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Barred sand bassRetention openBay · California
Valley 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
- 5510 AM PDT
- Best window
- 4-9 PMFlood tide
- Tide now
- Ebbing4.1 ft ▼
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Valley 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 · 10 AM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
55Tide: EbbingCurrent: 0.3 knWind & pressure
ECMWF
85Wind: 1 kt NWPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
81Water temp: 71°F, primeLight: Bright sunSolunar: Near a majorSeas: 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
Valley Anchorage
- Depth
- 40-60 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 Valley Anchorage
Valley 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 40-60 ft. Its profile reads bay, outer water and semi-exposed.
Waterlands scores 13 species here; the best right now are California halibut, California yellowtail and leopard shark. It is peak season now for California halibut, California yellowtail, leopard shark and yellowfin tuna, and shoulder season for kelp bass, lingcod, rockfish and barred sand bass. California halibut peak from May through September. California yellowtail peak from July through September. Leopard shark peak from June 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.
- California halibut
- California halibut are ambush feeders that lie on sand or mud bottom, mostly in water shallower than 100 feet and often inside bays, harbors and estuaries. Drift or slow-troll a live anchovy or sardine on a sliding sinker rig, or bounce a swimbait along the bottom over flats, channel edges and sandy areas near structure. Keep the bait within a foot or two of the bottom and give a fish time to turn the bait before setting the hook.
- 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.
Nearby spots
Other spots within an easy run
- Blue Banks Anchorage68
Bay · 0.5 mi
Top: California halibutPeak season- California halibut 68
- California yellowtail 66
- Leopard shark 61
1 kt NWL 2:18 PM · 1.9 ftH 8:17 PM · 5.2 ft
- Prisoners Harbor68
Bay · 2.8 mi
Top: California halibutPeak season- California halibut 68
- California yellowtail 60
- Kelp bass 58
1 kt NWL 2:18 PM · 1.9 ftH 8:17 PM · 5.2 ft
- Tinkers Harbor68
Bay · 3.9 mi
Top: California halibutPeak season- California halibut 68
- Leopard shark 65
- California yellowtail 60
1 kt NWL 2:18 PM · 1.9 ftH 8:17 PM · 5.2 ft
- Bowen Point66
Cape · 3.6 mi
Top: California yellowtailPeak season- California yellowtail 66
- Yellowfin tuna 61
- California halibut 60
1 kt NWL 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.