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California halibutRetention openBar · California
Beacon Reef
34.04°N · 120.05°W · Bar · Waters from Pt. Sal to Santa Cruz Island CA and westward 60 nm including San Miguel and Santa Rosa Islands
Species here · tap to switch
Best score today · 7 AM · California halibut
- Now
- 303 AM PDT
- Best window
- 6-9 AMFlood tide
- Tide now
- Flooding0.2 ft ▲
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Beacon Reef 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 AM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
63Tide: FloodingCurrent: 0.5 knWind & pressure
ECMWF
99Wind: 3 kt WNWPressure: FallingWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
10Seas over the limit · capped at 30Water temp: 71°F, warmLight: NightSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 7.0 ftSeason & habitat · California halibut
Species seasonality
83Season: PeakHabitat: Usable structureDepth: In rangeRegulations: Retention open
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
Southern Groundfish Management Area
California halibut
Retention open- Daily limit
- 5 per day
- Possession
- 5 in possession
- Size
- Minimum 22 in, total length
- Season
- No closed season on file
- Annual quota
- Not published
From CDFW 2026 California Ocean Sport Fishing Regulations booklet (last updated July 17, 2026), read Sep 13
Other species here
- Albacore tuna Retention open (10 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 yesterday
Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed
When California halibut is best here
Peak season for California halibut · 1 more week at peak
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- This week
Spot profile
Beacon Reef
- Depth
- 30-50 ft
- Structure
- Reef · Outer · Exposed
- Season
- Peak seasonCalifornia 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 Beacon Reef
Beacon Reef is a bar in Waters from Pt. Sal to Santa Cruz Island CA and westward 60 nm including San Miguel and Santa Rosa Islands, California. Depth is 30-50 ft. Its profile reads reef, outer water and exposed.
Waterlands scores 9 species here; the best right now are California yellowtail, rockfish and lingcod. It is peak season now for California yellowtail, California halibut and leopard shark, and shoulder season for rockfish, lingcod, surfperch and barred sand bass. California yellowtail peak from July through September. Rockfish peak from April through June. Lingcod peak in April and from November through December.
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.
- California yellowtail
- Yellowtail school around the offshore islands, banks, high spots and kelp paddies from spring into fall, moving north from Baja as the water warms past about 64 degrees. Fly-line a sardine or mackerel, cast a surface iron to breaking fish, or drop a heavy iron and wind it fast when they hold deep. Heavy line matters because they run straight for kelp and rock.
- 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
- Carrington Point52
Cape · 0.5 mi
Top: California yellowtailPeak season- California yellowtail 52
- Kelp bass 47
- Lingcod 43
3 kt WNWH 9:02 AM · 4.3 ftL 2:27 PM · 1.9 ft
- Coati Point52
Cape · 1.0 mi
Top: California yellowtailPeak season- California yellowtail 52
- Kelp bass 47
- Lingcod 43
3 kt WNWH 9:02 AM · 4.3 ftL 2:27 PM · 1.9 ft
- Corral Point52
Cape · 1.3 mi
Top: California yellowtailPeak season- California yellowtail 52
- Kelp bass 47
- Lingcod 43
3 kt WNWH 9:02 AM · 4.3 ftL 2:27 PM · 1.9 ft
- Northwest Anchorage48
Bay · 1.8 mi
Top: Kelp bassShoulder season- Kelp bass 48
- California yellowtail 47
- Barred sand bass 46
3 kt WNWH 9:02 AM · 4.3 ftL 2:27 PM · 1.9 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.