Fishing the Pacific: June Report - Sculpin, Rockfish, and Yellowtail Bites in SoCal

G’morning, anglers! Artificial Lure here, coming at you with a fresh fishing report off the Pacific Ocean—California style.

Let’s get right into conditions. Today, June 13, 2025, is shaping up sweet. Sunrise was about 5:40am and we’ll see sunset around 8:31pm, giving us a nice long stretch for action. According to local tide charts, especially around Pacific Beach and Mission Bay, we got a low tide at 6:10am, just after sunrise, and a high tide rolling in around 12:35pm. Another low is at 4:51pm, so focus your casting around those transitions for the best bites. The weather’s been mild, with little wind and manageable swell, making it prime for both shore and boat fishing.

Recent reports from San Diego Fish Reports and Sportfishing Report have been buzzing. Charter boats out of San Diego, Half Moon Bay, and farther north have seen excellent action. Down south, Pelagic Predators Charter reported steady catches the last few days—limits of sculpin, good numbers of rockfish, and a few bonus yellowtail. Up north, the coho bite is turning on in the Puget Sound, while California’s coastal species like rockfish, lingcod, and the odd halibut are showing up regularly under the kelp and around structure. Bass are biting wide open along the North Coast, and there’s chatter about white seabass in the mix for Southern California, especially on half-day boats out of Dana Point and Mission Bay.

Surf fishing has been a blast too. Surfperch are absolutely chewing along the beaches—June’s surf fishing report notes they’ve all but taken over, with plenty of action for sandcrabs and even the occasional shark lurking. According to Surffishingsocalsd, it’s a great time to toss light lures or soak a chunk of sandcrab on a Carolina rig.

Best lures right now? For inshore and surf, keep it light—small swimbaits, crankbaits, and soft plastics in bright or natural colors. Surfperch love pink or rootbeer Gulp! Grubs and Z-Man TRDs on a small jighead. For boat or pier, squid strips or live anchovies are always a top choice, but when the bass are keyed in, drop-shot a keitech or a curly-tailed worm—they can’t resist. For the bigger stuff, try a surface iron or a sardine imitation for yellowtail and white seabath.

Now for my favorite part—hot spots. Off Pacific Beach and around the jetties of Mission Bay has been a consistent producer for surfperch and the odd halibut. Out a little deeper, the kelp beds near La Jolla are stacked with rockfish and calico bass. And don’t sleep on the structure off Point Loma—bigger game like yellowtail and white seabass have been sniffing around, especially on the tide changes.

Thanks for tuning in, folks! Be sure to subscribe for more local fishing intel. Tight lines and calm seas out there!

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