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Barred sand bassRetention openBar · California
Westcott Shoal
34.07°N · 120.43°W · Bar · Waters from Pt. Sal to Santa Cruz Island CA and westward 60 nm including San Miguel and Santa Rosa Islands
Species here · tap to switch
Best score today · 5 PM · Barred sand bass
- Now
- 309 AM PDT
- Best window
- 4-8 PMFlood tide
- Tide now
- High4.3 ft
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Westcott Shoal 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 · 9 AM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
26Tide: High slackCurrent: 0.5 knWind & pressure
ECMWF
75Wind: 12 kt NNWPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
55Seas over the limit · capped at 30Water temp: 69°F, primeLight: MorningSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 7.0 ftSeason & habitat · Barred sand bass
Species seasonality
40Season: ShoulderHabitat: Poor fitDepth: 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
Westcott Shoal
- Depth
- 60-90 ft
- Structure
- Shoal · 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 Westcott Shoal
Westcott Shoal is a bar in Waters from Pt. Sal to Santa Cruz Island CA and westward 60 nm including San Miguel and Santa Rosa Islands, California. Depth is 60-90 ft. Its profile reads shoal, outer water and exposed.
Waterlands scores 9 species here; the best right now are California yellowtail, surfperch and lingcod. It is peak season now for California yellowtail, California halibut and leopard shark, and shoulder season for surfperch, lingcod, rockfish and barred sand bass. California yellowtail peak from July through September. Surfperch peak from December through March. Lingcod peak in April and from November through December.
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 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.
- Surfperch
- Surfperch feed in the troughs and holes within about 30 feet of the waterline, just outside the first set of breakers. Cast a two-hook high-low or Carolina rig with size 4 to 2 hooks and a 1 to 6 ounce pyramid sinker and let the surge work it through the trough. Fish the incoming tide on beaches with a steep drop, and switch to jetties, pilings and bays when the surf is too big.
Nearby spots
Other spots within an easy run
- Tyler Bight54
Bay · 2.7 mi
Top: SurfperchShoulder season- Surfperch 54
- California yellowtail 49
- Lingcod 37
12 kt NNWL 2:34 PM · 1.8 ftH 8:31 PM · 5.2 ft
- Adams Cove54
Bay · 2.8 mi
Top: SurfperchShoulder season- Surfperch 54
- California yellowtail 49
- Lingcod 37
12 kt NNWL 2:34 PM · 1.8 ftH 8:31 PM · 5.2 ft
- Simonton Cove51
Bay · 2.4 mi
Top: SurfperchShoulder season- Surfperch 51
- California yellowtail 47
- Lingcod 44
12 kt NNWL 2:34 PM · 1.8 ftH 8:31 PM · 5.2 ft
- Oil Springs47
Bar · 0.7 mi
Top: California yellowtailPeak season- California yellowtail 47
- Lingcod 44
- Rockfish 42
12 kt NNWL 2:34 PM · 1.8 ftH 8:31 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.