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Shore spot · BeachGroundfish Management Area SouthernKelp Bass · Open

Butterfly Beach

34.42°N · 119.63°W

Shore spot · BeachGroundfish Management Area SouthernKelp Bass · Open

Butterfly Beach Fishing Forecast

Updated today

What's biting now around Santa Barbara: Kelp Bass

Kelp Bass fishing at Butterfly Beach looks good today.
The best time to go is 8 AM to 4 PM, with the tide ebbing.

ReelCaster scores every hour at Butterfly Beach from 0 to 100, reading the tide, current, wind and weather for Kelp Bass. The higher the score, the better your odds. Green means go.

Kelp Bass
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Butterfly Beach, on the live map

Every spot is scored for today, out of 100. Green is worth the trip, amber is fair, red is slow.

Species

tap to switch species
Best score for the day · 6 AM
83/100
GOOD

Now 79 · 12 PM PST

BEST WINDOW
8 AM-4 PM
Tide ebbing
CDFW · Groundfish Management Area Southern · Kelp Bass openRegulations ↗5 per day · min 14"

14-Day Forecast

Data from: ECMWF + GFS + BlueCaster
Mon
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Sat
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24-Hour Conditions

All times PST

Tap or drag to read any hour

Conditions
Time
12 PM
Now
Score
79
Good
Tide
4.4 ft ▲
Flooding
Current
—
Flood
Wind
10 kn
WNW · steady
Sea state
Choppy
1.5 ft @ 13 s SW
Air temp
70°
Warm
Weather
Clear
11% cloud
Hour 12 PM. Score 79 Good. Tide 4.4ft Rising ▲. Current +0.7kn Flood. Wind 10kn WNW G13. Sea 1.5 ft @ 13 s SW Choppy. Air 70.3°.

Why this score

Current
Slack
Prime

Current regulations

In effect now

What you can keep at this spot today

Kelp Bass
Retention open
Daily limit
5 per day
Possession
5 in possession
Size
Minimum 14"
Annual quota
Not published
Other
Paralabrax species. Open year-round. Daily bag and possession limit is 5 fish in any combination of kelp bass, barred sand bass, and spotted sand bass, except no more than 4 barred sand bass may be taken. Minimum size 14 inches total length or 10 inches alternate length.
Other species here
Barred Surfperch Retention openCalifornia Halibut Retention open
Always check with CDFW ↗

Source: CDFW · Groundfish Management Area Southern · synced yesterday

Seasonality

52-week view · today highlighted

When Kelp Bass is best at this spot

Shoulder seasonShoulder season for Kelp Bass
~1 more week in shoulder
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Peak seasonShoulder seasonOff season

SHORE PROFILE

FISHED FROM
Beach
ACCESS
On foot
No boat needed
GETTING THERE
Street parking along Channel Drive in Montecito, then down the stairs to the sand. The beach gets very narrow at high tide.
HOW IT'S FISHED
Surf casting swimbaits

About Butterfly Beach

Butterfly Beach is a shore spot near Santa Barbara, California. Charted structure: beach. Species scored here: Barred Surfperch, California Halibut and Kelp Bass.

CUSTOM ALERT
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Butterfly Beach is one of the spots we track around Santa Barbara. More spots in Santa Barbara · All of California.

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