UPDATEDAUTO-REFRESH 5 MIN
Kelp bassRetention openBar · California
Tacott Shoal
34.01°N · 120.24°W · Bar · 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
- 465 AM PDT
- Best window
- 6-9 AMFlood tide
- Tide now
- Flooding1.3 ft ▲
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Tacott Shoal 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 · 5 AM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
88Tide: FloodingCurrent: 0.5 knWind & pressure
ECMWF
93Wind: 10 kt NNWPressure: FallingWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
33Water temp: 69°F, primeLight: NightSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 5.8 ftSeason & habitat · Kelp bass
Species seasonality
48Season: ShoulderHabitat: Poor fitDepth: 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 yesterday
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
Tacott Shoal
- Depth
- 20-60 ft
- Structure
- Shoal · Outer · Exposed
- 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 Tacott Shoal
Tacott Shoal is a bar in Waters from Pt. Sal to Santa Cruz Island CA and westward 60 nm including San Miguel and Santa Rosa Islands, California. Depth is 20-60 ft. Its profile reads shoal, outer water and exposed.
Waterlands scores 9 species here; the best right now are California yellowtail, white seabass and barred sand bass. It is peak season now for California yellowtail, California halibut and leopard shark, and shoulder season for white seabass, barred sand bass, rockfish and kelp bass. California yellowtail peak from July through September. White seabass peak from April through July. Barred sand 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.
- 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.
Nearby spots
Other spots within an easy run
- Brennan Reef61
Bar · 3.0 mi
Top: California yellowtailPeak season- California yellowtail 61
- Lingcod 54
- Rockfish 54
10 kt NNWH 9:08 AM · 4.3 ftL 2:34 PM · 1.8 ft
- Cardwell Point61
Cape · 3.2 mi
Top: California yellowtailPeak season- California yellowtail 61
- Lingcod 52
- Rockfish 51
10 kt NNWH 9:08 AM · 4.3 ftL 2:34 PM · 1.8 ft
- Bay Point61
Cape · 4.9 mi
Top: California yellowtailPeak season- California yellowtail 61
- Lingcod 52
- Rockfish 51
10 kt NNWH 9:08 AM · 4.3 ftL 2:34 PM · 1.8 ft
- San Miguel Passage55
Channel · 1.7 mi
Top: California yellowtailPeak season- California yellowtail 55
- Lingcod 52
- Rockfish 51
10 kt NNWH 9:08 AM · 4.3 ftL 2:34 PM · 1.8 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.