Waterlands

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Pacific halibutRetention open

Cape · California

Arrowhead Point

36.56°N · 121.94°W · Cape · Monterey Bay

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Best score today · 6 PM · Pacific halibut

78/100Great
Now
359 PM PDT
Best window
9-10 PMEbb tide
Tide now
Ebbing-0.0 ft ▼

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

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24-hour conditions

Monday, Nov 9 · 6 PM

Time6P
Tide-0.1 ft ▲Flooding
CurrentNo data
Wind5 kn Sgusts 10 · easing
Sea stateNo data
Air temp68°Mild
WeatherOvercast100% cloud
Water67°FModel

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

Central 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 Dec 31, 2026
Annual quota
Not published
Other
Closes early if the quota for south of Point Arena is reached. Check the CDFW Pacific halibut page before fishing. When angling, no more than one line with two hooks. The 2026 booklet (Section 28.20) still says the season ends November 15 statewide. CDFW web pages and the 2026 federal rule (91 FR 23369) keep south of Point Arena open through December 31.

From CDFW Current Ocean Recreational Fishing Regulations, San Francisco Region (updated September 1, 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
  • 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

Out of season for Pacific halibut · the off season starts in 18 weeks

Pacific halibut season by week of the year. Out of season for Pacific halibut · the off season starts in 18 weeks.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
  • Off
  • Not here
  • This week

Pacific halibut in California →

Spot profile

Arrowhead Point

Depth
5-50 ftDrop-off
Structure
Point · Inner · Semi-exposedPoint · drop-off
Season
Not here nowPacific halibut

NOAA NCEI DEM, sampled Sep 14 on a 3.4 m grid. Depths are feet below NAVD 88, not chart datum (MLLW), so they can differ from a chart by a few feet. Not for navigation.

About this spot

Fishing Arrowhead Point

Arrowhead Point is a cape in Monterey Bay, California. Depth is 5-50 ft, with a drop-off. Its profile reads point, inner water and semi-exposed.

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

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.
Striped bass
Striped bass feed where moving tide pushes bait past structure: inlets, points, jetties, bridge pilings and rips in the surf, usually in 2 to 40 feet of water. Fish dawn, dusk and night hardest, casting plugs, bucktails and soft plastics or drifting live bunker and eels, and chunk bait on the bottom in current. In midsummer the larger fish drop deeper or feed mostly after dark.
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

  • Stillwater Cove

    Bay · 0.2 mi

    68
    Top: Striped bassShoulder season
    • Striped bass 68
    • Lingcod 61
    • White seabass 55

    7 kt WNWL 10:23 PM · -0.5 ftH 4:55 AM · 4.0 ft

  • Pescadero Point

    Cape · 0.6 mi

    68
    Top: Striped bassShoulder season
    • Striped bass 68
    • Lingcod 67
    • Rockfish 56

    7 kt WNWL 10:23 PM · -0.5 ftH 4:55 AM · 4.0 ft

  • The Pinnacles

    Bar · 1.6 mi

    67
    Top: LingcodPeak season
    • Lingcod 67
    • Striped bass 58
    • Rockfish 56

    7 kt WNWL 10:23 PM · -0.5 ftH 4:55 AM · 4.0 ft

  • Carmel Bay

    Bay · 1.5 mi

    65
    Top: LingcodPeak season
    • Lingcod 65
    • Rockfish 54
    • Striped bass 53

    7 kt WNWL 10:23 PM · -0.5 ftH 4:55 AM · 4.0 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.