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CabezonRetention openSpecies here · tap to switch
Best score today · 7 AM · Rockfish
- Now
- 698 AM PDT
- Best window
- 3 PM-12 AMHigh slack
- Tide now
- Flooding3.8 ft ▲
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Harlech Castle Rock 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
Sunday, Oct 4 · 7 PM
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
100Tide: EbbingWind & pressure
ECMWF
72Wind: 5 kt WNWPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
Open-Meteo Marine
91Water temp: 64°F, primeLight: DuskSolunar: Near a majorSeason & habitat · Striped bass
Species seasonality
75Season: PeakHabitat: Poor fitDepth: In range
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
Central 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
- 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)
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
Harlech Castle Rock
- Depth
- 15-80 ftDrop-off
- Structure
- Ledge · Outer · ExposedLedge · drop-off
- 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 Harlech Castle Rock
Harlech Castle Rock is a bar in Monterey Bay, California. Depth is 15-80 ft, with a drop-off. Its profile reads ledge, outer water and exposed.
Waterlands scores 11 species here; the best right now are cabezon, rockfish and surfperch. It is peak season now for cabezon, rockfish, surfperch and striped bass, and shoulder season for lingcod, kelp greenling, Pacific halibut and white seabass. Cabezon peak from May through September. Rockfish peak from May through September. 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.
- 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
- North Entrance Rock69
Bar · 7.1 mi
Top: CabezonPeak season- Cabezon 69
- Rockfish 68
- Surfperch 67
2 kt NNWH 8:51 AM · 4.0 ftL 1:30 PM · 2.9 ft
- Ragged Point68
Cape · 5.3 mi
Top: CabezonPeak season- Cabezon 68
- Rockfish 66
- Striped bass 65
2 kt NNWH 8:51 AM · 4.0 ftL 1:30 PM · 2.9 ft
- Breaker Point67
Cape · 4.1 mi
Top: CabezonPeak season- Cabezon 67
- Surfperch 66
- Striped bass 65
2 kt NNWH 8:51 AM · 4.0 ftL 1:30 PM · 2.9 ft
- San Simeon Point67
Cape · 6.9 mi
Top: CabezonPeak season- Cabezon 67
- Striped bass 67
- Surfperch 67
2 kt NNWH 8:51 AM · 4.0 ftL 1:30 PM · 2.9 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.