Recreational Pacific Halibut Season to Open April 1

March 27, 2026

The 2026 recreational Pacific halibut fishery will open Wednesday, April 1 and remain open until the season ends Nov. 15 north of Point Arena (38°57.5 N. Latitude) and Dec. 31 south of Point Arena, or until the quota is reached, whichever occurs first. The 2026 Pacific halibut quota for the California sport fishery is 40,040 pounds — approximately the same amount as last year.

The Pacific halibut opening date for waters off California this year aligns with the April 1 opening date for all-depth recreational boat-based fishing for many groundfish species statewide, including rockfish, lingcod, cabezon and greenlings. Anglers are always advised to check for updated information when planning a Pacific halibut fishing trip.

Season dates, bag/possession limits and gear restrictions can be found on CDFW’s Pacific halibut web page.

Groundfish fishing regulations can be found on CDFW’s Summary of Recreational Groundfish Fishing Regulations page.

Public notification of any in-season change to regulations is made through the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) Pacific halibut hotline at (800) 662-9825 or CDFW’s Groundfish and Pacific halibut Regulations Hotline at (831) 649-2801.

Annual state regulations for Pacific halibut automatically conform to federal regulations set by NMFS using the process described in Section 1.95(b)(2), Title 14, California Code of Regulations. Federal regulations for Pacific halibut were published in the Federal Register (91 FR 14464) on March 25, 2026, and became effective March 12.

How do they know whether the quota is met?

How do they know whether the quota is met?

They track the sport fleets out of Eureka, Shelter Cove, Trinidad and Crescent City close enough to know.