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Barred sand bassRetention openCape · California
Ratkay Point
32.73°N · 117.26°W · Cape · 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
- 4811 PM PDT
- Best window
- 11 PM-12 AMEbb tide
- Tide now
- Ebbing2.5 ft ▼
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Ratkay Point 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 · 11 PM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
100Tide: EbbingCurrent: 1.5 kn ebbWind & pressure
ECMWF
86Wind: 2 kt WNWPressure: FallingWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
42Water temp: 77°F, hotLight: NightSolunar: Near a majorSeas: 3.5 ftSeason & habitat · Barred sand bass
Species seasonality
41Season: ShoulderHabitat: Poor fitDepth: 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 today
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
Ratkay Point
- Depth
- About 15 ft
- Structure
- Point · Outer · Exposed
- 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 Ratkay Point
Ratkay Point is a cape in Inner waters from Point Mugu to San Mateo Pt. CA including Santa Catalina and Anacapa Islands, California. Depth is about 15 ft. Its profile reads point, outer water and exposed.
Waterlands scores 9 species here; the best right now are California yellowtail, white seabass and kelp bass. It is peak season now for California yellowtail, California halibut and leopard shark, and shoulder season for white seabass, kelp bass, lingcod and rockfish. California yellowtail peak from July through September. White seabass peak from April through July. Kelp bass peak from June through August.
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.
- 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.
Nearby spots
Other spots within an easy run
- New Hope Rock60
Bar · 1.4 mi
Top: California yellowtailPeak season- California yellowtail 60
- Barred sand bass 56
- Lingcod 56
2 kt WNWL 2:09 AM · 0.2 ftH 8:21 AM · 4.7 ft
- Pappys Point59
Cape · 0.5 mi
Top: California yellowtailPeak season- California yellowtail 59
- White seabass 55
- Kelp bass 52
2 kt WNWL 2:09 AM · 0.2 ftH 8:21 AM · 4.7 ft
- Americas Cup Harbor57
Bay · 2.0 mi
Top: LingcodShoulder season- Lingcod 57
- Rockfish 57
- Barred sand bass 54
2 kt WNWL 2:09 AM · 0.2 ftH 8:21 AM · 4.7 ft
- Entrance Channel56
Channel · 2.3 mi
Top: LingcodShoulder season- Lingcod 56
- California yellowtail 54
- Rockfish 51
2 kt WNWL 2:11 AM · 0.2 ftH 8:30 AM · 4.6 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.