Waterlands

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LingcodRetention open

Bay · California

Frenchys Cove

34.01°N · 119.41°W · Bay · Inner waters from Point Mugu to San Mateo Pt. CA including Santa Catalina and Anacapa Islands

LOADING MAP

Best score today · 8 AM · Lingcod

74/100Great
Now
4710 PM PDT
Best window
10 PM-12 AMEbb tide
Tide now
Ebbing3.8 ft ▼

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

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24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 10 PM · now

Time10PNOW
Score47Good
Tide3.8 ft ▼Ebbing
Current0.7 knmodeled · toward SW
Wind15 kn WNWgusts 28 · easing
Sea stateModerate3.2 ft · 7 s
Air temp67°Mild
WeatherClear0% cloud
Water71°FObserved

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

Southern Groundfish Management Area

IN EFFECT NOW

Lingcod

Retention open
Daily limit
2 per day
Possession
Not published
Size
Minimum 22 in, total length
Season
Jul 1 to Sep 30, 2026
Annual quota
Not published
Other
Shore-based anglers and spear divers are exempt from groundfish seasons and depth limits. Closed in the Groundfish Exclusion Areas (Section 27.50). Boat-based take only shoreward of the 50-fathom (300 feet) Rockfish Conservation Area line. A descending device must be aboard when fishing from a boat.

From CDFW Summary of Recreational Groundfish Fishing Regulations (updated June 23, 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)
  • 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)

Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed

When Lingcod is best here

Shoulder season for Lingcod · 5 more weeks at shoulder

Lingcod season by week of the year. Shoulder season for Lingcod · 5 more weeks at shoulder.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
  • Off
  • This week

Lingcod in California

Spot profile

Frenchys Cove

Depth
80-90 ftNearest water
Structure
Bay · Outer · Exposed
Season
Shoulder seasonLingcod

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 Frenchys Cove

Frenchys Cove is a bay in Inner waters from Point Mugu to San Mateo Pt. CA including Santa Catalina and Anacapa Islands, California. Depth in the nearest water is 80-90 ft. Its profile reads bay, outer water and exposed.

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

Tackle & technique

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.
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

  • Cathedral Cove

    Bay · 2.2 mi

    65
    Top: California yellowtailPeak season
    • California yellowtail 65
    • Barred sand bass 63
    • Lingcod 60

    2 kt EL 2:24 AM · 0.2 ftH 8:45 AM · 4.5 ft

  • Middle Anchorage

    Bay · 8.3 mi

    63
    Top: California yellowtailPeak season
    • California yellowtail 63
    • Yellowfin tuna 57
    • Barred sand bass 54

    15 kt WNWL 2:29 AM · 0.2 ftH 8:54 AM · 4.3 ft

  • Anacapa Passage

    Channel · 3.3 mi

    58
    Top: California yellowtailPeak season
    • California yellowtail 58
    • Lingcod 52
    • Rockfish 47

    15 kt WNWL 2:29 AM · 0.2 ftH 8:54 AM · 4.3 ft

  • 58
    Top: California yellowtailPeak season
    • California yellowtail 58
    • Barred sand bass 54
    • Kelp bass 53

    15 kt WNWL 2:29 AM · 0.2 ftH 8:54 AM · 4.3 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.