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Groundfish Management Area CentralCopper Rockfish · Open

Point Santa Cruz Hump

36.93°N · 122.02°W

Species
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Best score for the day · 8 AM
86/100
GOOD

Now 65 · 1 PM PDT

BEST WINDOW
7 AM-12 PM
Tide flooding
CDFW · Groundfish Management Area Central · Copper Rockfish openRegulations ↗1 per day
14-Day Forecast
Data from: ECMWF + GFS + BlueCaster
Wed
Sep 16
Thu
Sep 17
Fri
Sep 18
Sat
Sep 19
Sun
Sep 20
Mon
Sep 21
Tue
Sep 22
Wed
Sep 23
Thu
Sep 24
Fri
Sep 25
Sat
Sep 26
Sun
Sep 27

24-Hour Conditions

All times PDT

Tap or drag to read any hour

Conditions
Time
1 PM
Now
Score
65
Fair
Tide
5.4 ft ▼
Ebbing
Current
—
Ebb
Wind
15 kn
W · steady
Sea state
Lumpy
4 ft @ 7 s NW
Air temp
72°
Warm
Weather
Clear
0% cloud
Hour 1 PM. Score 65 Fair. Tide 5.4ft Falling ▼. Current -0.0kn Slack. Wind 15kn W G17. Sea 4 ft @ 7 s NW Lumpy. Air 72.1°.
Why this score
Current
Slack
Prime

Current regulations

In effect now

What you can keep at this spot today

Copper Rockfish
Retention open
Daily limit
1 per day
Possession
Not published
Annual quota
Not published
Other
Sub-bag limit of 1 fish per person within the 10-fish RCG complex. §1.91(a)(1). No minimum size limit. Fillets must have entire skin attached.
Season
Apr 1 to Dec 31
Other species here
California Scorpionfish Retention openLingcod Retention openCabezon Retention openChinook Salmon Retention openRockfish (Aggregate) Retention openCalifornia Halibut Retention openCanary Rockfish Retention open
Always check with CDFW ↗

Source: CDFW · Groundfish Management Area Central · synced today

Seasonality

52-week view · today highlighted

When Copper Rockfish is best at this spot

Shoulder seasonShoulder season for Copper Rockfish
~15 more weeks in shoulder
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Peak seasonShoulder seasonOff seasonClosed
SPOT PROFILE
DEPTH
80-180 ft
Rock
LAUNCH
Kayaker's Slipway
2.3 mi away
PEAK
Shoulder
STRUCTURE
Pinnacle
Outer Exposed
BOAT LAUNCHES NEARBY
  • Kayaker's Slipway
    2.3 mi
    Directions
  • Boat launch at Santa Cruz Small Craft Harbor
    2.8 mi
    Directions
  • Boat launch at Santa Cruz Small Craft Harbor
    3.5 mi
    Directions

Distances are in a straight line, not by water.

Point Santa Cruz Hump is an outer-exposed rocky pinnacle off Santa Cruz, rising through water that runs 80 to 180 feet deep. The structure holds a strong rockfish community, with Copper Rockfish peaking March through September and Lingcod concentrated from September into February, alongside Canary Rockfish, California Scorpionfish, and aggregate rockfish. Lingcod respond to jigging with metal jigs, swimbaits, and lead-head jigs worked close to the rock, while Copper Rockfish take bottom-fished shrimp flies, squid strips, and metal jigs along the same broken terrain. Cabezon move onto the pinnacle from March through June and again in August, holding tight to structure where rockfishing with shrimp flies, squid strips, and swimbaits reaches them. The spot also produces California Halibut from April to August on drifted live anchovies and shiner perch, and Chinook Salmon from March through July on trolled anchovies, spoons, and flashers in the upper water.

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Point Santa Cruz Hump is one of the spots we track around Santa Cruz. See every scored spot in California.

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