Journal · guides, fishing reports and tide explainers
Journal 179 posts
Guides to tide pools, kayaking, hiking and camping, daily fishing reports for Morro Bay and the inland lakes, and explainers on how California tides work.
Most East Pacific hurricanes never send us a wave: Baja is in the way. How hurricane swell reaches California when it does, how long it takes, what 12 years of buoy data show, and how to read our new storm tracker.
Surfing · Morro Bay · Avila · California coast · 5 min
Latest field report
Nov 15, 2026
A small craft advisory and seas building to 12-15 ft keep Morro Bay boats at the dock, with no SLO County counts posted for Nov 13 or 14.
Read the report →
Nov 6Fri · 2026
A 9 ft west swell at 16 seconds builds over Morro Bay today and tonight, and no SLO County boats posted counts for Nov 5.
Nov 5Thu · 2026
The small craft advisory is gone off Morro Bay, but seas build to 6 to 8 ft tonight, and the Patriot's 23 anglers averaged about 4 fish each out of Avila on Nov 4.
Nov 4Wed · 2026
A small craft advisory and 6 to 9 ft seas cover Morro Bay this afternoon, after two Morro Bay boats averaged 10 fish a person on Nov 2.
Oct 31Sat · 2026
The Patriot's 24 anglers brought back 18 lingcod and 192 rockfish on Oct 30, doubling the Avila average from the day before.
Oct 30Fri · 2026
Two Avila boats put 57 fish over the rail for 13 anglers on Oct 29, with three bonito mixed in on the Patriot.
Tidepooling · Avila · Morro Bay · California coast · 7 min
This winter's king tides fall on November 24 to 26, December 23 to 25 and January 21 to 22. NOAA predicts 7.02 ft at Port San Luis on December 24, and with El Niño holding the coast well above the tide tables, they could top the gauge's record.
Surfing · Fishing · Tidepooling · Kayaking · Avila · Morro Bay · Cambria · California coast · 9 min
Rachel, a major hurricane last week, is expected to make landfall in northern Baja as a tropical storm tonight. The Central Coast is far from the center, but it gets high surf, tides running more than a foot above the tables, coastal flood advisories from Big Sur to Santa Barbara County, and light rain Sunday night into Monday.
Surfing · Fishing · Tidepooling · Wildlife · Avila · Morro Bay · California coast · 9 min
A very strong, possibly record El Niño is building into winter. Where the forecasts stand in October 2026, what's already showing up off the Central Coast (warm water, higher tides, southern fish), and how to plan surf, fishing and tidepool days around a stormy season.
Surfing · Fishing · Tidepooling · Avila · Morro Bay · California coast · 27 min
Updated October 28: NOAA gauges from La Jolla to San Francisco ran 12 to 17 inches above prediction in late October, and Port San Luis reached 7.68 ft on October 28, a fraction of an inch above its highest reading since 1980. What the Kelvin wave is, what the gauges show, and what it means for Central Coast king tides this winter.
Surfing · Morro Bay · Avila · 4 min
Learn at Pismo or Avila on a 2–4 ft swell with light wind, and save the Cayucos pier and the Hazard Canyon reef for later. Spots, tides, wetsuits and lineup rules.
Camping · Morro Bay · Avila · 4 min
Islay Creek in Montaña de Oro, Pismo State Beach and Morro Bay State Park: what each campground is like, how fast the six-month booking window fills, and how to camp in the summer wind and fog.
Hiking · Morro Bay · Avila · 3 min
Six SLO County coast trails, from the flat 3.2-mile Bluff Trail to Valencia Peak and the guided Pecho Coast Trail: which need a sign-in or a reservation, and which season is best.
Wildlife · Morro Bay · Avila · 3 min
Gray whales pass within a mile of shore from December to May, humpbacks peak May to November, and blue whales feed 5 to 20 miles out in summer. Where to watch from shore, and when you need a boat.
Fishing · Morro Bay · 6 min
How winter swell size and direction decide where to fish Morro Bay: the open beaches for surfperch in a 3–5 ft swell, the T-Piers when it's bigger, plus tide windows by species.
Kayaking · Morro Bay · Avila · 3 min
Four launches from Cayucos to the Shell Beach sea caves, why to paddle before the afternoon wind, and why Morro Bay's shallow back bay wants a high tide.
Fishing · California coast · 2 min
Rod, reel, line and hook sizes for surf perch, rockfish and lingcod on the Central Coast, what each season brings, and the tide window for each fish.
Fishing · California coast · 4 min
Five surfperch, six rockfish and the lingcod: how to tell them apart, where each one holds on the Central Coast, and which tide each one likes.
California coast · 1 min
A short introduction to California's mixed tides with Port San Luis numbers: why one low each day is much lower than the other, and where to go next in Tide School.
Tidepooling · California coast · 2 min
Two Northern California tide pool reserves, Fitzgerald at Moss Beach and Natural Bridges at Santa Cruz, and how to find the daylight minus tide that opens them up.
