Monday's Coastal Forecast: Bluefin Bonanza, Halibut Hot Spots, and Tidal Tactics for Cali Anglers.

Artificial Lure here with your Pacific Ocean, California fishing report for Monday, October 20th, 2025. Today’s shaping up beautifully along the coast, with moderate offshore breezes in the early morning and building into the afternoon, keeping the marine layer light and visibility excellent. Sunrise is at 7:02 AM with sunset at 6:12 PM, so you’ve got over eleven hours to work the tides and chase some fin. Tides are prime for action. According to Tide-Forecast, today’s low roll comes in at 2:49 AM at a bit over 1 foot, surging up to a 5.8-foot high at 9:02 AM—that’ll spark baitfish movement right into the shore breaks and kelp beds. You’ll want to plan your morning casts for that rising tide window, especially if you’re targeting inshore species. The afternoon low hits at 3:34 PM, right around 0.3 feet, meaning structure near deep drop-offs and jetties will concentrate fish before waters rise again with the evening high at 9:40 PM pushing 4.5 feet. Fish reports out of San Diego and surrounding waters are red hot. SanDiegoFishReports says Bluefin tuna counts are still booming—boats like the Pacific Queen and Fortune are coming home with limits, including several fish landed in the 80- to 100-pound class, with a lucky few breaking the triple-digit mark over the weekend. Offshore, big Yellowfin and the odd Dorado are showing in the mix, keeping the deep water game lively. Meanwhile, the kelp and rocky inshore structure between Dana Point and Oceanside is producing mixed bags of Calico Bass, Sand Bass, Sheephead, and a steady pick on Rockfish when you get deeper. San Francisco Bay anglers are seeing strong tidal coefficients today, with big tidal swings driving notable current. FishEmeryville had an amazing day on the water Saturday, reporting solid catches and spottier but good-sized halibut, alongside steady striped bass action through the quarter-moon phase. Keep an eye on the tidal exchange—high current means more aggressive bites, especially an hour on either side of slack. For bait and tactics: offshore, you can’t beat slow-trolling live sardines or mackerel for Bluefin, but the heavy metal has been producing too—drop Flat-Fall style jigs in 180g–250g weights at first sign of sonar marks. Many are switching up to glow patterns for those deeper fish at dawn and dusk. Nearshore, plastics and swimbaits in anchovy patterns are a go-to for Calicos and Sand Bass, while a strip of squid on a dropper loop will pick up a bonus Sheephead or Whitefish. For halibut around the Bay Area and sandy Southland flats, drifting a live bait, or a large paddle-tail soft plastic on a leadhead, is putting fish in the box. If you’re looking for a couple hot spots: - La Jolla kelp beds are buzzing with bass and have produced the odd Yellowtail. - Further north, the Horseshoe Kelp area off Long Beach is always reliable for mixed bags on a half-day setup. - Up by Emeryville, the Berkeley Flats and nearby rock piles are favored drifts for halibut right now. That’s y This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI.