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White seabassRetention openBay · California
Frys Harbor
34.05°N · 119.75°W · Bay · East Santa Barbara Channel from Pt. Conception to Pt. Mugu CA including Santa Cruz Island
Species here · tap to switch
Best score today · 9 AM · White seabass
- Now
- 399 PM PDT
- Best window
- 10 PM-12 AMEbb tide
- Tide now
- Ebbing4.6 ft ▼
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Frys Harbor 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 · 9 PM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
69Tide: EbbingCurrent: WeakWind & pressure
ECMWF
39Wind: 17 kt WNWPressure: FallingWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
37Water temp: 71°F, warmLight: NightSolunar: Near a majorSeas: 4.5 ftSeason & habitat · White seabass
Species seasonality
62Season: ShoulderHabitat: Usable structureDepth: In rangeRegulations: Retention open
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
Southern 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 (10 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 (5 per day)
- Chinook salmon Retention open (2 per day (2 salmon combined))
- 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
- This week
Spot profile
Frys Harbor
- Depth
- About 120 ftNearest water
- Structure
- Bay · Inner · 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 Frys Harbor
Frys Harbor is a bay in East Santa Barbara Channel from Pt. Conception to Pt. Mugu CA including Santa Cruz Island, California. Depth in the nearest water is about 120 ft. Its profile reads bay, inner water and semi-exposed.
Waterlands scores 9 species here; the best right now are California yellowtail, lingcod and rockfish. It is peak season now for California yellowtail, California halibut and leopard shark, and shoulder season for lingcod, rockfish, white seabass and barred sand bass. California yellowtail peak from July through September. Lingcod peak in April and from November through December. Rockfish peak from April through June.
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.
- California yellowtail
- Yellowtail school around the offshore islands, banks, high spots and kelp paddies from spring into fall, moving north from Baja as the water warms past about 64 degrees. Fly-line a sardine or mackerel, cast a surface iron to breaking fish, or drop a heavy iron and wind it fast when they hold deep. Heavy line matters because they run straight for kelp and rock.
- Lingcod
- Lingcod ambush prey from rock outcrops, reef edges and kelp where current runs, most often in 30 to 300 feet, and males move shallow to guard nests in winter. Drift over the reef bouncing a lead-head swimbait or metal jig on the bottom, or fish herring or squid on a heavy leader, since their teeth cut light line. From jetties and rocky shore, work bait or jigs along the rocks on the incoming tide.
Nearby spots
Other spots within an easy run
- Platts Harbor56
Bay · 1.2 mi
Top: California yellowtailPeak season- California yellowtail 56
- Lingcod 50
- Rockfish 50
17 kt WNWL 2:29 AM · 0.2 ftH 8:54 AM · 4.3 ft
- Diablo Point55
Cape · 0.4 mi
Top: California yellowtailPeak season- California yellowtail 55
- Lingcod 44
- Rockfish 44
17 kt WNWL 2:29 AM · 0.2 ftH 8:54 AM · 4.3 ft
- Diablo Anchorage49
Bay · 0.7 mi
Top: California yellowtailPeak season- California yellowtail 49
- Lingcod 44
- Rockfish 44
17 kt WNWL 2:29 AM · 0.2 ftH 8:54 AM · 4.3 ft
- Ladys Harbor49
Bay · 1.9 mi
Top: California yellowtailPeak season- California yellowtail 49
- Lingcod 44
- Rockfish 44
17 kt WNWL 2:29 AM · 0.2 ftH 8:54 AM · 4.3 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.