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California yellowtailRetention openBay · California
Elephant Seal Cove
33.48°N · 119.04°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 · California yellowtail
- Now
- 552 PM PDT
- Best window
- 4-7 PMFlood tide
- Tide now
- Low1.8 ft
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Elephant Seal Cove 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 · 2 PM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
36Tide: Low slackCurrent: 0.8 knWind & pressure
ECMWF
100Wind: 5 kt SWPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
56Water temp: 73°F, warmLight: Bright sunSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 4.4 ftSeason & habitat · California yellowtail
Species seasonality
83Season: PeakHabitat: Usable structureDepth: In rangeRegulations: Retention open
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
Southern Groundfish Management Area
Yellowtail
Retention open- Daily limit
- 10 per day
- Possession
- Not published
- Size
- Minimum 24 in, fork length. Five fish less than 24 inches fork length may be taken or possessed.
- 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))
- 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)
Source: CDFW · synced today
Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed
When California yellowtail is best here
Peak season for California yellowtail · 1 more week at peak
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- This week
Spot profile
Elephant Seal Cove
- Depth
- About 35 ftNearest water
- Structure
- Bay · Outer · Semi-exposed
- Season
- Peak seasonCalifornia yellowtail
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 Elephant Seal Cove
Elephant Seal Cove 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 about 35 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 yellowtail. It is peak season now for mahi-mahi, yellowfin tuna, California yellowtail and Pacific bluefin tuna, and shoulder season for barred sand bass, surfperch, rockfish and kelp bass. Mahi-mahi peak from August through September. Yellowfin tuna peak from August through September. California yellowtail peak from July through September.
Tackle & technique
- 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.
- 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
- Arch Point57
Cape · 0.7 mi
Top: Yellowfin tunaPeak season- Yellowfin tuna 57
- Mahi-mahi 56
- California yellowtail 55
5 kt SWH 7:56 PM · 5.1 ftL 2:39 AM · 0.1 ft
- Webster Point56
Cape · 0.5 mi
Top: Mahi-mahiPeak season- Mahi-mahi 56
- Yellowfin tuna 56
- California yellowtail 55
5 kt SWH 7:56 PM · 5.1 ftL 2:39 AM · 0.1 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.