Waterlands

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LingcodRetention open

Bar · California

Buhne Spit Shoal

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

LOADING MAP

Best score today · 1 AM · Lingcod

63/100Good
Now
5410 AM PDT
Best window
6-10 PMFlood tide
Tide now
Flooding3.6 ft ▲

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

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24-hour conditions

Sunday, Oct 4 · 12 AM

Time12A
Score57Good
Tide0.8 ft ▼Ebbing
CurrentEbb0.5 kn · toward N
Wind3 kn ESEgusts 12 · steady
Air temp52°Cool
WeatherClear5% cloud
Water57°FPersisted

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

Northern Groundfish Management Area

IN EFFECT NOW

Lingcod

Retention open
Daily limit
2 per day
Possession
Not published
Size
Minimum 22 in, total length
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. 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))
  • 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)
  • 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 Lingcod is best here

Shoulder season for Lingcod · 1 more week at shoulder

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

Lingcod in California

Spot profile

Buhne Spit Shoal

Depth
4-15 ft
Structure
Shoal · Inner · Semi-exposed
Season
Shoulder seasonLingcod

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 rockfish, surfperch and Pacific halibut. It is peak season now for rockfish, surfperch, cabezon and striped bass, and shoulder season for Pacific halibut, lingcod, California halibut and kelp greenling. Rockfish peak from May through September. Surfperch peak in May and from July through September. Pacific halibut peak from May through July.

Tackle & technique

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.
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.

Nearby spots

Other spots within an easy run

  • Humboldt Bay

    Bay · 0.5 mi

    63
    Top: SurfperchPeak season
    • Surfperch 63
    • Rockfish 57
    • Pacific halibut 55

    8 kt NH 10:49 AM · 3.7 ftL 5:14 PM · 0.9 ft

  • Buhne Point

    Cape · 0.2 mi

    62
    Top: RockfishPeak season
    • Rockfish 62
    • Surfperch 60
    • Lingcod 56

    8 kt NH 10:36 AM · 5.3 ftL 3:38 PM · 3.1 ft

  • North Bay Channel

    Channel · 1.8 mi

    61
    Top: SurfperchPeak season
    • Surfperch 61
    • Lingcod 56
    • Rockfish 56

    8 kt NH 10:30 AM · 5.3 ftL 3:42 PM · 3.0 ft

  • Hookton Channel

    Channel · 0.6 mi

    58
    Top: SurfperchPeak season
    • Surfperch 58
    • Pacific halibut 56
    • Rockfish 54

    8 kt NH 10:30 AM · 5.3 ftL 3:42 PM · 3.0 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.