Waterlands

UPDATEDAUTO-REFRESH 5 MIN

White seabassRetention open

Cape · California

Lookout Point

41.28°N · 124.09°W · Cape · Humboldt Bay

LOADING MAP

Best score today · 9 AM · White seabass

72/100Great
Now
3810 AM PDT
Best window
5 PM-12 AMHigh slack
Tide now
High4.9 ft

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

Notify me when Lookout Point scores 75+

Checked every morning against the 14-day forecast. Free by push and email.

Sign in to set an alert

24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 10 AM · now

Time10ANOW
Score38Fair
Tide4.9 ftHigh
Current0.2 knmodeled · toward SW
Wind1 kn NWgusts 7 · steady
Sea stateRough4.4 ft · 8 s
Air temp59°Mild
WeatherMostly cloudy51% cloud
Water54°FObserved

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

Northern 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

Lookout Point

Depth
7-20 ftNearest water
Structure
Point · Outer · 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 Lookout Point

Lookout Point is a cape in Humboldt Bay, California. Depth in the nearest water is 7-20 ft. Its profile reads point, outer water and exposed.

Waterlands scores 11 species here; the best right now are cabezon, kelp greenling and surfperch. It is peak season now for cabezon, surfperch, rockfish and striped bass, and shoulder season for kelp greenling, lingcod, Pacific halibut and white seabass. Cabezon peak from May through September. Kelp greenling peak from October through November. Surfperch peak in May and from July 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.
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.
Kelp greenling
Kelp greenling are solitary bottom fish of rocky shores, jetties and kelp beds, usually in water shallower than 60 feet. Use a small number 4 to 6 hook with sand shrimp or marine worms, or a small lead-head grub, dropped to the bottom and reeled up slightly. Larger fish show in October and November when they spawn close to shore, and mornings tend to fish best.

Nearby spots

Other spots within an easy run

  • Rocky Point

    Cape · 10 mi

    71
    Top: CabezonPeak season
    • Cabezon 71
    • Kelp greenling 65
    • Surfperch 61

    2 kt NL 2:48 PM · 3.5 ftH 8:27 PM · 5.7 ft

  • Abalone Point

    Cape · 11 mi

    71
    Top: CabezonPeak season
    • Cabezon 71
    • Kelp greenling 65
    • Surfperch 61

    2 kt NL 2:48 PM · 3.5 ftH 8:27 PM · 5.7 ft

  • Mussel Point

    Cape · 3.0 mi

    68
    Top: CabezonPeak season
    • Cabezon 68
    • Kelp greenling 62
    • Surfperch 59

    1 kt NWL 2:48 PM · 3.5 ftH 8:27 PM · 5.7 ft

  • Sharp Point

    Cape · 3.1 mi

    68
    Top: CabezonPeak season
    • Cabezon 68
    • Kelp greenling 62
    • Surfperch 58

    1 kt NWL 2:48 PM · 3.5 ftH 8:27 PM · 5.7 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.