Waterlands

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California halibutRetention open

Bar · California

Aumentos Rock

36.63°N · 121.92°W · Bar · Monterey Bay

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Best score today · 7 AM · California halibut

72/100Great
Now
303 PM PDT
Best window
4 PM-12 AMEbb tide
Tide now
Flooding3.2 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
Score30Fair
Tide3.2 ft ▲Flooding
Current0.2 knmodeled · toward NE
Wind8 kn Wgusts 18 · steady
Sea stateRough4.1 ft · 9 s
Air temp65°Mild
WeatherPartly cloudy22% cloud
Water62°FObserved

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

Central Groundfish Management Area

IN EFFECT NOW

California halibut

Retention open
Daily limit
Not published
Possession
Not published
Size
Minimum 22 in, total length
Season
No closed season on file
Annual quota
Not published
Other
2 fish north of a line due west magnetic from Point Sur, Monterey County. 5 fish south of that line. The Point Sur line runs due west magnetic, not along a latitude line. Check which side of it you are fishing.

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 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

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

Aumentos Rock

Depth
20-80 ftDrop-off
Structure
Ledge · Outer · ExposedLedge · drop-off
Season
Shoulder seasonCalifornia 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 Aumentos Rock

Aumentos Rock is a bar in Monterey Bay, California. Depth is 20-80 ft, with a drop-off. Its profile reads ledge, outer water and exposed.

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

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.
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

  • Point Alones

    Cape · 1.5 mi

    64
    Top: RockfishPeak season
    • Rockfish 64
    • Cabezon 61
    • Striped bass 61

    6 kt WNWH 7:27 PM · 4.9 ftL 2:40 AM · 0.3 ft

  • Lucas Point

    Cape · 0.3 mi

    63
    Top: RockfishPeak season
    • Rockfish 63
    • Pacific halibut 60
    • Cabezon 59

    8 kt WH 7:27 PM · 4.9 ftL 2:40 AM · 0.3 ft

  • Lovers Point

    Cape · 0.6 mi

    63
    Top: RockfishPeak season
    • Rockfish 63
    • Pacific halibut 60
    • Cabezon 59

    8 kt WH 7:27 PM · 4.9 ftL 2:40 AM · 0.3 ft

  • Point Pinos

    Cape · 0.7 mi

    63
    Top: RockfishPeak season
    • Rockfish 63
    • Pacific halibut 60
    • Cabezon 59

    8 kt WH 7:27 PM · 4.9 ftL 2:40 AM · 0.3 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.