Waterlands

UPDATEDAUTO-REFRESH 5 MIN

California halibutRetention open

Bay · California

Rockport Bay

39.73°N · 123.83°W · Bay · Coastal waters from Cape Mendocino to Pt. Arena CA out 10 nm

LOADING MAP

Best score today · 11 PM · California halibut

71/100Great
Now
309 AM PDT
Best window
11 PM-12 AMEbb tide
Tide now
Flooding4.3 ft ▲

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

Notify me when Rockport Bay scores 75+

Checked every morning against the 14-day forecast. Free by push and email.

Sign in to set an alert

14-day forecast

Best days to fish

Best: Fri · 76

24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 9 AM · now

Time9ANOW
Score30Fair
Tide4.3 ft ▲Flooding
Current0.3 knmodeled · toward NE
Wind2 kn NNEgusts 8 · steady
Sea stateRough6.0 ft · 9 s
Air temp55°Mild
WeatherMostly cloudy54% cloud
Water56°FModel

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

Mendocino Groundfish Management Area

IN EFFECT NOW

California halibut

Retention open
Daily limit
2 per day
Possession
2 in possession
Size
Minimum 22 in, total length
Season
No closed season on file
Annual quota
Not published

From CDFW 2026 California Ocean Sport Fishing Regulations booklet (last updated July 17, 2026), read Sep 13

Other species here

  • Albacore tuna Retention open (25 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))
  • Chinook salmon Closed (No retention)
  • 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 today

Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed

When California halibut is best here

Shoulder season for California halibut · 5 more weeks at shoulder

California halibut season by week of the year. Shoulder season for California halibut · 5 more weeks at shoulder.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
  • Off
  • This week

California halibut in California →

Spot profile

Rockport Bay

Depth
40-45 ftNearest water
Structure
Bay · Inner · Protected
Season
Shoulder seasonCalifornia halibut

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 Rockport Bay

Rockport Bay is a bay in Coastal waters from Cape Mendocino to Pt. Arena CA out 10 nm, California. Depth in the nearest water is 40-45 ft. Its profile reads bay, inner water and protected.

Waterlands scores 12 species here; the best right now are striped bass, kelp greenling and surfperch. It is peak season now for striped bass, surfperch, cabezon and rockfish, and shoulder season for kelp greenling, lingcod, white seabass and Pacific halibut. Striped bass peak from June through July and from September through October. Kelp greenling peak from October through November. Surfperch peak in May and from July through September.

Tackle & technique

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.
Striped bass
Striped bass feed where moving tide pushes bait past structure: inlets, points, jetties, bridge pilings and rips in the surf, usually in 2 to 40 feet of water. Fish dawn, dusk and night hardest, casting plugs, bucktails and soft plastics or drifting live bunker and eels, and chunk bait on the bottom in current. In midsummer the larger fish drop deeper or feed mostly after dark.
Kelp greenling
Kelp greenling are solitary bottom fish of rocky shores, jetties and kelp beds, usually in water shallower than 60 feet. Use a small number 4 to 6 hook with sand shrimp or marine worms, or a small lead-head grub, dropped to the bottom and reeled up slightly. Larger fish show in October and November when they spawn close to shore, and mornings tend to fish best.

Nearby spots

Other spots within an easy run

View all on map →
  • Cape Vizcaino

    Cape · 0.5 mi

    68
    Top: CabezonPeak season
    • Cabezon 68
    • Striped bass 66
    • Rockfish 65

    2 kt NNEH 10:26 AM · 4.7 ftL 3:39 PM · 2.2 ft

  • Williams Point

    Cape · 1.4 mi

    68
    Top: CabezonPeak season
    • Cabezon 68
    • Surfperch 66
    • Rockfish 65

    2 kt NNEH 10:26 AM · 4.7 ftL 3:39 PM · 2.2 ft

  • Bruhel Point

    Cape · 9.0 mi

    65
    Top: SurfperchPeak season
    • Surfperch 65
    • Rockfish 64
    • Lingcod 59

    2 kt ESEH 10:26 AM · 4.7 ftL 3:39 PM · 2.2 ft

  • Ten Mile River Bluff

    Cape · 12 mi

    65
    Top: SurfperchPeak season
    • Surfperch 65
    • Rockfish 64
    • Lingcod 59

    2 kt ESEH 10:26 AM · 4.7 ftL 3:39 PM · 2.2 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.