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White seabassRetention openCape · California
West End
33.48°N · 118.61°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 · 7 AM · White seabass
- Now
- 504 PM PDT
- Best window
- 4-7 PMFlood tide
- Tide now
- Flooding3.2 ft ▲
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when West End 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 · 4 PM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
96Tide: FloodingCurrent: 0.7 knWind & pressure
ECMWF
71Wind: 14 kt WPressure: FallingWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
34Water temp: 73°F, hotLight: Late afternoonSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 3.3 ftSeason & habitat · White seabass
Species seasonality
67Season: ShoulderHabitat: Usable structureDepth: 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 today
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
West End
- Depth
- 60-300 ftDrop-off
- Structure
- Point · Outer · ExposedPoint · drop-off
- 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 West End
West End is a cape in Inner waters from Point Mugu to San Mateo Pt. CA including Santa Catalina and Anacapa Islands, California. Depth is 60-300 ft, with a drop-off. Its profile reads point, outer water and exposed.
Waterlands scores 9 species here; the best right now are California yellowtail, lingcod and kelp bass. It is peak season now for California yellowtail, California halibut and leopard shark, and shoulder season for lingcod, kelp bass, rockfish and white seabass. California yellowtail peak from July through September. Lingcod peak in April and from November through December. Kelp bass peak from June through August.
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.
- 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.
Nearby spots
Other spots within an easy run
- Black Point68
Cape · 1.5 mi
Top: California yellowtailPeak season- California yellowtail 68
- Lingcod 58
- Rockfish 57
14 kt WH 7:32 PM · 5.0 ftL 2:28 AM · 0.2 ft
- Stony Point68
Cape · 2.9 mi
Top: California yellowtailPeak season- California yellowtail 68
- Lingcod 59
- Rockfish 58
14 kt WH 7:32 PM · 5.0 ftL 2:28 AM · 0.2 ft
- Cactus Bay63
Bay · 1.1 mi
Top: California yellowtailPeak season- California yellowtail 63
- California halibut 60
- Lingcod 59
14 kt WH 7:32 PM · 5.0 ftL 2:28 AM · 0.2 ft
- Iron Bound Bay58
Bay · 2.9 mi
Top: California halibutPeak season- California halibut 58
- California yellowtail 58
- Lingcod 51
14 kt WH 7:32 PM · 5.0 ftL 2:28 AM · 0.2 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.