Waterlands

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SurfperchRetention open

Cape · California

Cypress Point

36.58°N · 121.98°W · Cape · Monterey Bay

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Best score today · 8 PM · Surfperch

72/100Great
Now
606 PM PDT
Best window
7 PM-12 AMEbb tide
Tide now
Ebbing4.5 ft ▼

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

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24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 6 PM · now

Time6PNOW
Score60Good
Tide4.5 ft ▼Ebbing
Current0.2 knmodeled · toward SE
Wind10 kn NNWgusts 14 · steady
Sea stateRough5.7 ft · 8 s
Air temp60°Mild
WeatherMostly cloudy59% cloud
Water62°FObserved

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

Central Groundfish Management Area

IN EFFECT NOW

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 (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)
  • White seabass Retention open (3 per day)
  • Yellowfin tuna Retention open (10 per day)
  • Yellowtail Retention open (10 per day)

Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed

When Surfperch is best here

Peak season for Surfperch · 1 more week at peak

Surfperch season by week of the year. Peak season for Surfperch · 1 more week at peak.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
  • Off
  • This week

Surfperch in California

Spot profile

Cypress Point

Depth
3-80 ftNearest water
Structure
Point · Outer · ExposedPoint · drop-off
Season
Peak seasonSurfperch

NOAA NCEI DEM, sampled Sep 14 on a 3.4 m grid. Depths are feet below NAVD 88, not chart datum (MLLW), so they can differ from a chart by a few feet. Not for navigation.

About this spot

Fishing Cypress Point

Cypress Point is a cape in Monterey Bay, California. Depth in the nearest water is 3-80 ft, with a drop-off. Its profile reads point, outer water and exposed.

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

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.
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.
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.

Nearby spots

Other spots within an easy run

  • Stillwater Cove

    Bay · 2.3 mi

    67
    Top: SurfperchPeak season
    • Surfperch 67
    • Cabezon 63
    • Striped bass 63

    10 kt NNWL 1:14 AM · 0.6 ftH 8:41 AM · 3.7 ft

  • Sunset Point

    Cape · 0.8 mi

    64
    Top: Striped bassPeak season
    • Striped bass 64
    • Cabezon 63
    • Pacific halibut 60

    10 kt NNWL 1:14 AM · 0.6 ftH 8:41 AM · 3.7 ft

  • Pescadero Point

    Cape · 2.0 mi

    64
    Top: Striped bassPeak season
    • Striped bass 64
    • Cabezon 63
    • Pacific halibut 60

    10 kt NNWL 1:14 AM · 0.6 ftH 8:41 AM · 3.7 ft

  • The Pinnacles

    Bar · 1.7 mi

    60
    Top: Pacific halibutShoulder season
    • Pacific halibut 60
    • Rockfish 58
    • Cabezon 57

    10 kt NNWL 1:14 AM · 0.6 ftH 8:41 AM · 3.7 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.