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Yellowfin tunaRetention openCape · California
Bowen Point
33.96°N · 119.72°W · Cape · 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 · Yellowfin tuna
- Now
- 605 AM PDT
- Best window
- 6-8 AMFlood tide
- Tide now
- Flooding1.6 ft ▲
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Bowen Point 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 · 5 AM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
100Tide: FloodingCurrent: 0.5 knWind & pressure
ECMWF
85Wind: 1 kt NWPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
73Water temp: 71°F, coolLight: NightSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 2.8 ftSeason & habitat · Yellowfin tuna
Species seasonality
93Season: PeakHabitat: Prime structureDepth: Out of rangeRegulations: Retention open
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
Southern Groundfish Management Area
Yellowfin tuna
Retention open- Daily limit
- 10 per day
- Possession
- Not published
- Size
- Not published
- Season
- No closed season on file
- Annual quota
- Not published
- Other
- Counts toward the general limit of 20 finfish.
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)
- White seabass Retention open (3 per day)
- Yellowtail Retention open (10 per day)
Source: CDFW · synced yesterday
Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed
When Yellowfin tuna is best here
Peak season for Yellowfin tuna · 1 more week at peak
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- Not here
- This week
Spot profile
Bowen Point
- Depth
- 45-90 ftNearest water
- Structure
- Point · Outer · ExposedPoint · drop-off
- Season
- Peak seasonYellowfin tuna
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 Bowen Point
Bowen Point is a cape 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 45-90 ft, with a drop-off. Its profile reads point, outer water and exposed.
Waterlands scores 13 species here; the best right now are California yellowtail, yellowfin tuna and kelp bass. It is peak season now for California yellowtail, yellowfin tuna, Pacific bluefin tuna and California halibut, and shoulder season for kelp bass, lingcod, rockfish and white seabass. California yellowtail peak from July through September. Yellowfin tuna peak from August through September. Kelp bass peak from June through August.
Tackle & technique
- 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.
- 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
- Willows Anchorage68
Bay · 1.6 mi
Top: California yellowtailPeak season- California yellowtail 68
- California halibut 62
- Barred sand bass 61
1 kt NWH 8:54 AM · 4.3 ftL 2:18 PM · 1.9 ft
- Blue Banks Anchorage68
Bay · 3.1 mi
Top: California yellowtailPeak season- California yellowtail 68
- California halibut 62
- Barred sand bass 61
1 kt NWH 8:54 AM · 4.3 ftL 2:18 PM · 1.9 ft
- Valley Anchorage68
Bay · 3.6 mi
Top: California yellowtailPeak season- California yellowtail 68
- California halibut 62
- Barred sand bass 61
1 kt NWH 8:54 AM · 4.3 ftL 2:18 PM · 1.9 ft
- Alamos Anchorage64
Bay · 2.9 mi
Top: California yellowtailPeak season- California yellowtail 64
- Barred sand bass 62
- California halibut 61
1 kt NWH 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.