Waterlands

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White seabassRetention open

Channel · California

Outer Reach

40.80°N · 124.19°W · Channel · Humboldt Bay

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Best score today · 9 AM · White seabass

68/100Great
Now
305 AM PST
Best window
8-11 AMEbb tide
Tide now
Flooding5.0 ft ▲

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

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24-hour conditions

Sunday, Nov 15 · 1 AM

Time1A
Score35Fair
Tide2.6 ft ▲Flooding
CurrentFlood0.9 kn · toward NNE
Wind15 kn SEgusts 23 · steady
Air temp50°Cool
WeatherMostly cloudy66% chance of rain
Water59°FPersisted

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)

Source: CDFW · synced yesterday

Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed

When White seabass is best here

Out of season for White seabass · it leaves in 5 weeks

White seabass season by week of the year. Out of season for White seabass · it leaves in 5 weeks.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
  • Off
  • Not here
  • This week

White seabass in California →

Spot profile

Outer Reach

Depth
10-35 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 Outer Reach

Outer Reach is a channel in Humboldt Bay, California. Depth is 10-35 ft. Its profile reads channel, inner water and protected.

Waterlands scores 9 species here; the best right now are lingcod, rockfish and surfperch. It is peak season now for lingcod and kelp greenling, and shoulder season for rockfish, surfperch, cabezon and striped bass. Lingcod peak from April through May and from October through November. Rockfish peak from May through September. 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.
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.
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.

Nearby spots

Other spots within an easy run

  • Samoa Channel

    Channel · 0.4 mi

    64
    Top: LingcodPeak season
    • Lingcod 64
    • Rockfish 49
    • Surfperch 49

    4 kt ESEH 6:58 AM · 6.1 ftL 12:02 PM · 3.3 ft

  • Eureka Channel

    Channel · 0.6 mi

    64
    Top: LingcodPeak season
    • Lingcod 64
    • Rockfish 49
    • Surfperch 49

    4 kt ESEH 6:58 AM · 6.1 ftL 12:02 PM · 3.3 ft

  • Inner Reach

    Channel · 1.3 mi

    64
    Top: LingcodPeak season
    • Lingcod 64
    • Rockfish 49
    • Surfperch 49

    4 kt ESEH 6:58 AM · 6.1 ftL 12:02 PM · 3.3 ft

  • Arcata Channel

    Channel · 2.4 mi

    64
    Top: LingcodPeak season
    • Lingcod 64
    • Rockfish 49
    • Surfperch 49

    4 kt ESEH 7:05 AM · 6.2 ftL 12:08 PM · 3.3 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.