ReelCaster

Fort Bragg Fishing Report & Forecast

Today's best window: 8 AM to 11 AM

Do I need a license in Fort Bragg?

View Fort Bragg fishing map

Fort Bragg report

2026-10-21

Tuna and bottomfish shape the week around Fort Bragg

The next 14 days in Fort Bragg

Data from: ECMWF + GFS + BlueCaster

  • Two weeks ahead

    Most forecasts stop at the weekend. This one runs a full 14 days, so you can pick the day before you book the time off.

  • One number, out of 100

    The best score anything in Fort Bragg reaches that day. Green is good, amber is fair, red is slow, and you can read it from across the room.

  • 5,376 scores behind it

    16 spots, every hour of every day, out to 14. This row is the best of them.

Sun
Nov 1
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Hour by hour today at Albion Head

All times PDT

  • One real spot

    A city has no tide or wind of its own, so this is Albion Head, the most fished spot in Fort Bragg, scored for Lingcod.

  • Six readings, one clock

    Tide, current, wind, sea, air and sky, all lined up on the same hour, so you can see what is actually driving the score.

  • Currents, not just tides

    Modelled flow for the water off Fort Bragg, so you can see slack coming before you leave the dock.

Conditions
Time
8 AM
Now
Score
84
Good
Tide
3.7 ft ▼
Ebbing
Current
—
Ebb
Wind
5 kn
E · steady
Sea state
Lumpy
3 ft @ 7 s NW
Air temp
46°
Cold
Weather
Overcast
100% cloud
Hour 8 AM. Score 84 Good. Tide 3.7ft Falling ▼. Current -0.3kn Ebb. Wind 5kn E G6. Sea 3 ft @ 7 s NW Lumpy. Air 46.2°.

The spots people actually fish in Fort Bragg

10 more on the map

  • A year of catch reports

    The order here is how much each mark actually gets fished, not today's guess. The busiest water in Fort Bragg comes first.

  • Today's number too

    Beside each name is the best score that spot reaches today, so you can weigh a proven mark against a good forecast.

  • Every spot has a page

    Its own chart, its own species and its own rules, worked out the same way as everything above.

Every spot we score in Fort Bragg

Bathymetry: NONNA-10 + NRCan

  • Real charted seabed

    Depth soundings, not a stock map. The banks, reefs and drop-offs are where you can see them.

  • 16 spots, all scored

    Every spot we cover around Fort Bragg, each one carrying its own number for today.

  • Point at any of them

    The name, how busy a mark it is, and the tide, sea and seabed at its best hour.

Create custom spots

Our full model on your custom private spots.

  1. Drop a pinAnywhere on the water. The ledge you found, the bay nobody talks about.
  2. Name itYour name for it, not ours. It stays private to your account.
  3. Choose speciesPick what you fish there, and it starts scoring from the next run.

What you can keep in Fort Bragg today

  • LingcodKeep2 a day · min 22"Open at all 15 spots we cover
  • Rockfish (Aggregate)Keep10 a dayOpen at all 10 spots we cover
  • Black RockfishKeep10 a dayOpen at all 5 spots we cover
  • Blue RockfishKeep10 a dayOpen at all 6 spots we cover
  • CabezonKeep10 a dayOpen at all 14 spots we cover
  • HalibutKeep1 a dayOpen at all 12 spots we cover
  • Chinook SalmonClosedShut at all 15 spots we cover

Rules differ between groundfish management areas and change in season. Check CDFW for the groundfish management area you are fishing before you keep anything.

All 16 spots in Fort Bragg

Every spot we cover around Fort Bragg has its own page, with the tide, the wind and the next 14 days.

That was one day. Pro opens the next fourteen.

Every spot on this map, hour by hour, two weeks out, with alerts when your water crosses the score you set.

$0 today, then $33 USD a year, which is $2.75 a month. Card required, cancel any time.

When to fish Fort Bragg

Each row is shaded against that species' own best month here, so a dark cell means a good month for that fish rather than a comparison between them.

Relative abundance by month for each species around Fort Bragg
SpeciesJanuaryFebruaryMarchAprilMayJuneJulyAugustSeptemberOctoberNovemberDecember
Chinook Salmon
Lingcod
Rockfish (Aggregate)
Black Rockfish
Blue Rockfish
Cabezon
Halibut

Chinook Salmon: January none, February none, March fair, April excellent, May peak, June peak, July peak, August peak, September excellent, October none, November none, December none. Lingcod: January good, February good, March fair, April fair, May fair, June fair, July fair, August good, September good, October good, November fair, December good. Rockfish (Aggregate): January fair, February fair, March fair, April good, May good, June good, July good, August good, September good, October fair, November fair, December fair. Black Rockfish: January fair, February fair, March good, April excellent, May good, June good, July good, August good, September fair, October fair, November fair, December fair. Blue Rockfish: January fair, February fair, March good, April good, May good, June good, July good, August good, September good, October fair, November fair, December fair. Cabezon: January fair, February fair, March fair, April good, May good, June fair, July fair, August fair, September good, October good, November fair, December fair. Halibut: January none, February none, March fair, April peak, May peak, June peak, July peak, August peak, September fair, October none, November none, December none.

