UPDATEDAUTO-REFRESH 5 MIN
California halibutRetention openSpecies here · tap to switch
Best score today · 5 AM · Lingcod
- Now
- 309 PM PST
- Best window
- 9 PM-12 AMMoving water
- Tide now
- Ebbing2.3 ft ▼
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Carmel Bay 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 · rolling from now
Conditions · 9 PM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
44Tide: EbbingCurrent: 0.2 knWind & pressure
ECMWF
100Wind: 7 kt SPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
20Seas over the limit · capped at 30Water temp: 67°F, primeLight: NightSolunar: Near a majorSeas: 9.6 ftSeason & habitat · California halibut
Species seasonality
33Off season · capped at 35Season: Off seasonHabitat: Usable structureDepth: Out of rangeRegulations: Retention open
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
Central Groundfish Management Area
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 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)
Source: CDFW · synced today
Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed
When California halibut is best here
Out of season for California halibut · shoulder season starts in 22 weeks
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- This week
Spot profile
Carmel Bay
- Depth
- 200-450 ftDrop-off
- Structure
- Bay · Outer · ExposedBay · drop-off
- Season
- Off 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 Carmel Bay
Carmel Bay is a bay in Monterey Bay, California. Depth is 200-450 ft, with a drop-off. Its profile reads bay, outer water and exposed.
Waterlands scores 9 species here; the best right now are California halibut, kelp greenling and leopard shark. It is peak season now for kelp greenling and lingcod, and shoulder season for rockfish, striped bass, surfperch and cabezon. California halibut peak from May through August. Kelp greenling peak from October through November. Leopard shark peak from May through August.
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.
- Kelp greenling
- Kelp greenling are solitary bottom fish of rocky shores, jetties and kelp beds, usually in water shallower than 60 feet. Use a small number 4 to 6 hook with sand shrimp or marine worms, or a small lead-head grub, dropped to the bottom and reeled up slightly. Larger fish show in October and November when they spawn close to shore, and mornings tend to fish best.
- Leopard shark
- Leopard sharks cruise shallow mudflats, sloughs and channel edges in bays, most often in less than 15 feet of water, and follow the flooding tide onto the flats to feed on crabs, worms, clams and small fish. Anchor or fish from shore or a pier with a sliding sinker rig and a chunk of squid, mackerel or ghost shrimp on the bottom. The bite is often better into the evening and at night.
Nearby spots
Other spots within an easy run
- The Pinnacles30
Bar · 1.2 mi
Top: California halibutOff season- California halibut 30
- Kelp greenling 30
- Lingcod 30
7 kt SL 12:13 AM · 0.4 ftH 6:56 AM · 4.9 ft
- Pescadero Point30
Cape · 1.2 mi
Top: CabezonShoulder season- Cabezon 30
- California halibut 30
- Kelp greenling 30
7 kt SL 12:13 AM · 0.4 ftH 6:56 AM · 4.9 ft
- Pinnacle Point30
Cape · 1.3 mi
Top: CabezonShoulder season- Cabezon 30
- California halibut 30
- Kelp greenling 30
7 kt SL 12:13 AM · 0.4 ftH 6:56 AM · 4.9 ft
- North Point30
Cape · 1.3 mi
Top: CabezonShoulder season- Cabezon 30
- California halibut 30
- Kelp greenling 30
7 kt SL 12:13 AM · 0.4 ftH 6:56 AM · 4.9 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.