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Monterey Bay Fishing Report

Updated Fri, Sep 4, 2026 from live gauge and weather data

The deep canyon's edge: rockfish armadas, salmon seasons and white-sand surfperch where the submarine canyon touches the beach.

2/5
Slow. Work for them.Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing.
Next tide
Low 12:34 AM
Air / High
73 / 73 F
Wind
N 6 mph

Sources: NOAA tides 9413450, Open-Meteo, solunar calculated for these coordinates.

Satellite view
Friday
4
September 2026

Today's Fishing Report

Generated this morning from live readings: gauge, weather model, sun and moon. A fresh report is published here every morning.

2/5Slow. Work for them.Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing.

Monterey Bay lines up a genuinely fishable day across the board. Today brings clear skies, wind N around 6 mph, rising pressure near 1014 hPa and a high of 73. Tides: high 6:38 AM and 4:24 PM, low 9:27 AM: the moving water either side of each change is when this place feeds. Water sits around 68 F for the season (estimated). With the last quarter, the solunar majors run 5:39 AM-7:39 AM and 5:39 PM-7:39 PM: the windows to build the day around.

The plan, species by species

California halibutGood

Prime season: bounce swimbaits and grubs down current seams over 10-40 ft of sand near structure edges, harbor mouths and eelgrass borders. Slow is the whole secret: keep bottom contact.

Rockfish (Pacific)Good

Full season: work kelp edges and pinnacles with 2-4 oz leadheads and plastics. The bigger vermilions and coppers hold tight to the hard bottom below the school.

SurfperchFair

Steady pick in the first trough: sand crabs where you can rake them, 2-inch motor-oil grubs where you cannot. Moving tides fish best: the last two hours of the flood push feeders tight to the sand.

Tomorrow: Cooler at 67 F. The solunar majors shift about 50 minutes later.Next report: Sat, Sep 5, 6:30 AMHow this report is made →

Water and weather

Live readings.

Tides

NOAA station 9413450 (Monterey). Fish the moving water either side of each change.

Fri
HIGH6:38 AM3.3 ft
LOW9:27 AM3.1 ft
HIGH4:24 PM5.7 ft
Sat
LOW12:34 AM0.1 ft
HIGH8:02 AM3.6 ft
LOW11:08 AM3.3 ft
HIGH5:39 PM5.8 ft

Right now

Latest readings

Air temp73 F
High / Low73 / 58 F
WindN 6-7 mph
Pressure1014.0 hPa, rising
Sky / Rain0% cloud, 6%
Sunrise / Sunset06:41 / 19:31
MoonLast Quarter, 50%
Water temp (seasonal)~68 F est.

Bite planner

Hour-by-hour bite forecast for today. Tap a bar to see why.

5 AM8 AM11 AM2 PM5 PM8 PMsunrisesunset

Next 7 days

Tap a day for the detailed outlook.

Fri Sep 4 · Overcast, 73/58 F, wind 10 mph, rain 6%

Fair or better. A 10 mph breeze puts a working chop on the banks it hits: fish the wind-blown side.

Species guide

The species that matter on Monterey Bay: seasons, structure and how to fish each one. Today's ratings live in the report above.

Surfperch illustration

Surfperch

Best: Dec-Apr spawning surf

The Pacific surf's honest wage: barred and redtail surfperch schooling in the wash, paying anglers who read the beach. Steady pick in the first trough: sand crabs where you can rake them, 2-inch motor-oil grubs where you cannot. Moving tides fish best: the last two hours of the flood push feeders tight to the sand.

California halibut illustration

California halibut

Best: Apr-Jul flats and bays

The flatfish that thinks it is a bass: ambushing anchovies over sand from San Diego bays to San Francisco flats. Prime season: bounce swimbaits and grubs down current seams over 10-40 ft of sand near structure edges, harbor mouths and eelgrass borders. Slow is the whole secret: keep bottom contact.

Rockfish (Pacific) illustration

Rockfish (Pacific)

Best: Apr-Oct open season

The Pacific reef's crowd: black, blue, vermilion and twenty cousins stacked on structure, biting like they mean it. Full season: work kelp edges and pinnacles with 2-4 oz leadheads and plastics. The bigger vermilions and coppers hold tight to the hard bottom below the school.

