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RockfishPeak seasonCape · California
Duncans Point
38.39°N · 123.09°W · Cape · Coastal Waters from Point Arena to Point Reyes California out to 10 nm
Species here · tap to switch
Best score today · 6 PM · Rockfish
- Now
- 6611 AM PDT
- Best window
- 2-9 PMEbb tide
- Tide now
- Flooding3.8 ft ▲
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Duncans 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 · 11 AM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
75Tide: FloodingCurrent: 0.4 knWind & pressure
ECMWF
91Wind: 3 kt ESEPressure: RisingWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
57Water temp: 59°F, warmLight: Partly cloudySolunar: Between periodsSeas: 3.8 ftSeason & habitat · Rockfish
Species seasonality
91Season: PeakHabitat: Usable structureDepth: In rangeRegulations: no rule on file
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
San Francisco Groundfish Management Area
No rule for Rockfish is on file here yet, so its status is unknown, not closed. 32 rules for this area are waiting for review and not shown until checked. Confirm limits with CDFW before you keep a fish.
Source: CDFW · synced today
Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed
When Rockfish is best here
Peak season for Rockfish · 1 more week at peak
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- This week
Spot profile
Duncans Point
- Depth
- 20-70 ftNearest water
- Structure
- Point · Outer · ExposedPoint · drop-off
- Season
- Peak seasonRockfish
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 Duncans Point
Duncans Point is a cape in Coastal Waters from Point Arena to Point Reyes California out to 10 nm. Depth in the nearest water is 20-70 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 Pacific halibut, lingcod, Chinook salmon and kelp greenling. Rockfish peak from May through September. Surfperch peak in May and from July through September. Cabezon peak from May through September.
Tackle & technique
- 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.
- 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.
Nearby spots
Other spots within an easy run
- Gull Rocks71
Bar · 2.2 mi
Top: RockfishPeak season- Rockfish 71
- Cabezon 69
- Surfperch 68
2 kt SSWH 3:24 PM · 5.2 ftL 11:10 PM · 1.0 ft
- Bodega Harbor69
Bay · 5.4 mi
Top: SurfperchPeak season- Surfperch 69
- Cabezon 68
- Rockfish 67
2 kt SSWH 3:24 PM · 5.2 ftL 11:10 PM · 1.0 ft
- Spud Point68
Cape · 5.1 mi
Top: SurfperchPeak season- Surfperch 68
- Rockfish 67
- Cabezon 66
2 kt SSWH 3:24 PM · 5.2 ftL 11:10 PM · 1.0 ft
- Horseshoe Cove68
Bay · 5.5 mi
Top: SurfperchPeak season- Surfperch 68
- Striped bass 62
- Rockfish 61
2 kt SSWH 3:24 PM · 5.2 ftL 11:10 PM · 1.0 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.
