Waterlands

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Kelp greenlingRetention open

Cape · California

Cooper Point

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

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Best score today · 12 AM · Striped bass

68/100Great
Now
625 AM PST
Best window
4-10 PMEbb tide
Tide now
High4.0 ft

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

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24-hour conditions

Tuesday, Nov 3 · 8 AM

Time8A
Score67Great
Tide4.1 ft ▼Ebbing
Current0.8 knmodeled · toward WNW
Wind5 kn SSEgusts 10 · steady
Sea stateVery rough7.2 ft · 15 s
Air temp55°Mild
WeatherMostly cloudy73% cloud
Water67°FBias corrected

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

Central Groundfish Management Area

IN EFFECT NOW

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
  • 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 yesterday

Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed

When Kelp greenling is best here

Peak season for Kelp greenling · 4 more weeks at peak

Kelp greenling season by week of the year. Peak season for Kelp greenling · 4 more weeks at peak.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
  • Off
  • This week

Kelp greenling in California →

Spot profile

Cooper Point

Depth
25-60 ft
Structure
Point · Outer · Exposed
Season
Peak 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 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 9 species here; the best right now are kelp greenling, striped bass and lingcod. It is peak season now for kelp greenling and lingcod, and shoulder season for striped bass, surfperch, cabezon and rockfish. Kelp greenling peak from October through November. Striped bass peak from June through July and from September through October. Lingcod peak from April through May and from October through November.

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.
Striped bass
Striped bass feed where moving tide pushes bait past structure: inlets, points, jetties, bridge pilings and rips in the surf, usually in 2 to 40 feet of water. Fish dawn, dusk and night hardest, casting plugs, bucktails and soft plastics or drifting live bunker and eels, and chunk bait on the bottom in current. In midsummer the larger fish drop deeper or feed mostly after dark.
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

  • Molera Point

    Cape · 2.4 mi

    62
    Top: Kelp greenlingPeak season
    • Kelp greenling 62
    • Striped bass 58
    • Lingcod 55

    6 kt NWL 9:12 AM · 3.2 ftH 2:49 PM · 4.9 ft

  • Grimes Point

    Cape · 6.4 mi

    62
    Top: Kelp greenlingPeak season
    • Kelp greenling 62
    • Lingcod 57
    • Striped bass 56

    6 kt NWL 8:50 AM · 3.2 ftH 2:32 PM · 4.9 ft

  • Sur Rock

    Bar · 3.6 mi

    56
    Top: Kelp greenlingPeak season
    • Kelp greenling 56
    • Lingcod 53
    • Cabezon 47

    15 kt NWL 9:12 AM · 3.2 ftH 2:49 PM · 4.9 ft

  • Point Sur

    Cape · 5.1 mi

    55
    Top: Kelp greenlingPeak season
    • Kelp greenling 55
    • Striped bass 52
    • Lingcod 51

    15 kt NWL 9:12 AM · 3.2 ftH 2:49 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.