UPDATEDAUTO-REFRESH 5 MIN
Kelp bassRetention openBay · California
Tinkers Harbor
34.03°N · 119.70°W · Bay · East Santa Barbara Channel from Pt. Conception to Pt. Mugu CA including Santa Cruz Island
Species here · tap to switch
Best score today · 5 PM · Kelp bass
- Now
- 677 AM PDT
- Best window
- 4-10 PMFlood tide
- Tide now
- Flooding3.5 ft ▲
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Tinkers Harbor 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 · 7 AM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
88Tide: FloodingCurrent: 0.5 knWind & pressure
ECMWF
81Wind: 1 kt NEPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
85Water temp: 71°F, primeLight: DawnSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 2.7 ftSeason & habitat · Kelp bass
Species seasonality
67Season: ShoulderHabitat: Usable structureDepth: In rangeRegulations: Retention open
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
Southern Groundfish Management Area
Kelp bass
Retention open- Daily limit
- 5 per day (5 kelp bass, barred sand bass and spotted sand bass combined)
- Possession
- Not published
- Size
- Minimum 14 in, total length. Or 10 inches alternate length.
- Season
- No closed season on file
- Annual quota
- Not published
- Other
- Fillets must be at least 7.5 inches long with a one-inch square patch of skin.
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 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)
Source: CDFW · synced yesterday
Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed
When Kelp bass is best here
Shoulder season for Kelp bass · 5 more weeks at shoulder
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- This week
Spot profile
Tinkers Harbor
- Depth
- 1-110 ftNearest water
- Structure
- Bay · Outer · ExposedBay · drop-off
- Season
- Shoulder seasonKelp bass
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 Tinkers Harbor
Tinkers Harbor is a bay in East Santa Barbara Channel from Pt. Conception to Pt. Mugu CA including Santa Cruz Island, California. Depth in the nearest water is 1-110 ft, with a drop-off. Its profile reads bay, outer water and exposed.
Waterlands scores 9 species here; the best right now are California halibut, California yellowtail and kelp bass. It is peak season now for California halibut, California yellowtail and leopard shark, and shoulder season for kelp bass, lingcod, rockfish and barred sand bass. California halibut peak from May through September. California yellowtail peak from July through September. Kelp bass peak from June through August.
Tackle & technique
- 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.
- California halibut
- California halibut are ambush feeders that lie on sand or mud bottom, mostly in water shallower than 100 feet and often inside bays, harbors and estuaries. Drift or slow-troll a live anchovy or sardine on a sliding sinker rig, or bounce a swimbait along the bottom over flats, channel edges and sandy areas near structure. Keep the bait within a foot or two of the bottom and give a fish time to turn the bait before setting the hook.
- 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.
Nearby spots
Other spots within an easy run
- Twin Harbors69
Bay · 1.2 mi
Top: California halibutPeak season- California halibut 69
- California yellowtail 69
- Lingcod 64
1 kt NEH 8:54 AM · 4.3 ftL 2:18 PM · 1.9 ft
- Prisoners Harbor69
Bay · 1.2 mi
Top: California halibutPeak season- California halibut 69
- California yellowtail 69
- Kelp bass 67
1 kt NEH 8:54 AM · 4.3 ftL 2:18 PM · 1.9 ft
- Platts Harbor69
Bay · 2.2 mi
Top: California halibutPeak season- California halibut 69
- California yellowtail 69
- Kelp bass 67
1 kt NEH 8:54 AM · 4.3 ftL 2:18 PM · 1.9 ft
- Frys Harbor69
Bay · 3.5 mi
Top: California yellowtailPeak season- California yellowtail 69
- Kelp bass 67
- California halibut 66
1 kt NEH 8:54 AM · 4.3 ftL 2:18 PM · 1.9 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.