Waterlands

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SurfperchRetention open

Cape · California

Buhne Point

40.74°N · 124.21°W · Cape · Humboldt Bay

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Best score today · 9 AM · Surfperch

67/100Great
Now
3011 PM PST
Best window
11 PM-12 AMEbb current
Tide now
Ebbing0.9 ft ▼

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

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24-hour conditions

Sunday, Nov 8 · 6 AM

Time6A
Score52Good
Tide3.5 ft ▲Flooding
CurrentFlood0.8 kn · toward SSW
Wind8 kn SEgusts 12 · steady
Sea stateVery rough7.7 ft · 11 s
Air temp54°Cool
WeatherMostly cloudy78% cloud
Water58°FModel

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

Northern Groundfish Management Area

IN EFFECT NOW

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)

Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed

When Surfperch is best here

Shoulder season for Surfperch · 25 more weeks at shoulder

Surfperch season by week of the year. Shoulder season for Surfperch · 25 more weeks at shoulder.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
  • Off
  • This week

Surfperch in California →

Spot profile

Buhne Point

Depth
1-8 ft
Structure
Point · Inner · Protected
Season
Shoulder 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 Buhne Point

Buhne Point is a cape in Humboldt Bay, California. Depth is 1-8 ft. Its profile reads point, inner water and protected.

Waterlands scores 9 species here; the best right now are cabezon, kelp greenling and lingcod. It is peak season now for kelp greenling and lingcod, and shoulder season for cabezon, rockfish, striped bass and surfperch. Cabezon peak from May through September. Kelp greenling peak from October through November. Lingcod peak from April through May and from October through November.

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.
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.
Kelp greenling
Kelp greenling are solitary bottom fish of rocky shores, jetties and kelp beds, usually in water shallower than 60 feet. Use a small number 4 to 6 hook with sand shrimp or marine worms, or a small lead-head grub, dropped to the bottom and reeled up slightly. Larger fish show in October and November when they spawn close to shore, and mornings tend to fish best.

Nearby spots

Other spots within an easy run

  • Buhne Spit Shoal

    Bar · 0.2 mi

    30
    Top: CabezonShoulder season
    • Cabezon 30
    • California halibut 30
    • Kelp greenling 30

    6 kt SSEL 1:52 AM · 0.1 ftH 7:42 AM · 4.3 ft

  • Humboldt Bay

    Bay · 0.6 mi

    30
    Top: CabezonShoulder season
    • Cabezon 30
    • California halibut 30
    • Kelp greenling 30

    6 kt SSEL 1:52 AM · 0.1 ftH 7:42 AM · 4.3 ft

  • Hookton Channel

    Channel · 0.7 mi

    30
    Top: CabezonShoulder season
    • Cabezon 30
    • California halibut 30
    • Kelp greenling 30

    6 kt SSEL 12:20 AM · 0.2 ftH 7:23 AM · 6.1 ft

  • Southport Channel

    Channel · 1.9 mi

    30
    Top: CabezonShoulder season
    • Cabezon 30
    • California halibut 30
    • Kelp greenling 30

    6 kt SSEL 12:20 AM · 0.4 ftH 7:26 AM · 6.1 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.