UPDATEDAUTO-REFRESH 5 MIN
Pacific halibutRetention openSpecies here · tap to switch
Best score today · 7 AM · Rockfish
- Now
- 572 AM PDT
- Best window
- 3 PM-12 AMHigh slack
- Tide now
- Low0.5 ft
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Harlech Castle Rock 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
Tuesday, Sep 29 · 5 PM
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
100Tide: EbbingWind & pressure
ECMWF
93Wind: 4 kt WNWPressure: FallingWater temp & sky
Open-Meteo Marine
89Water temp: 67°F, primeLight: DuskSolunar: Near a majorSeason & habitat · Striped bass
Species seasonality
75Season: PeakHabitat: Poor fitDepth: 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 yesterday
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
Harlech Castle Rock
- Depth
- 15-80 ftDrop-off
- Structure
- Ledge · Outer · ExposedLedge · drop-off
- Season
- Shoulder seasonPacific 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 Harlech Castle Rock
Harlech Castle Rock is a bar in Monterey Bay, California. Depth is 15-80 ft, with a drop-off. Its profile reads ledge, outer water and exposed.
Waterlands scores 11 species here; the best right now are Pacific halibut, rockfish and cabezon. It is peak season now for rockfish, cabezon, striped bass and surfperch, and shoulder season for Pacific halibut, white seabass, lingcod and kelp greenling. Pacific halibut peak from May through July. Rockfish peak from May through September. Cabezon 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.
- 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
- San Simeon Point59
Cape · 6.9 mi
Top: Striped bassPeak season- Striped bass 59
- Pacific halibut 55
- Rockfish 52
4 kt NNWH 8:51 AM · 4.0 ftL 1:30 PM · 2.9 ft
- Ragged Point58
Cape · 5.3 mi
Top: Pacific halibutShoulder season- Pacific halibut 58
- Striped bass 58
- Rockfish 54
4 kt NNWH 8:51 AM · 4.0 ftL 1:30 PM · 2.9 ft
- Breaker Point57
Cape · 4.1 mi
Top: Striped bassPeak season- Striped bass 57
- Rockfish 53
- Cabezon 50
4 kt NNWH 8:51 AM · 4.0 ftL 1:30 PM · 2.9 ft
- North Entrance Rock55
Bar · 7.1 mi
Top: Pacific halibutShoulder season- Pacific halibut 55
- Rockfish 55
- Striped bass 52
4 kt NNWH 8:51 AM · 4.0 ftL 1:30 PM · 2.9 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.