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CabezonRetention openSpecies here · tap to switch
Best score today · 8 PM · Cabezon
- Now
- 576 PM PDT
- Best window
- 7-10 PMEbb tide
- Tide now
- Ebbing4.5 ft ▼
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when The Pinnacles 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 · rolling from now
Conditions · 6 PM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
97Tide: EbbingCurrent: WeakWind & pressure
ECMWF
88Wind: 10 kt NNWPressure: FallingWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
37Water temp: 62°F, warmLight: DuskSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 5.7 ftSeason & habitat · Cabezon
Species seasonality
72Season: PeakHabitat: Poor fitDepth: In rangeRegulations: Retention open
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
The Pinnacles
- Depth
- 70-140 ftDrop-off
- Structure
- Bar · Outer · ExposedBar · 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 The Pinnacles
The Pinnacles is a bar in Monterey Bay, California. Depth is 70-140 ft, with a drop-off. Its profile reads bar, outer water and exposed.
Waterlands scores 11 species here; the best right now are Pacific halibut, rockfish and cabezon. It is peak season now for rockfish, cabezon, striped bass and surfperch, and shoulder season for Pacific halibut, lingcod, Chinook salmon and kelp greenling. Pacific halibut peak from May through July. Rockfish peak from May through September. Cabezon 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 Cove67
Bay · 1.6 mi
Top: SurfperchPeak season- Surfperch 67
- Cabezon 63
- Striped bass 63
10 kt NNWL 1:14 AM · 0.6 ftH 8:41 AM · 3.7 ft
- Sunset Point64
Cape · 0.9 mi
Top: Striped bassPeak season- Striped bass 64
- Cabezon 63
- Pacific halibut 60
10 kt NNWL 1:14 AM · 0.6 ftH 8:41 AM · 3.7 ft
- Pescadero Point64
Cape · 1.0 mi
Top: Striped bassPeak season- Striped bass 64
- Cabezon 63
- Pacific halibut 60
10 kt NNWL 1:14 AM · 0.6 ftH 8:41 AM · 3.7 ft
- Carmel Bay60
Bay · 1.2 mi
Top: Pacific halibutShoulder season- Pacific halibut 60
- Surfperch 57
- Rockfish 56
10 kt NNWL 1:14 AM · 0.6 ftH 8:41 AM · 3.7 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.