Waterlands

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CabezonRetention open

Bar · California

Blunts Reef

40.45°N · 124.47°W · Bar · Humboldt Bay

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Best score today · 6 PM · Cabezon

79/100Great
Now
3910 PM PDT
Best window
10-11 PMEbb tide
Tide now
Ebbing0.6 ft ▼

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

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24-hour conditions

Thursday, Nov 5 · 7 AM

Time7A
Score30Fair
Tide5.4 ft ▲Flooding
Current0.8 knmodeled · toward NW
Wind11 kn Ngusts 23 · steady
Sea stateVery rough7.1 ft · 10 s
Air temp57°Mild
WeatherMostly cloudy58% cloud
Water59°FBias corrected

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

Northern Groundfish Management Area

IN EFFECT NOW

Cabezon

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. RCG complex: all rockfish, cabezon, and kelp and rock greenlings combined. A descending device must be aboard when fishing from a boat.

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))
  • 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)

Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed

When Cabezon is best here

Shoulder season for Cabezon · 4 more weeks at shoulder

Cabezon season by week of the year. Shoulder season for Cabezon · 4 more weeks at shoulder.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
  • Off
  • This week

Cabezon in California →

Spot profile

Blunts Reef

Depth
100-120 ft
Structure
Reef · Outer · Exposed
Season
Shoulder seasonCabezon

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 Blunts Reef

Blunts Reef is a bar in Humboldt Bay, California. Depth is 100-120 ft. Its profile reads reef, outer water and exposed.

Waterlands scores 11 species here; the best right now are lingcod, white seabass and rockfish. It is peak season now for lingcod and kelp greenling, and shoulder season for rockfish, striped bass, cabezon and surfperch. Lingcod peak from April through May and from October through November. Rockfish peak from May through September.

Tackle & technique

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.
Lingcod
Lingcod ambush prey from rock outcrops, reef edges and kelp where current runs, most often in 30 to 300 feet, and males move shallow to guard nests in winter. Drift over the reef bouncing a lead-head swimbait or metal jig on the bottom, or fish herring or squid on a heavy leader, since their teeth cut light line. From jetties and rocky shore, work bait or jigs along the rocks on the incoming tide.
White seabass
White seabass hold along kelp bed edges and over nearby sand where market squid gather, usually in 20 to 80 feet of water and shallower as the water warms. Fish a live squid on a dropper loop or fly-line a sardine near the kelp at dawn, dusk and after dark, especially around the spring full moon. Tagged fish spend most of their time in 52 to 66 degree water.

Nearby spots

Other spots within an easy run

  • Cape Mendocino

    Cape · 3.2 mi

    63
    Top: LingcodPeak season
    • Lingcod 63
    • Striped bass 63
    • Rockfish 55

    14 kt NNEL 11:59 PM · -0.3 ftH 5:57 AM · 4.7 ft

  • Punta Gorda

    Cape · 14 mi

    63
    Top: Striped bassShoulder season
    • Striped bass 63
    • Lingcod 61
    • White seabass 54

    3 kt NEL 10:53 PM · -0.5 ftH 5:11 AM · 4.7 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.