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CabezonRetention openSpecies here · tap to switch
Best score today · 7 AM · Cabezon
- Now
- 503 PM PDT
- Best window
- 5 PM-12 AMFlood tide
- Tide now
- Low3.5 ft
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when North Bay Channel scores 75+
Checked every morning against the 14-day forecast. Free by push and email.
14-day forecast
Best days to fish
24-hour conditions · rolling from now
Conditions · 3 PM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
43Tide: Low slackCurrent: SlackWind & pressure
ECMWF
99Wind: 9 kt NNWPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
52Water temp: 55°F, primeLight: Partly cloudySolunar: Between periodsSeas: 4.7 ftSeason & habitat · Cabezon
Species seasonality
70Season: PeakHabitat: Poor fitDepth: In rangeRegulations: Retention open
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
Northern Groundfish Management Area
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)
Source: CDFW · synced today
Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed
When Cabezon is best here
Peak season for Cabezon · 1 more week at peak
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- This week
Spot profile
North Bay Channel
- Depth
- 15-35 ft
- Structure
- Channel · Inner · Protected
- Season
- Peak 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 North Bay Channel
North Bay Channel is a channel in Humboldt Bay, California. Depth is 15-35 ft. Its profile reads channel, inner water and protected.
Waterlands scores 11 species here; the best right now are Pacific halibut, lingcod and rockfish. It is peak season now for rockfish, cabezon, striped bass and surfperch, and shoulder season for Pacific halibut, lingcod, kelp greenling and white seabass. Pacific halibut peak from May through July. 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.
- 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.
- 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.
Nearby spots
Other spots within an easy run
- Hookton Channel56
Channel · 1.7 mi
Top: Pacific halibutShoulder season- Pacific halibut 56
- Rockfish 49
- Cabezon 48
9 kt NNWH 8:34 PM · 5.9 ftL 3:38 AM · 0.6 ft
- Buhne Spit Shoal56
Bar · 1.8 mi
Top: Pacific halibutShoulder season- Pacific halibut 56
- Rockfish 54
- Striped bass 49
9 kt NNWL 4:22 PM · 1.1 ftH 8:53 PM · 4.2 ft
- Humboldt Bay55
Bay · 1.4 mi
Top: RockfishPeak season- Rockfish 55
- Striped bass 54
- Cabezon 53
9 kt NNWL 4:22 PM · 1.1 ftH 8:53 PM · 4.2 ft
- Buhne Point53
Cape · 1.9 mi
Top: CabezonPeak season- Cabezon 53
- Rockfish 53
- Pacific halibut 50
9 kt NNWH 8:34 PM · 5.8 ftL 3:37 AM · 0.6 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.