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Kelp greenlingRetention openSpecies here · tap to switch
Best score today · 7 AM · Kelp greenling
- Now
- 494 PM PDT
- Best window
- 4-9 PMFlood tide
- Tide now
- Flooding3.0 ft ▲
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Whalers 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 · rolling from now
Conditions · 4 PM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
83Tide: FloodingCurrent: WeakWind & pressure
ECMWF
84Wind: 11 kt NWPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
25Water temp: 61°F, warmLight: OvercastSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 5.6 ftSeason & habitat · Kelp greenling
Species seasonality
68Season: ShoulderHabitat: Usable structureDepth: In rangeRegulations: Retention open
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
Central Groundfish Management Area
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 today
Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed
When Kelp greenling is best here
Shoulder season for Kelp greenling · 1 more week at shoulder
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- This week
Spot profile
Whalers Cove
- Depth
- 7-50 ftDrop-off
- Structure
- Bay · Inner · ProtectedBay · drop-off
- Season
- Shoulder seasonKelp greenling
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 Whalers Cove
Whalers Cove is a bay in Monterey Bay, California. Depth is 7-50 ft, with a drop-off. Its profile reads bay, inner water and protected.
Waterlands scores 11 species here; the best right now are rockfish, surfperch and lingcod. It is peak season now for rockfish, surfperch, striped bass and cabezon, and shoulder season for lingcod, Pacific halibut, Chinook salmon and kelp greenling. Rockfish peak from May through September. Surfperch peak in May and from July through September. Lingcod peak from April through May and from October through November.
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.
- 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.
- 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.
Nearby spots
Other spots within an easy run
- Cannery Point63
Cape · 0.1 mi
Top: RockfishPeak season- Rockfish 63
- Striped bass 61
- Cabezon 58
11 kt NWH 8:12 PM · 4.9 ftL 3:08 AM · 0.3 ft
- Bluefish Cove63
Bay · 0.3 mi
Top: RockfishPeak season- Rockfish 63
- Surfperch 60
- Lingcod 57
11 kt NWH 8:12 PM · 4.9 ftL 3:08 AM · 0.3 ft
- Big Dome Cove63
Bay · 0.6 mi
Top: RockfishPeak season- Rockfish 63
- Surfperch 60
- Lingcod 57
11 kt NWH 8:12 PM · 4.9 ftL 3:08 AM · 0.3 ft
- North Point62
Cape · 0.9 mi
Top: RockfishPeak season- Rockfish 62
- Lingcod 56
- Surfperch 54
11 kt NWH 8:12 PM · 4.9 ftL 3:08 AM · 0.3 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.