By Paul Lebowitz

Kayak fishing is about having fun catching ten times as many fish as someone stuck on shore. Anyone can do it, although many people are more comfortable starting out on flat water. That’s fine! For fast easy action and a wide variety of gamefish, Southern California’s bays and marinas can’t be beat. Here are some favorites, arranged from Ventura County in the north down to San Diego.

Ventura County
Channel Islands Harbor, Oxnard
Long-time kayak fishing guide Dennis Spike of KayakFishing.com leads us off with an overlooked fishing hole, Channel Islands Harbor. Spike explains, “It has little boat traffic and can produce excellent fishing for sand bass, shallow water rockfish, smelt and halibut. The bait receiver is located mid-harbor. Fishing along the breakwalls and in the deep channels is productive.” The best places to launch a kayak are the public launch ramp and Baby's Beach.

Los Angeles County
King Harbor, Redondo Beach
According to Spike, the small man-made harbor that juts from shore just north of Palos Verdes enjoys reliable yearly runs of bonito. Getting a kayak on the water is simple as it gets. “Easy access is afforded at the public hand launch with ample, inexpensive parking. Paddling distances are short. Halibut fishing is excellent with bigger flatfish than other harbors” says Spike.

Jim Salazar of the Saba Slayer kayak fishing guide service suggests fishing near the adjacent power plant’s warm water discharge (the bubble hole). Halibut favor the flats in the harbor’s back corner. Sand bass, smaller calicos, and the occasional spotted bay bass (a.k.a. spotty) are often found along the outer breakwall and near the bait receiver. As for baits, don’t forget your wallet.

“My favorite bait is a $5 bill. The receiver is close to the launch. Medium sized anchovies and smaller sardines are best,” says Salazar. For artificials, Salazar suggests trolling black and white floating Rapala or Cultiva minnows. Everything in the harbor will hit them, including barracuda and the odd needlefish.

Port of Los Angeles / Cabrillo Beach, San Pedro
Think of the sprawling Port of Los Angeles and ponderous freighters and towering cargo cranes come to mind. But there are fish here too, halibut and seasonal sand bass, barracuda, and bonito, and quieter corners where kayak anglers such as Team Malibu’s Greg Tsujiuchi hunt them.

“The favorite target is halibut, which can be caught in as shallow as three feet of water out toward 50 feet, depending on the season. My favorite baits are smelt and sardines on a Carolina rig, but some will argue lizard fish, anchovies, and Spanish mackerel can entice the flatties just as well,” says Tsujiuchi, who likes to fish along the 'No Motorcraft' buoy line. According to Tsujiuchi, bait is available at two nearby bait barges, although many anglers prefer to catch their own from the nearby pier.

Don’t forget this is a busy commercial harbor. “Be careful not to venture out to close to the opening of the harbor. Huge freight liners regularly make their way to and from the port with the assistance of tugboats,” Tsujiuchi warns.

Orange County
Newport Harbor, Newport Bay
Glitzy Newport Harbor is one of Spike’s favorite bays. “In its miles of fishable water, all the basses, white seabass, halibut, barracuda, bonito, croakers and more are commonly landed. Halibut are frequent around the Balboa Pavilion and respond well to anchovies (usually available near the harbor mouth),” says Spike.

San Diego Bay ‘Bendo – Southern California’s largest natural harbor is a terrific kayak fishery. Sand bass, spotties, sculpin, halibut, corvina, barracuda, and even bonefish are likely catches. Which one could Team Wilderness Systems angler Mark Pierpont have on the line?

King Sand Bass – Kayak anglers can find big sand bass in small harbors. Team Malibu angler Greg Tsujiuchi picked up this one in King Harbor. PHOTO COURTESY JIM SALAZAR

A Speckled, Spirited Spotty – What a spotted bay bass lacks in size is more than made up in sheer fight. Bay bound kayak anglers love to entice these tough fish using techniques familiar to freshwater bassers. This one was fooled by Bill Hokstad in Newport Harbor.

Fish in Newport Harbor key on the man-made structures. “The most effective fishing method is trolling artificial minnows that mimic the available baits. Every dock, boat and mooring line should be approached like structure for the best results. My personal experience is 50 to 60 fish days with up to nine species landed,” says Spike. Kayak anglers can launch at 18th Street Beach (metered parking), Coast Guard Beach (limited free parking), or at the Newport Dunes Resort (fee).

Dana Point, Dana Point
Kayak anglers are a common sight in this small craft harbor located in the shadow of dramatic Dana Point. Mark Ezell of Hook1 Kayak Fishing Gear clues us in. “For starters, Baby Beach is a great launch, with no waves and nearby free parking,” says Ezell.

“The go-to is live bait (available near the harbor mouth). Artificials are good too. Trolling a smaller crankbait such as a Yozuri Crystal Minnow shallow diver alongside the jetty wall always hooks something. Spinnerbaits tossed along the rocks lining the island and jetties produce spotties,” says Ezell, who also recommends the bait receiver area for barracuda and halibut. Please watch out for juvenile white seabass. “Be careful releasing them, and don’t handle them if you can avoid it,” asks Ezell.

San Diego County
Mission Bay, San Diego
Sparkling Mission Bay is Drew Clark’s first love. It is full of spirited spotties, the favorite kayak fish of Clark and his Plastic Navy compatriots. “Pound for pound nothing can fight like that fish,” says Clark. Like freshwater bass, “Spotties can be caught in so many ways, but sometimes you can chase them all day and they’ll just toy with you,” says Clark. By far, the preferred bait is the Berkley Frenzy medium diving minnow. “It will pull spotties out when nothing else is working,” says Clark. There are dozens of good launches in Mission Bay, yet Clark prefers the beach at Bahia Point for its mid-bay location.  

San Diego Bay, San Diego and Chula Vista
The largest natural bay in Southern California is really two completely different fisheries.

The Shelter Island launch area is known for sand bass and sculpin (mid-channel), spotties (shallows), and halibut, corvina, and barracuda. “If you want a guarantee, paddle to the mouth of bay and drop-shot large plastics in the channel around Ballast Point,” suggests Clark. Even more so than at L.A. Harbor, beware the traffic. Quickly yield the main channel to any approaching ship.