Waterlands

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SurfperchRetention open

Bar · California

Buhne Spit Shoal

40.74°N · 124.22°W · Bar · Humboldt Bay

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Best score today · 1 AM · Striped bass

63/100Good
Now
5912 PM PDT
Best window
6-10 PMFlood tide
Tide now
Ebbing3.5 ft ▼

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

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24-hour conditions

Wednesday, Sep 30 · 12 AM

Time12A
Score70Great
Tide0.9 ft ▲Flooding
CurrentFlood0.9 kn · toward SSW
Wind2 kn ESEgusts 8 · steady
Sea stateModerate3.9 ft · 12 s
Air temp53°Cool
WeatherClear10% cloud
Water57°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

Peak season for Surfperch · 1 more week at peak

Surfperch season by week of the year. Peak season for Surfperch · 1 more week at peak.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
  • Off
  • This week

Surfperch in California

Spot profile

Buhne Spit Shoal

Depth
4-15 ft
Structure
Shoal · Inner · Semi-exposed
Season
Peak 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 Spit Shoal

Buhne Spit Shoal is a bar in Humboldt Bay, California. Depth is 4-15 ft. Its profile reads shoal, inner water and semi-exposed.

Waterlands scores 11 species here; the best right now are surfperch, rockfish and Pacific halibut. It is peak season now for surfperch, rockfish, cabezon and striped bass, and shoulder season for Pacific halibut, lingcod, California halibut and kelp greenling. Surfperch peak in May and from July through September. Rockfish peak from May through September. Pacific halibut peak from May through July.

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.
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.
Pacific halibut
Halibut sit on sand and gravel bottoms near drop-offs, bars and pinnacles, most often in 90 to 500 feet in Alaska and on the shelf off Washington, Oregon and far northern California. Anchor up-current of a likely edge and fish herring, squid, octopus or a salmon head on a circle hook with 24 to 32 ounces of weight, or bounce a large jig on the bottom. The best bite usually comes in the hour around slack tide.

Nearby spots

Other spots within an easy run

  • Humboldt Bay

    Bay · 0.5 mi

    64
    Top: SurfperchPeak season
    • Surfperch 64
    • Rockfish 54
    • Pacific halibut 50

    9 kt NL 5:14 PM · 0.9 ftH 9:49 PM · 4.3 ft

  • Buhne Point

    Cape · 0.2 mi

    60
    Top: RockfishPeak season
    • Rockfish 60
    • Surfperch 56
    • Lingcod 55

    9 kt NL 3:38 PM · 3.1 ftH 9:33 PM · 6.0 ft

  • North Bay Channel

    Channel · 1.8 mi

    56
    Top: SurfperchPeak season
    • Surfperch 56
    • Lingcod 55
    • Rockfish 55

    9 kt NL 3:42 PM · 3.0 ftH 9:30 PM · 6.1 ft

  • Hookton Channel

    Channel · 0.6 mi

    55
    Top: LingcodShoulder season
    • Lingcod 55
    • Rockfish 55
    • Surfperch 55

    9 kt NL 3:42 PM · 3.0 ftH 9:30 PM · 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.