Waterlands

UPDATEDAUTO-REFRESH 5 MIN

Pacific halibutRetention open

Cape · California

Abalone Point

41.13°N · 124.16°W · Cape · Humboldt Bay

LOADING MAP

Best score today · 9 AM · Pacific halibut

75/100Great
Now
5210 AM PDT
Best window
10 AM-12 PMEbb tide
Tide now
High4.9 ft

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

Notify me when Abalone Point scores 75+

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

Sign in to set an alert

24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 10 AM · now

Time10ANOW
Score52Good
Tide4.9 ftHigh
Current0.2 knmodeled · toward SSW
Wind2 kn Ngusts 5 · building
Sea stateRough4.7 ft · 8 s
Air temp56°Mild
WeatherOvercast92% cloud
Water54°FObserved

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

Northern Groundfish Management Area

IN EFFECT NOW

Pacific halibut

Retention open
Daily limit
1 per day
Possession
1 in possession
Size
Not published
Season
Apr 1 to Nov 15, 2026
Annual quota
Not published
Changes
Closed from Nov 16
Other
Closes early if the California quota is reached. Check the CDFW Pacific halibut page before fishing. When angling, no more than one line with two hooks.

From CDFW Current Ocean Recreational Fishing Regulations, Northern Region (updated August 31, 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))
  • California halibut Retention open (2 per day)
  • 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)
  • 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)

Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed

When Pacific halibut is best here

Shoulder season for Pacific halibut · 1 more week at shoulder

Pacific halibut season by week of the year. Shoulder season for Pacific halibut · 1 more week at shoulder.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
  • Off
  • Not here
  • This week

Pacific halibut in California

Spot profile

Abalone Point

Depth
About 15 ftNearest water
Structure
Point · Inner · Semi-exposed
Season
Shoulder seasonPacific 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 Abalone Point

Abalone Point is a cape in Humboldt Bay, California. Depth in the nearest water is about 15 ft. Its profile reads point, inner water and semi-exposed.

Waterlands scores 11 species here; the best right now are cabezon, kelp greenling and surfperch. It is peak season now for cabezon, surfperch, rockfish and striped bass, and shoulder season for kelp greenling, lingcod, Pacific halibut and white seabass. Cabezon peak from May through September. Kelp greenling peak from October through November. Surfperch peak in May and from July through September.

Tackle & technique

Pacific halibut
Halibut sit on sand and gravel bottoms near drop-offs, bars and pinnacles, most often in 90 to 500 feet in Alaska and on the shelf off Washington, Oregon and far northern California. Anchor up-current of a likely edge and fish herring, squid, octopus or a salmon head on a circle hook with 24 to 32 ounces of weight, or bounce a large jig on the bottom. The best bite usually comes in the hour around slack tide.
Cabezon
Cabezon sit in rock crevices, kelp beds and jetty boulders from the intertidal zone to about 100 feet and feed mostly on crabs and small fish. Fish a fish-finder rig with sand shrimp, squid or crab right on the bottom in the rocks, or drag a lead-head grub slowly through the kelp. Expect snags, and do not eat the roe, which is toxic.
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

  • Omenoku Point

    Cape · 4.7 mi

    72
    Top: CabezonPeak season
    • Cabezon 72
    • Kelp greenling 66
    • Surfperch 62

    2 kt NL 2:48 PM · 3.5 ftH 8:27 PM · 5.7 ft

  • Rocky Point

    Cape · 0.3 mi

    71
    Top: CabezonPeak season
    • Cabezon 71
    • Kelp greenling 65
    • Surfperch 61

    2 kt NL 2:48 PM · 3.5 ftH 8:27 PM · 5.7 ft

  • Palmers Point

    Cape · 0.3 mi

    71
    Top: CabezonPeak season
    • Cabezon 71
    • Kelp greenling 65
    • Surfperch 61

    2 kt NL 2:48 PM · 3.5 ftH 8:27 PM · 5.7 ft

  • College Cove

    Bay · 4.8 mi

    70
    Top: CabezonPeak season
    • Cabezon 70
    • Surfperch 67
    • Kelp greenling 65

    2 kt NL 2:48 PM · 3.5 ftH 8:27 PM · 5.7 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.