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 · 7 AM · Cabezon

66/100Great
Now
302 PM PDT
Best window
11 PM-12 AMEbb tide
Tide now
Ebbing3.4 ft ▼

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

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24-hour conditions

Thursday, Sep 24 · 12 AM

Time12A
Score61Good
Tide5.0 ft ▼Ebbing
Current0.3 knmodeled · toward WNW
Wind3 kn WSWgusts 5 · steady
Sea stateRough6.3 ft · 9 s
Air temp56°Mild
WeatherPartly cloudy34% cloud
Water55°FBias corrected

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

  • Abalone Point

    Cape · 0.3 mi

    60
    Top: RockfishPeak season
    • Rockfish 60
    • Lingcod 55
    • Surfperch 44

    10 kt NL 3:37 PM · 2.9 ftH 9:22 PM · 5.9 ft

  • Rocky Point

    Cape · 0.6 mi

    60
    Top: RockfishPeak season
    • Rockfish 60
    • Lingcod 55
    • Surfperch 44

    10 kt NL 3:37 PM · 2.9 ftH 9:22 PM · 5.9 ft

  • Omenoku Point

    Cape · 4.4 mi

    58
    Top: RockfishPeak season
    • Rockfish 58
    • Lingcod 52
    • Surfperch 42

    12 kt NNWL 3:37 PM · 2.9 ftH 9:22 PM · 5.9 ft

  • College Cove

    Bay · 4.5 mi

    52
    Top: RockfishPeak season
    • Rockfish 52
    • Lingcod 47
    • Surfperch 47

    12 kt NNWL 3:37 PM · 2.9 ftH 9:22 PM · 5.9 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.