Waterlands

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California halibutRetention open

Bar · California

Eagle Reef

33.46°N · 118.51°W · Bar · Inner waters from Point Mugu to San Mateo Pt. CA including Santa Catalina and Anacapa Islands

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Best score today · 7 AM · California halibut

72/100Great
Now
483 PM PDT
Best window
4-7 PMFlood tide
Tide now
Flooding2.5 ft ▲

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

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24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 3 PM · now

Time3PNOW
Score48Good
Tide2.5 ft ▲Flooding
Current0.7 knmodeled · toward E
Wind13 kn Wgusts 17 · steady
Sea stateModerate3.0 ft · 8 s
Air temp69°Warm
WeatherClear1% cloud
Water73°FObserved

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

Southern Groundfish Management Area

IN EFFECT NOW

California halibut

Retention open
Daily limit
5 per day
Possession
5 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 (10 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 Retention open (2 per day (2 salmon combined))
  • 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

Peak season for California halibut · 1 more week at peak

California halibut season by week of the year. Peak season for California halibut · 1 more week at peak.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
  • Off
  • This week

California halibut in California

Spot profile

Eagle Reef

Depth
200-250 ftDrop-off
Structure
Reef · Outer · ExposedReef · drop-off
Season
Peak 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 Eagle Reef

Eagle Reef is a bar in Inner waters from Point Mugu to San Mateo Pt. CA including Santa Catalina and Anacapa Islands, California. Depth is 200-250 ft, with a drop-off. Its profile reads reef, outer water and exposed.

Waterlands scores 9 species here; the best right now are California yellowtail, rockfish and lingcod. It is peak season now for California yellowtail, California halibut and leopard shark, and shoulder season for rockfish, lingcod, kelp bass and barred sand bass. California yellowtail peak from July through September. Rockfish peak from April through June. Lingcod peak in April and from November through December.

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.
California yellowtail
Yellowtail school around the offshore islands, banks, high spots and kelp paddies from spring into fall, moving north from Baja as the water warms past about 64 degrees. Fly-line a sardine or mackerel, cast a surface iron to breaking fish, or drop a heavy iron and wind it fast when they hold deep. Heavy line matters because they run straight for kelp and rock.
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

  • Ship Rock

    Bar · 0.8 mi

    64
    Top: California yellowtailPeak season
    • California yellowtail 64
    • Rockfish 59
    • Lingcod 58

    13 kt WH 7:32 PM · 5.0 ftL 2:28 AM · 0.2 ft

  • Harbor Reef

    Bar · 1.3 mi

    59
    Top: California yellowtailPeak season
    • California yellowtail 59
    • Rockfish 58
    • Lingcod 57

    13 kt WH 7:32 PM · 5.0 ftL 2:28 AM · 0.2 ft

  • Fourth of July Cove

    Bay · 1.0 mi

    56
    Top: California halibutPeak season
    • California halibut 56
    • Lingcod 56
    • Rockfish 55

    13 kt WH 7:32 PM · 5.0 ftL 2:28 AM · 0.2 ft

  • Isthmus Cove

    Bay · 1.4 mi

    56
    Top: California halibutPeak season
    • California halibut 56
    • Lingcod 56
    • Rockfish 55

    13 kt WH 7:32 PM · 5.0 ftL 2:28 AM · 0.2 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.