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California halibutRetention openCape · California
San Mateo Point
33.39°N · 117.60°W · Cape · Inner waters from Point Mugu to San Mateo Pt. CA including Santa Catalina and Anacapa Islands
Species here · tap to switch
Best score today · 5 PM · California yellowtail
- Now
- 607 PM PDT
- Best window
- 8 PM-12 AMEbb tide
- Tide now
- High5.2 ft
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when San Mateo Point 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
Monday, Oct 5 · 7 PM
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
89Tide: EbbingWind & pressure
ECMWF
98Wind: 3 kt SWPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
59Water temp: 75°F, warmLight: DuskSolunar: Between periodsSeason & habitat · California yellowtail
Species seasonality
72Season: ShoulderHabitat: Usable structureDepth: In range
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
Southern Groundfish Management Area
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)
Source: CDFW · synced today
Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed
When California halibut is best here
Peak season for California halibut · 1 more week at peak
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- This week
Spot profile
San Mateo Point
- Depth
- 20-25 ftNearest water
- Structure
- Point · Outer · Exposed
- 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 San Mateo Point
San Mateo Point is a cape in Inner waters from Point Mugu to San Mateo Pt. CA including Santa Catalina and Anacapa Islands, California. Depth in the nearest water is 20-25 ft. Its profile reads point, outer water and exposed.
Waterlands scores 9 species here; the best right now are California halibut, California yellowtail and surfperch. It is peak season now for California halibut, California yellowtail and leopard shark, and shoulder season for surfperch, kelp bass, lingcod and rockfish. California halibut peak from May through September. California yellowtail peak from July through September. Surfperch peak from December through March.
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.
- 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.
Nearby spots
Other spots within an easy run
- Capistrano Bight68
Bay · 4.5 mi
Top: California halibutPeak season- California halibut 68
- Surfperch 61
- California yellowtail 57
7 kt WNWL 1:56 AM · 0.2 ftH 8:10 AM · 4.5 ft
- Crawfish Rock66
Bar · 7.1 mi
Top: California halibutPeak season- California halibut 66
- California yellowtail 62
- Kelp bass 56
7 kt WNWL 1:56 AM · 0.2 ftH 8:10 AM · 4.5 ft
- Goff Island63
Cape · 13 mi
Top: California yellowtailPeak season- California yellowtail 63
- California halibut 61
- Surfperch 56
7 kt WNWL 2:09 AM · 0.2 ftH 8:29 AM · 4.5 ft
- Dana Point61
Cape · 8.6 mi
Top: California halibutPeak season- California halibut 61
- California yellowtail 61
- Surfperch 55
7 kt WNWL 1:56 AM · 0.2 ftH 8:10 AM · 4.5 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.