Waterlands

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White seabassRetention open

Bar · California

Bit Rock

33.80°N · 118.41°W · Bar · Inner waters from Point Mugu to San Mateo Pt. CA including Santa Catalina and Anacapa Islands

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Best score today · 7 AM · White seabass

73/100Great
Now
5412 AM PDT
Best window
4-8 PMFlood tide
Tide now
Ebbing1.4 ft ▼

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

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24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 12 AM · now

Time12ANOW
Score54Good
Tide1.4 ft ▼Ebbing
Current0.4 knmodeled · toward S
Wind2 kn WNWgusts 5 · steady
Sea stateModerate2.8 ft · 8 s
Air temp69°Warm
WeatherClear0% cloud
Water72°FObserved

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

Southern 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 (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 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

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
  • This week

White seabass in California

Spot profile

Bit Rock

Depth
15-50 ft
Structure
Ledge · 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 Bit Rock

Bit Rock is a bar in Inner waters from Point Mugu to San Mateo Pt. CA including Santa Catalina and Anacapa Islands, California. Depth is 15-50 ft. Its profile reads ledge, outer water and exposed.

Waterlands scores 9 species here; the best right now are California yellowtail, barred sand bass and lingcod. It is peak season now for California yellowtail, California halibut and leopard shark, and shoulder season for barred sand bass, lingcod, rockfish and kelp bass. California yellowtail peak from July through September. Barred sand bass peak from June through August. Lingcod peak in April and from November through December.

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.
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.
Barred sand bass
Barred sand bass hold on the sand and rock edge of reefs, artificial reefs, breakwaters and bays, mostly in less than 90 feet of water. In summer they stack up over sand flats in 60 to 120 feet to spawn, and a plastic or live anchovy bounced on the bottom under the boat will catch them. A sudden drop in water temperature from upwelling can shut the bite off for a day or two.

Nearby spots

Other spots within an easy run

  • Flat Rock

    Bar · 0.0 mi

    68
    Top: California yellowtailPeak season
    • California yellowtail 68
    • Barred sand bass 63
    • Lingcod 61

    2 kt WNWL 2:18 AM · 0.2 ftH 8:43 AM · 4.4 ft

  • Flat Rock Point

    Cape · 0.2 mi

    67
    Top: California yellowtailPeak season
    • California yellowtail 67
    • Kelp bass 58
    • Lingcod 57

    2 kt WNWL 2:18 AM · 0.2 ftH 8:43 AM · 4.4 ft

  • Palos Verdes Point

    Cape · 1.8 mi

    66
    Top: California yellowtailPeak season
    • California yellowtail 66
    • Kelp bass 58
    • Lingcod 57

    2 kt WNWL 2:18 AM · 0.2 ftH 8:43 AM · 4.4 ft

  • Bluff Cove

    Bay · 0.3 mi

    61
    Top: California yellowtailPeak season
    • California yellowtail 61
    • Barred sand bass 59
    • Kelp bass 56

    2 kt WNWL 2:18 AM · 0.2 ftH 8:43 AM · 4.4 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.