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BoatGroundfish Management Area SouthernCalifornia Sheephead · Open

Cat Rock

34.00°N · 119.42°W

BoatGroundfish Management Area SouthernCalifornia Sheephead · Open

Cat Rock Fishing Forecast

Updated today

What's biting now around Ventura: California Sheephead

California Sheephead fishing at Cat Rock looks good today.
The best time to go is 7 AM to 7 PM, with the tide flooding.

ReelCaster scores every hour at Cat Rock from 0 to 100, reading the tide, current, wind and weather for California Sheephead. The higher the score, the better your odds. Green means go.

California Sheephead
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Cat Rock, on the live map

Every spot is scored for today, out of 100. Green is worth the trip, amber is fair, red is slow.

Species

tap to switch species

14-Day Forecast

Data from: ECMWF + GFS + BlueCaster
Sun
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24-Hour Conditions

All times PDT

Tap or drag to read any hour

Conditions
Time
11 AM
Now
Score
78
Good
Tide
4.5 ft ▲
Flooding
Current
—
Flood
Wind
9 kn
WSW · steady
Sea state
Flat
2 ft @ 10 s SW
Air temp
68°
Warm
Weather
Overcast
100% cloud
Hour 11 AM. Score 78 Good. Tide 4.5ft Rising ▲. Current +0.8kn Flood. Wind 9kn WSW G9. Sea 2 ft @ 10 s SW Flat. Air 67.6°.

Why this score

Current
0.7 kn
Prime

Current regulations

In effect now

What you can keep at this spot today

California Sheephead
Retention open
Daily limit
2 per day
Possession
2 in possession
Size
Minimum 12"
Gear
Boat-based anglers only permitted Mar 1–Dec 31; divers and shore-based anglers open year-round.
Annual quota
Not published
Other
Boat-based anglers: open Mar 1, 2026 through Dec 31, 2026. Divers and shore-based anglers: open year-round. Minimum size 12 inches total length.
Season
Mar 1 to Dec 31
Other species here
Leopard Shark Retention openCalifornia Scorpionfish Retention openLingcod ClosedWhite Seabass Retention openBonito Retention openCalifornia Halibut Retention openKelp Bass Retention open
Always check with CDFW ↗

Source: CDFW · Groundfish Management Area Southern · synced today

Seasonality

52-week view · today highlighted

When California Sheephead is best at this spot

Shoulder seasonShoulder season for California Sheephead
~4 more weeks in shoulder
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Peak seasonShoulder seasonOff seasonClosed

SPOT PROFILE

DEPTH
1-65 ft
Rock
STRUCTURE
Drop Off
Outer Exposed

About Cat Rock

Cat Rock is an outer-exposed rocky drop-off off Ventura, California, where the bottom falls from the shallows down to about 65 feet. The structure holds California Halibut and Calico Bass through their spring-into-summer peak from March to August, while White Seabass move in from February to July and Lingcod hold on the rock through winter and again from October to December. Halibut come to drift fishing with live anchovies, live smelt, squid, or sardines across the sloping bottom, and Calico Bass respond to plastics like swimbaits, plastic grubs, and flukes worked tight to the rock. Lingcod hold near the deeper structure and take vertical jigging with metal jigs, swimbaits, or leadhead jigs, and White Seabass fall to live bait fishing with live squid, live sardines, or live mackerel. California Sheephead peak from July to September over the same rocky ground and take bait fishing with live shrimp, market shrimp, squid, or mussels.

CUSTOM ALERT
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Cat Rock is one of the spots we track around Ventura. More spots in Ventura · All of California.

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