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White seabassRetention openSpecies here · tap to switch
Best score today · 9 AM · White seabass
- Now
- 306 AM PST
- Best window
- 1-5 PMFlood tide
- Tide now
- Flooding5.6 ft ▲
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Southport 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
Sunday, Nov 15 · 1 AM
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
91Tide: FloodingCurrent: 0.6 kn floodWind & pressure
ECMWF
57Wind: 15 kt SEPressure: FallingWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
79Water temp: 59°F, primeLight: NightSolunar: 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 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
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- Not here
- This week
Spot profile
Southport Channel
- Depth
- 5-15 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 Southport Channel
Southport Channel is a channel in Humboldt Bay, California. Depth is 5-15 ft. Its profile reads channel, inner water and protected.
Waterlands scores 9 species here; the best right now are lingcod, surfperch and rockfish. It is peak season now for lingcod and kelp greenling, and shoulder season for surfperch, rockfish, cabezon and striped bass. Lingcod peak from April through May and from October through November. Surfperch peak in May and from July through September. Rockfish peak from May 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.
- Surfperch
- Surfperch feed in the troughs and holes within about 30 feet of the waterline, just outside the first set of breakers. Cast a two-hook high-low or Carolina rig with size 4 to 2 hooks and a 1 to 6 ounce pyramid sinker and let the surge work it through the trough. Fish the incoming tide on beaches with a steep drop, and switch to jetties, pilings and bays when the surf is too big.
Nearby spots
Other spots within an easy run
- Buhne Point64
Cape · 1.9 mi
Top: LingcodPeak season- Lingcod 64
- Rockfish 54
- Surfperch 50
4 kt SEL 11:49 AM · 3.4 ftH 5:27 PM · 5.7 ft
- Buhne Spit Shoal62
Bar · 2.0 mi
Top: LingcodPeak season- Lingcod 62
- Rockfish 52
- Surfperch 50
4 kt SEL 1:21 PM · 1.0 ftH 5:50 PM · 4.2 ft
- Hookton Channel61
Channel · 2.1 mi
Top: LingcodPeak season- Lingcod 61
- Surfperch 49
- Rockfish 46
4 kt SEL 11:49 AM · 3.2 ftH 5:31 PM · 6.0 ft
- South Bay59
Bay · 1.1 mi
Top: LingcodPeak season- Lingcod 59
- Surfperch 56
- Rockfish 48
4 kt SEL 11:49 AM · 3.4 ftH 5:27 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.