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Kelp bassRetention openChannel · California
Anacapa Passage
34.02°N · 119.46°W · Channel · Inner waters from Point Mugu to San Mateo Pt. CA including Santa Catalina and Anacapa Islands
Species here · tap to switch
Best score today · 7 AM · Kelp bass
- Now
- 494 AM PDT
- Best window
- 6-8 AMFlood tide
- Tide now
- Flooding0.7 ft ▲
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Anacapa Passage 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 · rolling from now
Conditions · 4 AM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
99Tide: FloodingCurrent: 0.8 knWind & pressure
ECMWF
92Wind: 2 kt NWPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
59Water temp: 71°F, primeLight: NightSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 2.6 ftSeason & habitat · Kelp bass
Species seasonality
28Season: ShoulderHabitat: Poor fitDepth: Out of rangeRegulations: Retention open
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
Southern Groundfish Management Area
Kelp bass
Retention open- Daily limit
- 5 per day (5 kelp bass, barred sand bass and spotted sand bass combined)
- Possession
- Not published
- Size
- Minimum 14 in, total length. Or 10 inches alternate length.
- Season
- No closed season on file
- Annual quota
- Not published
- Other
- Fillets must be at least 7.5 inches long with a one-inch square patch of skin.
From CDFW 2026 California Ocean Sport Fishing Regulations booklet (last updated July 17, 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 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)
- White seabass Retention open (3 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 Kelp bass is best here
Shoulder season for Kelp bass · 5 more weeks at shoulder
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- This week
Spot profile
Anacapa Passage
- Depth
- 190-200 ft
- Structure
- Channel · Outer · Exposed
- Season
- Shoulder seasonKelp bass
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 Anacapa Passage
Anacapa Passage is a channel in Inner waters from Point Mugu to San Mateo Pt. CA including Santa Catalina and Anacapa Islands, California. Depth is 190-200 ft. Its profile reads channel, outer water and exposed.
Waterlands scores 9 species here; the best right now are California yellowtail, leopard shark and lingcod. It is peak season now for California yellowtail, leopard shark and California halibut, and shoulder season for lingcod, rockfish, barred sand bass and kelp bass. California yellowtail peak from July through September. Leopard shark peak from June through September. Lingcod peak in April and from November through December.
Tackle & technique
- 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.
- California yellowtail
- Yellowtail school around the offshore islands, banks, high spots and kelp paddies from spring into fall, moving north from Baja as the water warms past about 64 degrees. Fly-line a sardine or mackerel, cast a surface iron to breaking fish, or drop a heavy iron and wind it fast when they hold deep. Heavy line matters because they run straight for kelp and rock.
- Leopard shark
- Leopard sharks cruise shallow mudflats, sloughs and channel edges in bays, most often in less than 15 feet of water, and follow the flooding tide onto the flats to feed on crabs, worms, clams and small fish. Anchor or fish from shore or a pier with a sliding sinker rig and a chunk of squid, mackerel or ghost shrimp on the bottom. The bite is often better into the evening and at night.
Nearby spots
Other spots within an easy run
- Yellowbanks Anchorage69
Bay · 4.7 mi
Top: Leopard sharkPeak season- Leopard shark 69
- California yellowtail 65
- Barred sand bass 64
2 kt NWH 8:54 AM · 4.3 ftL 2:18 PM · 1.9 ft
- Middle Anchorage69
Bay · 5.1 mi
Top: California yellowtailPeak season- California yellowtail 69
- Leopard shark 67
- California halibut 64
2 kt NWH 8:54 AM · 4.3 ftL 2:18 PM · 1.9 ft
- Cathedral Cove64
Bay · 5.4 mi
Top: California halibutPeak season- California halibut 64
- California yellowtail 64
- Barred sand bass 62
2 kt ENEH 8:45 AM · 4.5 ftL 2:13 PM · 1.9 ft
- Frenchys Cove63
Bay · 3.3 mi
Top: California halibutPeak season- California halibut 63
- California yellowtail 63
- Barred sand bass 61
2 kt NWH 8:45 AM · 4.5 ftL 2:13 PM · 1.9 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.