California · ChartNav curated ground
The Farallon Islands
Rocky islands in the cold upwelling off San Francisco — rockfish and lingcod on the reefs, salmon in the currents.
What's biting here — right now
Prime water for Cabezon & California Halibut — 59°F on the bottom, charted structure here, water moving now.
Today's bite
12:09 PM – 3:15 PM
Days ahead
Today
OK
seas 4.5 ft
Sun
OK
seas 3.9 ft
Mon
OK
seas 4.4 ft
Tue
OK
wind 13 kt
Wed
OK
seas 4.6 ft
Cabezon100
In season (Oct)
Bottom temp 59°F at 66 ft in the prime band (48–61°F prime)
Charted 56 ft suits this species (10–131 ft ideal)
Charted structure here — obstruction right on this spot
Crab or shrimp bait wedged into rocky bottom and kelp stringers close to shore.
In season (Oct)
Bottom temp 59°F at 66 ft in the prime band (54–66°F prime)
Charted 56 ft suits this species (16–131 ft ideal)
Drift live bait or swimbaits over sand flats adjacent to structure.
In season (Oct)
Bottom temp 59°F at 66 ft workable (46–59°F prime)
Charted 56 ft suits this species (10–115 ft ideal)
Charted structure here — obstruction right on this spot
Small baits in the rocks and kelp — the reliable fish when the swell keeps you inshore.
In season (Oct)
SST 61°F in the prime band (57–72°F prime)
Charted 56 ft suits this species (7–82 ft ideal)
Squid or midshipman on the bottom in bays and shallow flats on a moving tide.
In season (Oct)
Bottom temp 59°F at 66 ft workable (46–57°F prime)
Charted 56 ft suits this species (26–180 ft ideal)
Charted structure here — obstruction right on this spot
Swimbaits and jigs over shallow rock — the one rockfish that chases up off the bottom.
In season (Oct)
Bottom temp 59°F at 66 ft workable (46–57°F prime)
Charted 56 ft suits this species (49–295 ft ideal)
Charted structure here — obstruction right on this spot
Bait or jigs right in the rock — a homebody that holds tight to one piece of structure.
In season (Oct)
SST 61°F in the prime band (61–72°F prime)
Charted 56 ft suits this species (16–131 ft ideal)
Near the northern edge of its range (regular north to about 36.0°N)
Fast-retrieved chrome or a fly-lined sardine along the kelp line and outer edges.
In season (Oct)
Bottom temp 59°F at 66 ft in the prime band (57–72°F prime)
Charted 56 ft suits this species (13–82 ft ideal)
Near the northern edge of its range (regular north to about 36.0°N)
Charted structure here — obstruction right on this spot
Swimbaits and weedless plastics through kelp stringers and boiler rocks.
In season (Oct)
Bottom temp 59°F at 66 ft in the prime band (57–72°F prime)
Charted 56 ft suits this species (26–148 ft ideal)
Near the northern edge of its range (regular north to about 36.0°N)
Charted structure here — obstruction right on this spot
Whole shrimp or urchin on the bottom in the rocks and kelp — they crush a bait with a beak.
In season (Oct)
SST 61°F workable (63–73°F prime)
Charted 56 ft suits this species (20–197 ft ideal)
Near the northern edge of its range (regular north to about 37.0°N)
Temperature break nearby (1.1°C across ~15 nm)
Small jigs or a fly-lined bait through a boiling school; they show under working birds.
In season (Oct)
SST 61°F in the prime band (59–70°F prime)
Charted 56 ft marginal for this species (98–1312 ft ideal)
Temperature break nearby (1.1°C across ~15 nm)
Slow-trolled bait or a chum slick where bait stacks on a break — they stun with the tail, so hook-ups run tail-first.
Off-season here in Oct
SST 61°F in the prime band (57–68°F prime)
Charted 56 ft suits this species (33–164 ft ideal)
Structure nearby — obstruction right on this spot
Live squid over squid nests and kelp edges; dawn and grey light.
Live habitat-envelope scoring at this exact cell — SST, charted depth, charted structure and seabed, NOAA-designated habitat. The same engine and cards as tapping the spot in Fish mode.
Today's bite windows — moving water
Moving water right now — easing
12:09 PM – 3:15 PM
peak 1:42 PM · flood
peak 1:42 PM · flood
6:16 PM – 10:30 PM
peak 8:23 PM · ebb
peak 8:23 PM · ebb
1:54 AM – 5:57 AM
peak 3:56 AM · flood
peak 3:56 AM · flood
Derived from the tide at Southeast Farallon Island — flow peaks near mid-tide, goes slack near high and low. No tidal-current station within 10 nm of this spot. Timing only — it never changes the habitat scores above.
The week ahead — full forecast
Drag the graph for any hour — wind, gusts, seas & period, rain, predicted current. The pale band around the wind line is model disagreement; the day chips carry the verdict and the number that caused it; the moons are real phases.
Sea state right now — every train
Combined
4.5 ft @ 9 s
from WNW
Wind sea
0.0 ft
Swell 1
4.0 ft @ 9 s
from NW
Swell 2
1.3 ft @ 15 s
from SW · long-period groundswell
Swell 3
1.0 ft @ 9 s
from SSW
Buoy check — 46026 (SAN FRANCISCO - 18NM West of San Francisco, 8.3 nm): 9.7 kt observed vs 5 kt forecast, seas 3.3 ft vs 4.5 ft · model close (+4.5 kt)
Wind: NBM 2.5km direct (69 h) → GFS 0.25° direct (3 h) → Open-Meteo blend (96 h) · Waves: GFS-Wave 0.16° (12Z cycle), full train decomposition · Confidence band: GEFS ensemble spread · Bite windows: CO-OPS tidal predictions
Water temperature — last 10 weeks
2026-07-24 → 2026-10-02 · 60–63°F
Best months here
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Species in season by month for California (from the knowledge base). In season now: Coho (Silver) Salmon, Cabezon, California Halibut, Kelp Greenling, Pacific Sanddab, Black Rockfish, Canary Rockfish, Copper Rockfish, Lingcod, Sablefish (Black Cod).
Other grounds in California
Cortez Bank
California Yellowtail · White Seabass · Bluefin Tuna
Tanner Bank
California Yellowtail · Rockfish (complex) · Calico Bass (Kelp Bass)
Nine Mile Bank
California Yellowtail · Calico Bass (Kelp Bass) · Yellowfin Tuna
Monterey Submarine Canyon
Chinook (King) Salmon · Rockfish (complex) · Albacore
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