Waterlands

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Albacore tunaRetention open

Bar · California

Gull Rocks

38.37°N · 123.07°W · Bar · Coastal Waters from Point Arena to Point Reyes California out to 10 nm

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Best score today · 6 PM · Albacore tuna

71/100Great
Now
467 AM PDT
Best window
5-9 PMFlood tide
Tide now
Flooding2.7 ft ▲

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

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24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 7 AM · now

Time7ANOW
Score46Good
Tide2.7 ft ▲Flooding
Current0.4 knmodeled · toward NNW
Wind2 kn Egusts 5 · steady
Sea stateRough6.4 ft · 9 s
Air temp54°Cool
WeatherOvercast100% cloud
Water58°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)

Source: CDFW · synced yesterday

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

Gull Rocks

Depth
1-30 ft
Structure
Ledge · Outer · 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 Gull Rocks

Gull Rocks is a bar in Coastal Waters from Point Arena to Point Reyes California out to 10 nm. Depth is 1-30 ft. Its profile reads ledge, outer water and exposed.

Waterlands scores 12 species here; the best right now are cabezon, rockfish and surfperch. It is peak season now for cabezon, rockfish, surfperch and striped bass, and shoulder season for lingcod, kelp greenling, white seabass and Pacific halibut. Cabezon peak from May through September. Rockfish peak from May through September. Surfperch peak in May and from July through September.

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.
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.
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

  • Bodega Harbor

    Bay · 3.2 mi

    69
    Top: CabezonPeak season
    • Cabezon 69
    • Rockfish 66
    • Striped bass 66

    2 kt EH 10:11 AM · 4.7 ftL 3:50 PM · 2.3 ft

  • Duncans Point

    Cape · 2.2 mi

    67
    Top: CabezonPeak season
    • Cabezon 67
    • Rockfish 67
    • Striped bass 67

    2 kt NWH 10:11 AM · 4.7 ftL 3:50 PM · 2.3 ft

  • Spud Point

    Cape · 2.9 mi

    66
    Top: RockfishPeak season
    • Rockfish 66
    • Surfperch 65
    • Lingcod 60

    2 kt EH 10:11 AM · 4.7 ftL 3:50 PM · 2.3 ft

  • Horseshoe Cove

    Bay · 3.4 mi

    65
    Top: SurfperchPeak season
    • Surfperch 65
    • Rockfish 61
    • Lingcod 55

    2 kt EH 10:11 AM · 4.7 ftL 3:50 PM · 2.3 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.