Santa Cruz fishing forecast today

Tide times, wind, moon phase and the best times to fish today at Santa Cruz, using NOAA tide station Santa Cruz, Monterey Bay.

Monterey Bay and Bay Area Updated 8:08 AM PST, Nov 5 NOAA station 9413745

CaliforniaWest Coast

Bite outlook today Estimate

Fair

Normal tide range (4.4 ft)
Moderate wind (up to 16 mph)

Next best time

Today 8:12 AM

Major moon period

Next tide

Low 1:52 PM

0.8 ft

Weather

56°F, Sunny

Wind 6 mph N - pressure steady

Water temp

66°F

NDBC buoy Monterey Canyon Outer, CA (156) (14.3 mi), 39 min ago

Best times to fish

5:51 AM - 7:55 AMPrimeDawn - low light, fish move shallow; Moving water into the high tide at 7:25 AM

8:12 AM - 10:12 AMMajor solunar period (moon overhead)

3:52 PM - 5:37 PMDusk - the evening feed

All 9 times today

12:00 AM - 1:19 AMMoving water into the low tide at 12:49 AM

2:35 AM - 3:35 AMMinor solunar period (moonrise)

5:51 AM - 7:55 AMPrimeDawn - low light, fish move shallow; Moving water into the high tide at 7:25 AM

8:12 AM - 10:12 AMMajor solunar period (moon overhead)

12:52 PM - 2:22 PMMoving water into the low tide at 1:52 PM

2:41 PM - 3:41 PMMinor solunar period (moonset)

3:52 PM - 5:37 PMDusk - the evening feed

6:53 PM - 8:23 PMMoving water into the high tide at 7:53 PM

8:40 PM - 10:40 PMMajor solunar period (moon underfoot)

Sunrise 6:36 AMSunset 5:07 PM 56-65°Fwind to 16 mph NW

Tide chart and times4 tides today

Prime - best times todayGood - worth fishingNight

Tide times for the next 4 days

Day	Tides (feet, MLLW)
Today	Low 12:49 AM (0.8 ft) High 7:25 AM (5.2 ft) Low 1:52 PM (0.8 ft) High 7:53 PM (4.0 ft)
Fri Nov 6	Low 1:27 AM (1.3 ft) High 7:54 AM (5.5 ft) Low 2:37 PM (0.3 ft) High 8:52 PM (4.0 ft)
Sat Nov 7	Low 2:01 AM (1.8 ft) High 8:22 AM (5.7 ft) Low 3:19 PM (-0.1 ft) High 9:46 PM (3.9 ft)
Sun Nov 8	Low 2:33 AM (2.2 ft) High 8:50 AM (5.7 ft) Low 3:58 PM (-0.3 ft) High 10:38 PM (3.8 ft)

Predictions from NOAA station 9413745 (Santa Cruz, Monterey Bay). Strong wind can push real water levels above or below these predictions.

Santa Cruz: Santa Cruz, California — Photo: Runner1928, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0, cropped

Satellite view of Santa Cruz from above — Imagery: USGS National Map (public domain). Pin = NOAA tide station Santa Cruz, Monterey Bay; the fishing area extends around it.

Google Maps Directions

Water is 66°F - who's feedingLive reading matched to each local fish's preferred temperature. A rough guide - season and size rules still apply.

Right temperature

Striped bass 50-68°F
White sturgeon 48-68°F

Too warm - deeper or slower

Rockfish likes under 58°F
Lingcod likes under 55°F
Surfperch likes under 64°F

Hourly weatherNWS

8 AM56°6 mphNSunny

9 AM58°3 mphNSunny

10 AM59°2 mphNSunny

11 AM60°3 mphNWSunny

12 PM61°5 mphWNWSunny

1 PM63°7 mphWNWSunny

2 PM64°8 mphWNWSunny

3 PM64°10 mphWNWSunny

4 PM65°13 mphNWSunny

5 PM64°12 mphNWSunny

6 PM63°14 mphNNWMostly Clear

7 PM62°16 mphNMostly Clear

8 PM60°16 mphNNWMostly Clear

9 PM60°14 mphNNWMostly Clear

10 PM59°14 mphNPartly Cloudy

11 PM58°10 mphNMostly Clear

12 AM57°8 mphNMostly Clear

1 AM56°7 mphNNEMostly Clear

2 AM55°6 mphNNEMostly Clear

3 AM55°6 mphNMostly Clear

4 AM54°5 mphNNEPartly Cloudy

5 AM54°5 mphNNEPartly Cloudy

6 AM54°5 mphNNEMostly Sunny

7 AM54°3 mphNNEMostly Sunny

Sunny, with a high near 65. Northwest wind 2 to 13 mph, with gusts as high as 18 mph.

Sun and moonWaning crescent

Waning crescent
11% of the moon is lit

Day	Sun	Moon	Solunar periods
Today	6:36 AM 5:07 PM	Rise 3:05 AM Set 3:11 PM	Minor 2:35 AM Major 8:12 AM Minor 2:41 PM Major 8:40 PM
Fri 6	6:37 AM 5:06 PM	Rise 4:10 AM Set 3:37 PM	Minor 3:40 AM Major 8:56 AM Minor 3:07 PM Major 9:24 PM
Sat 7	6:38 AM 5:05 PM	Rise 5:14 AM Set 4:04 PM	Minor 4:44 AM Major 9:40 AM Minor 3:34 PM Major 10:08 PM
Sun 8	6:39 AM 5:04 PM	Rise 6:18 AM Set 4:34 PM	Minor 5:48 AM Major 10:28 AM Minor 4:04 PM Major 10:56 PM
Mon 9	6:40 AM 5:03 PM	Rise 7:21 AM Set 5:09 PM	Minor 6:51 AM Major 11:16 AM Minor 4:39 PM
Tue 10	6:41 AM 5:02 PM	Rise 8:22 AM Set 5:49 PM	Major 11:44 PM Minor 7:52 AM Major 12:08 PM Minor 5:19 PM
Wed 11	6:42 AM 5:01 PM	Rise 9:19 AM Set 6:36 PM	Major 12:32 AM Minor 8:49 AM Major 12:56 PM Minor 6:06 PM

Calculated for this location. Moon times are accurate to within a few minutes. Major periods are the 2 hours around the moon passing overhead or underfoot; minor periods are the hour around moonrise and moonset.

Fishing Santa Cruz

Monterey, Santa Cruz, Half Moon Bay and San Francisco Bay: deep cold water, kelp beds and a huge estuary.

What's biting now (Fall): Halibut and rockfish; calico bass in the south. Some salmon and striped bass in San Francisco Bay.

Commonly caught in this area: Striped bass, halibut, rockfish, lingcod, surfperch and sturgeon in the bay.

Also caught here: leopard shark, white sturgeon, cabezon, striped bass.

Piers put you over deeper water without a boat. Fish the pilings for sheepshead and snapper, and cast out from the end for mackerel and pompano when they run. Many Florida piers sell a license that covers everyone fishing from that pier.

Best baits here6 fish

Striped bass

Halibut (California and Pacific)

Rockfish (Pacific)

Lingcod

Surfperch

White sturgeon

Full bait guide

How the bite outlook works

The rating is our estimate, not a guarantee. It combines tide range, wind, rain and storms, temperature swings, the moon phase and how well the solunar periods line up with dawn and dusk. Fish do not read forecasts - local knowledge always wins. Read more

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Nearby spots

Monterey 25 miGood Half Moon Bay (Pillar Point) 45 miGood Alameda 58 miGood San Francisco (Golden Gate) 64 miGood Point Reyes 89 miFair Bodega Bay 109 miFair