Waterlands

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White seabassRetention open

Cape · 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

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Best score today · 6 AM · White seabass

66/100Great
Now
529 PM PDT
Best window
9 PM-12 AMEbb tide
Tide now
Ebbing4.6 ft ▼

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

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24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 9 PM · now

Time9PNOW
Score52Good
Tide4.6 ft ▼Ebbing
CurrentEbb0.3 kn · toward SSW
Wind4 kn NWgusts 10 · steady
Sea stateModerate3.6 ft · 9 s
Air temp70°Warm
WeatherClear3% cloud
Water77°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)

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

Ratkay Point

Depth
About 15 ft
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 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 lingcod, rockfish and California yellowtail. It is peak season now for California yellowtail, California halibut and leopard shark, and shoulder season for lingcod, rockfish, white seabass and kelp bass. Lingcod peak in April and from November through December. Rockfish peak from April through June. California yellowtail peak from July through September.

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.
Lingcod
Lingcod ambush prey from rock outcrops, reef edges and kelp where current runs, most often in 30 to 300 feet, and males move shallow to guard nests in winter. Drift over the reef bouncing a lead-head swimbait or metal jig on the bottom, or fish herring or squid on a heavy leader, since their teeth cut light line. From jetties and rocky shore, work bait or jigs along the rocks on the incoming tide.
Rockfish
Rockfish live on rocky reefs, pinnacles and kelp from the shoreline out past 300 feet, with black and blue rockfish schooling mid-water over shallow reefs and copper, quillback, yelloweye and vermilion sitting tight to deeper bottom. Drift over the structure with a shrimp fly above a lead-head grub or metal jig, or a squid strip, and reel up a few cranks after touching bottom to cut snags. Use a descending device to release any fish brought up from deep water.

Nearby spots

Other spots within an easy run

  • New Hope Rock

    Bar · 1.4 mi

    61
    Top: LingcodShoulder season
    • Lingcod 61
    • Rockfish 61
    • California halibut 57

    4 kt NWL 2:09 AM · 0.2 ftH 8:21 AM · 4.7 ft

  • Americas Cup Harbor

    Bay · 2.0 mi

    60
    Top: California halibutPeak season
    • California halibut 60
    • Lingcod 58
    • Rockfish 58

    4 kt NWL 2:09 AM · 0.2 ftH 8:21 AM · 4.7 ft

  • Entrance Channel

    Channel · 2.3 mi

    58
    Top: California halibutPeak season
    • California halibut 58
    • Lingcod 58
    • Rockfish 52

    4 kt NWL 2:11 AM · 0.2 ftH 8:30 AM · 4.6 ft

  • Pappys Point

    Cape · 0.5 mi

    57
    Top: LingcodShoulder season
    • Lingcod 57
    • Rockfish 57
    • California yellowtail 56

    4 kt NWL 2:09 AM · 0.2 ftH 8:21 AM · 4.7 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.