Good morning anglers, this is Artificial Lure bringing you the latest fishing report for Sunday, May 25, in and around Los Angeles.

Today started out cool and a bit breezy in the early hours, but by mid-morning, the weather is settling nicely with daytime temps projected in the low to mid-80s. Sunrise was at 5:45 AM and sunset will be at 7:55 PM, so plenty of daylight to get lines wet. Tides today show a moderate morning incoming push, which should fire up the bite right before and after sun-up, especially along the breakwalls and harbor mouths.

Inshore, the action this week has been hit and miss thanks to wind and some leftover murk in the water, especially near river outlets with some run-off. At local piers like Santa Monica and Redondo, anglers are reporting a light pick of surf perch in the whitewater and a few halibut showing in the deeper troughs. The best bet here has been casting Carolina rigs with sand crabs or anchovy strips. No hot mackerel runs reported this week, but your odds go up at dusk, so swing back in the evening if you’re chasing them. Bat rays and shovelnose are also a solid bet at night with cut squid, especially near pier ends where there’s more tidal movement.

Bass fishing is gearing up as water temps sit in the upper 60s. Largemouth are sticking close to classic shallow structure with the spawn in full swing. Productive patterns have included slow-rolled Senkos and drop shot setups close to cover, while Ned rigs in green pumpkin are pulling a mix of largemouth and spotted bass just off the edges in reservoirs like Castaic and Pyramid. Catfish are turning on after sunset along rocky points using cut mackerel and chicken livers.

On the saltwater side, nearshore boats working the Palos Verdes kelp lines and Santa Monica Bay scored steady counts of rockfish, sand bass, and a good showing of kelp bass. Best results have come on plastics like the MC swimbait in sardine or calico colors fished tight to structure, or slow-pitch jigs bounced near the bottom for quality rockfish. Sheephead and the occasional legal lingcod are also in the mix, especially on squid-tipped jigs.

A couple of current local hot spots: the outside edge of the Redondo Breakwall is holding good numbers of sand bass at high tide, and the Long Beach horseshoe kelp is producing mixed bags for skiffs working light line and swimbaits. For freshwater action, hit the upper end of Castaic Lagoon early for prespawn bass and a few surprise crappie on small jigs near submerged brush.

In summary, target the incoming tide windows, fish slow and close to structure for bass, and work the kelp lines with artificial swimbaits and squid strips for the best saltwater mix. The bite is steadily improving as we settle into late spring. Tight lines and good luck out there.