Waterlands

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White seabassRetention open

Bay · California

Hueneme Lagoon (historical)

34.15°N · 119.21°W · Bay · East Santa Barbara Channel from Pt. Conception to Pt. Mugu CA including Santa Cruz Island

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Best score today · 6 PM · White seabass

70/100Great
Now
495 AM PDT
Best window
4-9 PMFlood tide
Tide now
Flooding1.7 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
Score49Good
Tide1.7 ft ▲Flooding
Current0.2 knmodeled · toward W
Wind2 kn NEgusts 5 · steady
Sea stateModerate2.8 ft · 9 s
Air temp64°Mild
WeatherClear0% cloud
Water73°FObserved

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

Southern 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 (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 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
  • This week

White seabass in California

Spot profile

Hueneme Lagoon (historical)

Depth
10-15 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 Hueneme Lagoon (historical)

Hueneme Lagoon (historical) is a bay in East Santa Barbara Channel from Pt. Conception to Pt. Mugu CA including Santa Cruz Island, California. Depth is 10-15 ft. Its profile reads bay, inner water and protected.

Waterlands scores 9 species here; the best right now are California halibut, California yellowtail and barred sand bass. It is peak season now for California halibut, California yellowtail and leopard shark, and shoulder season for barred sand bass, kelp bass, surfperch and lingcod. California halibut peak from May through September. California yellowtail peak from July through September. Barred sand bass peak from June through August.

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 halibut
California halibut are ambush feeders that lie on sand or mud bottom, mostly in water shallower than 100 feet and often inside bays, harbors and estuaries. Drift or slow-troll a live anchovy or sardine on a sliding sinker rig, or bounce a swimbait along the bottom over flats, channel edges and sandy areas near structure. Keep the bait within a foot or two of the bottom and give a fish time to turn the bait before setting the hook.
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.

Nearby spots

Other spots within an easy run

  • Cathedral Cove

    Bay · 13 mi

    67
    Top: Leopard sharkPeak season
    • Leopard shark 67
    • California halibut 64
    • California yellowtail 63

    2 kt NEH 8:45 AM · 4.5 ftL 2:13 PM · 1.9 ft

  • Middle Point

    Cape · 5.5 mi

    65
    Top: California yellowtailPeak season
    • California yellowtail 65
    • Kelp bass 57
    • Lingcod 57

    2 kt NEH 8:38 AM · 4.4 ftL 2:11 PM · 1.8 ft

  • Frenchys Cove

    Bay · 15 mi

    63
    Top: California halibutPeak season
    • California halibut 63
    • California yellowtail 63
    • Barred sand bass 61

    1 kt NWH 8:45 AM · 4.5 ftL 2:13 PM · 1.9 ft

  • Pierpont Bay

    Bay · 9.4 mi

    60
    Top: California halibutPeak season
    • California halibut 60
    • California yellowtail 58
    • Barred sand bass 56

    2 kt NEH 8:44 AM · 4.5 ftL 2:16 PM · 1.9 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.