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Kelp bassRetention openBay · California
South San Diego Bay
32.66°N · 117.14°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
- 403 AM PDT
- Best window
- 4-8 PMFlood tide
- Tide now
- Flooding0.4 ft ▲
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when South San Diego 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 · 3 AM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
47Tide: FloodingCurrent: SlackWind & pressure
ECMWF
83Wind: 1 kt NNEPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
31Water temp: 77°F, warmLight: NightSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 2.6 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
South San Diego Bay
- Depth
- About 10 ft
- Structure
- Bay · Inner · Semi-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 South San Diego Bay
South San Diego Bay is a bay in Inner waters from Point Mugu to San Mateo Pt. CA including Santa Catalina and Anacapa Islands, California. Depth is about 10 ft. Its profile reads bay, inner water and semi-exposed.
Waterlands scores 9 species here; the best right now are California halibut, leopard shark and surfperch. It is peak season now for California halibut, leopard shark and California yellowtail, and shoulder season for surfperch, lingcod, rockfish and barred sand bass. California halibut peak from May through September. Leopard shark peak from June through September. Surfperch peak from December through March.
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.
- Leopard shark
- Leopard sharks cruise shallow mudflats, sloughs and channel edges in bays, most often in less than 15 feet of water, and follow the flooding tide onto the flats to feed on crabs, worms, clams and small fish. Anchor or fish from shore or a pier with a sliding sinker rig and a chunk of squid, mackerel or ghost shrimp on the bottom. The bite is often better into the evening and at night.
Nearby spots
Other spots within an easy run
- San Diego Bay53
Bay · 0.8 mi
Top: California halibutPeak season- California halibut 53
- Leopard shark 46
- Surfperch 45
1 kt NNEH 8:29 AM · 5.1 ftL 2:06 PM · 1.9 ft
- Emory Channel50
Channel · 3.2 mi
Top: California halibutPeak season- California halibut 50
- Lingcod 49
- Rockfish 44
1 kt NNEH 8:31 AM · 5.1 ftL 2:03 PM · 1.8 ft
- Indian Point49
Cape · 2.0 mi
Top: LingcodShoulder season- Lingcod 49
- Rockfish 49
- California yellowtail 46
1 kt NNEH 8:29 AM · 5.1 ftL 2:06 PM · 1.9 ft
- Silver Strand49
Cape · 2.1 mi
Top: LingcodShoulder season- Lingcod 49
- Rockfish 49
- California yellowtail 45
1 kt NNEH 8:29 AM · 5.1 ftL 2:06 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.