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White seabassRetention openBay · California
Shelter Cove
40.02°N · 124.06°W · Bay · Coastal waters from Cape Mendocino to Pt. Arena CA out 10 nm
Species here · tap to switch
Best score today · 11 PM · White seabass
- Now
- 3011 AM PDT
- Best window
- 11 PM-12 AMEbb tide
- Tide now
- Ebbing4.9 ft ▼
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Shelter 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 · 11 AM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
31Tide: EbbingCurrent: 0.3 knWind & pressure
ECMWF
100Wind: 4 kt NNWPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
Open-Meteo Marine
60Seas over the limit · capped at 30Water temp: 56°F, coolLight: OvercastSolunar: Major periodSeas: 6.6 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
Shelter Cove
- Depth
- 7-15 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 Shelter Cove
Shelter Cove is a bay in Coastal waters from Cape Mendocino to Pt. Arena CA out 10 nm, California. Depth is 7-15 ft. Its profile reads bay, outer water and semi-exposed.
Waterlands scores 12 species here; the best right now are surfperch, rockfish and Pacific halibut. It is peak season now for surfperch, rockfish, albacore tuna and cabezon, and shoulder season for Pacific halibut, lingcod, California halibut and kelp greenling. Surfperch peak in May and from July through September. Rockfish peak from May through September. Pacific halibut peak from May through July.
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.
- 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.
- 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.
Nearby spots
Other spots within an easy run
- Small White Rock72
Bar · 4.5 mi
Top: CabezonPeak season- Cabezon 72
- Surfperch 69
- Kelp greenling 65
4 kt NNWL 3:56 PM · 2.4 ftH 9:47 PM · 5.7 ft
- Duffys Reef71
Bar · 11 mi
Top: CabezonPeak season- Cabezon 71
- Surfperch 69
- Kelp greenling 63
4 kt NNWL 3:56 PM · 2.4 ftH 9:47 PM · 5.7 ft
- Bear Harbor70
Bay · 10 mi
Top: CabezonPeak season- Cabezon 70
- Surfperch 69
- Kelp greenling 64
4 kt NNWL 3:56 PM · 2.4 ftH 9:47 PM · 5.7 ft
- Point Delgada68
Cape · 0.4 mi
Top: SurfperchPeak season- Surfperch 68
- Rockfish 57
- Lingcod 52
4 kt NNWL 3:56 PM · 2.4 ftH 9:47 PM · 5.7 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.