LA Fishing Roundup: Party Boats Slay Yellowtail, Surf Heats Up for Bass, Bonito, and More

Artificial Lure here with your August 13th, 2025 Los Angeles fishing roundup, serving up what’s happening right now on the piers, the party boats, and the best local spots you can hit this week. Sunrise kicked things off at 6:13 AM and we're looking at sunset around 7:40 PM, so there’s plenty of light for both the early risers and the twilight crowd. Today’s tides bring a low at 6:20 AM, a hearty high just before 1 PM at 5.34 feet, and a mild low rolling in around 7:13 PM. That's a classic Southern California summer pattern—activity tends to spark up strong during that midday high and can really get going again as the evening tide drops, especially for surf and nearshore species, according to Tide-Forecast.com. Let’s talk recent catches. The San Pedro and Long Beach party boats have been filling the decks with action. According to SoCalFishReports, yesterday the Freedom out of 22nd Street Landing nailed 49 yellowtail, 14 calico bass, 77 bonito, and solid numbers on whitefish and rockfish. The Native Sun lit up a twilight trip with 124 sand bass and even a halibut in the mix. Over in Oxnard, the white seabass bite has been hot—24 landed on the full-day run with Island Tak, while the Seabiscuit picked up five halibut, big numbers of whitefish, and 29 more white seabass. For folks heading out of Marina Del Rey, reports from Marina Del Rey Sportfishing show continued steady rockfish and sculpin action with big counts from earlier in the week. From the piers to the surf, species like sand bass, calico bass, bonito, and the occasional barracuda are chasing bait balls pushed in by those rising tides. If you’re shore-bound, hit spots like Redondo’s King Harbor and White Point in San Pedro around those tide swings—local legends for bass, croaker, and the odd legal halibut. For a classic beach day, Venice Pier in the dawn hours or El Segundo Jetty on the outgoing tide is tough to beat this week. Lure selection’s a mix of match-the-hatch and tried-and-true. Surface irons like Tady and Salas in blue/white or mint are magnets for yellowtail and bonito. Swimbaits in sardine or anchovy patterns are picking up calicos and sand bass, especially with a slow roll over kelp or structure. Dropper loop rigs with squid or sardines are pulling up bigger rockfish, whitefish, and even the odd lingcod from party boats and piers alike, according to Long Beach Sportfishing. Live bait reigns supreme for halibut and seabass—use the freshest sardine or mackerel you can get. For pier anglers, try fresh mussel or market shrimp for a mix of croaker, perch, and the odd legal flatty. The weather’s shaping up calm and classic: light marine layer burning off by midday, highs in the mid-70s near the coast, and just a touch of southwest wind—perfect drift conditions if you’re out on the boats, and stable enough for those early surf missions. For hotspots right now, two must-try recommendations: - **South Bay (Hermosa to Redondo)**: Calico and sand bass have been hungry, with sur This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI.