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Pacific halibutRetention openSpecies here · tap to switch
Best score today · 7 AM · Rockfish
- Now
- 659 AM PDT
- Best window
- 9 PM-12 AMEbb tide
- Tide now
- High3.8 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
Saturday, Oct 3 · 7 PM
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
100Tide: EbbingWind & pressure
ECMWF
76Wind: 13 kt SPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
83Water temp: 59°F, warmLight: DuskSolunar: Major periodSeason & habitat · Lingcod
Species seasonality
83Season: PeakHabitat: Usable structureDepth: In range
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
Central Groundfish Management Area
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 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)
- 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 Pacific halibut is best here
Shoulder season for Pacific halibut · 1 more week at shoulder
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- Not here
- This week
Spot profile
Carmel Bay
- Depth
- 200-450 ftDrop-off
- Structure
- Bay · Outer · ExposedBay · drop-off
- Season
- Shoulder seasonPacific 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 11 species here; the best right now are Pacific halibut, surfperch and rockfish. It is peak season now for surfperch, rockfish, cabezon and striped bass, and shoulder season for Pacific halibut, Chinook salmon, lingcod and kelp greenling. Pacific halibut peak from May through July. Surfperch peak in May and from July through September. Rockfish peak from May through September.
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.
- 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.
- 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
- Pinnacle Point69
Cape · 1.3 mi
Top: CabezonPeak season- Cabezon 69
- Pacific halibut 65
- Chinook salmon 63
6 kt NWL 1:38 PM · 2.9 ftH 7:24 PM · 4.8 ft
- North Point69
Cape · 1.3 mi
Top: CabezonPeak season- Cabezon 69
- Pacific halibut 65
- Surfperch 64
6 kt NWL 1:38 PM · 2.9 ftH 7:24 PM · 4.8 ft
- Pescadero Point67
Cape · 1.2 mi
Top: CabezonPeak season- Cabezon 67
- Pacific halibut 65
- Surfperch 64
6 kt NWL 1:38 PM · 2.9 ftH 7:24 PM · 4.8 ft
- The Pinnacles65
Bar · 1.2 mi
Top: Pacific halibutShoulder season- Pacific halibut 65
- Cabezon 61
- Rockfish 59
6 kt NWL 1:38 PM · 2.9 ftH 7:24 PM · 4.8 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.