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Kelp bassRetention openBay · California
Crescent Bay
33.55°N · 117.80°W · Bay · Inner waters from Point Mugu to San Mateo Pt. CA including Santa Catalina and Anacapa Islands
Species here · tap to switch
Best score today · 7 AM · Kelp bass
- Now
- 558 AM PDT
- Best window
- 4-9 PMFlood tide
- Tide now
- Flooding4.5 ft ▲
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Crescent 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 · 8 AM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
44Tide: FloodingCurrent: WeakWind & pressure
ECMWF
88Wind: 2 kt EPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
82Water temp: 72°F, warmLight: DawnSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 2.8 ftSeason & habitat · Kelp bass
Species seasonality
60Season: ShoulderHabitat: Structure unmappedDepth: 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
Crescent Bay
- Depth
- 30-60 ft
- Structure
- Bay · Outer · Exposed
- 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 Crescent Bay
Crescent Bay is a bay in Inner waters from Point Mugu to San Mateo Pt. CA including Santa Catalina and Anacapa Islands, California. Depth is 30-60 ft. Its profile reads bay, outer water and exposed.
Waterlands scores 9 species here; the best right now are California halibut, surfperch and California yellowtail. It is peak season now for California halibut, California yellowtail and leopard shark, and shoulder season for surfperch, kelp bass, lingcod and rockfish. California halibut peak from May through September. Surfperch peak from December through March. California yellowtail peak from July through September.
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.
- 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
- Shaws Cove68
Bay · 0.2 mi
Top: California halibutPeak season- California halibut 68
- Lingcod 58
- Surfperch 58
2 kt EH 8:29 AM · 4.5 ftL 1:56 PM · 1.8 ft
- Divers Cove68
Bay · 0.4 mi
Top: California halibutPeak season- California halibut 68
- Lingcod 58
- Surfperch 58
2 kt EH 8:29 AM · 4.5 ftL 1:56 PM · 1.8 ft
- Two Rock Point62
Cape · 0.1 mi
Top: California yellowtailPeak season- California yellowtail 62
- California halibut 60
- Kelp bass 57
2 kt EH 8:29 AM · 4.5 ftL 1:56 PM · 1.8 ft
- Twin Points62
Cape · 0.1 mi
Top: California yellowtailPeak season- California yellowtail 62
- California halibut 60
- Lingcod 58
2 kt EH 8:29 AM · 4.5 ftL 1:56 PM · 1.8 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.