Waterlands

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White seabassRetention open

Cape · California

Pinnacle Point

36.52°N · 121.95°W · Cape · Monterey Bay

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Best score today · 9 PM · White seabass

71/100Great
Now
506 PM PDT
Best window
6 PM-12 AMEbb tide
Tide now
High4.6 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
Score50Good
Tide4.6 ftHigh
Current0.3 knmodeled · toward SSE
Wind9 kn NWgusts 12 · steady
Sea stateRough5.2 ft · 8 s
Air temp60°Mild
WeatherMostly cloudy65% cloud
Water61°FObserved

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

Pinnacle Point

Depth
40-200 ftDrop-off
Structure
Point · Outer · ExposedPoint · drop-off
Season
Shoulder seasonWhite seabass

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 Pinnacle Point

Pinnacle Point is a cape in Monterey Bay, California. Depth is 40-200 ft, with a drop-off. Its profile reads point, outer water and exposed.

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

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.
Chinook salmon
Chinook hold near bait off points, kelp edges and tide rips, usually suspended 20 to 120 feet down and deeper as the sun gets higher. Troll slowly, under 2 mph, with a flasher and herring, hoochie or spoon on a downrigger, or mooch a plug-cut herring at the depth where the sounder shows bait. Winter blackmouth and feeder kings sit within 10 feet of the bottom in 60 to 200 feet.

Nearby spots

Other spots within an easy run

  • Pinnacle Cove

    Bay · 0.1 mi

    68
    Top: SurfperchPeak season
    • Surfperch 68
    • Pacific halibut 61
    • Cabezon 60

    9 kt NWL 1:59 AM · 0.5 ftH 9:03 AM · 3.8 ft

  • Middle Cove

    Bay · 0.1 mi

    68
    Top: SurfperchPeak season
    • Surfperch 68
    • Pacific halibut 61
    • Cabezon 60

    9 kt NWL 1:59 AM · 0.5 ftH 9:03 AM · 3.8 ft

  • North Point

    Cape · 0.1 mi

    66
    Top: CabezonPeak season
    • Cabezon 66
    • Surfperch 62
    • Chinook salmon 61

    9 kt NWL 1:59 AM · 0.5 ftH 9:03 AM · 3.8 ft

  • South Point

    Cape · 0.1 mi

    66
    Top: CabezonPeak season
    • Cabezon 66
    • Surfperch 62
    • Chinook salmon 61

    9 kt NWL 1:59 AM · 0.5 ftH 9:03 AM · 3.8 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.