Morro Bay Rockfish & Albacore
Morro Bay Harbor · near Morro Bay · Central Coast
Fishing
At a glance
- Difficulty
- intermediate
- Best season
- Rockfish year-round (season varies) · albacore late summer
Permits and booking
- Licence required
- Yes
- Licence detail
- CA license (16+) required; sold aboard. Virg's Landing and others run rockfish/lingcod trips and, when the warm water pushes in, offshore albacore runs. Central-coast rockfish depth/season limits change yearly — check CDFW.
What is here
- Features
- Prolific central-coast rockfish grounds · Lingcod to 20+ lb · Late-summer albacore blitzes · Iconic Morro Rock backdrop
Worth knowing
- Dogs
- Not permitted
- Good for a first timer
- Yes
Fishing detail
- Water type
- ocean-boat
- Water
- salt
- Methods
- Jigging · Live bait · Trolling
- Boat
- boat
- Target species
- Rockfish (dozens of species) · Lingcod · Albacore tuna (offshore) · Dungeness crab combos
- Intl tip
- Virg's Landing is the classic Morro Bay operator. Rockfish is the staple (depth/season rules change yearly — check CDFW); albacore runs happen in warm late-summer years. The Morro Rock setting is spectacular. Combine with Montaña de Oro and the central-coast beaches. Licenses aboard.
The guide
Beneath the shadow of Morro Rock, this working fishing harbor launches some of the most productive rockfish trips on the Califo…
In the Guidebook
Everything above is yours for free. The written guide to Morro Bay Rockfish & Albacore — what it is actually like, and what we would tell a friend before they went — comes with the Guidebook.
Getting there
- Coordinates
- 35.366, -120.852