Waterlands

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White seabassRetention open

Cape · California

Cooper Point

36.25°N · 121.84°W · Cape · Monterey Bay

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Best score today · 9 AM · White seabass

75/100Great
Now
5310 AM PDT
Best window
4 PM-12 AMEbb tide
Tide now
Ebbing3.7 ft ▼

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

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24-hour conditions

Tuesday, Sep 22 · 5 PM

Time5P
Score63Good
Tide3.6 ft ▲Flooding
Current0.4 knmodeled · toward SW
Wind7 kn NWgusts 17 · steady
Sea stateRough6.4 ft · 9 s
Air temp72°Warm
WeatherClear2% cloud
Water61°FBias corrected

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

Central Groundfish Management Area

IN EFFECT NOW

White seabass

Retention open
Daily limit
3 per day
Possession
Not published
Size
Minimum 28 in, total length. Or twenty and one-half inches alternate length (Section 28.35).
Season
No closed season on file
Annual quota
Not published
Other
CDFW pages disagree on the alternate length: the regulation text says 20.5 inches, the booklet summary table 21.5 inches, and the regional web pages 20 inches. Total length is 28 inches on all of them.

From CDFW 2026 California Ocean Sport Fishing Regulations booklet (last updated July 17, 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
  • 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)
  • Surfperch Retention open (20 per day)
  • Yellowfin tuna Retention open (10 per day)
  • Yellowtail Retention open (10 per day)

Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed

When White seabass is best here

Shoulder season for White seabass · 5 more weeks at shoulder

White seabass season by week of the year. Shoulder season for White seabass · 5 more weeks at shoulder.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
  • Off
  • Not here
  • This week

White seabass in California

Spot profile

Cooper Point

Depth
25-60 ft
Structure
Point · Outer · Exposed
Season
Shoulder seasonWhite seabass

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 Cooper Point

Cooper Point is a cape in Monterey Bay, California. Depth is 25-60 ft. Its profile reads point, outer water and exposed.

Waterlands scores 11 species here; the best right now are cabezon, surfperch and Chinook salmon. It is peak season now for cabezon, surfperch, striped bass and rockfish, and shoulder season for Chinook salmon, kelp greenling, lingcod and white seabass. Cabezon peak from May through September. Surfperch peak in May and from July through September. Chinook salmon peak from June through August.

Tackle & technique

White seabass
White seabass hold along kelp bed edges and over nearby sand where market squid gather, usually in 20 to 80 feet of water and shallower as the water warms. Fish a live squid on a dropper loop or fly-line a sardine near the kelp at dawn, dusk and after dark, especially around the spring full moon. Tagged fish spend most of their time in 52 to 66 degree water.
Cabezon
Cabezon sit in rock crevices, kelp beds and jetty boulders from the intertidal zone to about 100 feet and feed mostly on crabs and small fish. Fish a fish-finder rig with sand shrimp, squid or crab right on the bottom in the rocks, or drag a lead-head grub slowly through the kelp. Expect snags, and do not eat the roe, which is toxic.
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

  • Sur Rock

    Bar · 3.6 mi

    73
    Top: CabezonPeak season
    • Cabezon 73
    • Rockfish 64
    • Kelp greenling 63

    8 kt NNWL 1:38 PM · 2.9 ftH 7:24 PM · 4.8 ft

  • Molera Point

    Cape · 2.4 mi

    71
    Top: CabezonPeak season
    • Cabezon 71
    • Surfperch 64
    • Kelp greenling 62

    4 kt WL 1:38 PM · 2.9 ftH 7:24 PM · 4.8 ft

  • Point Sur

    Cape · 5.1 mi

    71
    Top: CabezonPeak season
    • Cabezon 71
    • Surfperch 64
    • Kelp greenling 62

    8 kt NNWL 1:38 PM · 2.9 ftH 7:24 PM · 4.8 ft

  • Grimes Point

    Cape · 6.4 mi

    69
    Top: CabezonPeak season
    • Cabezon 69
    • Rockfish 64
    • Striped bass 63

    4 kt WL 1:24 PM · 2.8 ftH 7:15 PM · 4.9 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.