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Pacific bluefin tunaRetention 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 · Pacific bluefin tuna
- Now
- 5311 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 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 · 11 AM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
99Tide: EbbingCurrent: 0.3 knWind & pressure
ECMWF
88Wind: 2 kt WNWPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
51Water temp: 71°F, warmLight: Bright sunSolunar: Major periodSeas: 2.6 ftSeason & habitat · Pacific bluefin tuna
Species seasonality
88Season: PeakHabitat: Usable structureDepth: Out of rangeRegulations: Retention open
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
Southern Groundfish Management Area
Pacific bluefin tuna
Retention open- Daily limit
- 2 per day
- Possession
- Not published
- Size
- Not published
- Season
- No closed season on file
- Annual quota
- Not published
- Other
- In addition to the general limit of 20 finfish. Applies to all bluefin possessed, regardless of where taken.
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 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 Pacific bluefin tuna is best here
Peak season for Pacific bluefin tuna · 1 more week at peak
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- This week
Spot profile
Valley Anchorage
- Depth
- 40-60 ftNearest water
- Structure
- Bay · Outer · Semi-exposed
- Season
- Peak seasonPacific bluefin 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 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 yellowtail, kelp bass and lingcod. It is peak season now for California yellowtail, yellowfin tuna, California halibut and mahi-mahi, and shoulder season for kelp bass, lingcod, rockfish and barred sand bass. California yellowtail peak from July through September. Kelp bass peak from June through August. Lingcod peak in April and from November through December.
Tackle & technique
- 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.
- 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
- Blue Banks Anchorage70
Bay · 0.5 mi
Top: California yellowtailPeak season- California yellowtail 70
- Kelp bass 62
- Lingcod 62
2 kt WNWL 2:18 PM · 1.9 ftH 8:17 PM · 5.2 ft
- Bowen Point70
Cape · 3.6 mi
Top: California yellowtailPeak season- California yellowtail 70
- Lingcod 63
- Rockfish 63
2 kt WNWL 2:18 PM · 1.9 ftH 8:17 PM · 5.2 ft
- Prisoners Harbor65
Bay · 2.8 mi
Top: California yellowtailPeak season- California yellowtail 65
- Kelp bass 62
- Lingcod 62
2 kt WNWL 2:18 PM · 1.9 ftH 8:17 PM · 5.2 ft
- Tinkers Harbor65
Bay · 3.9 mi
Top: California yellowtailPeak season- California yellowtail 65
- Lingcod 63
- Rockfish 63
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.