Waterlands

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Albacore tunaRetention open

Bay · California

Dutch Harbor

33.22°N · 119.50°W · Bay · Outer waters from Santa Cruz Island to San Clemente Island to 60 NM offshore including San Nicolas and Santa Barbara Islands

LOADING MAP

Best score today · 7 AM · Albacore tuna

68/100Great
Now
241 AM PDT
Best window
6-8 AMFlood tide
Tide now
Ebbing0.7 ft ▼

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

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24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 1 AM · now

Time1ANOW
Score24Poor
Tide0.7 ft ▼Ebbing
Current0.4 knmodeled · toward S
Wind15 kn WNWgusts 21 · steady
Sea stateRough6.1 ft · 9 s
Air temp65°Mild
WeatherClear2% cloud
Water69°FObserved

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

Southern Groundfish Management Area

IN EFFECT NOW

Albacore 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
Tuna filleted on a boat or brought ashore as fillets south of Point Conception must be bagged individually by fish and cut into the six pieces Section 27.65 describes. In addition to 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

  • 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)
  • 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 Albacore tuna is best here

Shoulder season for Albacore tuna · 1 more week at shoulder

Albacore tuna season by week of the year. Shoulder season for Albacore tuna · 1 more week at shoulder.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
  • Off
  • Not here
  • This week

Albacore tuna in California

Spot profile

Dutch Harbor

Depth
9-100 ftNearest water
Structure
Bay · Outer · ExposedBay · drop-off
Season
Shoulder seasonAlbacore 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 Dutch Harbor

Dutch Harbor 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 9-100 ft, with a drop-off. Its profile reads bay, outer water and exposed.

Waterlands scores 13 species here; the best right now are California yellowtail, Pacific bluefin tuna and barred sand bass. It is peak season now for California yellowtail, Pacific bluefin tuna, yellowfin tuna and mahi-mahi, and shoulder season for barred sand bass, lingcod, white seabass and kelp bass. California yellowtail peak from July through September. Pacific bluefin tuna peak from June through September. Barred sand bass peak from June through August.

Tackle & technique

Albacore tuna
Albacore hold 30 to 100 miles off Oregon and Washington in clear blue water around 60 to 65 degrees, usually along a temperature break. Troll clones, cedar plugs and diving plugs at 6 to 8 knots until a fish hits, then stop and work the school near the surface with live anchovies, swimbaits or iron. Bar conditions and the long run decide most trips before the fish do.
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.
Pacific bluefin tuna
Pacific bluefin feed on the offshore banks and around the Channel Islands in water of roughly 62 to 68 degrees, anywhere from the surface to about 300 feet. Find breezing or foaming fish or sonar marks, then fly-line sardines on light fluorocarbon, drop a flat-fall or knife jig to the marks, or fly a kite for the larger fish. Night jigging on overnight trips often outfishes the day.

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.