Waterlands

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White seabassRetention open

Cape · California

Caspar Point

39.37°N · 123.83°W · Cape · Coastal waters from Cape Mendocino to Pt. Arena CA out 10 nm

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Best score today · 11 PM · White seabass

73/100Great
Now
305 AM PDT
Best window
11 PM-12 AMEbb tide
Tide now
Flooding0.8 ft ▲

Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine

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24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 5 AM · now

Time5ANOW
Score30Fair
Tide0.8 ft ▲Flooding
Current0.2 knmodeled · toward SSW
Wind4 kn NNEgusts 7 · steady
Sea stateVery rough7.3 ft · 9 s
Air temp53°Cool
WeatherOvercast91% cloud
Water55°FObserved

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

Mendocino Groundfish Management Area

IN EFFECT NOW

White seabass

Retention open
Daily limit
3 per day
Possession
Not published
Size
Minimum 28 in, total length. Or twenty and one-half inches alternate length (Section 28.35).
Season
No closed season on file
Annual quota
Not published
Other
CDFW pages disagree on the alternate length: the regulation text says 20.5 inches, the booklet summary table 21.5 inches, and the regional web pages 20 inches. Total length is 28 inches on all of them.

From CDFW 2026 California Ocean Sport Fishing Regulations booklet (last updated July 17, 2026), read Sep 13

Other species here

  • Albacore tuna Retention open (25 per day)
  • Barred sand bass Retention open (4 per day (5 kelp bass, barred sand bass and spotted sand bass combined))
  • Cabezon Retention open (10 per day (10 rockfish, cabezon and greenlings combined))
  • California halibut Retention open (2 per day)
  • Chinook salmon Closed (No retention)
  • Coho salmon Closed (No retention)
  • Kelp bass Retention open (5 per day (5 kelp bass, barred sand bass and spotted sand bass combined))
  • Kelp greenling Retention open (10 per day (10 rockfish, cabezon and greenlings combined))
  • Leopard shark Retention open (3 per day)
  • Lingcod Retention open (2 per day)
  • Mahi-mahi Retention open (10 per day)
  • Pacific bluefin tuna Retention open (2 per day)
  • Pacific halibut Retention open (1 per day)
  • Rockfish Retention open (10 per day (10 rockfish, cabezon and greenlings combined))
  • Sablefish Retention open (10 per day)
  • Striped bass Retention open (2 per day)
  • Surfperch Retention open (20 per day)
  • Yellowfin tuna Retention open (10 per day)
  • Yellowtail Retention open (10 per day)

Source: CDFW · synced yesterday

Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed

When White seabass is best here

Shoulder season for White seabass · 5 more weeks at shoulder

White seabass season by week of the year. Shoulder season for White seabass · 5 more weeks at shoulder.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
  • Off
  • Not here
  • This week

White seabass in California

Spot profile

Caspar Point

Depth
10-80 ftDrop-off
Structure
Point · Outer · ExposedPoint · drop-off
Season
Shoulder seasonWhite seabass

NOAA NCEI DEM, sampled Sep 14 on a 464 m grid. Depths are feet below mean sea level, not chart datum (MLLW), so they can differ from a chart by a few feet. Not for navigation.

About this spot

Fishing Caspar Point

Caspar Point is a cape in Coastal waters from Cape Mendocino to Pt. Arena CA out 10 nm, California. Depth is 10-80 ft, with a drop-off. Its profile reads point, outer water and exposed.

Waterlands scores 12 species here; the best right now are rockfish, surfperch and lingcod. It is peak season now for rockfish, surfperch, albacore tuna and cabezon, and shoulder season for lingcod, Pacific halibut, California halibut and kelp greenling. Rockfish peak from May through September. Surfperch peak in May and from July through September. Lingcod peak from April through May and from October through November.

Tackle & technique

White seabass
White seabass hold along kelp bed edges and over nearby sand where market squid gather, usually in 20 to 80 feet of water and shallower as the water warms. Fish a live squid on a dropper loop or fly-line a sardine near the kelp at dawn, dusk and after dark, especially around the spring full moon. Tagged fish spend most of their time in 52 to 66 degree water.
Rockfish
Rockfish live on rocky reefs, pinnacles and kelp from the shoreline out past 300 feet, with black and blue rockfish schooling mid-water over shallow reefs and copper, quillback, yelloweye and vermilion sitting tight to deeper bottom. Drift over the structure with a shrimp fly above a lead-head grub or metal jig, or a squid strip, and reel up a few cranks after touching bottom to cut snags. Use a descending device to release any fish brought up from deep water.
Surfperch
Surfperch feed in the troughs and holes within about 30 feet of the waterline, just outside the first set of breakers. Cast a two-hook high-low or Carolina rig with size 4 to 2 hooks and a 1 to 6 ounce pyramid sinker and let the surge work it through the trough. Fish the incoming tide on beaches with a steep drop, and switch to jetties, pilings and bays when the surf is too big.

Nearby spots

Other spots within an easy run

  • Cabrillo Point

    Cape · 1.4 mi

    60
    Top: RockfishPeak season
    • Rockfish 60
    • Surfperch 58
    • Lingcod 56

    4 kt NNEH 10:19 AM · 4.7 ftL 3:40 PM · 2.2 ft

  • Caspar Anchorage

    Bay · 0.6 mi

    59
    Top: RockfishPeak season
    • Rockfish 59
    • Surfperch 58
    • Lingcod 54

    4 kt NNEH 10:19 AM · 4.7 ftL 3:40 PM · 2.2 ft

  • Noyo Bay

    Bay · 4.0 mi

    58
    Top: SurfperchPeak season
    • Surfperch 58
    • Rockfish 54
    • Lingcod 49

    3 kt EH 10:16 AM · 5.0 ftL 3:46 PM · 2.3 ft

  • Pacific Ocean

    Sea · 4.2 mi

    54
    Top: RockfishPeak season
    • Rockfish 54
    • Surfperch 51
    • Lingcod 49

    4 kt NNEH 10:19 AM · 4.7 ftL 3:40 PM · 2.2 ft

Scores and forecasts are for planning only and can be wrong. Conditions on the water change fast; check the marine forecast before you go. Regulations change during the season, so confirm limits and closures with CDFW before you keep a fish.