Waterlands

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White seabassRetention open

Bay · California

Yellowbanks Anchorage

34.01°N · 119.55°W · Bay · Inner waters from Point Mugu to San Mateo Pt. CA including Santa Catalina and Anacapa Islands

LOADING MAP

Best score today · 5 PM · White seabass

72/100Great
Now
538 AM PDT
Best window
4 PM-12 AMHigh slack
Tide now
Flooding4.1 ft ▲

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

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24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 8 AM · now

Time8ANOW
Score53Good
Tide4.1 ft ▲Flooding
Current0.6 knmodeled · toward WNW
Wind1 kn ENEgusts 3 · steady
Sea stateModerate2.4 ft · 10 s
Air temp69°Warm
WeatherClear0% cloud
Water71°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)

Source: CDFW · synced yesterday

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

Yellowbanks Anchorage

Depth
25-40 ftNearest water
Structure
Bay · Inner · Semi-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 Yellowbanks Anchorage

Yellowbanks Anchorage is a bay in Inner waters from Point Mugu to San Mateo Pt. CA including Santa Catalina and Anacapa Islands, California. Depth in the nearest water is 25-40 ft. Its profile reads bay, inner water and semi-exposed.

Waterlands scores 9 species here; the best right now are California halibut, leopard shark and kelp bass. It is peak season now for California halibut, leopard shark and California yellowtail, and shoulder season for kelp bass, surfperch, barred sand bass and lingcod. California halibut peak from May through September. Leopard shark peak from June through September. 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 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.
Leopard shark
Leopard sharks cruise shallow mudflats, sloughs and channel edges in bays, most often in less than 15 feet of water, and follow the flooding tide onto the flats to feed on crabs, worms, clams and small fish. Anchor or fish from shore or a pier with a sliding sinker rig and a chunk of squid, mackerel or ghost shrimp on the bottom. The bite is often better into the evening and at night.

Nearby spots

Other spots within an easy run

  • Middle Anchorage

    Bay · 0.8 mi

    70
    Top: California halibutPeak season
    • California halibut 70
    • California yellowtail 70
    • Leopard shark 69

    1 kt ENEH 8:54 AM · 4.3 ftL 2:18 PM · 1.9 ft

  • Chinese Harbor

    Bay · 3.8 mi

    70
    Top: California halibutPeak season
    • California halibut 70
    • Leopard shark 69
    • Kelp bass 65

    1 kt ENEH 8:54 AM · 4.3 ftL 2:18 PM · 1.9 ft

  • Coche Point

    Cape · 4.0 mi

    70
    Top: California yellowtailPeak season
    • California yellowtail 70
    • Kelp bass 65
    • California halibut 62

    1 kt ENEH 8:54 AM · 4.3 ftL 2:18 PM · 1.9 ft

  • Cavern Point

    Cape · 3.2 mi

    67
    Top: California yellowtailPeak season
    • California yellowtail 67
    • California halibut 60
    • Kelp bass 60

    1 kt ENEH 8:54 AM · 4.3 ftL 2:18 PM · 1.9 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.