UPDATEDAUTO-REFRESH 5 MIN
Barred sand bassRetention openBay · California
Isthmus Cove
33.44°N · 118.50°W · Bay · 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 · Barred sand bass
- Now
- 518 AM PDT
- Best window
- 4-9 PMFlood tide
- Tide now
- Flooding4.2 ft ▲
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Isthmus Cove 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 · 8 AM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
59Tide: FloodingCurrent: 0.5 knWind & pressure
ECMWF
89Wind: 2 kt SPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
64Water temp: 73°F, warmLight: DawnSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 4.2 ftSeason & habitat · Barred sand bass
Species seasonality
55Season: ShoulderHabitat: Usable structureDepth: In rangeRegulations: Retention open
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
Southern Groundfish Management Area
Barred sand bass
Retention open- Daily limit
- 4 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. No more than 4 of the 5 bass may be barred sand bass. This sub-limit is set to end June 1, 2028.
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)
- 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)
- Yellowtail Retention open (10 per day)
Source: CDFW · synced yesterday
Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed
When Barred sand bass is best here
Shoulder season for Barred sand bass · 1 more week at shoulder
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- This week
Spot profile
Isthmus Cove
- Depth
- 8-100 ftDrop-off
- Structure
- Bay · Inner · Semi-exposedBay · drop-off
- Season
- Shoulder seasonBarred sand 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 Isthmus Cove
Isthmus Cove is a bay in Inner waters from Point Mugu to San Mateo Pt. CA including Santa Catalina and Anacapa Islands, California. Depth is 8-100 ft, with a drop-off. Its profile reads bay, inner water and semi-exposed.
Waterlands scores 9 species here; the best right now are California yellowtail, surfperch and lingcod. It is peak season now for California yellowtail, California halibut and leopard shark, and shoulder season for surfperch, lingcod, rockfish and kelp bass. California yellowtail peak from July through September. Surfperch peak from December through March. Lingcod peak in April and from November through December.
Tackle & technique
- 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.
- 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.
- 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
- Harbor Reef65
Bar · 0.5 mi
Top: California yellowtailPeak season- California yellowtail 65
- Kelp bass 59
- Lingcod 59
2 kt SH 8:46 AM · 4.3 ftL 2:17 PM · 1.8 ft
- Ballast Point64
Cape · 1.0 mi
Top: California yellowtailPeak season- California yellowtail 64
- Kelp bass 57
- Lingcod 55
2 kt SH 8:46 AM · 4.3 ftL 2:17 PM · 1.8 ft
- Fourth of July Cove59
Bay · 0.4 mi
Top: California yellowtailPeak season- California yellowtail 59
- Surfperch 58
- Lingcod 57
2 kt SH 8:46 AM · 4.3 ftL 2:17 PM · 1.8 ft
- Catalina Harbor59
Bay · 1.1 mi
Top: Kelp bassShoulder season- Kelp bass 59
- Surfperch 59
- California yellowtail 59
2 kt SH 8:46 AM · 4.3 ftL 2:17 PM · 1.8 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.