Waterlands

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RockfishRetention open

Bay · California

Prisoners Harbor

34.02°N · 119.68°W · Bay · East Santa Barbara Channel from Pt. Conception to Pt. Mugu CA including Santa Cruz Island

LOADING MAP

Best score today · 5 PM · Rockfish

70/100Great
Now
513 AM PDT
Best window
4-10 PMFlood tide
Tide now
Flooding0.2 ft ▲

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

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14-day forecast

Best days to fish

Best: Thu · 72

24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 3 AM · now

Time3ANOW
Score51Good
Tide0.2 ft ▲Flooding
Current0.7 knmodeled · toward W
Wind3 kn WNWgusts 10 · steady
Sea stateModerate3.0 ft · 9 s
Air temp63°Mild
WeatherClear0% cloud
Water71°FObserved

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

Southern Groundfish Management Area

IN EFFECT NOW

Rockfish(nearshore)

Retention open
Daily limit
10 per day (10 rockfish, cabezon and greenlings combined)
Possession
Not published
Size
No minimum size limit.
Season
Jul 1 to Sep 30, 2026
Annual quota
Not published
Changes
Closed from Oct 1
Other
Shore-based anglers and spear divers are exempt from groundfish seasons and depth limits. Closed in the Groundfish Exclusion Areas (Section 27.50). Within the 10-fish RCG limit: no more than 1 copper rockfish, 2 canary rockfish, and 2 vermilion/sunset rockfish. RCG complex: all rockfish, cabezon, and kelp and rock greenlings combined. Boat-based take only shoreward of the 50-fathom (300 feet) Rockfish Conservation Area line. A descending device must be aboard when fishing from a boat. Yelloweye, cowcod, bronzespotted and quillback rockfish may not be kept.

From CDFW Summary of Recreational Groundfish Fishing Regulations (updated June 23, 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)
  • Sablefish Retention open (10 per day)
  • Striped bass Retention open (2 per day)
  • Surfperch Retention open (20 per day)
  • White seabass Retention open (3 per day)
  • Yellowfin tuna Retention open (10 per day)
  • Yellowtail Retention open (10 per day)
Always check with CDFW ↗Fishing license ↗

Source: CDFW · synced yesterday

Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed

When Rockfish is best here

Shoulder season for Rockfish · 9 more weeks at shoulder

Rockfish season by week of the year. Shoulder season for Rockfish · 9 more weeks at shoulder.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
  • Off
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Rockfish in California →

Spot profile

Prisoners Harbor

Depth
70-100 ft
Structure
Bay · Outer · Exposed
Season
Shoulder seasonRockfish

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 Prisoners Harbor

Prisoners Harbor is a bay in East Santa Barbara Channel from Pt. Conception to Pt. Mugu CA including Santa Cruz Island, California. Depth is 70-100 ft. Its profile reads bay, outer water and exposed.

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

Tackle & technique

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.
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.
Kelp bass
Kelp bass live in kelp beds, rocky reefs and breakwaters, most often in 9 to 70 feet of water, and seldom move far from home. In summer cast swimbaits or fish live anchovies along the up-current edge of the kelp and let them swim into the canopy. In winter the bigger fish move to reefs in 90 feet or more, where a squid-tipped jig works better.

Nearby spots

Other spots within an easy run

View all on map →
  • Valley Anchorage

    Bay · 2.8 mi

    61
    Top: Yellowfin tunaPeak season
    • Yellowfin tuna 61
    • California yellowtail 61
    • California halibut 57

    3 kt WNWH 8:54 AM · 4.3 ftL 2:18 PM · 1.9 ft

  • Blue Banks Anchorage

    Bay · 3.0 mi

    61
    Top: Yellowfin tunaPeak season
    • Yellowfin tuna 61
    • California yellowtail 61
    • California halibut 57

    3 kt WNWH 8:54 AM · 4.3 ftL 2:18 PM · 1.9 ft

  • Tinkers Harbor

    Bay · 1.2 mi

    56
    Top: California halibutPeak season
    • California halibut 56
    • Kelp bass 56
    • California yellowtail 55

    3 kt WNWH 8:54 AM · 4.3 ftL 2:18 PM · 1.9 ft

  • Twin Harbors

    Bay · 2.4 mi

    56
    Top: California halibutPeak season
    • California halibut 56
    • California yellowtail 55
    • Barred sand bass 53

    3 kt WNWH 8:54 AM · 4.3 ftL 2:18 PM · 1.9 ft

Open in the tide map

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.