Waterlands

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Kelp greenlingRetention open

Cape · California

Ragged Point

35.76°N · 121.33°W · Cape · Monterey Bay

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Best score today · 9 PM · Kelp greenling

75/100Great
Now
608 AM PDT
Best window
9 PM-12 AMEbb tide
Tide now
Flooding3.8 ft ▲

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

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24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 8 AM · now

Time8ANOW
Score60Good
Tide3.8 ft ▲Flooding
Current0.4 knmodeled · toward NW
Wind2 kn NNWgusts 6 · steady
Sea stateModerate3.7 ft · 9 s
Air temp51°Cool
WeatherOvercast99% cloud
Water62°FModel

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 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))
  • 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

Shoulder season for Kelp greenling · 1 more week at shoulder

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

Kelp greenling in California

Spot profile

Ragged Point

Depth
10-80 ftDrop-off
Structure
Point · Outer · ExposedPoint · drop-off
Season
Shoulder 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 Ragged Point

Ragged Point is a cape in Monterey Bay, California. Depth is 10-80 ft, with a drop-off. Its profile reads point, outer water and exposed.

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

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.
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.
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

  • Harlech Castle Rock

    Bar · 5.3 mi

    69
    Top: CabezonPeak season
    • Cabezon 69
    • Rockfish 68
    • Surfperch 66

    2 kt NNWH 8:51 AM · 4.0 ftL 1:30 PM · 2.9 ft

  • Breaker Point

    Cape · 1.2 mi

    67
    Top: CabezonPeak season
    • Cabezon 67
    • Surfperch 66
    • Striped bass 65

    2 kt NNWH 8:51 AM · 4.0 ftL 1:30 PM · 2.9 ft

  • San Simeon Point

    Cape · 11 mi

    67
    Top: CabezonPeak season
    • Cabezon 67
    • Striped bass 67
    • Surfperch 67

    2 kt NNWH 8:51 AM · 4.0 ftL 1:30 PM · 2.9 ft

  • 65
    Top: RockfishPeak season
    • Rockfish 65
    • Surfperch 65
    • Pacific halibut 62

    11 kt NWH 8:44 AM · 3.9 ftL 1:24 PM · 2.8 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.