Waterlands

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Barred sand bassRetention open

Bay · California

Willows Anchorage

33.96°N · 119.75°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 · Barred sand bass

74/100Great
Now
578 AM PDT
Best window
4-9 PMFlood tide
Tide now
Flooding4.1 ft ▲

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

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14-day forecast

Best days to fish

Best: Wed · 77

24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 8 AM · now

Time8ANOW
Score57Good
Tide4.1 ft ▲Flooding
Current0.4 knmodeled · toward NNW
Wind1 kn ENEgusts 3 · steady
Sea stateModerate2.6 ft · 10 s
Air temp65°Mild
WeatherClear0% cloud
Water71°FObserved

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

Southern Groundfish Management Area

IN EFFECT NOW

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)
Always check with CDFW ↗Fishing license ↗

Source: CDFW · synced yesterday

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

Barred sand bass season by week of the year. Shoulder season for Barred sand bass · 1 more week at shoulder.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
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Barred sand bass in California →

Spot profile

Willows Anchorage

Depth
30-45 ft
Structure
Bay · Outer · 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 Willows Anchorage

Willows 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 is 30-45 ft. Its profile reads bay, outer water and 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, surfperch, lingcod and rockfish. 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

View all on map →
  • Blue Banks Anchorage

    Bay · 4.5 mi

    69
    Top: California halibutPeak season
    • California halibut 69
    • California yellowtail 68
    • Kelp bass 63

    1 kt ENEH 8:54 AM · 4.3 ftL 2:18 PM · 1.9 ft

  • Valley Anchorage

    Bay · 5.0 mi

    69
    Top: California halibutPeak season
    • California halibut 69
    • California yellowtail 68
    • Leopard shark 66

    1 kt ENEH 8:54 AM · 4.3 ftL 2:18 PM · 1.9 ft

  • Bowen Point

    Cape · 1.6 mi

    68
    Top: California yellowtailPeak season
    • California yellowtail 68
    • Kelp bass 62
    • Yellowfin tuna 62

    1 kt ENEH 8:54 AM · 4.3 ftL 2:18 PM · 1.9 ft

  • Alamos Anchorage

    Bay · 1.3 mi

    67
    Top: California halibutPeak season
    • California halibut 67
    • Kelp bass 66
    • California yellowtail 66

    1 kt ENEH 8:54 AM · 4.3 ftL 2:18 PM · 1.9 ft

Open in the tide map

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.