California Coast Fishing Report: Rockfish, Lingcod, Halibut, and More

Artificial Lure here—your boots-on-the-deck source for today’s fishing scene up and down the California coast, Pacific waters. Let’s get right to the good stuff, with details today, October 29, 2025. First, let’s talk **weather and tides**. According to Weather NorCal, we woke up to clear skies, light offshore breezes and another classic crisp autumn morning—mild conditions, great for early runs inshore or offshore. Tides4Fishing lists low tide early at 4:17 AM, rolling into a high at 9:40 AM, and another low at 3:45 PM. **Sunrise hit at 7:29 AM, sunset will be at 6:09 PM**. If you’re planning those surf sessions or targeting those hungry bottom-dwellers, aim for the high slack around brunch time. **Fish activity and what’s biting:** Based on the latest from the Santa Barbara Landing fleet and Stardust Sportfishing’s blog, the bottom fish bite has stayed hot all week. The 3/4 day runs out of Santa Barbara pulled in limits of whitefish and rockfish, including some slab **vermilion** and chucklehead, plus a solid lingcod showing—3 to 9 lingcod per load is typical. Sheephead, cabezon, and ocean whitefish have been mixed in for those fishing the reefs and deeper structure. **Sandbass and calico action has been steady, mostly for those fishing artificial lures near kelp beds**. Offshore, according to the Pacific Ocean, California Daily Fishing Report on Spreaker, there’s still a strong bluefin presence, especially for the outer banks when conditions allow. Some boats are reporting halibut along sandy pockets and rock transitions, especially just before and after peak tides. **Recent Catches (Santa Barbara Landing annual totals for 2025):** - Rockfish: 49,600 - Ocean Whitefish: 11,820 - Lingcod: 3,911 - Barred Sand Bass: 1,020 - California Halibut: 417 - White Seabass: 1,025 Just this week, Stardust landed hauls like 230 whitefish, 173 rockfish, and 9 lingcod on a single trip. Ling limits are routine if you put in the time over deep structure, while halibut are best in sheltered coves and sandy shelves. **Best lures and bait:** For rockfish and lingcod, anglers are having consistent luck on standard dropper-loop rigs, loaded with **squid strips or live sardines**. For artificials, heavier **metal jigs (6-8 oz), soft plastics on leadheads**, and larger swimbaits like the big paddle-tails are producing. Missile Baits Eye Roll jig heads and larger curly-tail grubs get down quick and tempt a bite. For bass inshore, Lucky Craft Flash Minnow, Krocodile spoons, and classic swim jigs in natural baitfish colors are doing work—GeoFish on YouTube highlights the Lucky Craft Bone Cherry as a killer for surf perch and halibut in sandy troughs. **Hot spots:** - **Santa Cruz and Anacapa Islands**—for mixed deep-water bottom fish; book with Stardust or Coral Sea out of Santa Barbara Landing. - **Point Dume to Malibu**—productive calico fishing and a fair whack at halibut in the mornings. - **Oceanside to San Onofre**—good numbers of sand bass and spotty halibu This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI.