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BoatGroundfish Management Area San FranciscoChinook Salmon · Open

Helmet Rock

37.80°N · 122.48°W

BoatGroundfish Management Area San FranciscoChinook Salmon · Open

Helmet Rock Fishing Forecast

Updated today

Chinook fishing at Helmet Rock looks good today.
The best time to go is 8 AM to 11 AM, with the tide ebbing.

ReelCaster scores every hour at Helmet Rock from 0 to 100, reading the tide, current, wind and weather for Chinook. The higher the score, the better your odds. Green means go.

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Helmet Rock, on the live map

Every spot is scored for today, out of 100. Green is worth the trip, amber is fair, red is slow.

Species

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14-Day Forecast

Data from: ECMWF + GFS + BlueCaster
Sun
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24-Hour Conditions

All times PDT

Tap or drag to read any hour

Conditions
Time
11 AM
Now
Score
72
Fair
Tide
3.6 ft ▲
Flooding
Current
—
Flood
Wind
5 kn
WSW · steady
Sea state
Easy
2 ft @ 13 s SW
Air temp
61°
Mild
Weather
Partly cloudy
40% cloud
Hour 11 AM. Score 72 Fair. Tide 3.6ft Rising ▲. Current +0.4kn Flood. Wind 5kn WSW G9. Sea 2 ft @ 13 s SW Easy. Air 60.6°.

Why this score

Light
Golden hour
Prime
Current
0.5 kn light
Tough

Current regulations

In effect now

What you can keep at this spot today

Chinook Salmon
Retention open
Daily limit
2 per day
Possession
4 in possession
Size
Minimum 20"
Gear
Angling only per CCR T-14 §1.05. No sinkers/weights >4 lbs. North of Point Conception: no more than two single-point, single-shank barbless hooks; one rod per angler. When fishing with bait by any means other than trolling: two single-point, single-shank barbless circle hooks required, hard-tied, max 5 inches apart (CCR T-14, §27.80(a)).
Annual quota
Not published
Other
Fall season. Open subarea: 38 02 N latitude south to Pigeon Point (37 11 N). Minimum size 20 inches (50.80 cm) total length. Fall harvest guideline: 20,000 Chinook (applicable across open areas). Possession limit: up to 2 daily bag limits on land; only 1 daily bag limit on a vessel (CCR T-14, §27.80(e)).
Season
Sep 1 to Oct 31
Other species here
Lingcod Retention openRockfish (Aggregate) Retention openBlue Shark Retention openHalibut Retention openCabezon Retention open
Always check with CDFW ↗

Source: CDFW · Groundfish Management Area San Francisco · synced today

Seasonality

52-week view · today highlighted

When Chinook Salmon is best at this spot

Off seasonOff season for Chinook Salmon
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Peak seasonShoulder seasonOff seasonClosed

SPOT PROFILE

DEPTH
60-400 ft
Rock
STRUCTURE
Drop Off
Mid

About Helmet Rock

Helmet Rock is a rocky drop-off off San Francisco's outer coast, where the bottom falls away across a depth range of 60 to 400 feet. This structure holds lingcod, which peak in February and March, again from August through October, and once more in December, alongside cabezon that run strongest from April to June, in August and September, and again from November into December. Anglers work the deeper rock with metal jigs, swimbaits, and leadhead jigs for lingcod, or drop squid, shrimp, and live sanddabs to the bottom for cabezon holding tight to the structure. From April through September, Chinook salmon move through the area and respond to trolling with whole anchovy, spoons, hoochies, and flashers over the drop-off. Rockfish, Pacific halibut, and blue shark round out the mix across the same rocky, mid-exposure terrain.

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Helmet Rock is one of the spots we track around San Francisco. More spots in San Francisco · All of California.

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