Waterlands

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CabezonRetention open

Channel · California

Suisun Point Channel

38.04°N · 122.13°W · Channel · San Pablo Bay, Suisun Bay, the West Delta and the San Francisco Bay north of the Bay Bridge

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Best score today · 10 PM · Cabezon

81/100Great
Now
5610 AM PDT
Best window
9 PM-12 AMFlood tide
Tide now
Flooding2.8 ft ▲

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

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24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 10 AM · now

Time10ANOW
Score56Good
Tide2.8 ft ▲Flooding
CurrentFlood1.3 kn · toward ENE
Wind2 kn NWgusts 8 · steady
Air temp64°Mild
WeatherPartly cloudy31% cloud
Water67°FObserved

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

San Francisco 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. 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)

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

Suisun Point Channel

Depth
2-60 ftDrop-off
Structure
Channel · Inner · ProtectedChannel · 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 Suisun Point Channel

Suisun Point Channel is a channel in San Pablo Bay, Suisun Bay, the West Delta and the San Francisco Bay north of the Bay Bridge, California. Depth is 2-60 ft, with a drop-off. Its profile reads channel, inner water and protected.

Waterlands scores 11 species here; the best right now are striped bass, leopard shark and rockfish. It is peak season now for striped bass, rockfish, surfperch and cabezon, and shoulder season for leopard shark, California halibut, lingcod and white seabass. Striped bass peak from June through July and from September through October. Leopard shark peak from May through August. 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.
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.
Leopard shark
Leopard sharks cruise shallow mudflats, sloughs and channel edges in bays, most often in less than 15 feet of water, and follow the flooding tide onto the flats to feed on crabs, worms, clams and small fish. Anchor or fish from shore or a pier with a sliding sinker rig and a chunk of squid, mackerel or ghost shrimp on the bottom. The bite is often better into the evening and at night.

Nearby spots

Other spots within an easy run

  • Benicia Point

    Cape · 2.0 mi

    75
    Top: Striped bassPeak season
    • Striped bass 75
    • Rockfish 69
    • White seabass 67

    2 kt NWH 12:48 PM · 4.5 ftL 6:13 PM · 1.6 ft

  • Bulls Head Channel

    Channel · 1.0 mi

    71
    Top: Striped bassPeak season
    • Striped bass 71
    • Leopard shark 66
    • Surfperch 64

    1 kt NWH 12:46 PM · 4.6 ftL 6:25 PM · 1.7 ft

  • Benicia Shoals

    Bar · 1.8 mi

    68
    Top: Striped bassPeak season
    • Striped bass 68
    • California halibut 65
    • Surfperch 65

    2 kt NWH 12:48 PM · 4.5 ftL 6:13 PM · 1.6 ft

  • East Bulls Head Channel

    Channel · 2.3 mi

    68
    Top: RockfishPeak season
    • Rockfish 68
    • Striped bass 68
    • California halibut 65

    1 kt NWH 12:46 PM · 4.6 ftL 6:25 PM · 1.7 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.