UPDATEDAUTO-REFRESH 5 MIN
CabezonRetention openBay · California
Oakland Outer Harbor
37.81°N · 122.32°W · Bay · San Francisco Bay South of the Bay Bridge
Species here · tap to switch
Best score today · 6 AM · Cabezon
- Now
- 658 AM PST
- Best window
- 2 PM-12 AMEbb tide
- Tide now
- Ebbing5.1 ft ▼
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Oakland Outer Harbor 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
Wednesday, Nov 4 · 7 AM
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
100Tide: FloodingCurrent: 0.5 kn floodWind & pressure
ECMWF
100Wind: 3 kt EPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
66Water temp: 63°F, warmLight: DawnSolunar: Near a majorSeas: 2.0 ftSeason & habitat · Cabezon
Species seasonality
67Season: ShoulderHabitat: Usable structureDepth: In range
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
San Francisco 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. All groundfish fishing is prohibited at Cordell Bank. 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 yesterday
Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed
When Cabezon is best here
Shoulder season for Cabezon · 4 more weeks at shoulder
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- This week
Spot profile
Oakland Outer Harbor
- Depth
- 6-50 ftSlope
- Structure
- Bay · Inner · Semi-exposedBay · slope
- Season
- Shoulder 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 Oakland Outer Harbor
Oakland Outer Harbor is a bay in San Francisco Bay South of the Bay Bridge, California. Depth is 6-50 ft, with a slope. Its profile reads bay, inner water and semi-exposed.
Waterlands scores 9 species here; the best right now are kelp greenling, striped bass and lingcod. It is peak season now for kelp greenling and lingcod, and shoulder season for striped bass, surfperch, cabezon and rockfish. Kelp greenling peak from October through November. Striped bass peak from June through July and from September through October. Lingcod peak from April through May and from October through November.
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.
- Kelp greenling
- Kelp greenling are solitary bottom fish of rocky shores, jetties and kelp beds, usually in water shallower than 60 feet. Use a small number 4 to 6 hook with sand shrimp or marine worms, or a small lead-head grub, dropped to the bottom and reeled up slightly. Larger fish show in October and November when they spawn close to shore, and mornings tend to fish best.
- 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.
Nearby spots
Other spots within an easy run
- Oakland Middle Harbor73
Bay · 0.9 mi
Top: Kelp greenlingPeak season- Kelp greenling 73
- Lingcod 69
- Striped bass 68
4 kt ESEL 12:22 PM · 2.6 ftH 5:42 PM · 5.4 ft
- Oakland Inner Harbor72
Bay · 2.3 mi
Top: Kelp greenlingPeak season- Kelp greenling 72
- Lingcod 66
- Cabezon 64
4 kt ESEL 12:33 PM · 2.8 ftH 5:54 PM · 5.4 ft
- Outer Harbor Entrance Channel71
Bay · 1.0 mi
Top: Kelp greenlingPeak season- Kelp greenling 71
- Lingcod 69
- Striped bass 69
4 kt ESEL 12:22 PM · 2.6 ftH 5:42 PM · 5.4 ft
- Bar Channel70
Bay · 2.0 mi
Top: Kelp greenlingPeak season- Kelp greenling 70
- Lingcod 68
- Striped bass 64
4 kt ESEL 12:24 PM · 2.7 ftH 5:46 PM · 5.3 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.