What you'll find here
Point Dume SMR is no-take. Adjacent SMCA is limited. Most hook-and-line fishing is outside the boxes.
Marine protected areas
Point Dume State Marine Reserve: no take. Point Dume SMCA: recreational take limited (white seabass and pelagic finfish by spear; not a general hook-and-line box). Confirm current CDFW MPA regs before you wet a line here.
The MPAs come first
Point Dume is surrounded by two marine protected areas. The Point Dume State Marine Reserve covers the point itself and allows no take of any kind. The Point Dume State Marine Conservation Area extends west from the reserve toward Zuma and allows only spearfishing for white seabass and pelagic finfish. Hook-and-line fishing is not allowed in either MPA. LA County Beaches and Harbors notes that Zuma Beach and Point Dume beaches lie within the Point Dume MPAs.
Where you can fish legally
Legal hook-and-line fishing happens outside the MPA boundaries: in the surf and kelp east of the reserve toward Paradise Cove and Malibu, and from boats that stay outside the lines. Use CDFW's MPA maps or a GPS-enabled app with the boundaries loaded before you cast. The coordinates CDFW publishes put the reserve between about 118°49.2′W and 118°47.26′W, with the conservation area extending west to 118°53′W.
Access
Most visitors park along Westward Beach Road. The headland trails at Point Dume State Beach are popular for whale watching, and tidepools at the base of the point are inside the reserve, so collecting is prohibited.
What lives here
The kelp and reef around Point Dume hold calico bass, sheephead, white seabass and halibut, and yellowtail pass in warm years. Inside the MPAs they are protected; outside, normal Southern region rules apply.
Seasons and limits for the fish here
- Kelp Bass (Calico Bass): Year-round, best late spring–fall. Limits: 14 inches total length (10 inches alternate length); 5 kelp/barred/spotted sand bass in combination; no more than 4 barred sand bass. Tip: Cast to the kelp edge, sink, then hop the bait up.
- White Seabass: Year-round; squid nights in spring. Limits: 28 inches total length; 3 fish, except only 1 fish south of Point Conception between March 15 and June 15. Tip: Drift live squid after dark on a spawn.
- Yellowtail: Year-round; best summer–fall. Limits: 24 inches fork length, except up to 5 fish under 24" fork may be possessed; 10 fish. Tip: Drop iron, crank it back on a fast yo-yo.
- California Sheephead: Shore/dive year-round; boats Mar–Dec 2026. Limits: 12 inches total length; 2 fish. Tip: Drop to the rocks, not into the sand.
- California Halibut: Year-round. Limits: 22 inches total length; 5 fish south of Point Sur (Monterey County); LA County is in this zone. Tip: Drift the sand-to-kelp transition, bouncing just off bottom.
Limits summarize CDFW rules as of October 2026; each species page links the official source.
Eating your catch
For fish caught here, OEHHA's Ventura Harbor to Santa Monica Pier advisory lists servings per week (women 18–49 and children 1–17, then women 50+ and men) as: kelp (calico) bass 1 and 1; California halibut 1 and 2. Seabass, yellowtail, sheephead are not named in this advisory. OEHHA also recommends eating skinless fillets and trimming fat.
Frequently asked questions
Can you fish at Point Dume?
Not inside the Point Dume State Marine Reserve or the Point Dume SMCA with hook and line. You can fish outside the MPA boundaries.
Is Zuma Beach inside an MPA?
LA County Beaches and Harbors says Zuma and Point Dume beaches lie within the Point Dume MPAs. Check CDFW's map for exact boundaries.
What is allowed in the Point Dume SMCA?
Only recreational spearfishing for white seabass and pelagic finfish.
Fish species at Point Dume (Malibu MPAs)
Map
Regulations reminder
Size limits, bag limits, seasons, and MPA rules are set by CDFW and can change in-season. Public-pier license exceptions (CCR 1.88) apply only on qualifying structures — not on the beach next to them. This is an independent site and is not affiliated with CDFW.
Nearby waters
- Malibu Pier / Malibu Surf — about 8 mi away (straight line)
- Santa Monica Pier — about 18 mi away (straight line)
- Venice Pier — about 19 mi away (straight line)
- Marina del Rey Jetties — about 20 mi away (straight line)
- Marina del Rey Harbor — about 20 mi away (straight line)
- Dockweiler State Beach — about 22 mi away (straight line)
- Lake Balboa (freshwater) — about 22 mi away
- Kenneth Hahn Regional Park Lake (freshwater) — about 25 mi away
Sources & official links
- CDFW — Marine Protected Areas maps and regulations
- LA County Department of Beaches & Harbors
- OEHHA — Fish advisory: Ventura Harbor to Santa Monica Pier
- CDFW — Southern region ocean sport fishing regulations
Last reviewed: October 2026. Rules, stocking and access change; confirm with the agency linked above before you go.