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Barred sand bassRetention openBay · California
Blue Banks Anchorage
33.98°N · 119.67°W · Bay · Outer waters from Santa Cruz Island to San Clemente Island to 60 NM offshore including San Nicolas and Santa Barbara Islands
Species here · tap to switch
Best score today · 7 AM · Barred sand bass
- Now
- 473 PM PDT
- Best window
- 4-10 PMFlood tide
- Tide now
- Flooding2.0 ft ▲
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Blue Banks Anchorage 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 · 3 PM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
50Tide: FloodingCurrent: 0.5 knWind & pressure
ECMWF
100Wind: 3 kt WSWPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
48Water temp: 75°F, warmLight: Bright sunSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 2.6 ftSeason & habitat · Barred sand bass
Species seasonality
58Season: ShoulderHabitat: Usable structureDepth: In rangeRegulations: Retention open
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
Southern Groundfish Management Area
Barred sand bass
Retention open- Daily limit
- 4 per day (5 kelp bass, barred sand bass and spotted sand bass combined)
- Possession
- Not published
- Size
- Minimum 14 in, total length. Or 10 inches alternate length.
- Season
- No closed season on file
- Annual quota
- Not published
- Other
- Fillets must be at least 7.5 inches long with a one-inch square patch of skin. No more than 4 of the 5 bass may be barred sand bass. This sub-limit is set to end June 1, 2028.
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)
- 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)
- White seabass Retention open (3 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 Barred sand bass is best here
Shoulder season for Barred sand bass · 1 more week at shoulder
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- This week
Spot profile
Blue Banks Anchorage
- Depth
- 50-70 ftNearest water
- Structure
- Bay · Outer · Semi-exposed
- Season
- Shoulder seasonBarred sand bass
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 Blue Banks Anchorage
Blue Banks Anchorage is a bay in Outer waters from Santa Cruz Island to San Clemente Island to 60 NM offshore including San Nicolas and Santa Barbara Islands, California. Depth in the nearest water is 50-70 ft. Its profile reads bay, outer water and semi-exposed.
Waterlands scores 13 species here; the best right now are mahi-mahi, yellowfin tuna and California halibut. It is peak season now for mahi-mahi, yellowfin tuna, California halibut and California yellowtail, and shoulder season for rockfish, lingcod, kelp bass and barred sand bass. Mahi-mahi peak from August through September. Yellowfin tuna peak from August through September. California halibut peak from May through September.
Tackle & technique
- Barred sand bass
- Barred sand bass hold on the sand and rock edge of reefs, artificial reefs, breakwaters and bays, mostly in less than 90 feet of water. In summer they stack up over sand flats in 60 to 120 feet to spawn, and a plastic or live anchovy bounced on the bottom under the boat will catch them. A sudden drop in water temperature from upwelling can shut the bite off for a day or two.
- Mahi-mahi
- Mahi feed near the surface along weedlines, floating debris, buoys and current edges offshore, in water from the low 70s to the low 80s. Troll ballyhoo or small skirted lures along the weed, and when a school comes up behind the boat keep one hooked fish in the water while you pitch cut bait or jigs to the rest. Look for birds working over weed and flotsam.
- Yellowfin tuna
- Yellowfin feed in blue water along canyon edges, the shelf break, current edges, deepwater platforms and FADs, usually from the surface to about 300 feet. Troll ballyhoo, spreader bars and cedar plugs early in the day, then chunk butterfish or sardines, fish live hardtails, or drop jigs to marks. Around Gulf platforms and in the canyons the night bite on chunks and jigs is often better than the day.
Nearby spots
Other spots within an easy run
- Valley Anchorage63
Bay · 0.5 mi
Top: Mahi-mahiPeak season- Mahi-mahi 63
- Yellowfin tuna 61
- California halibut 60
3 kt WSWH 8:17 PM · 5.2 ftL 2:53 AM · 0.2 ft
- Bowen Point63
Cape · 3.1 mi
Top: Mahi-mahiPeak season- Mahi-mahi 63
- Yellowfin tuna 61
- Lingcod 57
3 kt WSWH 8:17 PM · 5.2 ftL 2:53 AM · 0.2 ft
- Prisoners Harbor61
Bay · 3.0 mi
Top: California halibutPeak season- California halibut 61
- Kelp bass 58
- California yellowtail 58
3 kt WSWH 8:17 PM · 5.2 ftL 2:53 AM · 0.2 ft
- Tinkers Harbor61
Bay · 4.0 mi
Top: California halibutPeak season- California halibut 61
- Leopard shark 60
- Kelp bass 58
3 kt WSWH 8:17 PM · 5.2 ftL 2:53 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.