LA Fishing Report: Record Heat, Mixed Bag Bites, and Tips for Staying Safe on the Water

Artificial Lure here, checking in with your Los Angeles fishing report for Wednesday, August 20, 2025.

Starting off, anglers are waking up to *record-breaking heat*. According to the National Weather Service and multiple local outlets, downtown LA is on track for highs up to **105-109 degrees**, with a Heat Advisory and Red Flag Fire Weather Warning in effect through the weekend. Nights'll stay warm in the mid-70s, so plan accordingly, hit the water early, and keep an eye on those hydration levels. Today's sunrise was 6:18 a.m., with sunset around 7:36 p.m., so dusk and dawn offer your best shot at that cooler bite.

On the tidal front, expect a mid-morning rising tide peaking just before noon—ideal for nearshore action on structure and kelp edges around the LA breakwaters and rocky points.

Recent fish counts are solid. The LA Waterfront Sportfishing fleet, as reported by 976-TUNA.com, saw boats coming in with mixed sacks: **Yellowtail, Barracuda, Bonito, Calico Bass, Perch, and Whitefish**. Full-day trips last week put up numbers like 1 Yellowtail, 21 Barracuda, 15 Bonito, 25 Whitefish, 32 Perch, and 25 Calico Bass for 20 anglers. Channel Islands boats just a few miles up the road have racks loaded with **Calico Bass (50-90 per trip!), Halibut, Barracuda, White Seabass, and Rockfish**, showing we're right in the thick of the summer surface season.

Long Beach and Santa Monica Bay are producing well on **Calico Bass and Sand Bass**, with boats reporting 40-90 Calico apiece per day. Rockfish totals remain strong—expect limits within a couple hours on deep structure when the sun is high. Out deeper, there's been a scattered bite for **Halibut** and still a few **Lingcod**.

Surf anglers are getting in on the action, too: **Perch** are biting well on the beaches between Dockweiler and El Segundo, especially where the morning tide pushes bait up into the troughs. Use sand crabs or gulp camo worms for best results.

Best lures and baits: For Bass, the magic is happening on small **plastic swimbaits** (think 3" Big Hammers and MCs in natural colors), and **spinnerbaits** tossed tight to kelp. Surface iron like Tady 45 or Salas 7X in blue/white draws strikes from chasing Barracuda and Yellowtail. For Rockfish, classic strip baits (squid or cut mackerel) on dropper loops are still king; lingcod are smacking big, bladed jigs tipped with squid.

With the heat and fire risk up, don't forget extra ice for your catch and gear. If you're shore fishing, keep an eye out for local closures and respect the cooling center setups for your safety and others’.

Hot spots this week:
- **LA Harbor Breakwall**: Consistently good for Calico Bass, Whitefish, and chance at summertime Barracuda. Launch early—first light bites best before the heat sets in.
- **Palos Verdes Point**: Rocky drop-offs shaded by early morning fog are holding hungry sheepshead and big perch for those fishing fresh mussel or strip baits.
- **Santa Monica Bay—From Redondo up to Malibu**: Surf perch, croaker, and a shot at halibut in the early hours.

Remember, due to extreme weather, *fish dawn and dusk*, keep hydrated, and pack out what you pack in. With tides peaking late morning and warm water pushing hungry pelagics in close, it's prime time for late-summer angling around LA. Stay flexible on lure choice and target structure for best results.

Thanks for tuning in! Don't forget to subscribe for more local fishing updates. This has been a quiet please production, for more check out quiet please dot ai.

Great deals on fishing gear https://amzn.to/44gt1Pn

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Artificial lure here. Checking in with your Los Angeles fishing
report for Wednesday, August twentieth, twenty twenty five. Starting off,
anglers are waking up to star record breaking heat. According
to the National Weather Service and multiple local outlets, Downtown
LA is on track for highs up to one hundred
five one hundred nine degrees with a heat advisory and

(00:22):
red flag fire weather warning and effect through the weekend.
Nights will stay warm in the mid seventies, so plan accordingly.
Hit the water early and keep an eye on those
hydration levels. Today sunrise was six eighteen am with sunset
around seven thirty six pm, so dusk and dawn offer
your best shot at that cooler bite. On the title front,

(00:42):
expect a mid morning rising tide peaking just before noon,
ideal for near ser action on structuring kelp edges around
the LA Breakwaters and Rocky Points. Recent fish counts are solid.
The LA Waterfront Sport fishing fleet, as reported by nine
seven six Dashtuna dot Com saw boats coming in with
mixed sacks yellowtail, barracuda, bonito, calico, bass, perch, and whitefish.

(01:08):
Full day trips last week put up numbers like one
yellowtail twenty one barracuda, fifteen benito, twenty five whitefish, thirty
two perch, and twenty five calico bass for twenty Anglers.
Channel Island's boats just a few miles up the road
have racks loaded with calico bass fifty to ninety per
trip calibate, barracuda, white sea bass, and rockfish, showing we're

(01:32):
right in the thick of the summer surface season. Long
Beach and Santa Monica Bay are producing well on sand
bas and sand bass, with boats reporting forty to ninety
calico apiece per day. Mockfish totals remain strong, expect limits
within a couple hours on deep structure when the sun
is high out deeper. There's been a scattered bite for
halibit and still a few lin cod. Surf Anglers are

(01:55):
getting in on the action too. Perch are biting well
on the beaches between Dockweiler and Elsie Gundo, especially where
the morning tide pushes bait up into the troughs. Use
sand crabs or gulp cameo worms for best results. Best
lures and baits for bass. The magic is happening on
small plastic swim baits. Think three hour big hammers and
emces in natural colors, and spinner baits toss tight to

(02:18):
kelp surface iron like Tady forty five or Solus seven X,
and blue white draws strikes from chasing barracuda and yellowtail.
For rockfish, classic strip baits, squid or cut mackerel on
dropper loops are still king lind cot or smacking big
bladed jigs tipped with squid. With the heat and fire
risk up, don't forget extra ice for your catching gear.

(02:40):
If you're shore fishing, keep an eye out for local
closures and respect the cooling center setups for your safety
in others hotspots This week, La Harbor breakwall consistently good
for calico bass, whitefish and chance at summertime. Barracuda launch
early first light bites best before the heat's in. Pollos

(03:01):
Verdi's Point, rocky drop off shaded by early morning fog
are holding hungry sheep's head and big perch For those
fishing fresh mussel or strip baits. Santa Monica Bay from
Redondo up to Malibu surf perch, croaker, and a shot
at halibut in the early hours. Remember due to extreme weather,

(03:23):
starfish dawn and dust star, keep hydrated and pack out
what you pack in. With tides peaking late morning and
warm water pushing hungry pelagics and clothes, it's prime time
for late summer angling around LA. Stay flexible on lure
choice and target structure for best results. Thanks for tuning in.

(03:45):
Don't forget to subscribe for more local fishing updates. This
has been a quiet please production. For more check out
Quiet please dot ai