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White seabassRetention openBay · California
North San Diego Bay
32.72°N · 117.19°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 · 7 AM · White seabass
- Now
- 342 AM PDT
- Best window
- 6-9 AMFlood tide
- Tide now
- Low0.2 ft
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when North San Diego Bay 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 · 2 AM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
14Tide: Low slackCurrent: SlackWind & pressure
ECMWF
82Wind: 1 kt NPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
39Water temp: 77°F, hotLight: NightSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 3.1 ftSeason & habitat · White seabass
Species seasonality
60Season: ShoulderHabitat: Structure unmappedDepth: 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
North San Diego Bay
- Depth
- 30-45 ft
- Structure
- Bay · 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 North San Diego Bay
North San Diego Bay is a bay in Inner waters from Point Mugu to San Mateo Pt. CA including Santa Catalina and Anacapa Islands, California. Depth is 30-45 ft. Its profile reads bay, inner water and protected.
Waterlands scores 9 species here; the best right now are California halibut, surfperch and lingcod. It is peak season now for California halibut, California yellowtail and leopard shark, and shoulder season for surfperch, lingcod, rockfish and barred sand bass. California halibut peak from May through September. Surfperch peak from December through March. 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.
- 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
- Americas Cup Harbor44
Bay · 1.8 mi
Top: California halibutPeak season- California halibut 44
- Lingcod 41
- Rockfish 41
1 kt NL 2:09 AM · 0.2 ftH 8:21 AM · 4.7 ft
- Zuñiga Point44
Cape · 3.2 mi
Top: RockfishShoulder season- Rockfish 44
- California yellowtail 44
- Lingcod 43
1 kt NL 2:05 AM · 0.2 ftH 8:16 AM · 4.5 ft
- Zuñiga Shoal44
Bar · 3.4 mi
Top: California halibutPeak season- California halibut 44
- Lingcod 38
- Rockfish 38
1 kt NL 2:05 AM · 0.2 ftH 8:16 AM · 4.5 ft
- Silver Strand40
Cape · 3.6 mi
Top: LingcodShoulder season- Lingcod 40
- Rockfish 40
- California yellowtail 39
1 kt NL 2:17 AM · 0.2 ftH 8:29 AM · 5.1 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.