About The Pinnacles Hump

The The Pinnacles Hump is a rocky pinnacle rising from an outer, exposed stretch of Monterey water, with fishable depths running 60 to 120 feet. The structure holds a steady mix of rockfish, with Copper Rockfish peaking July through September and Blue Rockfish showing strongest in March through May and again June through September. Bait fishing carries most of the rockfish effort here—shrimp flies, squid strips, and anchovies worked close to the rock—while jigging with metal jigs and leadhead jigs covers the same water when fish sit tight to the pinnacle. Lingcod build over the reef through late fall and again in spring, and jigging with metal jigs or swimbaits is the primary approach, backed by live sanddabs or live mackerel dropped onto the structure. Chinook Salmon move through in the surrounding open water from March into July, taken by trolling anchovies, spoons, and flashers above the pinnacle.