LA Fishing Report: Rockfish, Tuna, and More Biting Big This Fall Weekend

Artificial Lure here with your Friday, September 26th, 2025 Los Angeles area fishing report—let’s dive right in while the coffee’s still hot and the rods are ready. Sunrise hit at 6:44 AM and sunset’s coming at 6:43 PM, giving you a solid fall window to get lines wet. Tides are favorable for both inshore and offshore effort: you’ve got a morning high at 11:36 AM (5.22 ft), with an early low tide at 5:05 AM (2.39 ft) and an evening slack at 7:04 PM (1.14 ft), courtesy of Tide-Forecast.com. That late-morning push is prime for bait gatherings and will have gamefish chewing. Weather’s classic SoCal—expect cool mornings easing to upper 60s and low 70s midday, with a light marine layer burning off for mostly sunny skies and a soft breeze off the coast. Conditions like these fire up both kelp line and deep structure bites. Out of 22nd Street Landing and local docks, the counts have been stellar. According to recent dock reports, boats like the Pursuit and Monte Carlo are loading up on **rockfish**, **whitefish**, **calico bass**, **sheephead**, some **white seabass**, and even a few **halibut** and **barracuda** in the mix. Tuna diehards, the Freedom nailed limits on **bluefin up to 120 lbs** just days ago, and the boats are running nightly for another shot. Barracuda and bonito are popping up around Palos Verdes and the Artificial Reefs as well, especially on the slack tides, confirms 22nd Street’s daily audio. Up in Redondo, the Redondo Special’s last trip saw plenty of **whitefish, sheephead**, and a solid score of **calico bass** for short half-day hops, says 976-TUNA.com. These local sand bass and kelp bass chasers recommend light line and fluorocarbon leaders especially during daylight, with bass hugging thick kelp lines on the high tide swing. Hansen Lake up in the foothills is still giving up **rainbow trout, bluegill, and catfish**—early and late periods are producing best, with float nightcrawlers and mini-jigs nabbing the trout, per Snoflo.org. For **baits and lures**, here's today’s playbook: - For yellowtail, seabass, and calico: Toss **surface irons, swimbaits, and hardbaits** (think green sardine or mint patterns). Weedless plastics work wonders in shallow kelp. - Tuna and deeper pelagics want **flat-fall jigs**, **butterfly jigs**, and fly-lined sardines if you can grab live ones. - Inshore rockfish and whitefish are hitting on **dropper loop rigs with squid strips or live anchovy**. For the finicky, a gulp grubs or small bucktails do the trick. - Trout, bluegill and cats up in local lakes: Go light—**PowerBait, mini-jigs** and nightcrawlers are getting bites. **Hot spots** to focus on: - **Horseshoe Kelp** and adjacent Palos Verdes kelp beds—the outgoing tide here has drawn in both bass and sporadic barracuda. - **Redondo Beach breakwall** and structure, especially on that rising morning tide for mixed bag action. - Don’t sleep on **San Pedro Pier** for a shot at halibut right at first light, and the LA River mouth for late summe This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI.