SoCal Fishing Report: Halibut, Rockfish Biting Strong Around LA Harbors

Good morning Southern California anglers, this is Artificial Lure with your Los Angeles area fishing report for Friday, May 9th, 2025. Sunrise is hitting around 5:55 AM, with sunset expected at 7:46 PM, giving us plenty of daylight on the water. The weather this week has been classic spring SoCal: cool mornings and evenings, sometimes a touch breezy, so pack a light jacket for those early starts. Daytime highs are settling nicely into the low to mid-80s, perfect fishing weather unless the wind kicks up, which has been off and on. When it’s calm, the ocean is postcard pretty, but if the breeze picks up, expect a little chop and possible whitecaps[1][5]. Tidewise, we’re looking at an early morning high tide tapering to a moderate afternoon low. That means best fish activity will be on the moving tides, especially around sunrise and a couple hours before sunset, so plan your prime fishing windows accordingly. The bite around Los Angeles has been steady, with impressive counts coming off the local party boats this week. Out of Marina Del Rey, boats like the Spitfire and New Del Mar are hauling in halibut, lingcod, sand bass, and solid numbers of rockfish and whitefish[2][4]. The Spitfire yesterday reported 10 halibut and a couple lingcod on a three-quarter-day trip, while the New Del Mar put 375 rockfish on deck in just a half day[4]. Down in Long Beach and San Pedro, the Victory and Pursuit are loading up on sculpin, sheephead, whitefish, and red snapper. Overnight trips have produced nice catches of halibut, sheephead, and even a stray white seabass for the lucky few[4]. For those looking for the hot spots, Marina Del Rey’s reefs and drop-offs are delivering—both live and cut bait are working, but fresh-cut squid and sardines have been producing the best results for rockfish and whitefish. Halibut are falling for mini-mackerel and anchovies on a sliding sinker, especially on the early tide. Long Beach breakwall and the kelp beds off Palos Verdes are also worth a shot, especially for calico bass and sheephead[3]. Artificial lures like swimbaits in sardine or anchovy colors, chrome jigs, and leadheads tipped with squid are all proven producers right now. If you’re targeting lingcod or big rockfish, don’t be shy about dropping a heavier jig to the bottom. Final word: the bite is on if you hit the tides right. Dress in layers, bring a mix of bait and lures, and focus on structure for the best action. Hot spots to consider today are the deep reefs off Marina Del Rey and the rocky bottom around San Pedro’s 22nd Street Landing. Good luck out there—tight lines! This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI.