UPDATEDAUTO-REFRESH 5 MIN
Kelp greenlingRetention openSpecies here · tap to switch
Best score today · 10 AM · Kelp greenling
- Now
- 304 PM PDT
- Best window
- 5 PM-12 AMFlood tide
- Tide now
- Low3.0 ft
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Trinidad Bay 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 · 4 PM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
44Tide: Low slackCurrent: 0.4 knWind & pressure
ECMWF
59Wind: 14 kt NNWPressure: RisingWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
45Seas over the limit · capped at 30Water temp: 55°F, primeLight: OvercastSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 6.8 ftSeason & habitat · Kelp greenling
Species seasonality
68Season: ShoulderHabitat: Usable structureDepth: In rangeRegulations: Retention open
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
Northern Groundfish Management Area
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 today
Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed
When Kelp greenling is best here
Shoulder season for Kelp greenling · 1 more week at shoulder
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- This week
Spot profile
Trinidad Bay
- Depth
- 25-40 ftNearest water
- Structure
- Bay · Inner · Semi-exposed
- Season
- Shoulder 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 Trinidad Bay
Trinidad Bay is a bay in Humboldt Bay, California. Depth in the nearest water is 25-40 ft. Its profile reads bay, inner water and semi-exposed.
Waterlands scores 11 species here; the best right now are Pacific halibut, surfperch and rockfish. It is peak season now for surfperch, rockfish, cabezon and striped bass, and shoulder season for Pacific halibut, lingcod, California halibut and kelp greenling. Pacific halibut peak from May through July. Surfperch peak in May and from July through September. Rockfish peak from May through September.
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.
- Pacific halibut
- Halibut sit on sand and gravel bottoms near drop-offs, bars and pinnacles, most often in 90 to 500 feet in Alaska and on the shelf off Washington, Oregon and far northern California. Anchor up-current of a likely edge and fish herring, squid, octopus or a salmon head on a circle hook with 24 to 32 ounces of weight, or bounce a large jig on the bottom. The best bite usually comes in the hour around slack tide.
- 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.
Nearby spots
Other spots within an easy run
- Tepona Point54
Cape · 1.4 mi
Top: CabezonPeak season- Cabezon 54
- Rockfish 53
- Striped bass 50
6 kt NNWH 9:22 PM · 5.9 ftL 4:11 AM · 0.4 ft
- Sotsin Point49
Cape · 1.0 mi
Top: CabezonPeak season- Cabezon 49
- Rockfish 49
- Striped bass 47
14 kt NNWH 9:22 PM · 5.9 ftL 4:11 AM · 0.4 ft
- Omenoku Point48
Cape · 1.2 mi
Top: RockfishPeak season- Rockfish 48
- Lingcod 43
- Pacific halibut 41
14 kt NNWH 9:22 PM · 5.9 ftL 4:11 AM · 0.4 ft
- College Cove45
Bay · 1.0 mi
Top: Pacific halibutShoulder season- Pacific halibut 45
- Surfperch 45
- Rockfish 43
14 kt NNWH 9:22 PM · 5.9 ftL 4:11 AM · 0.4 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.