Waterlands

UPDATEDAUTO-REFRESH 5 MIN

CabezonRetention open

Cape · California

Pescadero Point

36.56°N · 121.95°W · Cape · Monterey Bay

LOADING MAP

Best score today · 7 PM · Striped bass

77/100Great
Now
623 PM PDT
Best window
6-11 PMEbb tide
Tide now
Flooding4.5 ft ▲

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

Notify me when Pescadero Point scores 75+

Checked every morning against the 14-day forecast. Free by push and email.

Sign in to set an alert

24-hour conditions

Tuesday, Sep 29 · 5 PM

Time5P
Score78Great
Tide1.5 ft ▼Ebbing
Wind11 kn NNWgusts 18 · steady
Air temp60°Mild
WeatherClear17% cloud
Water62°FPersisted

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

Pescadero Point

Depth
10-100 ftDrop-off
Structure
Point · Outer · ExposedPoint · drop-off
Season
Peak seasonCabezon

NOAA NCEI DEM, sampled Sep 14 on a 3.4 m grid. Depths are feet below NAVD 88, not chart datum (MLLW), so they can differ from a chart by a few feet. Not for navigation.

About this spot

Fishing Pescadero Point

Pescadero Point is a cape in Monterey Bay, California. Depth is 10-100 ft, with a drop-off. Its profile reads point, outer water and exposed.

Waterlands scores 11 species here; the best right now are cabezon, Pacific halibut and rockfish. It is peak season now for cabezon, rockfish, surfperch and striped bass, and shoulder season for Pacific halibut, Chinook salmon, kelp greenling and lingcod. Cabezon peak from May through September. Pacific halibut peak from May through July. 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.
Pacific halibut
Halibut sit on sand and gravel bottoms near drop-offs, bars and pinnacles, most often in 90 to 500 feet in Alaska and on the shelf off Washington, Oregon and far northern California. Anchor up-current of a likely edge and fish herring, squid, octopus or a salmon head on a circle hook with 24 to 32 ounces of weight, or bounce a large jig on the bottom. The best bite usually comes in the hour around slack tide.
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

  • Stillwater Cove

    Bay · 0.6 mi

    66
    Top: SurfperchPeak season
    • Surfperch 66
    • Cabezon 63
    • California halibut 55

    12 kt NWH 4:03 PM · 4.6 ftL 12:15 AM · 0.8 ft

  • Arrowhead Point

    Cape · 0.6 mi

    64
    Top: CabezonPeak season
    • Cabezon 64
    • Surfperch 61
    • Rockfish 60

    12 kt NWH 4:03 PM · 4.6 ftL 12:15 AM · 0.8 ft

  • Sunset Point

    Cape · 1.2 mi

    62
    Top: CabezonPeak season
    • Cabezon 62
    • Pacific halibut 59
    • Rockfish 59

    12 kt NWH 4:03 PM · 4.6 ftL 12:15 AM · 0.8 ft

  • The Pinnacles

    Bar · 1.0 mi

    59
    Top: Pacific halibutShoulder season
    • Pacific halibut 59
    • Rockfish 59
    • Cabezon 56

    12 kt NWH 4:03 PM · 4.6 ftL 12:15 AM · 0.8 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.