Waterlands

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Kelp greenlingRetention open

Cape · California

Sharp Point

41.24°N · 124.11°W · Cape · Humboldt Bay

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Best score today · 6 AM · Kelp greenling

76/100Great
Now
6712 AM PDT
Best window
5-7 AMEbb tide
Tide now
Flooding-0.3 ft ▲

Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine

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24-hour conditions

Tuesday, Nov 10 · 1 PM

Time1P
Score73Great
Tide5.9 ft ▼Ebbing
Wind7 kn Sgusts 19 · steady
Air temp60°Mild
WeatherOvercast37% chance of rain
Water57°FPersisted

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

Northern Groundfish Management Area

IN EFFECT NOW

Kelp greenling

Retention open
Daily limit
10 per day (10 rockfish, cabezon and greenlings combined)
Possession
Not published
Size
No minimum size limit.
Season
Apr 1 to Dec 31, 2026
Annual quota
Not published
Other
Shore-based anglers and spear divers are exempt from groundfish seasons and depth limits. RCG complex: all rockfish, cabezon, and kelp and rock greenlings combined. A descending device must be aboard when fishing from a boat. CDFW limits and seasons cover kelp and rock greenlings together.

From CDFW Summary of Recreational Groundfish Fishing Regulations (updated June 23, 2026), read Sep 13

Other species here

  • Albacore tuna Retention open (25 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 (2 per day)
  • Chinook salmon Closed (No retention)
  • Coho salmon Closed (No retention)
  • Kelp bass Retention open (5 per day (5 kelp bass, barred sand bass and spotted sand bass 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 greenling is best here

Peak season for Kelp greenling · 4 more weeks at peak

Kelp greenling season by week of the year. Peak season for Kelp greenling · 4 more weeks at peak.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
  • Off
  • This week

Kelp greenling in California →

Spot profile

Sharp Point

Depth
15-40 ft
Structure
Point · Outer · Exposed
Season
Peak seasonKelp greenling

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 Sharp Point

Sharp Point is a cape in Humboldt Bay, California. Depth is 15-40 ft. Its profile reads point, outer water and exposed.

Waterlands scores 9 species here; the best right now are kelp greenling, lingcod and striped bass. It is peak season now for kelp greenling and lingcod, and shoulder season for striped bass, cabezon, rockfish and surfperch. Kelp greenling peak from October through November. Lingcod peak from April through May and from October through November. Striped bass peak from June through July and from September through October.

Tackle & technique

Kelp greenling
Kelp greenling are solitary bottom fish of rocky shores, jetties and kelp beds, usually in water shallower than 60 feet. Use a small number 4 to 6 hook with sand shrimp or marine worms, or a small lead-head grub, dropped to the bottom and reeled up slightly. Larger fish show in October and November when they spawn close to shore, and mornings tend to fish best.
Lingcod
Lingcod ambush prey from rock outcrops, reef edges and kelp where current runs, most often in 30 to 300 feet, and males move shallow to guard nests in winter. Drift over the reef bouncing a lead-head swimbait or metal jig on the bottom, or fish herring or squid on a heavy leader, since their teeth cut light line. From jetties and rocky shore, work bait or jigs along the rocks on the incoming tide.
Striped bass
Striped bass feed where moving tide pushes bait past structure: inlets, points, jetties, bridge pilings and rips in the surf, usually in 2 to 40 feet of water. Fish dawn, dusk and night hardest, casting plugs, bucktails and soft plastics or drifting live bunker and eels, and chunk bait on the bottom in current. In midsummer the larger fish drop deeper or feed mostly after dark.

Nearby spots

Other spots within an easy run

  • Lookout Point

    Cape · 3.1 mi

    67
    Top: Kelp greenlingPeak season
    • Kelp greenling 67
    • Lingcod 66
    • Striped bass 59

    4 kt NH 5:14 AM · 5.4 ftL 10:14 AM · 3.5 ft

  • Mussel Point

    Cape · 6.1 mi

    67
    Top: Kelp greenlingPeak season
    • Kelp greenling 67
    • Lingcod 66
    • Striped bass 59

    4 kt NH 5:14 AM · 5.4 ftL 10:14 AM · 3.5 ft

  • Rocky Point

    Cape · 7.3 mi

    64
    Top: LingcodPeak season
    • Lingcod 64
    • Kelp greenling 63
    • Striped bass 58

    12 kt NH 5:14 AM · 5.4 ftL 10:14 AM · 3.5 ft

  • Abalone Point

    Cape · 7.5 mi

    64
    Top: LingcodPeak season
    • Lingcod 64
    • Kelp greenling 63
    • Striped bass 58

    12 kt NH 5:14 AM · 5.4 ftL 10:14 AM · 3.5 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.