Waterlands

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Pacific bluefin tunaRetention 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 · Pacific bluefin tuna

74/100Great
Now
555 AM PDT
Best window
6-9 AMFlood tide
Tide now
Flooding1.6 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 · 5 AM · now

Time5ANOW
Score55Good
Tide1.6 ft ▲Flooding
Current0.5 knmodeled · toward WNW
Wind1 kn NWgusts 4 · steady
Sea stateModerate2.8 ft · 9 s
Air temp62°Mild
WeatherClear0% cloud
Water71°FObserved

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

Southern Groundfish Management Area

IN EFFECT NOW

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)
Always check with CDFW ↗Fishing license ↗

Source: CDFW · synced yesterday

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

Pacific bluefin tuna season by week of the year. Peak season for Pacific bluefin tuna · 1 more week at peak.
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Pacific bluefin tuna in California →

Spot profile

Willows Anchorage

Depth
30-45 ft
Structure
Bay · Outer · 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 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 yellowtail, California halibut and barred sand bass. It is peak season now for California yellowtail, California halibut, yellowfin tuna and Pacific bluefin tuna, and shoulder season for barred sand bass, kelp bass, rockfish and lingcod. California yellowtail peak from July through September. California halibut peak from May through September. Barred sand bass peak from June through August.

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.
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.

Nearby spots

Other spots within an easy run

View all on map →
  • Bowen Point

    Cape · 1.6 mi

    68
    Top: California yellowtailPeak season
    • California yellowtail 68
    • Yellowfin tuna 60
    • Kelp bass 59

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

  • Blue Banks Anchorage

    Bay · 4.5 mi

    68
    Top: California yellowtailPeak season
    • California yellowtail 68
    • California halibut 62
    • Barred sand bass 61

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

  • Valley Anchorage

    Bay · 5.0 mi

    68
    Top: California yellowtailPeak season
    • California yellowtail 68
    • California halibut 62
    • Barred sand bass 61

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

  • Alamos Anchorage

    Bay · 1.3 mi

    64
    Top: California yellowtailPeak season
    • California yellowtail 64
    • Barred sand bass 62
    • California halibut 61

    1 kt NWH 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.