Cove67
Bay · 5.7 mi
Top: RockfishPeak season- Rockfish 67
- Surfperch 67
- Striped bass 66
1 kt NWH 10:06 AM · 4.1 ftL 3:35 PM · 1.8 ft
- Fisk Mill Cove66
Bay · 7.1 mi
Top: Striped bassPeak season- Striped bass 66
- Cabezon 61
- Kelp greenling 60
1 kt NWH 9:58 AM · 4.7 ftL 3:36 PM · 2.1 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.