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RockfishRetention 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 · Rockfish
- Now
- 5111 AM PDT
- Best window
- 11 AM-2 PMEbb tide
- Tide now
- Ebbing3.6 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 · 11 AM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
97Tide: EbbingCurrent: 1.0 knWind & pressure
ECMWF
100Wind: 6 kt NWPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
35Water temp: 68°F, hotLight: Bright sunSolunar: Major periodSeas: 5.6 ftSeason & habitat · Rockfish
Species seasonality
48Season: ShoulderHabitat: Poor fitDepth: In rangeRegulations: Retention open
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
Southern Groundfish Management Area
Rockfish(nearshore)
Retention open- Daily limit
- 10 per day (10 rockfish, cabezon and greenlings combined)
- Possession
- Not published
- Size
- No minimum size limit.
- Season
- Jul 1 to Sep 30, 2026
- Annual quota
- Not published
- Changes
- Closed from Oct 1
- Other
- Shore-based anglers and spear divers are exempt from groundfish seasons and depth limits. Closed in the Groundfish Exclusion Areas (Section 27.50). Within the 10-fish RCG limit: no more than 1 copper rockfish, 2 canary rockfish, and 2 vermilion/sunset rockfish. RCG complex: all rockfish, cabezon, and kelp and rock greenlings combined. Boat-based take only shoreward of the 50-fathom (300 feet) Rockfish Conservation Area line. A descending device must be aboard when fishing from a boat. Yelloweye, cowcod, bronzespotted and quillback rockfish may not be kept.
From CDFW Summary of Recreational Groundfish Fishing Regulations (updated June 23, 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 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)
- 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 Rockfish is best here
Shoulder season for Rockfish · 9 more weeks at shoulder
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- This week
Spot profile
Tacott Shoal
- Depth
- 20-60 ft
- Structure
- Shoal · Outer · Exposed
- Season
- Shoulder seasonRockfish
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, kelp bass and barred sand bass. It is peak season now for California yellowtail, California halibut and leopard shark, and shoulder season for kelp bass, barred sand bass, lingcod and rockfish. California yellowtail peak from July through September. Kelp bass peak from June through August. Barred sand bass peak from June through August.
Tackle & technique
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
Nearby spots
Other spots within an easy run
- Brennan Reef66
Bar · 3.0 mi
Top: California yellowtailPeak season- California yellowtail 66
- Lingcod 59
- Rockfish 59
6 kt NWL 2:34 PM · 1.8 ftH 8:31 PM · 5.2 ft
- Cardwell Point64
Cape · 3.2 mi
Top: California yellowtailPeak season- California yellowtail 64
- Lingcod 56
- Rockfish 55
6 kt NWL 2:34 PM · 1.8 ftH 8:31 PM · 5.2 ft
- Bay Point64
Cape · 4.9 mi
Top: California yellowtailPeak season- California yellowtail 64
- Lingcod 56
- Rockfish 55
6 kt NWL 2:34 PM · 1.8 ftH 8:31 PM · 5.2 ft
- San Miguel Passage59
Channel · 1.7 mi
Top: California yellowtailPeak season- California yellowtail 59
- Lingcod 56
- Rockfish 55
6 kt NWL 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.