Today 12 pm to tomorrow 5 amCalifornia halibut
The bite peaks at 75. Water is 66°, close to the 64° California halibut like best, and a solunar period lands on the window.
Each float is an hour. The deeper it rides, the better the bite. The strip underneath runs daylight, dusk and dark; the red rule marks the best window. Click any hour to read it.
Right now
California halibut range 55–72°
From the
Sunrise 7:26 am
No rain expected
NWS hourly forecast
Measured, last 3 hours
Full
Each species is scored against its own water-temperature range and tide preference, then wind, weather and warnings. The rules are California regulations for these waters.
Right in California halibut's ideal range. California halibut prefers incoming tide. Light chop — baitfish active, fish willing to feed. Holds 4–60 ft down.
Open. Keep fish within the limits. 22" total length minimum. 5/person/day south of Point Sur (Monterey County); 2/day north of it. Open year-round.
Verified Oct 21, 2026 · California
Season here: Mar–Oct. More on California halibut
Barred surfperch prefers incoming tide. Light chop — baitfish active, fish willing to feed. Inside barred surfperch's active range. Holds 1–12 ft down.
Open. Keep fish within the limits. No minimum size. 20/person/day in combination of all surfperch (shiner perch separate), with no more than 10 of any one species. Open year-round.
Verified Oct 21, 2026 · California
Season here: Year-round. More on barred surfperch
Light chop — baitfish active, fish willing to feed. Above rockfish's active range (45–58°F) — fish move deep. Holds 20–300 ft down.
Open. Keep fish within the limits. 10/person/day in combination (rockfish, cabezon, greenlings): no more than 1 copper, 2 canary, 2 vermilion/sunset (4 in the Northern area). No quillback, yelloweye, cowcod or bronzespotted at any time. Boats: closed Jan 1–Mar 31; south of Point Conception, all depths Apr–Jun, inside 50 fathoms Jul–Sep, then closures and depth limits through Dec. Shore anglers and spear divers are exempt from the season and depth rules.
Verified Oct 21, 2026 · California
Season here: Apr–Dec. More on rockfish
Light chop — baitfish active, fish willing to feed. Above lingcod's active range (45–58°F) — fish move deep. Holds 20–300 ft down.
Open. Keep fish within the limits. 22" total length minimum, 2/person/day; fillets at least 14" with all skin attached. Boat season follows the groundfish complex (closed Jan 1–Mar 31). Shore anglers and spear divers are exempt from the season and depth rules.
Verified Oct 21, 2026 · California
Season here: Apr–Dec. More on lingcod
Solunar tables are a popular heuristic. A peer-reviewed test found they don’t predict catch on their own, so here they only nudge the score when the tide or moon already agree. How the score works
We only show reports an agency has published, with their date. California CDFW has the state’s fishing pages.
Licenses and rules: state fishery agencies · fish-consumption advisory
Sand beach between the Santa Cruz Municipal Wharf and the San Lorenzo River mouth in northern Monterey Bay. Barred surfperch in the surf and California halibut on the sand; out on the wharf, small rockfish from summer into fall and lingcod mostly in fall and winter.
Public spots within 40 miles, with the same 36 hours of floats.
Yes (anglers age 16 and older). To fish at Santa Cruz Main Beach you need the appropriate state fishing license. See the agency's current rules: the state agency website
Santa Cruz Main Beach is listed on this site for 4 commonly-targeted species: Barred Surfperch, California Halibut, Rockfish, Lingcod. Which species is currently in season and which is scoring highest today is shown in the per-species ranking on this page.
It depends more on the species and the day's conditions than on a fixed "best hour." Water temperature, weather, and — at tidal locations — the stage of the tide drive activity most. The per-species ranking on this page scores every target species at Santa Cruz Main Beach against today's live conditions, so the fish near the top are your best bets right now; check back as conditions change through the day.
Santa Cruz Main Beach has multiple access types — pier, shoreline, and at least one public boat ramp.
state agency regulations apply at Santa Cruz Main Beach. Size limits, creel limits, and seasonal closures are listed per species on each species page. Always confirm against the agency source linked from each regulation block — emergency closures can take effect mid-season.
Yes. Santa Cruz Main Beach sits on tidal water with a NOAA tide station nearby. Today's high/low timing is in the tide chart on this page.
Press / anywhere to search. Towns list the closest spots.
