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CabezonRetention openSpecies here · tap to switch
Best score today · 9 AM · Cabezon
- Now
- 604 PM PDT
- Best window
- 5 PM-12 AMHigh slack
- Tide now
- Flooding3.9 ft ▲
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when South Bay 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
Friday, Sep 25 · 1 AM
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
100Tide: EbbingCurrent: 1.2 kn ebbWind & pressure
ECMWF
84Wind: 10 kt SSWPressure: FallingWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
69Water temp: 57°F, primeLight: NightSolunar: Near a majorSeas: 4.4 ftSeason & habitat · Striped bass
Species seasonality
88Season: PeakHabitat: Structure unmappedDepth: In range
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
South Bay
- Depth
- 5-8 ft
- Structure
- Bay · Inner · Semi-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 South Bay
South Bay is a bay in Humboldt Bay, California. Depth is 5-8 ft. Its profile reads bay, inner water and semi-exposed.
Waterlands scores 11 species here; the best right now are cabezon, surfperch and rockfish. It is peak season now for cabezon, surfperch, rockfish and striped bass, and shoulder season for kelp greenling, Pacific halibut, lingcod and white seabass. Cabezon peak from May through September. Surfperch peak in May and from July through September. 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.
- 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.
- 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
- Buhne Point63
Cape · 2.8 mi
Top: RockfishPeak season- Rockfish 63
- Cabezon 62
- Striped bass 58
10 kt NH 8:34 PM · 5.8 ftL 3:37 AM · 0.6 ft
- Southport Channel58
Channel · 1.1 mi
Top: RockfishPeak season- Rockfish 58
- Lingcod 57
- Cabezon 56
10 kt NH 8:34 PM · 5.8 ftL 3:37 AM · 0.6 ft
- Hookton Channel58
Channel · 3.1 mi
Top: RockfishPeak season- Rockfish 58
- Lingcod 57
- Cabezon 56
10 kt NH 8:34 PM · 5.9 ftL 3:38 AM · 0.6 ft
- Buhne Spit Shoal57
Bar · 3.0 mi
Top: Pacific halibutShoulder season- Pacific halibut 57
- Rockfish 52
- Cabezon 50
10 kt NL 4:22 PM · 1.1 ftH 8:53 PM · 4.2 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.