Waterlands

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White seabassRetention open

Bay · California

Bodega Harbor

38.32°N · 123.05°W · Bay · Coastal Waters from Point Arena to Point Reyes California out to 10 nm

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Best score today · 12 AM · White seabass

67/100Great
Now
308 PM PDT
Best window
10 PM-12 AMEbb tide
Tide now
Flooding5.2 ft ▲

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

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24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 8 PM · now

Time8PNOW
Score30Fair
Tide5.2 ft ▲Flooding
Current0.3 knmodeled · toward SE
Wind3 kn SSWgusts 9 · steady
Sea stateVery rough8.3 ft · 8 s
Air temp61°Mild
WeatherClear0% cloud
Water59°FObserved

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

San Francisco 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)

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

Bodega Harbor

Depth
3-5 ft
Structure
Bay · Inner · Protected
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 Bodega Harbor

Bodega Harbor is a bay in Coastal Waters from Point Arena to Point Reyes California out to 10 nm. Depth is 3-5 ft. Its profile reads bay, inner water and protected.

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

  • Gull Rocks

    Bar · 3.2 mi

    52
    Top: Pacific halibutShoulder season
    • Pacific halibut 52
    • Albacore tuna 30
    • Cabezon 30

    3 kt SSWL 3:38 AM · 0.4 ftH 10:11 AM · 4.7 ft

  • Horseshoe Cove

    Bay · 1.3 mi

    43
    Top: Pacific halibutShoulder season
    • Pacific halibut 43
    • Albacore tuna 30
    • Cabezon 30

    3 kt SSWL 3:38 AM · 0.4 ftH 10:11 AM · 4.7 ft

  • Spud Point

    Cape · 0.5 mi

    42
    Top: Pacific halibutShoulder season
    • Pacific halibut 42
    • Albacore tuna 30
    • Cabezon 30

    3 kt SSWL 3:38 AM · 0.4 ftH 10:11 AM · 4.7 ft

  • Gaffney Point

    Cape · 0.9 mi

    42
    Top: Pacific halibutShoulder season
    • Pacific halibut 42
    • Albacore tuna 30
    • Cabezon 30

    3 kt SSWL 3:38 AM · 0.4 ftH 10:11 AM · 4.7 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.