Busy Bite in LA - Rockfish, Tuna, Calicos Abounding - Fishing Report 9/13/2025

Artificial Lure here with your Los Angeles fishing report for Saturday, September 13, 2025. Let’s kick it off with what matters most—**tides and light**. Today we’re looking at a 3:07 am high tide at 3.22 ft, bottoming out for a low at 6:47 am with 2.76 ft, a big high rolling back in at 1:51 pm topping 5.62 ft, and then a skinny low at 10:05 pm just 0.48 ft. **Sunrise is at 6:35 am, sunset at 7:01 pm**—so early birds get that crucial low-to-rising water window. The moon will set at 1:27 pm and won’t rise again until almost midnight. Mother Nature is cooperating—expect clear skies with a gentle west breeze easing under 10 knots. Late summer warmth means surface temps hovering in the upper 60s to low 70s, keeping the bite active through the afternoon. Catching has been on fire. Over the last couple days, head boats and private skiffs are reporting **heavy counts**: lots of rockfish, whitefish, and red snapper in the deeper zones. The coastal kelp beds and breakwalls are giving up respectable scores of calico bass and sheephead. Pelagic action’s not gone either—multiple boats from 976-TUNA logged flights of bluefin tuna, some chunky bonito, and a handful of yellowtail just off the shelf. One trip saw 26 anglers scrape together **435 fish**, including 201 rockfish, 81 whitefish, 67 bluefin, 38 bonito, 21 red snapper, 13 calicos, 12 sheephead, and a few more specialty bites. If you’re hunting **inshore**, stick with **swimbaits** in green or motor oil, tipped with fresh squid. Calicos and sand bass can’t resist the flash and flavor combo. Dropper loop rigs fished with strip squid or cut mackerel work great for sheephead and whitefish on rocky structure. If you’re drifting deeper for rockfish, nothing beats a double dropper with **whole squid or anchovy**. For those chasing big game further offshore or working the local canyons, anglers are boating bluefin on **flat-fall jigs** and mackerel-pattern stickbaits down at 30 to 60 fathoms, especially through midday high slack. Bonito and yellowtail are hitting fast-trolled **Rapala X-Raps** or live sardines slow-pinned at mid-depth. Don’t sleep on the classic iron—Salas, Tady, and Colt Sniper jigs in blue/chrome have all worked their magic this week. **Hot spots today:** - **Santa Monica Bay kelp lines:** Early low tide should stack the bass tight; work plastics and undersized irons at the edges. - **Breakwater at Cabrillo Beach:** Sheephead, calico, and whitefish are thick around pilings and submerged rock—try busier sections at rising tide. - **Long Beach breakwalls:** Red snapper and calico have been consistent for those bouncing squid-tipped rigs. - **Off the Palos Verdes drop-offs:** Boats are reporting good catches of rockfish and occasional bluefin on the deeper pins. Pro tip: Watch the wind clock and aim for that switching tide from mid-morning to early afternoon for the best activity. If you’re new to the scene, the local landings can dial you in on both the bait and gear—always worth swingi This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI.