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White seabassRetention openSpecies here · tap to switch
Best score today · 11 PM · White seabass
- Now
- 303 PM PST
- Best window
- 11 PM-12 AMEbb tide
- Tide now
- Flooding3.1 ft ▲
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Arcata Channel 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
Monday, Nov 16 · 8 AM
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
51Tide: EbbingCurrent: 0.3 kn ebbWind & pressure
ECMWF
90Wind: 11 kt SEPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
88Water temp: 60°F, primeLight: DawnSolunar: Between periodsSeason & habitat · White seabass
Species seasonality
20Off season · capped at 35Season: Off seasonHabitat: Poor fitDepth: In range
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
Northern 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
Out of season for White seabass · it leaves in 4 weeks
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- Not here
- This week
Spot profile
Arcata Channel
- Depth
- 8-20 ft
- Structure
- Channel · Inner · Protected
- Season
- Off 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 Arcata Channel
Arcata Channel is a channel in Humboldt Bay, California. Depth is 8-20 ft. Its profile reads channel, inner water and protected.
Waterlands scores 9 species here; the best right now are cabezon, California halibut and kelp greenling. It is peak season now for kelp greenling and lingcod, and shoulder season for cabezon, rockfish, striped bass and surfperch. Cabezon peak from May through September. California halibut peak from May through August. Kelp greenling peak from October through November.
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.
- Cabezon
- Cabezon sit in rock crevices, kelp beds and jetty boulders from the intertidal zone to about 100 feet and feed mostly on crabs and small fish. Fish a fish-finder rig with sand shrimp, squid or crab right on the bottom in the rocks, or drag a lead-head grub slowly through the kelp. Expect snags, and do not eat the roe, which is toxic.
- 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.
Nearby spots
Other spots within an easy run
- Arcata Bay30
Bay · 1.1 mi
Top: CabezonShoulder season- Cabezon 30
- California halibut 30
- Kelp greenling 30
4 kt NEH 7:40 PM · 5.8 ftL 2:11 AM · 0.7 ft
- Inner Reach30
Channel · 1.3 mi
Top: CabezonShoulder season- Cabezon 30
- California halibut 30
- Kelp greenling 30
4 kt NEH 7:18 PM · 6.0 ftL 1:30 AM · 0.7 ft
- Eureka Channel30
Channel · 1.8 mi
Top: CabezonShoulder season- Cabezon 30
- California halibut 30
- Kelp greenling 30
4 kt NEH 7:18 PM · 6.0 ftL 1:30 AM · 0.7 ft
- Samoa Channel30
Channel · 2.1 mi
Top: CabezonShoulder season- Cabezon 30
- California halibut 30
- Kelp greenling 30
4 kt NEH 7:18 PM · 6.0 ftL 1:30 AM · 0.7 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.