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Lingcod · Open

Santa Cruz West Breakwater Light

36.96°N · 122.00°W

Species
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Best score for the day · 7 AM
82/100
GOOD

Now 24 · 12 AM PDT

BEST WINDOW
7 AM-4 PM
Tide flooding
14-Day Forecast
Data from: ECMWF + GFS + BlueCaster
Tue
Sep 15
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

24-Hour Conditions

All times PDT

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Conditions
Time
12 AM
Now
Score
24
Tough
Tide
4.7 ft ▼
Ebbing
Current
—
Ebb
Wind
5 kn
NW · steady
Sea state
Rough
3.8 ft
Air temp
61°
Mild
Weather
Clear
0% cloud
Hour 12 AM. Score 24 Tough. Tide 4.7ft Falling ▼. Current -0.1kn Slack. Wind 5kn NW G13. Sea 3.8ft Rough. Air 61.2°.
Why this score
Current
0.6 kn light
Prime

Current regulations

In effect now

What you can keep at this spot today

Lingcod
Retention open
Daily limit
2 per day
Possession
Not published
Size
Minimum 22"
Annual quota
Not published
Other
Open all depths Apr 1–Dec 31. §28.27. Minimum size 22 inches total length (55.9 cm). 2 fish per person daily bag limit. Fillets minimum 14 inches in length with entire skin attached. Shore-based anglers and divers exempt from season/depth restrictions.
Season
Apr 1 to Dec 31
Other species here
Cabezon Retention openChinook Salmon ClosedBat Ray ClosedCoho Salmon ClosedLeopard Shark Retention openCalifornia Halibut Retention openBlack Rockfish ClosedBlue Rockfish Closed
Always check with CDFW ↗

Source: CDFW · synced today

Seasonality

52-week view · today highlighted

When Lingcod is best at this spot

Shoulder seasonShoulder season for Lingcod
~15 more weeks in shoulder
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Peak seasonShoulder seasonOff seasonRelease only
SPOT PROFILE
DEPTH
20-200 ft
Rock
LAUNCH
Not mapped
PEAK
Shoulder
STRUCTURE
Drop Off
Outer Exposed

Nearby Spots

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Santa Cruz West Breakwater Light marks an outer, exposed rock drop-off along the Santa Cruz waterfront, where the bottom falls from around 20 feet to 200 feet. The structure holds a strong rockfish population, with Blue Rockfish peaking March through August and Black Rockfish from May through September, both worked with jigging using metal jigs, swimbaits, and shrimp flies, or with bait fishing on squid and anchovies. Lingcod stack up over the same rocky ledges from September through February and respond to jigging with metal jigs and swimbaits or live bait such as live sanddabs and mackerel. Chinook Salmon move through the exposed outer water from March into July and are taken by trolling anchovies, spoons, and hoochies behind flashers, while California Halibut spread across the sandier margins from April through August on drifted live anchovies and smelt. Cabezon fill out the rock structure with a spring peak from March through June, taken on shrimp flies, metal jigs, and squid strips.

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Santa Cruz West Breakwater Light is one of the spots we track around Santa Cruz. See every scored spot in California.

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