Fresh Southern California Fishing Reports

La Jolla charter today excellent red Vermillion rockfish

2 Calico Bass 2 Barracuda ( one Barracuda was hudge) did not target sharks on this 3 hour charter

5 hr 6am-11am 15 Calico Bass and 1 Pacific Barracuda

The typical Bass, Barracuda and Bonito at the Island today. No Yellowtail today- last week Noah got a 49 lb yellowtail at Catalina- thats fishing

Water temps this past week have ranged from 82–87°F with air temps between 94–115°F. Sunrise has been around 6:01 AM with sunset at 7:15 PM. Winds have been all over the place, from glass-calm mornings to 15 mph gusts, and we even had one monsoon storm on Friday the 15th that brought rough evening water for a short time. Last week was jam-packed with back-to-back 3-hour striper charters. Many clients wanted to target quality striped bass, and the bite was steady but definitely changed with the wind. Trolling produced most of our action, with River2Sea Pearl Swimbaits, Cotton Cordell hard baits, Rapala deep divers, and custom-painted jerkbaits all getting bit. The standout lure for the week was the River2Sea swimbait, consistently producing solid fish. Most trips started just north of Site Six, working through the “Sod Farm” where striper were stacked up in 25–30 feet of water. Some days it was wide open, other days the fish had lockjaw. If that slowed down, we pushed into Mesquite Bay or Thompson Bay when time allowed. Midweek through the weekend, fishing got tougher and daily counts dropped, but the majority of fish were quality in the 14–19” range. Later in the week, I switched gears and headed south, trolling from Pilot Rock to Standard Wash. That adjustment paid off big — we were back into steady action, landing 30+ fish most trips, mainly in the 14–17” class with a few smaller ones mixed in. We also started bait fishing in 20–40 feet of water using cut bait on fly lines and drop shots. Keeping a chum bucket going was key to holding fish under the boat, since there’s so much natural forage right now. On Sunday I had a day off and used it to scout. I worked the Intake area for the first time since winter and landed about 15 striper trolling lipless crankbaits in 30 feet. On the way back, I picked off a few more near Cattail Cove, where fish were shallower and even chasing bait into boils late in the morning. Monday evening, I switched gears again to target flathead catfish. I hustled to catch bluegill for bait before dark, then set up anchored on one of my favorite spots. With a Santee Cooper rig and live bluegill, plus a slide rig and cut sardine, I managed a nice flathead just under 10 pounds. Lost another fish to structure and had a few short runs, but I think more live bait would have really dialed them in. Later in the night, I dropped a green light and picked up several 2–3 lb striper that moved in to feed — an awesome sight if you’ve never watched them school and crash bait under the light.

Unbelievable tuna fishing going on. Dont miss your opportunity