Early Fall Fishing Frenzy: Tuna Stampede, Rockfish Rally, and Inshore Bounty in Cali's Pacific

Artificial Lure here with your Pacific Ocean, California fishing report for Friday, September 5th, 2025.

First light hit at 6:38AM and you’ve got sunlight until 7:29PM, so there’s plenty of time to get out on the water. We’re in a moderate tidal swing today—high tides coming at 2:32AM and 2:24PM, with lows at 8:39AM and 8:45PM, according to tide-forecast.com. Out by Pacifica, expect a slightly later morning high and some nice evening push, making those changeovers prime windows for active fish and strong current.

Weather’s mild—a steady marine layer in the morning with late burn-off, high temps in the upper 60s to low 70s along the coast. Winds pick up slightly this afternoon, but nothing that should keep boaters and surf anglers off the water.

Let’s get to the fishing. Tuna remains the big news offshore—North Coast Fishing Outlook says conditions are excellent for bluefin and yellowfin, with multiple 20+-fish counts coming in from multi-day trips this week. Fisherman’s Landing out of San Diego reports the Fortune with 28 bluefin for 10 anglers, Tomahawk with 34 bluefin for 26, and the Liberty bringing in a mixed bag of yellowfin and bluefin—yellowtail are still prowling with the tuna, too. The bite’s strongest 10-60 miles out, with boats scoring during gray light and again mid-morning once schools settle after the morning churn.

Inside, rockfish and cod have been red hot from Monterey Bay up to Avila Beach. SoCalFishReports yesterday clocked the Patriot out of Avila with 180 rockcod for 18 anglers, and boats out of Santa Barbara are seeing big hauls of whitefish and decent counts of lingcod, sheephead, and sandbass. Stardust Sportfishing and Coral Sea both report easy limits on rockfish and a solid showing of bass—especially around rocky points and deep kelp.

Inshore, calico bass and sandbass are playing tight to structure. According to FishCaddy, early topwater action is happening but sporadic—surface poppers, prop baits, and jerkbaits grab those twitchy morning feeders. The real numbers, though, are coming on slow, weedless soft plastics in darker natural colors, especially when you get snug up against weed lines or rocky edges later in the morning.

Don’t forget catfish—those hitting the local bays and backwaters with cut bait and night crawlers are pulling in some respectable channel cats. Crappie is slower, but a few have been picked up on small jigs or worms next to submerged brush.

For the best results today:
- Offshore: Use flat-fall jigs, sardine-patterned irons, and live sardines for bluefin and yellowfin.
- Inshore: Rockfish and cod are clobbering shrimp flies tipped with squid, small plastics, and traditional dropper loops. Lingcod can’t resist big swimbaits bounced near bottom.
- Bass: Morning topwater with poppers/jerkbaits, switch to soft plastics or spinnerbaits as the sun comes up.
- Bait options: Live sardines, cut squid, and anchovy for a wide range of species.

A few must-hit hotspots right now:
- The 302 and 371 Banks, southwest of San Diego, are top zones for bluefin and yellowfin.
- Avila Beach, especially between Fossil Point and Smith Rock, lights up with rockfish and a shot at lingcod.
- Santa Barbara Channel reefs and rocky points are producing quality bags of whitefish, sheepshead, and the odd ling.

That wraps your Friday report—remember to check for local eddy lines, current changes, and be ready to move if you aren’t getting bit. Whether you’re running offshore for tuna or hugging the kelp for bass, it’s shaping up to be an excellent early September bite.

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