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Kelp bassRetention openCape · California
Cardwell Point
34.02°N · 120.30°W · Cape · Waters from Pt. Sal to Santa Cruz Island CA and westward 60 nm including San Miguel and Santa Rosa Islands
Species here · tap to switch
Best score today · 7 AM · Kelp bass
- Now
- 5412 PM PDT
- Best window
- 4-8 PMFlood tide
- Tide now
- Ebbing2.9 ft ▼
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Cardwell Point 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 · 12 PM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
82Tide: EbbingCurrent: 0.3 knWind & pressure
ECMWF
100Wind: 7 kt WNWPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
38Water temp: 70°F, primeLight: Bright sunSolunar: Near a majorSeas: 6.5 ftSeason & habitat · Kelp bass
Species seasonality
65Season: ShoulderHabitat: Usable structureDepth: In rangeRegulations: Retention open
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
Southern Groundfish Management Area
Kelp bass
Retention open- Daily limit
- 5 per day (5 kelp bass, barred sand bass and spotted sand bass combined)
- Possession
- Not published
- Size
- Minimum 14 in, total length. Or 10 inches alternate length.
- Season
- No closed season on file
- Annual quota
- Not published
- Other
- Fillets must be at least 7.5 inches long with a one-inch square patch of skin.
From CDFW 2026 California Ocean Sport Fishing Regulations booklet (last updated July 17, 2026), read Sep 13
Other species here
- Albacore tuna Retention open (10 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 (5 per day)
- Chinook salmon Retention open (2 per day (2 salmon combined))
- Coho salmon Closed (No retention)
- 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)
- 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 bass is best here
Shoulder season for Kelp bass · 5 more weeks at shoulder
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- This week
Spot profile
Cardwell Point
- Depth
- 25-110 ftDrop-off
- Structure
- Point · Outer · ExposedPoint · drop-off
- Season
- Shoulder seasonKelp bass
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 Cardwell Point
Cardwell Point is a cape in Waters from Pt. Sal to Santa Cruz Island CA and westward 60 nm including San Miguel and Santa Rosa Islands, California. Depth is 25-110 ft, with a drop-off. Its profile reads point, outer water and exposed.
Waterlands scores 9 species here; the best right now are California yellowtail, lingcod and kelp bass. It is peak season now for California yellowtail, California halibut and leopard shark, and shoulder season for lingcod, kelp bass, rockfish and white seabass. California yellowtail peak from July through September. Lingcod peak in April and from November through December. Kelp bass peak from June through August.
Tackle & technique
- Kelp bass
- Kelp bass live in kelp beds, rocky reefs and breakwaters, most often in 9 to 70 feet of water, and seldom move far from home. In summer cast swimbaits or fish live anchovies along the up-current edge of the kelp and let them swim into the canopy. In winter the bigger fish move to reefs in 90 feet or more, where a squid-tipped jig works better.
- California yellowtail
- Yellowtail school around the offshore islands, banks, high spots and kelp paddies from spring into fall, moving north from Baja as the water warms past about 64 degrees. Fly-line a sardine or mackerel, cast a surface iron to breaking fish, or drop a heavy iron and wind it fast when they hold deep. Heavy line matters because they run straight for kelp and rock.
- 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.
Nearby spots
Other spots within an easy run
- Brennan Reef64
Bar · 2.7 mi
Top: California yellowtailPeak season- California yellowtail 64
- Lingcod 57
- Rockfish 57
7 kt WNWL 2:34 PM · 1.8 ftH 8:31 PM · 5.2 ft
- Bay Point62
Cape · 1.9 mi
Top: California yellowtailPeak season- California yellowtail 62
- Lingcod 55
- Kelp bass 54
7 kt WNWL 2:34 PM · 1.8 ftH 8:31 PM · 5.2 ft
- Tacott Shoal62
Bar · 3.2 mi
Top: California yellowtailPeak season- California yellowtail 62
- Kelp bass 51
- Barred sand bass 50
7 kt WNWL 2:34 PM · 1.8 ftH 8:31 PM · 5.2 ft
- San Miguel Passage57
Channel · 3.1 mi
Top: California yellowtailPeak season- California yellowtail 57
- Lingcod 55
- Rockfish 54
7 kt WNWL 2:34 PM · 1.8 ftH 8:31 PM · 5.2 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.