Here’s your Los Angeles area fishing report for Wednesday, May 14, 2025, from your local angling buddy, Artificial Lure.

The spring bite is still carrying momentum, with a run of classic SoCal weather. Today expect partly cloudy skies, mild Santa Ana breezes, and highs reaching the mid-70s by afternoon. Tides are moving nicely for the bite: there’s a morning incoming tide peaking late morning, which usually gets the local surf and pier fish feeding. Sunrise was at 5:51 am and sunset will be at 7:50 pm, so there’s a solid window of daylight to chase fish.

Fish activity along the LA coastline and local islands is picking up pace. Calico bass and sand bass are plentiful, especially around rocky structure and kelp near places like Palos Verdes and Point Vicente. Private and party boats working out of San Pedro are reporting limits of bass, with the bonus of some nice-sized barracuda and a handful of bonito moving through. Offshore, Catalina is showing steady action for bass and barracuda as well, with the occasional yellowtail teasing anglers chasing paddies, though the yellowtail bite isn’t wide open yet[2][3].

Surf anglers are finding good numbers of perch and the occasional halibut in the shallows, especially early or late in the day. Halibut action is improving with a mix of shorts and keepers on sandy beaches near Dockweiler and Will Rogers. Anglers tossing swimbaits and hard jerkbaits in the troughs and along drop-offs have been getting bit. Live bait like anchovies and small sardines are outperforming artificial lures when available, but a 3-4 inch white or sardine-pattern soft plastic on a leadhead has been a solid backup all week.

Pier regulars at Manhattan and Redondo have seen good action on mackerel, smelt, and some jacksmelt. Sabiki rigs tipped with small pieces of squid are producing steady bites, and the occasional legal halibut has been taken on live bait under sliding sinker rigs.

Best lures right now are natural-colored swimbaits and shallow-running hardbaits for bass and halibut, along with chrome or blue surface irons for barracuda and the random yellowtail near kelp edges[2]. Cut squid or fresh anchovy on a dropper rig will get you in the game for perch or croaker off the beach.

A couple of hot spots to focus on today are the rocks and kelp line at Rocky Point near Palos Verdes for bass and barracuda, and the surf zone near Dockweiler Beach in the early morning for halibut and perch. Both spots have been consistent all week and should fish well with today’s tidal swing.

That’s your local report. Tight lines and see you on the water.