About Huntington Beach / Newport Beach Flats (Halibut Grounds)

The Huntington Beach and Newport Beach Flats form a broad expanse of open sand bottom off the Orange County coast, sitting in 10 to 50 feet of water across a mid-exposure shelf. The featureless sand holds California Halibut, which peak from March through June, alongside White Seabass running strongest from April through June. Anglers work the flats by drifting live anchovies, sardines, and smelt across the sand for halibut, covering ground to locate fish scattered over the open bottom. White Seabass move through the same depth band and respond to live squid, mackerel, and sardines drifted near the bottom, with slow-pitch jigging using flat-fall or knife jigs as a productive alternative when bait is scarce. Trolling swimbaits and deep-diving plugs along the depth contours covers water efficiently for both species.