Episode Details

Name’s Artificial Lure, checking in with your Pacific Coast California fishing report.

We’re sitting on a big tide swing this morning. Tide-Forecast shows San Diego with an early low around 4 a.m. and a strong high pushing over 7 feet late morning, with similarly elevated morning highs up the coast. That flood is really juicing current along the kelp and reef edges, and it’ll have fish up and chewing on that incoming water.

Weather-wise, National Weather Service marine forecasts are calling for light winds and generally manageable seas with weak offshore flow in the mornings and a gentle onshore breeze this afternoon. Around the Bay and central coast, NWS has coastal flood advisories tied to those extra‑high midday tides and some minor inundation around low‑lying bayshore spots, so watch your truck parking and your launch ramps.

Sunrise has been right around 6:45–7:00 a.m. up and down the coast, with sunset settling just after 4:45–5:00 p.m. That gives you classic winter bite windows: grey light at dawn on the incoming, and then a last‑hour pop right as that evening ebb really starts to roll.

Recent counts tell the story. Fisherman’s Landing in San Diego reported the Dolphin stacking limits of rockfish on their morning trips and a good pick on sculpin, calico, sand bass, and sheephead on the half‑days. H&M Landing has been crowing about the Premier whacking limits of bonito on local runs. Offshore, boats like the Polaris Supreme and Pacifica have been returning from 2–3 day trips with steady bluefin and yellowfin tuna numbers, plus a sprinkle of dorado when the water’s right. Up north, the California Dawn out of Berkeley has been running wide‑open rockfish and lingcod at the Farallons, with hundreds of rockfish and solid ling limits on flat‑calm days.

Inshore, fish activity is classic late‑fall:
Rockfish and lingcod are piled on hard structure in 80–220 feet. The stronger part of the flood is key; slack has them glued to the bottom. Sheephead and bass are working the kelp lines and hard edges in 40–80 feet whenever the current pushes bait up. Bonito schools are sliding along the outer kelp and edges, blowing up on micro bait when the sun pops out and the breeze ruffles the surface. Offshore, the better‑grade tuna are responding late in the day and at night when you find fishable weather.

Best offerings right now:

• For rockfish and lingcod: 4–6 oz chrome or glow metal jigs, shrimp‑fly rigs tipped with squid or strip bait, and big curly‑tail grubs on 6–8 oz leadheads. Add scent if the drift is quick.
• For bass and bonito: small Colt Sniper‑style irons in blue/chrome or sardine, 1/2–3/4 oz leadheads with 4–5" swimbaits in sardine or anchovy, and fly‑lined anchovy or sardine when you can get live bait.
• For sheephead: dropper loops with fresh shrimp, squid, or mussel on rocky high spots, lighter leader if the bite’s picky.
• For tuna: knife jigs in the 200–300 g range in blue, purple, and glow for night work, plus 30–40 lb fly‑line rigs for daytime bluefin and yellowfin when they’re up.

Couple of hot spots if you’re looking to slide out:

• Down south, the La Jolla kelp and the local Point Loma hard bottom are both good bets for mixed rockfish, lings, calico, and a shot at local bonito on that strong mid‑morning high.
• Up the coast, the Farallon Islands off San Francisco have been “on fire” for rockfish and lingcod on the better‑weather days, and closer to the beach, the reefs outside Half Moon Bay and Ocean Beach structure are holding quality rockfish when the swell allows.

If you’re launching today, time your run so you’re fishing that building morning flood for structure fish, then slide in shallow or to the kelp in the afternoon for bass and bones as the high tops out. Light wind, big tides, and cool clear water make for a classic winter California day if you play the windows.