Fishing in Los Angeles: the complete guide

Why Los Angeles is a great fishing town

Los Angeles County has more kinds of fishing within an hour's drive than most states. There is surf fishing from Malibu to Long Beach, 15 public piers and jetties where you don't need a license, kelp beds off Palos Verdes, and sportfishing landings in Marina del Rey, Redondo Beach, San Pedro and Long Beach. Catalina Island is a short boat ride offshore. Inland, CDFW stocks more than a dozen urban park lakes with trout in the cool months and catfish in summer. Castaic and Pyramid lakes hold largemouth and striped bass all year.

This guide is our overview of all of it. Every place and fish named here links to a full page with CDFW limits, OEHHA eating advice, directions and sources. For what's biting right now, read the weekly LA fishing report.

Fishing license rules in Los Angeles

California requires a sport fishing license for anyone 16 or older fishing in ocean or inland waters. CDFW lists the 2026 resident annual license at $64.54, valid for 365 days from purchase. Shorter one-day and two-day licenses are also sold. You can buy them online from CDFW or from license agents, which include many tackle shops and sportfishing landings.

• No license is needed on a CDFW public pier (Title 14 CCR §1.88). That covers piers like Santa Monica, Redondo, Hermosa, Manhattan, Venice, Cabrillo and Belmont, plus qualifying jetties and breakwaters such as the King Harbor breakwater.
• On a public pier each person may use no more than two rods and lines, and up to two hoop nets for crabs or lobster.
• The exemption stops where the pier stops. Fishing the sand next to the pier is beach fishing, and that needs a license.
• Size limits, bag limits, seasons and closures still apply on piers.
• Report cards are separate. Anyone fishing for spiny lobster needs a Spiny Lobster Report Card, even on a pier and even if under 16.
• Every lake, reservoir and park pond needs a license for anglers 16 and older. Some city lakes add their own rules, such as catch-and-release only at Machado Lake.

Boat fishing out of LA's landings

Half-day and three-quarter-day party boats are the easiest way to get on calico bass, sand bass, rockfish, sheephead and, in warm years, bonito and yellowtail. LA County's main public landings are Marina Del Rey Sportfishing, Redondo Beach Sportfishing, 22nd Street Landing in San Pedro, and Long Beach Sportfishing and Pierpoint Landing in Long Beach. Landings sell one-day licenses and rent tackle. Boat anglers fishing for groundfish must carry a descending device, and CDFW's groundfish depth and season rules for boats change during the year.

Seasons: what to fish in LA, month by month

• Winter (December–February): CDFW's trout plants hit urban lakes and reservoirs. In 2025–26 the first LA County trout plants were listed in early November and continued into March or April. In the surf, barred surfperch are at their best.
• Spring (March–May): The last trout plants of the season. As the ocean warms, calico bass and sand bass wake up, and California halibut move into bays, harbors and the surf.
• Summer (June–September): Bonito, barracuda and yellowtail on the boats, and corbina and croakers in the surf. CDFW switches to catfish plants at urban lakes. In 2026 those were listed from May through September.
• Fall (October–November): If the water stays warm, the summer species stick around. In mid-October 2026, NOAA's Santa Monica station read above 70°F. Spiny lobster season opens in early October, and trout plants usually come back in November.

Eating what you catch

OEHHA publishes fish advisories for the LA coast and for many local lakes. For the coast from south of the Santa Monica Pier to the Seal Beach Pier, OEHHA advises everyone not to eat barred sand bass or white croaker caught there. Each of our location pages lists the advisory that applies to that water and how many servings per week it recommends. When in doubt, release the fish, or eat skinless fillets with the fat trimmed, as OEHHA recommends.

Marine protected areas

Several stretches of the LA coast are marine protected areas (MPAs) where some or all fishing is prohibited. They include parts of Point Dume, Palos Verdes and Catalina Island. Check CDFW's MPA maps before fishing an unfamiliar beach or reef.