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SurfperchRetention openBay · California
Little Harbor
33.38°N · 118.48°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 · 8 AM · Surfperch
- Now
- 4510 PM PDT
- Best window
- 10 PM-12 AMEbb tide
- Tide now
- Ebbing3.7 ft ▼
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Little Harbor 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 · 10 PM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
50Tide: EbbingCurrent: 0.3 knWind & pressure
ECMWF
94Wind: 7 kt WPressure: FallingWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
45Water temp: 73°F, hotLight: NightSolunar: Major periodSeas: 3.7 ftSeason & habitat · Surfperch
Species seasonality
53Season: ShoulderHabitat: Usable structureDepth: Out of rangeRegulations: Retention open
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
Southern Groundfish Management Area
Surfperch
Retention open- Daily limit
- 20 per day
- Possession
- Not published
- Size
- Minimum 10.5 in, total length. Redtail surfperch only. No minimum size for other surfperch.
- Season
- No closed season on file
- Annual quota
- Not published
- Other
- In San Francisco Bay and San Pablo Bay, surfperch are closed April 1 through July 31 and the limit is 5 (shiner perch excepted). 20 surfperch in combination, not more than 10 of any one species. Shiner perch have a separate limit of 20.
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)
- White seabass Retention open (3 per day)
- Yellowfin tuna Retention open (10 per day)
- Yellowtail Retention open (10 per day)
Source: CDFW · synced today
Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed
When Surfperch is best here
Shoulder season for Surfperch · 9 more weeks at shoulder
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- This week
Spot profile
Little Harbor
- Depth
- 40-70 ftNearest water
- Structure
- Bay · Inner · Semi-exposed
- Season
- Shoulder seasonSurfperch
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 Little Harbor
Little Harbor 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 40-70 ft. Its profile reads bay, inner water and semi-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, lingcod and rockfish. California yellowtail peak from July through September. Barred sand bass peak from June through August. Kelp bass peak from June through August.
Tackle & technique
- 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.
- 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
- Ben Weston Point67
Cape · 2.0 mi
Top: California yellowtailPeak season- California yellowtail 67
- Lingcod 60
- Rockfish 60
8 kt WNWL 2:28 AM · 0.2 ftH 8:46 AM · 4.3 ft
- Lobster Point67
Cape · 3.5 mi
Top: California yellowtailPeak season- California yellowtail 67
- Lingcod 60
- Rockfish 60
7 kt WL 2:28 AM · 0.2 ftH 8:46 AM · 4.3 ft
- Ballast Point67
Cape · 3.7 mi
Top: California yellowtailPeak season- California yellowtail 67
- Lingcod 58
- Rockfish 58
7 kt WL 2:28 AM · 0.2 ftH 8:46 AM · 4.3 ft
- Catalina Harbor62
Bay · 3.7 mi
Top: California yellowtailPeak season- California yellowtail 62
- Barred sand bass 60
- Kelp bass 59
7 kt WL 2:28 AM · 0.2 ftH 8:46 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.