Waterlands

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CabezonRetention open

Cape · California

Palmers Point

41.13°N · 124.17°W · Cape · Humboldt Bay

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Best score today · 9 AM · Cabezon

74/100Great
Now
563 PM PDT
Best window
5 PM-12 AMHigh slack
Tide now
Low3.5 ft

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

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24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 3 PM · now

Time3PNOW
Score56Good
Tide3.5 ftLow
Current0.2 knmodeled · toward S
Wind9 kn Ngusts 11 · steady
Sea stateRough5.0 ft · 9 s
Air temp57°Mild
WeatherMostly cloudy60% cloud
Water55°FObserved

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

Northern Groundfish Management Area

IN EFFECT NOW

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)

Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed

When Cabezon is best here

Peak season for Cabezon · 1 more week at peak

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

Cabezon in California

Spot profile

Palmers Point

Depth
25-30 ftNearest water
Structure
Point · Outer · Exposed
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 Palmers Point

Palmers Point is a cape in Humboldt Bay, California. Depth in the nearest water is 25-30 ft. Its profile reads point, outer water and exposed.

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

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.
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.
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

  • Abalone Point

    Cape · 0.3 mi

    56
    Top: CabezonPeak season
    • Cabezon 56
    • Rockfish 56
    • Kelp greenling 50

    9 kt NH 8:27 PM · 5.7 ftL 3:34 AM · 0.6 ft

  • Rocky Point

    Cape · 0.6 mi

    56
    Top: CabezonPeak season
    • Cabezon 56
    • Rockfish 56
    • Pacific halibut 51

    9 kt NH 8:27 PM · 5.7 ftL 3:34 AM · 0.6 ft

  • Omenoku Point

    Cape · 4.4 mi

    56
    Top: RockfishPeak season
    • Rockfish 56
    • Cabezon 55
    • Pacific halibut 50

    10 kt NNWH 8:27 PM · 5.7 ftL 3:34 AM · 0.6 ft

  • College Cove

    Bay · 4.5 mi

    54
    Top: Pacific halibutShoulder season
    • Pacific halibut 54
    • Cabezon 53
    • Rockfish 51

    10 kt NNWH 8:27 PM · 5.7 ftL 3:34 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.