Waterlands

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California halibutRetention open

Bar · California

White Rock

32.89°N · 118.44°W · Bar · 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 · California yellowtail

72/100Great
Now
658 AM PDT
Best window
8 AM-12 PMEbb tide
Tide now
High4.1 ft

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

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24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 8 AM · now

Time8ANOW
Score65Great
Tide4.1 ftHigh
Current0.4 knmodeled · toward WNW
Wind10 kn NWgusts 15 · steady
Sea stateModerate3.5 ft · 9 s
Air temp67°Mild
WeatherOvercast99% cloud
Water72°FModel

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

Southern Groundfish Management Area

IN EFFECT NOW

California halibut

Retention open
Daily limit
5 per day
Possession
5 in possession
Size
Minimum 22 in, total length
Season
No closed season on file
Annual quota
Not published

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))
  • 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 yesterday

Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed

When California halibut is best here

Peak season for California halibut · 1 more week at peak

California halibut season by week of the year. Peak season for California halibut · 1 more week at peak.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
  • Off
  • This week

California halibut in California

Spot profile

White Rock

Depth
70-150 ftNearest water
Structure
Ledge · Outer · ExposedLedge · drop-off
Season
Peak seasonCalifornia halibut

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 White Rock

White Rock is a bar in Inner waters from Point Mugu to San Mateo Pt. CA including Santa Catalina and Anacapa Islands, California. Depth in the nearest water is 70-150 ft, with a drop-off. Its profile reads ledge, outer water and exposed.

Waterlands scores 9 species here; the best right now are California halibut, California yellowtail and kelp bass. It is peak season now for California halibut, California yellowtail and leopard shark, and shoulder season for kelp bass, lingcod, rockfish and barred sand bass. California halibut peak from May through September. California yellowtail peak from July through September. Kelp bass peak from June through August.

Tackle & technique

California halibut
California halibut are ambush feeders that lie on sand or mud bottom, mostly in water shallower than 100 feet and often inside bays, harbors and estuaries. Drift or slow-troll a live anchovy or sardine on a sliding sinker rig, or bounce a swimbait along the bottom over flats, channel edges and sandy areas near structure. Keep the bait within a foot or two of the bottom and give a fish time to turn the bait before setting the hook.
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

  • Seal Cove

    Bay · 5.3 mi

    65
    Top: California halibutPeak season
    • California halibut 65
    • California yellowtail 54
    • Lingcod 52

    10 kt NWH 8:17 AM · 4.1 ftL 1:22 PM · 2.2 ft

  • Mosquito Cove

    Bay · 3.2 mi

    62
    Top: California halibutPeak season
    • California halibut 62
    • California yellowtail 55
    • Lingcod 52

    11 kt NWH 8:17 AM · 4.1 ftL 1:22 PM · 2.2 ft

  • Cove Point

    Cape · 5.1 mi

    60
    Top: California yellowtailPeak season
    • California yellowtail 60
    • California halibut 57
    • Surfperch 53

    11 kt NWH 8:17 AM · 4.1 ftL 1:22 PM · 2.2 ft

  • Lost Point

    Cape · 4.8 mi

    59
    Top: California yellowtailPeak season
    • California yellowtail 59
    • Lingcod 51
    • Rockfish 50

    11 kt NWH 8:17 AM · 4.1 ftL 1:22 PM · 2.2 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.