Waterlands

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CabezonRetention open

Cape · California

Breaker Point

35.74°N · 121.32°W · Cape · Monterey Bay

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Best score today · 9 PM · Striped bass

72/100Great
Now
657 PM PDT
Best window
8 PM-12 AMEbb tide
Tide now
Ebbing4.6 ft ▼

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

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24-hour conditions

Sunday, Sep 27 · 7 PM

Time7P
Score72Great
Tide1.1 ft ▲Flooding
Current0.2 knmodeled · toward WSW
Wind4 kn NWgusts 15 · steady
Sea stateRough6.2 ft · 9 s
Air temp60°Mild
WeatherClear1% cloud
Water66°FModel

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

Central 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
  • Chinook salmon Retention open (2 per day (2 salmon combined))
  • 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

Breaker Point

Depth
4-25 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 Breaker Point

Breaker Point is a cape in Monterey Bay, California. Depth in the nearest water is 4-25 ft. Its profile reads point, outer water and exposed.

Waterlands scores 11 species here; the best right now are cabezon, striped bass and surfperch. It is peak season now for cabezon, striped bass, surfperch and rockfish, and shoulder season for Chinook salmon, kelp greenling, white seabass and lingcod. Cabezon peak from May through September. Striped bass peak from June through July and from September through October. 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.
Striped bass
Striped bass feed where moving tide pushes bait past structure: inlets, points, jetties, bridge pilings and rips in the surf, usually in 2 to 40 feet of water. Fish dawn, dusk and night hardest, casting plugs, bucktails and soft plastics or drifting live bunker and eels, and chunk bait on the bottom in current. In midsummer the larger fish drop deeper or feed mostly after dark.
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.

Nearby spots

Other spots within an easy run

  • Harlech Castle Rock

    Bar · 4.1 mi

    67
    Top: CabezonPeak season
    • Cabezon 67
    • Rockfish 63
    • Surfperch 62

    2 kt WNWL 1:51 AM · 0.5 ftH 8:51 AM · 4.0 ft

  • San Simeon Point

    Cape · 10 mi

    66
    Top: Striped bassPeak season
    • Striped bass 66
    • Cabezon 65
    • Surfperch 63

    2 kt WNWL 1:51 AM · 0.5 ftH 8:51 AM · 4.0 ft

  • Ragged Point

    Cape · 1.2 mi

    65
    Top: CabezonPeak season
    • Cabezon 65
    • Striped bass 65
    • Pacific halibut 63

    2 kt WNWL 1:51 AM · 0.5 ftH 8:51 AM · 4.0 ft

  • 60
    Top: Pacific halibutShoulder season
    • Pacific halibut 60
    • Surfperch 59
    • Rockfish 57

    13 kt NWL 1:49 AM · 0.5 ftH 8:44 AM · 3.9 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.