Waterlands

UPDATEDAUTO-REFRESH 5 MIN

SurfperchRetention open

Bar · California

Tide Rock

35.95°N · 121.49°W · Bar · Monterey Bay

LOADING MAP

Best score today · 8 PM · Surfperch

71/100Great
Now
567 PM PDT
Best window
8 PM-12 AMEbb tide
Tide now
Ebbing4.6 ft ▼

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

Notify me when Tide Rock scores 75+

Checked every morning against the 14-day forecast. Free by push and email.

Sign in to set an alert

24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 7 PM · now

Time7PNOW
Score56Good
Tide4.6 ft ▼Ebbing
Current0.4 knmodeled · toward WNW
Wind3 kn NWgusts 10 · steady
Sea stateRough5.1 ft · 8 s
Air temp64°Mild
WeatherClear17% cloud
Water64°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

Tide Rock

Depth
70-120 ftDrop-off
Structure
Ledge · Outer · ExposedLedge · drop-off
Season
Peak seasonSurfperch

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 Tide Rock

Tide Rock is a bar in Monterey Bay, California. Depth is 70-120 ft, with a drop-off. Its profile reads ledge, outer water and exposed.

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

  • Jade Cove

    Bay · 3.7 mi

    66
    Top: SurfperchPeak season
    • Surfperch 66
    • Striped bass 61
    • Cabezon 60

    3 kt NWL 1:49 AM · 0.5 ftH 8:44 AM · 3.9 ft

  • Lopez Point

    Cape · 6.3 mi

    66
    Top: Striped bassPeak season
    • Striped bass 66
    • Cabezon 64
    • Surfperch 63

    3 kt NWL 1:49 AM · 0.5 ftH 8:44 AM · 3.9 ft

  • Ragged Point

    Cape · 16 mi

    65
    Top: CabezonPeak season
    • Cabezon 65
    • Striped bass 65
    • Pacific halibut 63

    2 kt WNWL 1:51 AM · 0.5 ftH 8:51 AM · 4.0 ft

  • 60
    Top: Pacific halibutShoulder season
    • Pacific halibut 60
    • Surfperch 59
    • Rockfish 57

    13 kt NWL 1:49 AM · 0.5 ftH 8:44 AM · 3.9 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.