About Half Moon Bay
Half Moon Bay offshore fishing runs out of Pillar Point Harbor, in the north part of the bay behind east and west breakwaters, with the open Pacific outside. Rockfish and lingcod carry the season from spring through December. Dungeness crab, chinook salmon and tuna add options when their seasons are open and the water is right. Season, depth and bag rules are on our California regulations page. For rockfish, lingcod and the wider coast, see our Pacific Southwest fishing guide.
Access and navigation
Trailer boats and slip boats share one harbor:
- Pillar Point Harbor launch ramp – public ramp run by the San Mateo County Harbor District.
- Pillar Point Harbor – Harbor District marina, fuel listed.
- Johnson Pier – the working pier inside the breakwaters.
The harbor entrance is a 200-yard gap between the breakwater lights, with about 20 ft of water. A light marks the end of the east breakwater, and the west breakwater carries a light and a sound signal. Inside, depths run 2 to 17 ft, and shoaling has been reported along the north side of the breakwaters, so on a big low tide the inside depths can matter more than the entrance. The NOAA Coast Pilot 7 chapter covers the entrance and approaches in full.
Outside the point, rocks and reefs marked by kelp and a lighted bell buoy extend more than 1 mile southeast of Pillar Point. Southeast Reef lies 1.5 to over 2 miles southeast, covered 4 to 20 ft, with a pinnacle awash at extreme low water at its southeast end. The surf break off Pillar Point is in the same area, and in a big swell this ground can break well outside the point.
There are two ways to reach open water, depending on where you are headed:
- From the south: come in east of the lighted gong buoy marking Southeast Reef. This is the usual line for arrivals from the south.
- From the north: use the buoyed opening between the Pillar Point foul ground and Southeast Reef. This is the line for arrivals from the north.
Summer brings a northwest flow. The afternoon sea breeze can reach 20 knots and may persist at lower speeds until midnight, so the ride home is often the wetter leg. Fog tends to sit close to the coast early in the day. August and September are the worst months, with visibility under 0.5 mile on more than 15 days per month at some locations.
The Harbor District posts its Notice to Mariners on the Pillar Point Harbor page linked above. Its forecast and tides page carries the marine forecast, NOAA tide predictions and a chart link. Check wind speed, wave height and period.
When you arrive, look at the water and read the NWS marine forecast. If the water looks bigger than you want, switch approaches or stay inside.
Fishing conditions
Rockfish are the backbone here from April through December, worked on the Pillar Point reefs and Southeast Reef. Lingcod share that ground. Chinook salmon, Dungeness crab and tuna fill out the calendar when their seasons line up.
Pillar Point State Marine Conservation Area lies off the harbor, from 37°28.330′ N to 37°30.000′ N and out to the 3-mile line. It adjoins Montara State Marine Reserve to the north. Inside it, recreational take is limited to pelagic finfish by trolling, Dungeness crab by trap, and market squid by hand-held dip net. Salmon counts as pelagic finfish. The Pillar Point SMCA rules give the boundaries, so check them before you drop gear.
Pillar Point falls in CDFW’s San Francisco Management Area, which runs south to Pigeon Point at 37°11′ N. Below that line, Central Management Area rules apply. CDFW can change seasons, depths and limits in-season, so check CDFW in-season changes before fishing.
Winter
Dungeness crab carries winter out of Pillar Point, with the opener set by CDFW. Boat fishing for rockfish and lingcod is closed January 1 to March 31, and it is unlawful to possess them in these waters during the closure. Winter fronts pass about every 7 to 10 days on average, so plan around the gaps between them and use the forecast to pick the day.
Spring
Rockfish and lingcod reopen April 1 at all depths in the San Francisco Management Area. The northwest flow builds through the season, and mornings tend to be the more workable window before the wind fills in.
Summer
Rockfish and chinook salmon are the summer targets. Salmon status and dates come from CDFW only, and trolling for salmon is allowed inside the Pillar Point SMCA. Afternoon wind to 20 knots and August fog shape the day, so plan to fish the morning and watch the clock.
Autumn
Autumn offers the most options: chinook salmon, rockfish, albacore, bluefin and Dungeness crab. Our albacore tuna guide covers gear and water. See also the Pacific bluefin tuna guide and how bluefin move through the Pacific Southwest. Salmon and crab dates come from CDFW. Watch OBS SST and Chlorophyll for warm, clean water pushing inshore. Chart layers are not for navigation.
