Autumn's Bounty: Rockfish, Bass, and Surf Perch Bite Along the California Coast

Artificial Lure here with your November 17, 2025, Pacific Ocean, California fishing report. Weather’s brisk this morning along the coast, with last night’s chilly breeze easing up into a clear, cool fall day. Sunrise came at 6:50 a.m. and sunset will close in tonight at 4:51 p.m. According to Tide-Forecast.com, your tidal swings: the first low tide was at 7:06 a.m., high tide is rolling in at 1:55 p.m., and your evening low is set for 8:08 p.m. We’re deep into the autumn bite, and while ocean salmon fishing is still shut down for another year due to the state closure, rivers and nearshore waters are seeing a boom in salmon returns—those numbers up to triple over last year for the fall-run Chinook, per California Department of Fish and Wildlife data. Steelhead and coho are following suit upriver. For ocean goers though, let’s talk what’s hitting. Party boats out of Long Beach and SoCal landings are putting anglers on limits of **rockfish**, with recent counts showing boats like the Victory limiting out fast—160 rockfish yesterday on a 3/4 day trip. Reds, coppers, and a smattering of lingcod (one at 11 pounds this week off Morro Bay) are filling sacks. Out of San Diego and LA, boats report steady numbers of **sheephead, ocean whitefish, calico bass**, and sporadic **yellowtail** adding color to counts. Kelp beds off La Jolla and Palos Verdes have held birds and bait, so look for those ambush points. **Best baits and lures:** Cut squid and anchovy still top the list for bottom fish—hard to beat that combo when rockfish or whitefish are feeding on the socks. For calico and sand bass, try a swim bait like the 3.8” Keitech Swing Impact Fat or AA-size Cotee Lures in white/blue or white/green, as they’re landing both bass and the occasional halibut. Drop-shot rigs tipped with a Roboworm (morning dawn) are catching deep-holding bass in Santa Monica Bay and around Mission Bay kelp lines, based on tournament recaps from Major League Fishing. Pier and surf anglers are cashing in on **barred surfperch** and **corbina**—sand crabs and mussels are gold here, especially when fished on a simple Carolina rig or high/low with a pyramid sinker. If you want hardware, Berkley Gulp grubs in root beer or motor oil are excellent. For halibut, it’s all about live bait—smelt or small mackerel if you’ve got ’em, otherwise a lively swim bait bounced near the pier pilings. **Hot spots:** - **Huntington Beach Pier** is on fire for perch, yellowfin croaker, and the odd legal halibut. Use sand crabs or fresh mussel close to shore, or try a Sabiki rig with a strip of squid off the end for mackerel and jacksmelt. - **Point Loma Kelp Beds** and **La Jolla Cove**: slow-trolling a sardine-colored swimbait or a dropper loop with squid for sheephead and whitefish. - For rockfish galore, hop on a charter out of **Long Beach Sportfishing**—they’re producing both numbers and size, especially when running a double dropper rig with squid. Farther north, Half Moon Bay and Monterey ar This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI.