California · ChartNav curated ground
Cortez Bank
A remote seamount that nearly breaks the surface off Southern California — yellowtail, white seabass and tuna over the pinnacles.
What's biting here — right now
Prime water for Pacific Bluefin Tuna & Blue Shark — 69°F on top, water moving now.
Today's bite
4:50 PM – 9:27 PM · dusk bite
Days ahead
Today
OK
seas 3.9 ft
Sun
OK
seas 3.8 ft
Mon
OK
seas 4.2 ft
Tue
OK
seas 5.0 ft
Wed
ROUGH
seas 5.2 ft
In season (Oct)
SST 69°F in the prime band (61–70°F prime)
Charted 351 ft suits this species (328–6560 ft ideal)
Temperature break nearby (1.0°C across ~15 nm)
Glide the boat to foamers and sonar marks; flat-falls at night.
Blue Shark100
In season (Oct)
SST 69°F workable (55–68°F prime)
Charted 351 ft suits this species (131–3280 ft ideal)
Temperature break nearby (1.0°C across ~15 nm)
They find the chum slick on their own — circle hooks and a wire bite leader, then let them go.
In season (Oct)
SST 69°F in the prime band (59–70°F prime)
Charted 351 ft suits this species (98–1312 ft ideal)
Temperature break nearby (1.0°C across ~15 nm)
Slow-trolled bait or a chum slick where bait stacks on a break — they stun with the tail, so hook-ups run tail-first.
In season (Oct)
SST 69°F in the prime band (63–72°F prime)
Charted 351 ft suits this species (131–1640 ft ideal)
Temperature break nearby (1.0°C across ~15 nm)
Chum slick on temperature breaks near bait concentrations.
In season (Oct)
SST 69°F in the prime band (64–73°F prime)
Charted 351 ft suits this species (49–295 ft ideal)
Temperature break nearby (1.0°C across ~15 nm)
Better near kelp paddies offshore, high spots and island ridges if you can find it
Surface iron or live sardines at kelp paddies and high spots.
In season (Oct)
Bottom temp 51°F at 328 ft in the prime band (46–57°F prime)
Charted 351 ft suits this species (164–492 ft ideal)
No charted structure within 250 m — scored cautiously (charts don't mark all hard bottom)
Heavy jigs or bait on deep rock structure; the red one everyone hopes for on a deep drop.
In season (Oct)
SST 69°F workable (70–81°F prime)
Charted 351 ft suits this species (328–6560 ft ideal)
Temperature break nearby (1.0°C across ~15 nm)
Look for tailers and sleepers on a warm blue break, then bait-and-switch with a live mackerel.
In season (Oct)
Bottom temp 51°F at 328 ft in the prime band (48–59°F prime)
Charted 351 ft suits this species (131–492 ft ideal)
Near the southern edge of its range (regular south to about 33.0°N)
Multi-hook rigs with squid strips dragged on soft bottom; they come up several at a time.
In season (Oct)
SST 69°F workable (72–84°F prime)
Charted 351 ft suits this species (197–4920 ft ideal)
Temperature break nearby (1.0°C across ~15 nm)
In NOAA-designated Essential Fish Habitat
Troll skirted lures on blue-water edges, rips and canyon walls; chunk at night.
In season (Oct)
SST 69°F in the prime band (63–73°F prime)
Charted 351 ft marginal for this species (20–197 ft ideal)
Temperature break nearby (1.0°C across ~15 nm)
Small jigs or a fly-lined bait through a boiling school; they show under working birds.
Albacore28
In season (Oct)
SST 69°F outside preference (59–66°F prime)
Charted 351 ft suits this species (328–6560 ft ideal)
Near the southern edge of its range (regular south to about 33.0°N)
Temperature break nearby (1.0°C across ~15 nm)
Troll jigs at 6-8 kt on the warm side of clear blue-water breaks.
In season (Oct)
Bottom temp 51°F at 328 ft in the prime band (46–57°F prime)
Charted 351 ft suits this species (49–295 ft ideal)
Near the southern edge of its range (regular south to about 34.0°N)
No charted structure within 250 m — scored cautiously (charts don't mark all hard bottom)
Bait or jigs right in the rock — a homebody that holds tight to one piece of structure.
Live habitat-envelope scoring at this exact cell — SST, charted depth, charted structure and seabed, NOAA-designated habitat. The same engine and cards as tapping the spot in Fish mode.
Today's bite windows — moving water
Moving water right now — building
4:50 PM – 9:27 PM
peak 7:09 PM · ebb
peak 7:09 PM · ebb
1:02 AM – 5:11 AM
peak 3:07 AM · flood
peak 3:07 AM · flood
7:45 AM – 9:50 AM
peak 8:48 AM · ebb
peak 8:48 AM · ebb
Derived from the tide at Wilson Cove, San Clemente Island — flow peaks near mid-tide, goes slack near high and low. No tidal-current station within 10 nm of this spot. Timing only — it never changes the habitat scores above.
The week ahead — full forecast
Drag the graph for any hour — wind, gusts, seas & period, rain, predicted current. The pale band around the wind line is model disagreement; the day chips carry the verdict and the number that caused it; the moons are real phases.
Sea state right now — every train
Combined
3.9 ft @ 15 s
from SSW
Wind sea
0.0 ft
Swell 1
2.7 ft @ 10 s
from NW
Swell 2
1.7 ft @ 13 s
from SE · long-period groundswell
Swell 3
1.5 ft @ 15 s
from SSW · long-period groundswell
Buoy check — 46047 (TANNER BANK - 121 NM West of San Diego, 17.1 nm): 13.6 kt observed vs 8 kt forecast, seas 4.9 ft vs 3.9 ft · model close (+5.7 kt)
Wind: NBM 2.5km direct (69 h) → GFS 0.25° direct (3 h) → Open-Meteo blend (96 h) · Waves: GFS-Wave 0.16° (12Z cycle), full train decomposition · Confidence band: GEFS ensemble spread · Bite windows: CO-OPS tidal predictions
Water temperature — last 10 weeks
2026-07-24 → 2026-10-02 · 67–73°F
Best months here
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Species in season by month for California (from the knowledge base). In season now: Coho (Silver) Salmon, Cabezon, California Halibut, Kelp Greenling, Pacific Sanddab, Black Rockfish, Canary Rockfish, Copper Rockfish, Lingcod, Sablefish (Black Cod).
Other grounds in California
Tanner Bank
California Yellowtail · Rockfish (complex) · Calico Bass (Kelp Bass)
Nine Mile Bank
California Yellowtail · Calico Bass (Kelp Bass) · Yellowfin Tuna
The Farallon Islands
Rockfish (complex) · Lingcod · Chinook (King) Salmon
Monterey Submarine Canyon
Chinook (King) Salmon · Rockfish (complex) · Albacore
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