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White seabassRetention openBay · California
Cuffeys Cove
39.14°N · 123.73°W · Bay · Coastal waters from Cape Mendocino to Pt. Arena CA out 10 nm
Species here · tap to switch
Best score today · 9 AM · White seabass
- Now
- 308 PM PDT
- Best window
- 8-11 PMHigh slack
- Tide now
- Flooding5.2 ft ▲
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Cuffeys Cove scores 75+
Checked every morning against the 14-day forecast. Free by push and email.
14-day forecast
Best days to fish
24-hour conditions · rolling from now
Conditions · 8 PM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
36Tide: FloodingCurrent: WeakWind & pressure
ECMWF
91Wind: 11 kt NNWPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
53Seas over the limit · capped at 30Water temp: 56°F, coolLight: DuskSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 9.1 ftSeason & habitat · White seabass
Species seasonality
62Season: ShoulderHabitat: Usable structureDepth: In rangeRegulations: Retention open
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
Mendocino Groundfish Management Area
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 today
Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed
When White seabass is best here
Shoulder season for White seabass · 5 more weeks at shoulder
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- Not here
- This week
Spot profile
Cuffeys Cove
- Depth
- 15-20 ft
- Structure
- Bay · Outer · Semi-exposed
- 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 Cuffeys Cove
Cuffeys Cove is a bay in Coastal waters from Cape Mendocino to Pt. Arena CA out 10 nm, California. Depth is 15-20 ft. Its profile reads bay, outer water and semi-exposed.
Waterlands scores 12 species here; the best right now are Pacific halibut, albacore tuna and cabezon. It is peak season now for albacore tuna, cabezon, rockfish and striped bass, and shoulder season for Pacific halibut, California halibut, kelp greenling and leopard shark. Pacific halibut peak from May through July. Albacore tuna peak from September through October. Cabezon peak from May through September.
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.
- Pacific halibut
- Halibut sit on sand and gravel bottoms near drop-offs, bars and pinnacles, most often in 90 to 500 feet in Alaska and on the shelf off Washington, Oregon and far northern California. Anchor up-current of a likely edge and fish herring, squid, octopus or a salmon head on a circle hook with 24 to 32 ounces of weight, or bounce a large jig on the bottom. The best bite usually comes in the hour around slack tide.
- Albacore tuna
- Albacore hold 30 to 100 miles off Oregon and Washington in clear blue water around 60 to 65 degrees, usually along a temperature break. Troll clones, cedar plugs and diving plugs at 6 to 8 knots until a fish hits, then stop and work the school near the surface with live anchovies, swimbaits or iron. Bar conditions and the long run decide most trips before the fish do.
Nearby spots
Other spots within an easy run
- Biggar Rock54
Cape · 5.0 mi
Top: Pacific halibutShoulder season- Pacific halibut 54
- Albacore tuna 30
- Cabezon 30
11 kt NNWH 8:53 PM · 5.3 ftL 3:40 AM · 0.4 ft
- Saint Anthonys Point46
Cape · 0.6 mi
Top: Pacific halibutShoulder season- Pacific halibut 46
- Albacore tuna 30
- Cabezon 30
11 kt NNWH 8:53 PM · 5.3 ftL 3:40 AM · 0.4 ft
- Greenwood Cove46
Bay · 0.8 mi
Top: Pacific halibutShoulder season- Pacific halibut 46
- Albacore tuna 30
- Cabezon 30
11 kt NNWH 8:53 PM · 5.3 ftL 3:40 AM · 0.4 ft
- Whitesboro Cove45
Bay · 5.7 mi
Top: Pacific halibutShoulder season- Pacific halibut 45
- Albacore tuna 30
- Cabezon 30
11 kt NNWH 8:53 PM · 5.3 ftL 3:40 AM · 0.4 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.