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SurfperchRetention openCape · California
Paradise Cay
37.91°N · 122.47°W · Cape · San Pablo Bay, Suisun Bay, the West Delta and the San Francisco Bay north of the Bay Bridge
Species here · tap to switch
Best score today · 8 PM · Surfperch
- Now
- 6111 AM PDT
- Best window
- 7-10 PMFlood tide
- Tide now
- High4.8 ft
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Paradise Cay 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 · 11 AM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
88Tide: High slackCurrent: 0.5 kn floodWind & pressure
ECMWF
87Wind: 2 kt NEPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
61Water temp: 63°F, primeLight: Partly cloudySolunar: Major periodSeas: 4.7 ftSeason & habitat · Surfperch
Species seasonality
68Season: PeakHabitat: Poor fitDepth: In rangeRegulations: Retention open
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
San Francisco Groundfish Management Area
Surfperch
Retention open- Daily limit
- 20 per day
- Possession
- Not published
- Size
- Minimum 10.5 in, total length. Redtail surfperch only. No minimum size for other surfperch.
- Season
- No closed season on file
- Annual quota
- Not published
- Other
- In San Francisco Bay and San Pablo Bay, surfperch are closed April 1 through July 31 and the limit is 5 (shiner perch excepted). 20 surfperch in combination, not more than 10 of any one species. Shiner perch have a separate limit of 20.
From CDFW 2026 California Ocean Sport Fishing Regulations booklet (last updated July 17, 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))
- Cabezon Retention open (10 per day (10 rockfish, cabezon and greenlings combined))
- California halibut Retention open (2 per day)
- 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)
- 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 Surfperch is best here
Peak season for Surfperch · 1 more week at peak
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- This week
Spot profile
Paradise Cay
- Depth
- 2-15 ftNearest water
- Structure
- Point · Inner · Semi-exposedPoint · flat bottom
- Season
- Peak seasonSurfperch
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 Paradise Cay
Paradise Cay is a cape in San Pablo Bay, Suisun Bay, the West Delta and the San Francisco Bay north of the Bay Bridge, California. Depth in the nearest water is 2-15 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads point, inner water and semi-exposed.
Waterlands scores 11 species here; the best right now are cabezon, surfperch and Chinook salmon. It is peak season now for cabezon, surfperch, rockfish and striped bass, and shoulder season for Chinook salmon, kelp greenling, lingcod and Pacific halibut. Cabezon peak from May through September. Surfperch peak in May and from July through September. Chinook salmon peak from June through August.
Tackle & technique
- 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.
- 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.
- Chinook salmon
- Chinook hold near bait off points, kelp edges and tide rips, usually suspended 20 to 120 feet down and deeper as the sun gets higher. Troll slowly, under 2 mph, with a flasher and herring, hoochie or spoon on a downrigger, or mooch a plug-cut herring at the depth where the sounder shows bait. Winter blackmouth and feeder kings sit within 10 feet of the bottom in 60 to 200 feet.
Nearby spots
Other spots within an easy run
- Keil Cove70
Bay · 2.9 mi
Top: SurfperchPeak season- Surfperch 70
- California halibut 67
- Leopard shark 63
2 kt NEH 11:17 AM · 4.8 ftL 4:38 PM · 2.1 ft
- Southampton Shoal Channel68
Channel · 2.8 mi
Top: SurfperchPeak season- Surfperch 68
- California halibut 65
- Leopard shark 63
2 kt NEH 11:14 AM · 5.3 ftL 4:44 PM · 2.3 ft
- Paradise Cove66
Bay · 1.5 mi
Top: SurfperchPeak season- Surfperch 66
- Cabezon 60
- Kelp greenling 54
2 kt NEH 11:17 AM · 4.8 ftL 4:38 PM · 2.1 ft
- Corte Madera Channel60
Channel · 2.7 mi
Top: SurfperchPeak season- Surfperch 60
- Cabezon 55
- Pacific halibut 54
2 kt NEH 11:26 AM · 4.7 ftL 4:49 PM · 2.3 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.