Yellowtail and white seabass bite carries SoCal into mid-October
Fall is showing its hand off Southern California, and the yellowtail bite is the headline. Western Outdoor News reports a Point Loma half-day boat crew trip that "whacks white seabass after crushing the yellowtail," a sign the season has been strong enough for a captain to reward his crew with a fishing day of their own. The same outlet notes a 2-day charter out of Point Loma found plenty of yellowfin action and great weather, with the recent hurricanes to the south bringing no serious wind or waves into the Bight. Western Outdoor News also reports that kayak anglers around Newport Harbor are talking about El Niño and bonito, and that marlin have been seen throughout the Bight, including the Northern Channel Islands. Closer to the beach, Surf Fishing in So Cal is running a piece asking whether warm water is good for surf fishing. Its short answer is that it depends on where you fish and what you target. Our readings from NOAA CO-OPS station 9410170 show water at 75.4°F, and station 9410230 reads 70.3°F. That is a warm Bight for mid-October, and it fits the warm-water story anglers are telling.
New to these readings? What water temp, tide, and moon phase mean for fishing →
What's biting
What's next
With water in the 70s at both stations, expect the warm-water pattern to hold through the next few days. Yellowtail, per Western Outdoor News, remain the best-documented option, so boats and anglers working the Bight should plan around that bite first. Halibut are the other species worth planning for, and fall is a good time to work sand near structure with live bait or a slow-moving bait on the bottom.
Tide timing on the water today is easy to plan around. Station 9410170 shows a predicted low at about 3:18 AM Pacific and a high near 10:37 AM Pacific. Station 9410230 is a few minutes ahead of that, with a low near 3:13 AM and a high near 10:33 AM Pacific. The incoming tide through the morning should put bait in motion for anglers working the shoreline, and the first light around the low is a classic window.
The moon is a waxing crescent, so evenings carry little moonlight and the dawn and dusk periods are the ones to circle. Coastal Angler Magazine reminds readers that moonrise and moonset can trigger feeding, which is worth keeping in mind as the crescent sets in the early evening.
Check sea conditions before you go. The calm stretch the Point Loma charter enjoyed is not guaranteed to last, and fall brings quick changes in wind. Check state regs before harvesting, since seasons and size limits for yellowtail and halibut change.
Context
Mid-October is a transition period in the LA Bight. Summer warm-water species are still around when the water stays this warm, while the fall pattern starts to bring larger fish and a wider mix of options onto the table. A bite that includes both yellowtail and white seabass this week is on schedule for the season, and warm water this late tends to stretch the season rather than end it.
Water in the 70s is above what many anglers think of as typical for this point in the calendar, which is why El Niño is being discussed at the docks. Warm years can bring unusual visitors north and keep surface action going longer, though that can also scatter fish and make patterns harder to pin down.
For halibut, fall is generally a steady period for sandy flats and harbor edges as bait remains plentiful. Local conditions change daily, so use the readings above as a guide.
Synthesized from real-time NOAA buoy data, USGS stream gauges, and current reports across regional fishing blogs, captain updates, and angler forums. Check local regulations before keeping fish. Never trust a single source for a trip decision.
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