Waterlands

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CabezonRetention open

Cape · California

Rocky Point

41.14°N · 124.16°W · Cape · Humboldt Bay

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Best score today · 9 AM · Cabezon

75/100Great
Now
759 AM PDT
Best window
9-11 AMHigh slack
Tide now
Flooding4.8 ft ▲

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

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24-hour conditions

Saturday, Sep 26 · 2 PM

Time2P
Score66Great
Tide5.2 ft ▼Ebbing
Current0.3 knmodeled · toward NNE
Wind11 kn Ngusts 16 · steady
Sea stateVery rough7.5 ft · 8 s
Air temp56°Mild
WeatherOvercast100% cloud
Water56°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

Rocky Point

Depth
15-50 ft
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 Rocky Point

Rocky Point is a cape in Humboldt Bay, California. Depth is 15-50 ft. Its profile reads point, outer water and exposed.

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

Nearby spots

Other spots within an easy run

  • Abalone Point

    Cape · 0.3 mi

    75
    Top: CabezonPeak season
    • Cabezon 75
    • Kelp greenling 69
    • Rockfish 68

    3 kt NNEH 9:51 AM · 4.9 ftL 2:48 PM · 3.5 ft

  • Palmers Point

    Cape · 0.6 mi

    75
    Top: CabezonPeak season
    • Cabezon 75
    • Kelp greenling 69
    • Rockfish 68

    3 kt NNEH 9:51 AM · 4.9 ftL 2:48 PM · 3.5 ft

  • Omenoku Point

    Cape · 5.0 mi

    75
    Top: CabezonPeak season
    • Cabezon 75
    • Kelp greenling 69
    • Rockfish 69

    4 kt NH 9:51 AM · 4.9 ftL 2:48 PM · 3.5 ft

  • College Cove

    Bay · 5.1 mi

    73
    Top: CabezonPeak season
    • Cabezon 73
    • Surfperch 70
    • Kelp greenling 68

    4 kt NH 9:51 AM · 4.9 ftL 2:48 PM · 3.5 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.