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SurfperchRetention openCape · California
Santa Barbara Point
34.40°N · 119.70°W · Cape · East Santa Barbara Channel from Pt. Conception to Pt. Mugu CA including Santa Cruz Island
Species here · tap to switch
Best score today · 7 AM · Surfperch
- Now
- 3612 AM PDT
- Best window
- 6-8 AMFlood tide
- Tide now
- Ebbing1.7 ft ▼
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Santa Barbara Point 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 · 12 AM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
28Tide: EbbingCurrent: 0.4 knWind & pressure
ECMWF
89Wind: 3 kt NNEPressure: FallingWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
38Water temp: 71°F, hotLight: NightSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 3.1 ftSeason & habitat · Surfperch
Species seasonality
48Season: ShoulderHabitat: Poor fitDepth: In rangeRegulations: Retention open
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
Southern 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 (10 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 (5 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 yesterday
Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed
When Surfperch is best here
Shoulder season for Surfperch · 9 more weeks at shoulder
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- This week
Spot profile
Santa Barbara Point
- Depth
- 20-25 ftNearest water
- Structure
- Point · Outer · Exposed
- Season
- Shoulder seasonSurfperch
NOAA NCEI DEM, sampled Sep 14 on a 464 m grid. Depths are feet below mean sea level, not chart datum (MLLW), so they can differ from a chart by a few feet. Not for navigation.
About this spot
Fishing Santa Barbara Point
Santa Barbara Point is a cape in East Santa Barbara Channel from Pt. Conception to Pt. Mugu CA including Santa Cruz Island, California. Depth in the nearest water is 20-25 ft. Its profile reads point, outer water and exposed.
Waterlands scores 9 species here; the best right now are California yellowtail, kelp bass and lingcod. It is peak season now for California yellowtail, California halibut and leopard shark, and shoulder season for kelp bass, lingcod, rockfish and white seabass. California yellowtail peak from July through September. Kelp bass peak from June through August. Lingcod peak in April and from November through December.
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.
- California yellowtail
- Yellowtail school around the offshore islands, banks, high spots and kelp paddies from spring into fall, moving north from Baja as the water warms past about 64 degrees. Fly-line a sardine or mackerel, cast a surface iron to breaking fish, or drop a heavy iron and wind it fast when they hold deep. Heavy line matters because they run straight for kelp and rock.
- Kelp bass
- Kelp bass live in kelp beds, rocky reefs and breakwaters, most often in 9 to 70 feet of water, and seldom move far from home. In summer cast swimbaits or fish live anchovies along the up-current edge of the kelp and let them swim into the canopy. In winter the bigger fish move to reefs in 90 feet or more, where a squid-tipped jig works better.
Nearby spots
Other spots within an easy run
- Naples Reef69
Bar · 13 mi
Top: California yellowtailPeak season- California yellowtail 69
- Barred sand bass 64
- Kelp bass 61
6 kt NL 2:31 AM · 0.2 ftH 8:54 AM · 4.4 ft
- Fernald Point67
Cape · 4.9 mi
Top: California yellowtailPeak season- California yellowtail 67
- Kelp bass 58
- Lingcod 58
7 kt NNEL 2:31 AM · 0.2 ftH 8:54 AM · 4.4 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.