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White seabassRetention openChannel · California
Main Channel
33.74°N · 118.28°W · Channel · Inner waters from Point Mugu to San Mateo Pt. CA including Santa Catalina and Anacapa Islands
Species here · tap to switch
Best score today · 7 AM · White seabass
- Now
- 383 AM PDT
- Best window
- 4 PM-12 AMHigh slack
- Tide now
- Flooding0.3 ft ▲
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Main Channel 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 AM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
42Tide: FloodingCurrent: SlackWind & pressure
ECMWF
85Wind: 1 kt NWPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
47Water temp: 71°F, warmLight: NightSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 2.9 ftSeason & habitat · White seabass
Species seasonality
48Season: ShoulderHabitat: Poor fitDepth: In rangeRegulations: Retention open
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
Southern Groundfish Management Area
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
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- This week
Spot profile
Main Channel
- Depth
- 35-45 ft
- Structure
- Channel · Inner · Protected
- 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 Main Channel
Main Channel is a channel in Inner waters from Point Mugu to San Mateo Pt. CA including Santa Catalina and Anacapa Islands, California. Depth is 35-45 ft. Its profile reads channel, inner water and protected.
Waterlands scores 9 species here; the best right now are California halibut, California yellowtail and lingcod. It is peak season now for California halibut, California yellowtail and leopard shark, and shoulder season for lingcod, barred sand bass, kelp bass and rockfish. California halibut peak from May through September. California yellowtail peak from July through September. 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 halibut
- California halibut are ambush feeders that lie on sand or mud bottom, mostly in water shallower than 100 feet and often inside bays, harbors and estuaries. Drift or slow-troll a live anchovy or sardine on a sliding sinker rig, or bounce a swimbait along the bottom over flats, channel edges and sandy areas near structure. Keep the bait within a foot or two of the bottom and give a fish time to turn the bait before setting the hook.
- 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.
Nearby spots
Other spots within an easy run
- Queensway Bay62
Bay · 4.8 mi
Top: Leopard sharkPeak season- Leopard shark 62
- California halibut 60
- California yellowtail 51
1 kt NWH 8:39 AM · 4.4 ftL 2:05 PM · 1.8 ft
- Cerritos Channel60
Channel · 2.7 mi
Top: California halibutPeak season- California halibut 60
- Leopard shark 60
- California yellowtail 53
1 kt NWH 8:32 AM · 4.6 ftL 1:59 PM · 1.8 ft
- White Point57
Cape · 2.8 mi
Top: California yellowtailPeak season- California yellowtail 57
- Kelp bass 50
- Lingcod 49
1 kt NWH 8:35 AM · 4.6 ftL 2:00 PM · 1.9 ft
- East Basin Channel52
Channel · 1.7 mi
Top: California halibutPeak season- California halibut 52
- California yellowtail 51
- Lingcod 49
1 kt NWH 8:39 AM · 4.5 ftL 2:02 PM · 1.9 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.