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BoatGroundfish Management Area SouthernKelp Bass · Open

Gato Canyon

34.44°N · 119.99°W

BoatGroundfish Management Area SouthernKelp Bass · Open

Gato Canyon Fishing Forecast

Updated today

What's biting now around Santa Barbara: Kelp Bass

Kelp Bass fishing at Gato Canyon looks good today.
The best time to go is 7 AM to 7 PM, with the tide ebbing.

ReelCaster scores every hour at Gato Canyon 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.

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Gato Canyon, 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 · 3 PM
86/100
GOOD

Now 81 · 11 AM PDT

BEST WINDOW
7 AM-7 PM
Tide ebbing
CDFW · Groundfish Management Area Southern · Kelp Bass openRegulations ↗5 per day · min 14"

14-Day Forecast

Data from: ECMWF + GFS + BlueCaster
Sun
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24-Hour Conditions

All times PDT

Tap or drag to read any hour

Conditions
Time
11 AM
Now
Score
81
Good
Tide
4.5 ft ▲
Flooding
Current
—
Flood
Wind
7 kn
SW · steady
Sea state
Flat
1.5 ft @ 10 s SW
Air temp
67°
Warm
Weather
Overcast
100% cloud
Hour 11 AM. Score 81 Good. Tide 4.5ft Rising ▲. Current +0.7kn Flood. Wind 7kn SW G8. Sea 1.5 ft @ 10 s SW Flat. Air 66.7°.

Why this score

Current
0.7 kn light
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
California Halibut Retention openBonito Retention openCalifornia Scorpionfish Retention openBlue Shark Retention openLingcod ClosedYellowtail Retention openCalifornia Barracuda Retention open
Always check with CDFW ↗

Source: CDFW · Groundfish Management Area Southern · synced today

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

SPOT PROFILE

DEPTH
120-600 ft
Rock
STRUCTURE
Drop Off
Outer Exposed

About Gato Canyon

Gato Canyon is an outer-exposed rock drop-off off Santa Barbara, where the bottom falls from roughly 120 to 600 feet along a steep structural edge. Lingcod hold on the rock here with peak activity in February and March and again from September through November, worked with metal jigs, swimbaits, and leadhead jigs, or with live sanddabs and mackerel fished close to the bottom. Yellowtail move through from May to September and respond to live sardines, mackerel, and anchovies, with yo-yo jigging effective over the deeper edge. California halibut come on in the shallower ranges from April to August on drifted live anchovies, smelt, and sardines, while kelp bass peak between March and August on live bait and swimbaits. California scorpionfish fill the late-spring window in May and June, taken on squid, cut mackerel, and anchovies fished on the bottom.

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Gato Canyon is one of the spots we track around Santa Barbara. More spots in Santa Barbara · All of California.

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