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RockfishRetention openBay · California
Horseshoe Cove
38.32°N · 123.07°W · Bay · 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
- 4710 AM PDT
- Best window
- 5-9 PMFlood tide
- Tide now
- High4.7 ft
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Horseshoe Cove 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 · 10 AM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
44Tide: High slackCurrent: 0.3 knWind & pressure
ECMWF
84Wind: 1 kt NWPressure: RisingWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
42Water temp: 58°F, primeLight: MorningSolunar: Near a majorSeas: 6.5 ftSeason & habitat · Rockfish
Species seasonality
68Season: PeakHabitat: Poor fitDepth: In rangeRegulations: Retention open
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
San Francisco Groundfish Management Area
Rockfish
Retention open- Daily limit
- 10 per day (10 rockfish, cabezon and greenlings combined)
- Possession
- Not published
- Size
- No minimum size limit.
- Season
- Apr 1 to Dec 31, 2026
- Annual quota
- Not published
- Other
- Shore-based anglers and spear divers are exempt from groundfish seasons and depth limits. All groundfish fishing is prohibited at Cordell Bank. Within the 10-fish RCG limit: no more than 1 copper rockfish, 2 canary rockfish, and 2 vermilion/sunset rockfish. RCG complex: all rockfish, cabezon, and kelp and rock greenlings combined. A descending device must be aboard when fishing from a boat. Yelloweye, cowcod, bronzespotted and quillback rockfish may not be kept.
From CDFW Summary of Recreational Groundfish Fishing Regulations (updated June 23, 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)
- 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 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
Horseshoe Cove
- Depth
- About 20 ftNearest water
- Structure
- Bay · Outer · Semi-exposed
- 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 Horseshoe Cove
Horseshoe Cove is a bay in Coastal Waters from Point Arena to Point Reyes California out to 10 nm. Depth in the nearest water is about 20 ft. Its profile reads bay, outer water and semi-exposed.
Waterlands scores 12 species here; the best right now are surfperch, cabezon and kelp greenling. It is peak season now for surfperch, cabezon, striped bass and rockfish, and shoulder season for kelp greenling, Pacific halibut, white seabass and lingcod. Surfperch peak in May and from July through September. Cabezon peak from May through September. Kelp greenling peak from October through November.
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 Rocks68
Bar · 3.4 mi
Top: CabezonPeak season- Cabezon 68
- Surfperch 65
- Kelp greenling 60
1 kt NWL 3:50 PM · 2.3 ftH 9:23 PM · 5.3 ft
- Bodega Harbor67
Bay · 1.3 mi
Top: CabezonPeak season- Cabezon 67
- Surfperch 65
- Kelp greenling 61
1 kt NWL 3:50 PM · 2.3 ftH 9:23 PM · 5.3 ft
- Gaffney Point66
Cape · 0.7 mi
Top: CabezonPeak season- Cabezon 66
- Surfperch 64
- Kelp greenling 59
1 kt NWL 3:50 PM · 2.3 ftH 9:23 PM · 5.3 ft
- Spud Point66
Cape · 1.1 mi
Top: CabezonPeak season- Cabezon 66
- Surfperch 64
- Kelp greenling 59
1 kt NWL 3:50 PM · 2.3 ftH 9:23 PM · 5.3 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.