UPDATEDAUTO-REFRESH 5 MIN
California halibutRetention openSpecies here · tap to switch
Best score today · 5 PM · California halibut
- Now
- 303 PM PDT
- Best window
- 5-7 PMFlood tide
- Tide now
- Flooding2.7 ft ▲
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Santa Cruz Anchorage 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 · 3 PM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
66Tide: FloodingCurrent: WeakWind & pressure
ECMWF
100Wind: 7 kt WSWPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
29Seas over the limit · capped at 30Water temp: 60°F, primeLight: Bright sunSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 5.3 ftSeason & habitat · California halibut
Species seasonality
70Season: ShoulderHabitat: Usable structureDepth: In 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 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)
- 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
Shoulder season for California halibut · 5 more weeks at shoulder
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- This week
Spot profile
Santa Cruz Anchorage
- Depth
- 20-35 ftSlope
- Structure
- Bay · Inner · Semi-exposedBay · slope
- Season
- Shoulder 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 Santa Cruz Anchorage
Santa Cruz Anchorage is a bay in Monterey Bay, California. Depth is 20-35 ft, with a slope. Its profile reads bay, inner water and semi-exposed.
Waterlands scores 11 species here; the best right now are rockfish, cabezon and surfperch. It is peak season now for rockfish, cabezon, surfperch and striped bass, and shoulder season for lingcod, kelp greenling, Pacific halibut and white seabass. Rockfish peak from May through September. Cabezon peak from May through September. Surfperch peak in May and from July through September.
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.
- 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
- Black Point59
Cape · 1.1 mi
Top: RockfishPeak season- Rockfish 59
- Cabezon 57
- Striped bass 52
7 kt WSWH 8:09 PM · 4.9 ftL 3:01 AM · 0.3 ft
- Soquel Point59
Cape · 2.0 mi
Top: RockfishPeak season- Rockfish 59
- Cabezon 57
- Striped bass 52
7 kt WSWH 8:09 PM · 4.9 ftL 3:01 AM · 0.3 ft
- Mitchell Cove56
Bay · 1.6 mi
Top: SurfperchPeak season- Surfperch 56
- Cabezon 55
- Pacific halibut 54
7 kt WSWH 8:09 PM · 4.9 ftL 3:01 AM · 0.3 ft
- Steamer Lane55
Channel · 0.7 mi
Top: Pacific halibutShoulder season- Pacific halibut 55
- Rockfish 53
- Lingcod 51
7 kt WSWH 8:09 PM · 4.9 ftL 3:01 AM · 0.3 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.