Waterlands

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White seabassRetention open

Cape · California

Palos Verdes Point

33.77°N · 118.43°W · Cape · Inner waters from Point Mugu to San Mateo Pt. CA including Santa Catalina and Anacapa Islands

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Best score today · 7 AM · White seabass

71/100Great
Now
505 AM PDT
Best window
4-8 PMFlood tide
Tide now
Flooding1.8 ft ▲

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

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24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 5 AM · now

Time5ANOW
Score50Good
Tide1.8 ft ▲Flooding
Current0.2 knmodeled · toward S
Wind1 kn NNWgusts 3 · steady
Sea stateModerate3.1 ft · 9 s
Air temp67°Mild
WeatherClear1% cloud
Water72°FObserved

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

Southern Groundfish Management Area

IN EFFECT NOW

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

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

White seabass in California

Spot profile

Palos Verdes Point

Depth
30-45 ftNearest water
Structure
Point · Outer · Exposed
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 Palos Verdes Point

Palos Verdes Point is a cape in Inner waters from Point Mugu to San Mateo Pt. CA including Santa Catalina and Anacapa Islands, California. Depth in the nearest water is 30-45 ft. Its profile reads point, outer water and exposed.

Waterlands scores 9 species here; the best right now are California yellowtail, kelp bass and lingcod. It is peak season now for California yellowtail, California halibut and leopard shark, and shoulder season for kelp bass, lingcod, rockfish and barred sand bass. California yellowtail peak from July through September. Kelp bass peak from June through August. 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 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.
Kelp bass
Kelp bass live in kelp beds, rocky reefs and breakwaters, most often in 9 to 70 feet of water, and seldom move far from home. In summer cast swimbaits or fish live anchovies along the up-current edge of the kelp and let them swim into the canopy. In winter the bigger fish move to reefs in 90 feet or more, where a squid-tipped jig works better.

Nearby spots

Other spots within an easy run

  • Resort Point

    Cape · 0.5 mi

    63
    Top: California yellowtailPeak season
    • California yellowtail 63
    • Kelp bass 55
    • Lingcod 55

    1 kt NNWH 8:43 AM · 4.4 ftL 2:07 PM · 1.9 ft

  • Lunada Bay

    Bay · 0.3 mi

    60
    Top: California halibutPeak season
    • California halibut 60
    • California yellowtail 58
    • Barred sand bass 55

    1 kt NNWH 8:43 AM · 4.4 ftL 2:07 PM · 1.9 ft

  • Resort Point Cove

    Bay · 0.7 mi

    60
    Top: California halibutPeak season
    • California halibut 60
    • California yellowtail 58
    • Barred sand bass 55

    1 kt NNWH 8:43 AM · 4.4 ftL 2:07 PM · 1.9 ft

  • Christmas Tree Cove

    Bay · 1.0 mi

    60
    Top: California halibutPeak season
    • California halibut 60
    • California yellowtail 58
    • Barred sand bass 55

    1 kt NNWH 8:43 AM · 4.4 ftL 2:07 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.