  • Chinook Salmon. Fort Bragg Chinook stage offshore along the Mendocino coast as ocean feeding fish, building from late spring into a strong early-to-mid summer peak (June–July) driven by anchovy and krill forage and cooler upwelled water. Abundance tapers through August–September as mature fish begin staging for river entry and leave the immediate coastal zone, with near-absence in winter when the stock is dispersed or spawning in rivers.
  • Lingcod. Lingcod are resident groundfish present year-round on Fort Bragg's rocky reefs, so abundance never drops to zero. Peaks appear in late winter/early spring (Feb-Apr) when males guard nests in shallower structure and again in late summer/early fall (Aug-Oct) when adults are aggressive and concentrated on nearshore reefs during upwelling-driven productivity.
  • Rockfish (Aggregate). Rockfish are resident, non-migratory bottom dwellers off Fort Bragg, so biological abundance stays fairly flat year-round with no true zeros. Peak presence occurs in summer through early fall (June–September) when warmer, calmer nearshore conditions and strong baitfish/upwelling cycles concentrate fish on reefs, while winter storms and cooler water push some fish deeper and slightly reduce nearshore density.
  • Black Rockfish. Black rockfish are resident year-round on Fort Bragg's nearshore reefs, so abundance stays relatively broad with no true absence. Peak abundance occurs late spring through early summer (April–June) as fish move shallower to feed during upwelling and post-spawn, with a mild secondary plateau in late summer; winter shows the lowest presence as fish disperse deeper during storms and cold water.
  • Blue Rockfish. Blue rockfish are resident, non-migratory reef fish along the Fort Bragg coast, so abundance stays relatively flat year-round with only modest seasonal variation. The gentle spring-through-summer peak (April–August) reflects post-spawn recruitment and warmer, calmer upwelling-driven conditions concentrating fish on nearshore reefs, while winter storms and cooler water disperse them slightly, keeping numbers near baseline but never absent.
  • Cabezon. Cabezon are resident, non-migratory rockfish-associates present in Fort Bragg's rocky nearshore reefs year-round, so abundance stays near baseline with no true zeros. Peaks occur in spring (Mar–Apr) when males guard nests and fish move shallow to spawn, and a secondary fall bump (Sep–Oct) reflects strong feeding and abundant juveniles recruiting to the reef; slight late-winter dips reflect cold-water dispersal into deeper structure.
  • Halibut. Pacific halibut are rare visitors at Fort Bragg's southern edge of their range, appearing in low numbers as fish move south/inshore during warm-water summer months. Abundance peaks late May through early July when bait pushes and warmer nearshore water draw the few stragglers in, then tapers off by fall with near-absence through winter.

Before you go

Management areas

Water around Fort Bragg falls into one area, and the rules can differ between them. California Department of Fish and Wildlife sets them.

  • Mendocino
Licence you need

California sport fishing license

California Department of Fish and Wildlife · 2026

Annual, resident aged 16 or older: $64.54

Ocean Enhancement Validation $7.30, required on an annual license to fish ocean waters south of Point Arguello. A one-day or two-day license does not need it.

One sport fishing license covers ocean and inland water. Anglers 15 and younger need no license. Fishing from a public pier in ocean or bay waters needs no license either.

Do I need a license in Fort Bragg?Buy from California Department of Fish and Wildlife

Fishing Fort Bragg

Fort Bragg sits on the Mendocino coast of Northern California, with 16 fishing spots spread across its exposed headlands, offshore reefs, and rocky points. Chinook Salmon anchor the fishery from April through September, while Lingcod hold on the reefs with peaks in January and February and again from August through September. Cabezon fill in the nearshore rock structure, running strongest from March to May and again in fall, and Pacific Halibut work the sandy grounds from March into August. The spots cluster along the outer coast, from headlands and points down to submerged rocks and deeper offshore reefs. Anglers troll for Chinook through the summer months, when the salmon fishery carries much of the season.

Common questions about Fort Bragg

›Do I need a fishing license in Fort Bragg?

Yes. Fishing around Fort Bragg needs the California sport fishing license from California Department of Fish and Wildlife. $64.54 a year for a resident aged 16 or older in 2026. The Ocean Enhancement Validation ($7.30) is required on an annual license to fish ocean waters south of Point Arguello. A one-day or two-day license does not need it. One sport fishing license covers ocean and inland water. Anglers 15 and younger need no license. Fishing from a public pier in ocean or bay waters needs no license either.

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