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LingcodRetention openSpecies here · tap to switch
Best score today · 7 AM · Lingcod
- Now
- 614 AM PDT
- Best window
- 3 PM-12 AMHigh slack
- Tide now
- Flooding1.2 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
Friday, Oct 2 · 6 PM
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
100Tide: EbbingWind & pressure
ECMWF
97Wind: 3 kt WPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
Open-Meteo Marine
69Water temp: 67°F, hotLight: DuskSolunar: Major periodSeason & habitat · Lingcod
Species seasonality
88Season: PeakHabitat: Prime structureDepth: In range
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
Central Groundfish Management Area
Lingcod
Retention open- Daily limit
- 2 per day
- Possession
- Not published
- Size
- Minimum 22 in, total length
- Season
- Apr 1 to Dec 31, 2026
- Annual quota
- Not published
- Other
- Shore-based anglers and spear divers are exempt from groundfish seasons and depth limits. A descending device must be aboard when fishing from a boat.
From CDFW Summary of Recreational Groundfish Fishing Regulations (updated June 23, 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)
- 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 yesterday
Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed
When Lingcod is best here
Shoulder season for Lingcod · 1 more week at shoulder
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- This week
Spot profile
Harlech Castle Rock
- Depth
- 15-80 ftDrop-off
- Structure
- Ledge · Outer · ExposedLedge · drop-off
- Season
- Shoulder seasonLingcod
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 rockfish, white seabass and cabezon. It is peak season now for rockfish, cabezon, striped bass and surfperch, and shoulder season for white seabass, lingcod, kelp greenling and Pacific halibut. Rockfish peak from May through September. Cabezon peak from May through September.
Tackle & technique
- 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.
- 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.
- White seabass
- White seabass hold along kelp bed edges and over nearby sand where market squid gather, usually in 20 to 80 feet of water and shallower as the water warms. Fish a live squid on a dropper loop or fly-line a sardine near the kelp at dawn, dusk and after dark, especially around the spring full moon. Tagged fish spend most of their time in 52 to 66 degree water.
Nearby spots
Other spots within an easy run
- San Simeon Point71
Cape · 6.9 mi
Top: Striped bassPeak season- Striped bass 71
- Rockfish 64
- White seabass 64
3 kt NH 8:51 AM · 4.0 ftL 1:30 PM · 2.9 ft
- Breaker Point70
Cape · 4.1 mi
Top: Striped bassPeak season- Striped bass 70
- Rockfish 65
- White seabass 64
3 kt NH 8:51 AM · 4.0 ftL 1:30 PM · 2.9 ft
- Ragged Point70
Cape · 5.3 mi
Top: Striped bassPeak season- Striped bass 70
- Rockfish 66
- White seabass 64
3 kt NH 8:51 AM · 4.0 ftL 1:30 PM · 2.9 ft
- North Entrance Rock66
Bar · 7.1 mi
Top: RockfishPeak season- Rockfish 66
- White seabass 65
- Striped bass 64
3 kt NH 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.