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Pacific halibutRetention openSpecies here · tap to switch
Best score today · 8 PM · Pacific halibut
- Now
- 627 PM PDT
- Best window
- 7 PM-12 AMEbb tide
- Tide now
- Ebbing4.6 ft ▼
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Middle Cove 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 · 7 PM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
97Tide: EbbingCurrent: 0.3 knWind & pressure
ECMWF
100Wind: 6 kt NWPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
52Water temp: 62°F, hotLight: DuskSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 4.9 ftSeason & habitat · Pacific halibut
Species seasonality
65Season: ShoulderHabitat: Usable structureDepth: In rangeRegulations: Retention open
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
Middle Cove
- Depth
- 25-190 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 Middle Cove
Middle Cove is a bay in Monterey Bay, California. Depth is 25-190 ft, with a drop-off. Its profile reads bay, outer water and exposed.
Waterlands scores 11 species here; the best right now are surfperch, Pacific halibut and cabezon. It is peak season now for surfperch, cabezon, rockfish and striped bass, and shoulder season for Pacific halibut, Chinook salmon, kelp greenling and lingcod. Surfperch peak in May and from July through September. Pacific halibut peak from May through July. 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.
- 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.
- 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
- Pinnacle Cove68
Bay · 0.1 mi
Top: SurfperchPeak season- Surfperch 68
- Pacific halibut 62
- Cabezon 61
6 kt NWL 1:59 AM · 0.5 ftH 9:03 AM · 3.8 ft
- North Point67
Cape · 0.0 mi
Top: CabezonPeak season- Cabezon 67
- Striped bass 64
- Surfperch 63
6 kt NWL 1:59 AM · 0.5 ftH 9:03 AM · 3.8 ft
- Pinnacle Point67
Cape · 0.1 mi
Top: CabezonPeak season- Cabezon 67
- Striped bass 64
- Chinook salmon 62
6 kt NWL 1:59 AM · 0.5 ftH 9:03 AM · 3.8 ft
- South Point67
Cape · 0.1 mi
Top: CabezonPeak season- Cabezon 67
- Striped bass 64
- Surfperch 63
6 kt NWL 1:59 AM · 0.5 ftH 9:03 AM · 3.8 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.