Waterlands

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LingcodRetention open

Cape · California

Lopez Point

36.02°N · 121.57°W · Cape · Monterey Bay

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Best score today · 6 PM · Lingcod

74/100Great
Now
4211 PM PDT
Best window
11 PM-12 AMNight bite
Tide now
Low0.9 ft

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

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24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 11 PM · now

Time11PNOW
Score42Fair
Tide0.9 ftLow
Current0.2 knmodeled · toward W
Wind2 kn NNWgusts 7 · steady
Sea stateRough4.3 ft · 10 s
Air temp60°Mild
WeatherClear0% cloud
Water62°FModel

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

Central Groundfish Management Area

IN EFFECT NOW

Lingcod

Retention open
Daily limit
2 per day
Possession
Not published
Size
Minimum 22 in, total length
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. A descending device must be aboard when fishing from a boat.

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 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)
  • 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)

Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed

When Lingcod is best here

Shoulder season for Lingcod · 1 more week at shoulder

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

Lingcod in California

Spot profile

Lopez Point

Depth
8-35 ft
Structure
Point · Outer · Exposed
Season
Shoulder seasonLingcod

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 Lopez Point

Lopez Point is a cape in Monterey Bay, California. Depth is 8-35 ft. Its profile reads point, outer water and exposed.

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

Tackle & technique

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.
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.
Rockfish
Rockfish live on rocky reefs, pinnacles and kelp from the shoreline out past 300 feet, with black and blue rockfish schooling mid-water over shallow reefs and copper, quillback, yelloweye and vermilion sitting tight to deeper bottom. Drift over the structure with a shrimp fly above a lead-head grub or metal jig, or a squid strip, and reel up a few cranks after touching bottom to cut snags. Use a descending device to release any fish brought up from deep water.

Nearby spots

Other spots within an easy run

  • Grimes Point

    Cape · 16 mi

    62
    Top: Striped bassPeak season
    • Striped bass 62
    • Pacific halibut 56
    • Rockfish 53

    3 kt NNEH 3:43 PM · 4.6 ftL 12:10 AM · 0.8 ft

  • Tide Rock

    Bar · 6.3 mi

    57
    Top: Pacific halibutShoulder season
    • Pacific halibut 57
    • Rockfish 56
    • Cabezon 50

    2 kt NNWH 3:43 PM · 4.6 ftL 12:10 AM · 0.8 ft

  • Jade Cove

    Bay · 9.9 mi

    56
    Top: Striped bassPeak season
    • Striped bass 56
    • Pacific halibut 52
    • Surfperch 51

    2 kt NNWH 3:43 PM · 4.6 ftL 12:10 AM · 0.8 ft

  • McWay Cove

    Bay · 11 mi

    56
    Top: Pacific halibutShoulder season
    • Pacific halibut 56
    • Striped bass 55
    • Rockfish 53

    3 kt NNEH 3:43 PM · 4.6 ftL 12:10 AM · 0.8 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.