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Mahi-mahiRetention openBay · California
Middle Anchorage
34.00°N · 119.55°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 · Mahi-mahi
- Now
- 5911 AM PDT
- Best window
- 4-9 PMFlood tide
- Tide now
- Ebbing3.5 ft ▼
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Middle 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 · 11 AM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
99Tide: EbbingCurrent: 0.5 knWind & pressure
ECMWF
88Wind: 2 kt WNWPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
70Water temp: 72°F, coolLight: Bright sunSolunar: Major periodSeas: 2.4 ftSeason & habitat · Mahi-mahi
Species seasonality
93Season: PeakHabitat: Prime structureDepth: Out of rangeRegulations: Retention open
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
Southern Groundfish Management Area
Mahi-mahi
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, no more than 10 of any one species.
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)
- 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 Mahi-mahi is best here
Peak season for Mahi-mahi · 1 more week at peak
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- Not here
- This week
Spot profile
Middle Anchorage
- Depth
- 20-35 ftNearest water
- Structure
- Bay · Outer · Exposed
- Season
- Peak seasonMahi-mahi
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 Middle Anchorage
Middle 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 20-35 ft. Its profile reads bay, outer water and exposed.
Waterlands scores 13 species here; the best right now are California yellowtail, kelp bass and barred sand bass. It is peak season now for California yellowtail, yellowfin tuna, California halibut and mahi-mahi, and shoulder season for kelp bass, barred sand bass, lingcod and rockfish. California yellowtail peak from July through September. Kelp bass peak from June through August. Barred sand bass peak from June through August.
Tackle & technique
- 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.
- 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
- Coche Point72
Cape · 4.1 mi
Top: California yellowtailPeak season- California yellowtail 72
- Kelp bass 64
- Lingcod 63
2 kt WNWL 2:18 PM · 1.9 ftH 8:17 PM · 5.2 ft
- Cavern Point69
Cape · 3.8 mi
Top: California yellowtailPeak season- California yellowtail 69
- Lingcod 63
- Rockfish 62
2 kt WNWL 2:18 PM · 1.9 ftH 8:17 PM · 5.2 ft
- Chinese Harbor67
Bay · 3.8 mi
Top: California yellowtailPeak season- California yellowtail 67
- Kelp bass 65
- Barred sand bass 63
2 kt WNWL 2:18 PM · 1.9 ftH 8:17 PM · 5.2 ft
- Yellowbanks Anchorage66
Bay · 0.8 mi
Top: California yellowtailPeak season- California yellowtail 66
- Kelp bass 64
- Barred sand bass 62
2 kt WNWL 2:18 PM · 1.9 ftH 8:17 PM · 5.2 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.