SoCal Angling Report: Abundant Sculpin, Sand Bass, and Halibut Bites off LA Coast

Hey folks, Artificial Lure here, your go-to guy for SoCal angling action. It's a crisp Friday morning off the LA coast, with sunrise at 7:08 AM PST and sunset around 5:39 PM—plenty of daylight to wet a line. Tides today show high at 1:27 AM reaching 5.38 feet, dropping to low at 7:45 AM at 1.52 feet, then high again at 1:30 PM to 4.18 feet, and evening low at 7:28 PM at 1.48 feet. Fish love that incoming tide mid-morning, so time it right. Weather's classic winter SoCal—cool and clear, mid-60s daytime with light winds, perfect after those king tides stirred things up. Fish activity is hot on sand bass and sculpin, with calico bass, whitefish, and halibut mixing in. Yesterday's party boat tallies from Marina del Rey Sportfishing's New Del Mar had 35 anglers hauling 35 sand bass, 151 sculpin, and 12 calico on a half-day run. Betty-O out of LA Landing scored 12 sand bass, 1 halibut, 90 whitefish with 9 anglers on a 3/4 day. Newport's Patriot boated 20 sand bass up to 6 pounds, 10 sculpin, 23 calico to 6 pounds, 16 whitefish for 14 folks. 976-TUNA logs Thursday's five trips with 104 anglers nabbing 202 sculpin and 107 whitefish total—limits everywhere. Go with **jigs or drop-shot rigs tipped with squid** for sculpin and whitefish—they're crushing it deep. **Live anchovies or sardines** on the bottom for sand bass and halibut; released plenty too, so sustainable bite. Plastics in natural colors on light tackle for calicos hugging structure. Hit these hot spots: Marina del Rey kelp beds for mixed bags, or Newport flats early for halibut flats. Rig up and get out there before the crowds. Thanks for tuning in, folks—subscribe for more reports! This has been a Quiet Please production, for more check out quietplease.ai. Great deals on fishing gear https://amzn.to/44gt1Pn This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI.