Waterlands

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White seabassRetention open

Cape · California

Sun Point

32.82°N · 118.37°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

69/100Great
Now
367 PM PDT
Best window
9 PM-12 AMEbb tide
Tide now
High5.2 ft

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

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24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 7 PM · now

Time7PNOW
Score36Fair
Tide5.2 ftHigh
Current0.3 knmodeled · toward SW
Wind13 kn WNWgusts 19 · easing
Sea stateRough4.3 ft · 9 s
Air temp69°Warm
WeatherClear1% cloud
Water74°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

Sun Point

Depth
10-35 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 Sun Point

Sun 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 10-35 ft. Its profile reads point, outer water and exposed.

Waterlands scores 9 species here; the best right now are California yellowtail, surfperch and lingcod. It is peak season now for California yellowtail, California halibut and leopard shark, and shoulder season for surfperch, lingcod, rockfish and kelp bass. California yellowtail peak from July 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 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.
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

  • Mosquito Cove

    Bay · 3.1 mi

    56
    Top: California halibutPeak season
    • California halibut 56
    • California yellowtail 48
    • Lingcod 46

    16 kt NWL 2:08 AM · 0.1 ftH 8:32 AM · 4.4 ft

  • Pyramid Cove

    Bay · 0.8 mi

    51
    Top: SurfperchShoulder season
    • Surfperch 51
    • Lingcod 45
    • Rockfish 44

    16 kt NWL 2:08 AM · 0.1 ftH 8:32 AM · 4.4 ft

  • Cove Point

    Cape · 3.8 mi

    51
    Top: California yellowtailPeak season
    • California yellowtail 51
    • Surfperch 45
    • Lingcod 43

    16 kt NWL 2:08 AM · 0.1 ftH 8:32 AM · 4.4 ft

  • China Point

    Cape · 3.4 mi

    49
    Top: California yellowtailPeak season
    • California yellowtail 49
    • Lingcod 45
    • Surfperch 45

    16 kt NWL 2:08 AM · 0.1 ftH 8:32 AM · 4.4 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.