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SurfperchRetention openBar · California
Fort Ross Reef
38.50°N · 123.23°W · Bar · Coastal Waters from Point Arena to Point Reyes California out to 10 nm
Species here · tap to switch
Best score today · 11 PM · Surfperch
- Now
- 584 PM PDT
- Best window
- 11 PM-12 AMEbb tide
- Tide now
- Flooding2.1 ft ▲
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Fort Ross 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 · 4 PM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
45Tide: FloodingCurrent: 0.3 knWind & pressure
ECMWF
100Wind: 7 kt NWPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
41Water temp: 59°F, primeLight: Bright sunSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 6.0 ftSeason & habitat · Surfperch
Species seasonality
93Season: PeakHabitat: Prime structureDepth: In rangeRegulations: Retention open
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
San Francisco Groundfish Management Area
Surfperch
Retention open- Daily limit
- 20 per day
- Possession
- Not published
- Size
- Minimum 10.5 in, total length. Redtail surfperch only. No minimum size for other surfperch.
- Season
- No closed season on file
- Annual quota
- Not published
- Other
- 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.
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)
- 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)
- 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 Surfperch is best here
Peak season for Surfperch · 1 more week at peak
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- This week
Spot profile
Fort Ross Reef
- Depth
- 20-100 ftDrop-off
- Structure
- Reef · Outer · ExposedReef · drop-off
- Season
- Peak seasonSurfperch
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 Fort Ross Reef
Fort Ross Reef is a bar in Coastal Waters from Point Arena to Point Reyes California out to 10 nm. Depth is 20-100 ft, with a drop-off. Its profile reads reef, outer water and exposed.
Waterlands scores 12 species here; the best right now are rockfish, cabezon and surfperch. It is peak season now for rockfish, cabezon, surfperch and striped bass, and shoulder season for Pacific halibut, lingcod, kelp greenling and white seabass. Rockfish peak from May through September. Cabezon peak from May through September. Surfperch peak in May and from July through September.
Tackle & technique
- 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.
- 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
- Stump Beach Cove59
Bay · 7.9 mi
Top: SurfperchPeak season- Surfperch 59
- Rockfish 53
- Cabezon 52
7 kt NWH 9:10 PM · 5.3 ftL 3:56 AM · 0.3 ft
- Horseshoe Cove58
Bay · 11 mi
Top: RockfishPeak season- Rockfish 58
- Surfperch 57
- Pacific halibut 56
7 kt NWH 9:31 PM · 4.8 ftL 4:08 AM · 0.2 ft
- Duncans Point57
Cape · 11 mi
Top: Pacific halibutShoulder season- Pacific halibut 57
- Rockfish 55
- Cabezon 54
4 kt SWH 9:23 PM · 5.3 ftL 4:10 AM · 0.4 ft
- Fisk Mill Cove52
Bay · 9.2 mi
Top: CabezonPeak season- Cabezon 52
- Rockfish 52
- Striped bass 51
7 kt NWH 9:10 PM · 5.3 ftL 3:56 AM · 0.3 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.