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SurfperchRetention openSpecies here · tap to switch
Best score today · 8 PM · Surfperch
- Now
- 655 PM PDT
- Best window
- 7-11 PMEbb tide
- Tide now
- High6.3 ft
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Outer Reach 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 · 5 PM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
75Tide: High slackCurrent: SlackWind & pressure
ECMWF
100Wind: 8 kt NPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
74Water temp: 57°F, primeLight: Late afternoonSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 3.4 ftSeason & habitat · Surfperch
Species seasonality
73Season: PeakHabitat: Poor fitDepth: In rangeRegulations: Retention open
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
Northern Groundfish Management Area
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)
Source: CDFW · synced today
Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed
When Surfperch is best here
Peak season for Surfperch · 1 more week at peak
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- This week
Spot profile
Outer Reach
- Depth
- 10-35 ft
- Structure
- Channel · Inner · Protected
- 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 Outer Reach
Outer Reach is a channel in Humboldt Bay, California. Depth is 10-35 ft. Its profile reads channel, inner water and protected.
Waterlands scores 11 species here; the best right now are cabezon, surfperch and Pacific halibut. It is peak season now for cabezon, surfperch, striped bass and rockfish, and shoulder season for Pacific halibut, kelp greenling, California halibut and lingcod. Cabezon peak from May through September. Surfperch peak in May and from July 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.
- 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.
Nearby spots
Other spots within an easy run
- Samoa Channel68
Channel · 0.4 mi
Top: CabezonPeak season- Cabezon 68
- Surfperch 65
- Pacific halibut 61
8 kt NH 5:32 PM · 6.3 ftL 12:57 AM · 1.1 ft
- Eureka Channel68
Channel · 0.6 mi
Top: CabezonPeak season- Cabezon 68
- Surfperch 65
- Pacific halibut 61
8 kt NH 5:32 PM · 6.3 ftL 12:57 AM · 1.1 ft
- Inner Reach68
Channel · 1.3 mi
Top: CabezonPeak season- Cabezon 68
- Surfperch 65
- Pacific halibut 61
8 kt NH 5:32 PM · 6.3 ftL 12:57 AM · 1.1 ft
- Arcata Channel68
Channel · 2.4 mi
Top: CabezonPeak season- Cabezon 68
- Surfperch 65
- Pacific halibut 61
8 kt NH 5:39 PM · 6.5 ftL 1:03 AM · 1.1 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.