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Pacific halibutRetention openSpecies here · tap to switch
Best score today · 12 AM · Pacific halibut
- Now
- 5312 PM PDT
- Best window
- 6-9 PMFlood tide
- Tide now
- Ebbing5.5 ft ▼
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Arcata Channel 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
Thursday, Sep 24 · 8 AM
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
19Tide: FloodingCurrent: 1.1 kn floodWind & pressure
ECMWF
97Wind: 3 kt SPressure: FallingWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
46Water temp: 55°F, hotLight: DawnSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 5.6 ftSeason & habitat · Pacific halibut
Species seasonality
52Season: ShoulderHabitat: Usable structureDepth: Out of range
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
Northern Groundfish Management Area
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)
Source: CDFW · synced today
Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed
When Pacific halibut is best here
Shoulder season for Pacific halibut · 1 more week at shoulder
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- Not here
- This week
Spot profile
Arcata Channel
- Depth
- 8-20 ft
- Structure
- Channel · Inner · Protected
- 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 Arcata Channel
Arcata Channel is a channel in Humboldt Bay, California. Depth is 8-20 ft. Its profile reads channel, inner water and protected.
Waterlands scores 11 species here; the best right now are surfperch, lingcod and Pacific halibut. It is peak season now for surfperch, rockfish, cabezon and striped bass, and shoulder season for lingcod, Pacific halibut, California halibut and kelp greenling. Surfperch peak in May and from July through September. Lingcod peak from April through May and from October through November. Pacific halibut peak from May through July.
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.
- 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.
- Lingcod
- Lingcod ambush prey from rock outcrops, reef edges and kelp where current runs, most often in 30 to 300 feet, and males move shallow to guard nests in winter. Drift over the reef bouncing a lead-head swimbait or metal jig on the bottom, or fish herring or squid on a heavy leader, since their teeth cut light line. From jetties and rocky shore, work bait or jigs along the rocks on the incoming tide.
Nearby spots
Other spots within an easy run
- Arcata Bay62
Bay · 1.1 mi
Top: SurfperchPeak season- Surfperch 62
- Pacific halibut 52
- Rockfish 50
9 kt NL 4:36 PM · 3.1 ftH 10:18 PM · 6.2 ft
- Inner Reach56
Channel · 1.3 mi
Top: SurfperchPeak season- Surfperch 56
- Lingcod 54
- Rockfish 54
9 kt NL 3:55 PM · 3.1 ftH 9:56 PM · 6.5 ft
- Eureka Channel56
Channel · 1.8 mi
Top: SurfperchPeak season- Surfperch 56
- Lingcod 54
- Rockfish 54
9 kt NL 3:55 PM · 3.1 ftH 9:56 PM · 6.5 ft
- Samoa Channel56
Channel · 2.1 mi
Top: SurfperchPeak season- Surfperch 56
- Lingcod 54
- Rockfish 54
9 kt NL 3:55 PM · 3.1 ftH 9:56 PM · 6.5 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.