Waterlands

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California halibutRetention open

Cape · California

Sharp Point

41.24°N · 124.11°W · Cape · Humboldt Bay

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Best score today · 8 AM · California halibut

74/100Great
Now
304 PM PDT
Best window
6-11 PMEbb tide
Tide now
Flooding4.4 ft ▲

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

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24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 4 PM · now

Time4PNOW
Score30Fair
Tide4.4 ft ▲Flooding
Current0.2 knmodeled · toward SW
Wind3 kn WNWgusts 12 · steady
Sea stateRough4.0 ft · 7 s
Air temp59°Mild
WeatherMostly cloudy54% cloud
Water54°FObserved

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

Northern 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)

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

Sharp Point

Depth
15-40 ft
Structure
Point · Outer · Exposed
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 Sharp Point

Sharp Point is a cape in Humboldt Bay, California. Depth is 15-40 ft. Its profile reads point, outer water and exposed.

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

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.
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.
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.

Nearby spots

Other spots within an easy run

  • Rocky Point

    Cape · 7.3 mi

    67
    Top: CabezonPeak season
    • Cabezon 67
    • Rockfish 67
    • Striped bass 65

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

  • Abalone Point

    Cape · 7.5 mi

    67
    Top: CabezonPeak season
    • Cabezon 67
    • Rockfish 67
    • Striped bass 65

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

  • Lookout Point

    Cape · 3.1 mi

    65
    Top: CabezonPeak season
    • Cabezon 65
    • Rockfish 65
    • Striped bass 62

    3 kt WNWH 7:20 PM · 5.5 ftL 2:48 AM · 0.8 ft

  • Mussel Point

    Cape · 6.1 mi

    65
    Top: CabezonPeak season
    • Cabezon 65
    • Rockfish 65
    • Striped bass 62

    3 kt WNWH 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.