When to come: the Monterey Bay calendar

Activity by species and month, and how the water warms through the year. Tap any cell.

Species activity by month

1 = slow, 5 = peak. Current month highlighted.

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Surfperch
California halibut
Rockfish (Pacific)
SlowPeak

Water temperature through the year

Typical surface temperature for this water type; today is around 68 F (estimated, not a reading).

506070JanMarMayJulSepNovSep, ~68 F now

Angler reports

Real reports from real anglers, reviewed before publishing. The water log below tracks each day automatically.

No angler reports yet this weekBe the first: your report helps every angler who checks Monterey Bay today, and we feature the best catch of the week.

Water log, last days

Auto-logged from live data
Thu, Sep 3

5/5 Excellent. Go now. Everything lines up: pressure, wind and light are in your favor. California halibut led the card at excellent. High of 72 F, wind to 11 mph.

Wed, Sep 2

5/5 Excellent. Go now. Everything lines up: pressure, wind and light are in your favor. California halibut led the card at excellent. High of 72 F, wind to 9 mph.

Tue, Sep 1

4/5 Good. Solid day ahead. Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up. California halibut led the card at excellent. High of 70 F, wind to 11 mph.

Where roughly, what depth, what bait. Skip anything you want to keep secret.
Only used to send you this water's report each week. No spam, ever.

Before you go

License

California requires a valid fishing license for adults. Buy online from the state agency; one-day options exist for visitors.

Regulations

California license. Rockfish: depth/season zones: salmon: annual quota decisions: check CDFW current for both.

Access

Monterey harbor, Moss Landing, Santa Cruz ramps; Wharf 2 public fishing; beach access throughout.

About this water

The submarine canyon's bay, Monterey/Santa Cruz counties, CA. Deep water at the beach's edge.

Fishing Monterey Bay: the full guide

The canyon's gift

Monterey Bay hides a Grand Canyon underwater: the submarine canyon's edge sweeps within a mile of shore, pulling deep water and its food chain against the beaches. The result: California's most accessible big-water fishing: rockfish and lings on the reefs, salmon seasons when the ocean allows, and whales feeding beside the party boats as a matter of routine.

The boat program

Rockfish trips run the reef edges (Point Pinos, Carmel's drops) April-December: swimbaits and shrimp flies for the bag's variety, lings on the live bait: while salmon seasons (April-summer, quota-dependent: confirm current) troll the canyon rim's bait stacks. The sanctuary's rules shape everything: depth limits, closures: the fleet knows: ride with them first.

Shore and surf

The beaches run classic central-coast surfperch (Carolina-rigged Gulp in every trough: Marina and Moss Landing's steepest sand fishes best), the harbor jetties hold rockfish and cabezon in the wash, and the wharfs' public fishing (Monterey's Wharf 2) serves mackerel, sanddabs and the occasional halibut to the boatless: a full fishery without leaving the pavement.

Bay practicalities

Launches at Monterey harbor, Moss Landing (the canyon's closest door) and Santa Cruz cover the bay's corners: afternoon northwest wind is the daily metronome (fish early): and the sanctuary's protections make the bay a wildlife spectacle between bites: otters in the kelp, whales on the bait: the backdrop is half the trip.

Common questions

Is there still salmon fishing in Monterey Bay?

Season by season: annual quota decisions open or close it: check CDFW each spring. When open, the canyon-edge trolling ranks with California's best.

What can I catch from shore in Monterey?

Surfperch in every trough, rockfish and cabezon off the jetties, mackerel and sanddabs from Wharf 2. The canyon keeps real fish within casting distance.

Is fishing good at Monterey Bay right now?

Check the daily report at the top of this page: it is regenerated every morning from live data. Today's read: Slow. Work for them. Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing.

Nearby waters

San Luis Reservoir52 miLake Del Valle69 miPacifica79 miLake Nacimiento80 miLos Vaqueros Reservoir85 miSan Pablo Reservoir93 mi
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