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California yellowtailRetention openBar · California
Crawfish Rock
33.45°N · 117.69°W · Bar · Inner waters from Point Mugu to San Mateo Pt. CA including Santa Catalina and Anacapa Islands
Species here · tap to switch
Best score today · 5 PM · California yellowtail
- Now
- 663 PM PDT
- Best window
- 4-7 PMFlood tide
- Tide now
- Flooding2.8 ft ▲
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Crawfish Rock 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 · 3 PM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
83Tide: FloodingCurrent: 0.4 knWind & pressure
ECMWF
83Wind: 10 kt WPressure: FallingWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
63Water temp: 74°F, warmLight: Bright sunSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 2.6 ftSeason & habitat · California yellowtail
Species seasonality
86Season: PeakHabitat: Usable structureDepth: In rangeRegulations: Retention open
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
Southern Groundfish Management Area
Yellowtail
Retention open- Daily limit
- 10 per day
- Possession
- Not published
- Size
- Minimum 24 in, fork length. Five fish less than 24 inches fork length may be taken or possessed.
- Season
- No closed season on file
- Annual quota
- Not published
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)
- White seabass Retention open (3 per day)
- Yellowfin tuna Retention open (10 per day)
Source: CDFW · synced today
Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed
When California yellowtail is best here
Peak season for California yellowtail · 1 more week at peak
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- This week
Spot profile
Crawfish Rock
- Depth
- 20-30 ft
- Structure
- Ledge · Outer · Exposed
- Season
- Peak seasonCalifornia yellowtail
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 Crawfish Rock
Crawfish Rock is a bar in Inner waters from Point Mugu to San Mateo Pt. CA including Santa Catalina and Anacapa Islands, California. Depth is 20-30 ft. Its profile reads ledge, outer water and exposed.
Waterlands scores 9 species here; the best right now are California yellowtail, lingcod and rockfish. It is peak season now for California yellowtail, California halibut and leopard shark, and shoulder season for lingcod, rockfish, kelp bass and barred sand bass. California yellowtail peak from July through September. Lingcod peak in April and from November through December. Rockfish peak from April through June.
Tackle & technique
- 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.
- 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
- Dana Point65
Cape · 1.6 mi
Top: California yellowtailPeak season- California yellowtail 65
- Lingcod 59
- Rockfish 59
10 kt WH 7:05 PM · 5.2 ftL 1:56 AM · 0.2 ft
- Goff Island64
Cape · 5.9 mi
Top: California yellowtailPeak season- California yellowtail 64
- Lingcod 59
- Rockfish 59
10 kt WH 7:19 PM · 5.3 ftL 2:09 AM · 0.2 ft
- Sugarloaf Point64
Cape · 6.3 mi
Top: California yellowtailPeak season- California yellowtail 64
- Lingcod 58
- Rockfish 58
10 kt WH 7:19 PM · 5.3 ftL 2:09 AM · 0.2 ft
- Capistrano Bight60
Bay · 2.6 mi
Top: California halibutPeak season- California halibut 60
- California yellowtail 60
- Surfperch 57
10 kt WH 7:05 PM · 5.2 ftL 1:56 AM · 0.2 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.