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LingcodRetention openSpecies here · tap to switch
Best score today · 7 PM · Lingcod
- Now
- 485 AM PDT
- Best window
- 6-9 PMEbb tide
- Tide now
- Flooding3.0 ft ▲
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Mitchell Cove 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
Thursday, Sep 24 · 5 PM
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
97Tide: FloodingCurrent: WeakWind & pressure
ECMWF
99Wind: 3 kt SSWPressure: FallingWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
51Water temp: 64°F, hotLight: Late afternoonSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 4.5 ftSeason & habitat · Lingcod
Species seasonality
56Season: ShoulderHabitat: Poor fitDepth: In range
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
Central Groundfish Management Area
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)
Source: CDFW · synced yesterday
Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed
When Lingcod is best here
Shoulder season for Lingcod · 1 more week at shoulder
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- This week
Spot profile
Mitchell Cove
- Depth
- Up to 30 ftSlope
- Structure
- Bay · Outer · ExposedBay · slope
- Season
- Shoulder seasonLingcod
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 Mitchell Cove
Mitchell Cove is a bay in Monterey Bay, California. Depth is up to 30 ft, with a slope. Its profile reads bay, outer water and exposed.
Waterlands scores 11 species here; the best right now are cabezon, striped bass and surfperch. It is peak season now for cabezon, striped bass, surfperch and rockfish, and shoulder season for white seabass, Pacific halibut, California halibut and kelp greenling. Cabezon peak from May through September. Striped bass peak from June through July and from September through October. Surfperch peak in May and from July 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.
- 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.
- 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.
Nearby spots
Other spots within an easy run
- Santa Cruz Anchorage65
Bay · 1.6 mi
Top: CabezonPeak season- Cabezon 65
- Rockfish 63
- Striped bass 63
2 kt NH 7:11 AM · 3.4 ftL 9:11 AM · 3.5 ft
- Black Point64
Cape · 2.7 mi
Top: CabezonPeak season- Cabezon 64
- Striped bass 64
- Rockfish 63
2 kt NH 7:11 AM · 3.4 ftL 9:11 AM · 3.5 ft
- Soquel Point64
Cape · 3.6 mi
Top: CabezonPeak season- Cabezon 64
- Striped bass 64
- Rockfish 63
2 kt NH 7:11 AM · 3.4 ftL 9:11 AM · 3.5 ft
- Steamer Lane62
Channel · 0.9 mi
Top: Striped bassPeak season- Striped bass 62
- Cabezon 58
- Rockfish 58
2 kt NH 7:11 AM · 3.4 ftL 9:11 AM · 3.5 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.