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California Halibut · Open

Huntington Beach / Newport Beach Flats (Halibut Grounds)

33.58°N · 117.98°W

Best score for the day · 7 AM
82/100
GOOD

Now 81 · 1 PM PDT

BEST WINDOW
7 AM-8 PM
Tide flooding
14-Day Forecast
Data from: ECMWF + GFS + BlueCaster
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24-Hour Conditions

All times PDT

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Conditions
Time
1 PM
Now
Score
81
Good
Tide
4.5 ft ▼
Ebbing
Current
Ebb
Wind
5 kn
WSW · steady
Sea state
Choppy
2.9 ft
Air temp
77°
Warm
Weather
Clear
23% cloud
Hour 1 PM. Score 81 Good. Tide 4.5ft Falling ▼. Current -1.3kn Ebb. Wind 5kn WSW G5. Sea 2.9ft Chop. Air 77.0°.
Why this score
Tide
Mid flood
Prime
Swell
2.1 ft
Prime
Tide swing
5.0 ft range today
Prime

Current regulations

In effect now

What you can keep at this spot today

California Halibut
Retention open
Daily limit
5 per day
Possession
5 in possession
Size
Minimum 22"
Annual quota
Not published
Other
Open year-round. Daily bag and possession limit of 5 fish applies south of Point Sur, Monterey County. Minimum size 22 inches total length.
Other species here
White Seabass Catch & release
Always check with CDFW

Source: CDFW · synced today

Seasonality

52-week view · today highlighted

When California Halibut is best at this spot

Shoulder seasonShoulder season for California Halibut
~2 more weeks in shoulder
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Peak seasonShoulder seasonOff season
SPOT PROFILE
DEPTH
10-60 ft
Sand
LAUNCH
Not mapped
PEAK
Shoulder
STRUCTURE
Flat
Outer Exposed

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.

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Huntington Beach / Newport Beach Flats (Halibut Grounds) is one of the spots we track around Huntington Beach. See every scored spot in California.

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