LA Fishing Report October 17, 2025: Fall Bounty from Rockfish to Lobster

Artificial Lure here with your Los Angeles fishing report for Friday, October 17, 2025. The city’s finally settled into some classic fall weather after recent wild swings, and fishing is starting to pick up again as we say goodbye to those steamy summer heat waves. **Tides and Weather:** Today, the first low tide hit at 1:30 AM with barely over a tenth of a foot, followed by a big high tide at 7:59 AM at just over 5 feet. The afternoon low lands at 1:53 PM (about 1.4 feet) and another solid high tide rolls in at 7:44 PM (around 5.1 feet). You’ve got a full day to work both shallow morning bites and evening pushes. Sunrise hit at 6:59 AM, with sunset coming on at 6:16 PM, so maximize that hour after first light and again before dusk for the best action. According to The Weather Network, it’s sunny and clear, peaking in the low-to-mid 70s, with calm conditions and barely a wisp of wind—just about perfect for local anglers. **Saltwater Action:** According to 976-TUNA, sport boats running out of LA Waterfront, Long Beach, and Marina del Rey just notched a busy day: 446 anglers caught 1165 rockfish, 393 whitefish, 278 sculpin, 109 bluefin tuna, and 63 red snapper Thursday alone. The bluefin bite is still hanging on for deep-water folks, though numbers have slowed compared to peak summer. Fall favorites like sculpin and whitefish are dominating the counts around local structure and reefs, putting a big bend in rods from Santa Monica Bay to the Palos Verdes Peninsula. If you’re after **lobster**, combo trips are underway out of San Pedro—with hoop netters making good hauls already, especially on the evening runs reported by LA Waterfront Sportfishing. Bring the heavier tackle and fresh mackerel for bait. **Best Lures and Bait:** For rockfish, dropper loops with squid or strips of mackerel will get you bit, and the sculpin and whitefish are pouncing on cut anchovy and shrimp-tipped jigs. Anglers working for late-season yellowtail and perhaps a surprise bonito should tie on shiny surface irons in blue/white or scrambled egg, especially around rocky points and kelp lines. And always have a plastic swimbait or leadhead ready—smaller, natural colors are working best on the shallower reefs. **Freshwater Recap:** Lake fishing near LA is classic fall: According to FishCaddy, largemouth are blowing up on early and late topwater—shad-color Spooks, poppers, and frogs in the backs of local coves, especially with baitfish pushing shallow. A 9-pounder was caught just last week, so don’t sleep on a stealthy dawn launch. For numbers, slow-moving weedless soft plastics in green pumpkin, black, or watermelon are the ticket tight to rocks and weed lines. Catfish are biting cut bait, liver, and nightcrawlers; crappie are spotty but possible on small jigs and worms near submerged cover. Spots like Castaic, Pyramid, and Puddingstone are seeing consistent bites, though expect some competition at ramps. **Hot Spots:** - **Redondo Beach artificial reefs:** Put This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI.