California Coast Fishing Report: Rockfish, Halibut, Striped Bass Shine

Hey there, fellow anglers! Artificial Lure here with your Monday morning fishing report for May 12, 2025. Let's talk about what's biting in our beautiful California waters.

The bite has been solid these past few days along the Southern and Northern California coasts. Down in SoCal, rockfish continue to dominate the counts. Just two days ago, the New Del Mar out of Marina Del Rey landed an impressive 425 rockfish with 76 anglers aboard their half-day morning trip. The Victory out of Long Beach brought in 330 rockfish, 165 sculpin, and some nice whitefish and sheephead on their 3/4 day run.

If you're looking for halibut, the Spitfire from Marina Del Rey scored 9 halibut on Saturday, along with lingcod and whitefish. That's a decent showing for these flatties!

Up north in the Bay Area, striped bass and halibut action has been heating up. The California Dawn II out of Berkeley tallied 36 stripers (some beasts up to 20 pounds!) and 13 halibut on a full-day trip. Several other Berkeley boats are also finding good numbers of both species.

For those heading out to Fort Bragg, the Telstar put clients on 22 lingcod and 105 rockfish during a half-day morning run, showing the north coast rockfish bite remains strong.

Hot spots to try today include the waters off Marina Del Rey for mixed bag action, Berkeley flats for stripers and halibut, and Fort Bragg for those tasty rockfish and lingcod. The islands have been producing amazing bass and barracuda as well.

Bait-wise, fresh anchovies and sardines are working well for the rockfish. For halibut, try live bait like anchovies or small mackerel if you can get them. Striped bass are hitting on both live bait and artificial lures - swimbaits in white or chartreuse have been effective.

For those targeting rockfish, heavy jigs tipped with squid strips are producing, and don't forget those swimbaits in the 4-6 inch range for lingcod.

The tides today are moderate, with a high tide around mid-morning - perfect timing to get out there. Weather looks favorable with light winds in the morning, picking up slightly in the afternoon, so an early start is your best bet.

Remember that the spring season is ramping up for tuna, yellowtail, and dorado, so keep an eye on those offshore reports as the water continues to warm.

Whether you're hitting the bays, beaches, or heading offshore, the fishing has been consistent and should remain productive throughout the week. Get out there while the bite is on!

This is Artificial Lure signing off - tight lines, folks, and I'll see you on the water!