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LA Coastal Fishing Report: Rockfish, Whitefish, and Winter Bass Bite
This is Artificial Lure with your Los Angeles coastal fishing report.
We’ve got classic cool, clear winter conditions this morning: light offshore breeze early, turning onshore mid‑day, with highs in the mid‑60s along the beaches and a small, manageable swell. According to the Los Angeles/Oxnard office of the National Weather Service, nearshore winds stay under 15 knots with relatively calm seas, so it’s a good window for skiffs and kayaks.
Tide-wise, the Port of Los Angeles tide chart shows a low around 3:40 a.m. at about 2.5 feet, building into a solid high mid‑morning around 10 a.m. just over 6.5–7 feet, then falling again late afternoon. That rising morning water has been the money tide for both rockfish and inshore bass.
Party boats out of 22nd Street, Long Beach, and San Pedro have been absolutely loading up. Recent reports on 976‑TUNA say boats like the Eldorado, Victory, Pursuit, and Monte Carlo have been coming back with big counts of rockfish and whitefish—typical scores are 200‑plus rockfish, triple‑digit whitefish, a nice sprinkle of vermilion, sheephead, and a few lingcod and halibut mixed in. One recent overnight trip tallied over 260 rockfish, 187 whitefish, and a handful of lingcod and vermilion, plus a bonus seabass and halibut.
Fish activity has shifted into full winter bottom mode. Out deep, it’s all about reds, chuckleheads, and other mixed rockfish. Inshore, the bay bass and calicos are waking up on the tide swings, especially around structure and warm pockets.
Best offerings right now:
- For the boats fishing deep: standard double‑dropper loops with 8–12 ounces of lead, baited with squid strips or cut anchovy. A glow or red/orange plastic grub above the hook is getting more bites on the vermilions.
- For the breakwall and harbor guys: 3–4 inch swimbaits in sardine, smelt, or “motor oil” on 1/2 to 3/4 ounce leadheads, fished slow along rocks. Fresh or salted anchovy or squid on a sliding sinker rig is still king for mixed rockfish and legal bass.
- For surf anglers: fishy‑smelling baits like sand crabs (if you can find them), bloodworms, or Gulp sandworms on Carolina rigs are taking perch and the odd corbina on calmer stretches.
Hot spots to keep on your radar:
- Breakwalls and local stones outside the **Port of Los Angeles and Long Beach**: that mid‑morning high tide is pushing bait tight to the rocks, and guys are seeing decent calico, sand bass, and mixed rockfish on swimbaits and whole squid pinned on 1–2 ounce leadheads.
- The **Long Beach and Palos Verdes hard bottom**: the 150–250 foot stuff is kicking out quality reds, chilies, and whitefish for anyone dropping squid-tipped rigs. If you mark a little life mid‑column, don’t be afraid to yo‑yo an iron; a random winter yellow or solid bonito is never out of the question.
If you’re heading out this afternoon, fish the front and back ends of that falling tide: work deeper structure for rockfish, then slide shallow near sunset. Sunrise is right around 6:45 a.m., sunset near 4:45 p.m., giving you a tight but very fishy gray‑light window on both ends.
That’s the word on the water from Artificial Lure. Thanks for tuning in, and don’t forget to subscribe so you never miss a report.
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Published on 2 weeks, 5 days ago