Waterlands

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Chinook salmonClosed

Cape · California

Buhne Point

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

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Best score today · 9 AM · Chinook salmon

75/100Great
Now
2010 AM PDT
Best window
10 AM-12 PMEbb tide
Tide now
High5.0 ft

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

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24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 10 AM · now

Time10ANOW
Score20Poor
Tide5.0 ftHigh
CurrentSlack0.1 kn
Wind4 kn Ngusts 9 · steady
Sea stateRough4.8 ft · 7 s
Air temp57°Mild
WeatherOvercast100% cloud
Water56°FObserved

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

Northern Groundfish Management Area

IN EFFECT NOW

Chinook salmon

Closed
Daily limit
No retention
Possession
Not published
Size
Not published
Season
Sep 1 to Dec 31, 2026
Annual quota
Not published
Other
Salmon may not be possessed on a vessel in this area while it is closed. CDFW expects 2027 season dates in April 2027.

From CDFW Current Ocean Recreational Fishing Regulations, Northern Region (updated August 31, 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)
  • 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 Chinook salmon is best here

Shoulder season for Chinook salmon · 1 more week at shoulder

Chinook salmon season by week of the year. Shoulder season for Chinook salmon · 1 more week at shoulder.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
  • Off
  • Not here
  • This week

Chinook salmon in California

Spot profile

Buhne Point

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

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

Tackle & technique

Chinook salmon
Chinook hold near bait off points, kelp edges and tide rips, usually suspended 20 to 120 feet down and deeper as the sun gets higher. Troll slowly, under 2 mph, with a flasher and herring, hoochie or spoon on a downrigger, or mooch a plug-cut herring at the depth where the sounder shows bait. Winter blackmouth and feeder kings sit within 10 feet of the bottom in 60 to 200 feet.
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

  • Humboldt Bay

    Bay · 0.6 mi

    69
    Top: CabezonPeak season
    • Cabezon 69
    • Surfperch 67
    • Kelp greenling 64

    4 kt NL 4:22 PM · 1.1 ftH 8:53 PM · 4.2 ft

  • Buhne Spit Shoal

    Bar · 0.2 mi

    65
    Top: CabezonPeak season
    • Cabezon 65
    • Surfperch 62
    • Pacific halibut 61

    4 kt NL 4:22 PM · 1.1 ftH 8:53 PM · 4.2 ft

  • Southport Channel

    Channel · 1.9 mi

    65
    Top: CabezonPeak season
    • Cabezon 65
    • Surfperch 62
    • Kelp greenling 60

    4 kt NL 2:40 PM · 3.6 ftH 8:34 PM · 5.8 ft

  • Hookton Channel

    Channel · 0.7 mi

    64
    Top: CabezonPeak season
    • Cabezon 64
    • Surfperch 61
    • Kelp greenling 59

    4 kt NL 2:50 PM · 3.5 ftH 8:34 PM · 5.9 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.