Waterlands

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Pacific halibutRetention open

Cape · California

Rocky Point

41.14°N · 124.16°W · Cape · Humboldt Bay

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Best score today · 8 AM · Pacific halibut

77/100Great
Now
533 PM PDT
Best window
6-11 PMEbb tide
Tide now
Flooding4.0 ft ▲

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

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24-hour conditions

Saturday, Sep 26 · 9 AM

Time9A
Score25Fair
Tide3.8 ft ▲Flooding
Current0.8 knmodeled · toward NE
Wind13 kn Ngusts 21 · steady
Sea stateVery rough7.7 ft · 8 s
Air temp56°Mild
WeatherOvercast100% cloud
Water56°FBias corrected

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

Rocky Point

Depth
15-50 ft
Structure
Point · Outer · 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 Rocky Point

Rocky Point is a cape in Humboldt Bay, California. Depth is 15-50 ft. Its profile reads point, outer water and exposed.

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

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.
Rockfish
Rockfish live on rocky reefs, pinnacles and kelp from the shoreline out past 300 feet, with black and blue rockfish schooling mid-water over shallow reefs and copper, quillback, yelloweye and vermilion sitting tight to deeper bottom. Drift over the structure with a shrimp fly above a lead-head grub or metal jig, or a squid strip, and reel up a few cranks after touching bottom to cut snags. Use a descending device to release any fish brought up from deep water.
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.

Nearby spots

Other spots within an easy run

  • Abalone Point

    Cape · 0.3 mi

    66
    Top: RockfishPeak season
    • Rockfish 66
    • Cabezon 65
    • Striped bass 62

    10 kt NH 7:20 PM · 5.5 ftL 2:48 AM · 0.8 ft

  • Palmers Point

    Cape · 0.6 mi

    66
    Top: RockfishPeak season
    • Rockfish 66
    • Cabezon 65
    • Striped bass 62

    10 kt NH 7:20 PM · 5.5 ftL 2:48 AM · 0.8 ft

  • Omenoku Point

    Cape · 5.0 mi

    65
    Top: RockfishPeak season
    • Rockfish 65
    • Cabezon 64
    • Striped bass 62

    11 kt NNWH 7:20 PM · 5.5 ftL 2:48 AM · 0.8 ft

  • College Cove

    Bay · 5.1 mi

    62
    Top: CabezonPeak season
    • Cabezon 62
    • Rockfish 60
    • Surfperch 60

    11 kt NNWH 7:20 PM · 5.5 ftL 2:48 AM · 0.8 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.