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SurfperchRetention openBar · California
Ship Rock
33.46°N · 118.49°W · Bar · 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 · Surfperch
- Now
- 449 PM PDT
- Best window
- 9 PM-12 AMEbb tide
- Tide now
- Ebbing4.5 ft ▼
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Ship Rock 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 · 9 PM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
93Tide: EbbingCurrent: 0.7 knWind & pressure
ECMWF
94Wind: 8 kt WPressure: FallingWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
42Water temp: 73°F, hotLight: NightSolunar: Near a majorSeas: 3.3 ftSeason & habitat · Surfperch
Species seasonality
28Season: ShoulderHabitat: Poor fitDepth: Out of 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 today
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
Ship Rock
- Depth
- 250-300 ftDrop-off
- Structure
- Ledge · Outer · ExposedLedge · drop-off
- 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 Ship Rock
Ship Rock is a bar in Inner waters from Point Mugu to San Mateo Pt. CA including Santa Catalina and Anacapa Islands, California. Depth is 250-300 ft, with a drop-off. Its profile reads ledge, outer water and exposed.
Waterlands scores 9 species here; the best right now are California yellowtail, lingcod and rockfish. It is peak season now for California yellowtail, California halibut and leopard shark, and shoulder season for lingcod, rockfish, barred sand bass and kelp bass. California yellowtail peak from July through September. Lingcod peak in April and from November through December. Rockfish peak from April through June.
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.
- 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.
Nearby spots
Other spots within an easy run
- Eagle Reef70
Bar · 0.8 mi
Top: California yellowtailPeak season- California yellowtail 70
- Lingcod 62
- Rockfish 62
8 kt WL 2:28 AM · 0.2 ftH 8:46 AM · 4.3 ft
- Harbor Reef67
Bar · 1.0 mi
Top: California yellowtailPeak season- California yellowtail 67
- Lingcod 61
- Rockfish 61
8 kt WL 2:28 AM · 0.2 ftH 8:46 AM · 4.3 ft
- Fourth of July Cove62
Bay · 1.1 mi
Top: California halibutPeak season- California halibut 62
- California yellowtail 61
- Lingcod 59
8 kt WL 2:28 AM · 0.2 ftH 8:46 AM · 4.3 ft
- Isthmus Cove62
Bay · 1.3 mi
Top: California halibutPeak season- California halibut 62
- California yellowtail 61
- Lingcod 59
8 kt WL 2:28 AM · 0.2 ftH 8:46 AM · 4.3 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.