Deep sea fishing in Los Angeles: the landings and charters worth booking

Deep sea fishing in Los Angeles is a landing town’s game. Most people here do not book a whole boat. They buy a seat on an open party boat out of one of the harbor landings, from San Pedro to Long Beach, Marina del Rey, and Redondo Beach. The field is wide and uneven, from a $60 half day on a 60 year old boat to a private six pack chasing bluefin tuna offshore, so this page ranks the Los Angeles deep sea fishing charters worth booking on our published method, and names the ones that did not make the cut.

The fishing splits in two. Close to home it is a bottom and inshore story: rockfish, calico and sand bass, barracuda, and bonito on the half day and three quarter day boats. Offshore, in the warm months, it becomes a bluefin tuna story, the reason the overnight and longer boats run, with yellowtail and white seabass around Catalina and the islands in between. Confirm the rockfish season and the current limits with California Fish and Wildlife, since the dates and depths shift through the year.

What you catch and when

Los Angeles fishes most of the year, but the target changes with the season and the water temperature. The local boats lean on rockfish, calico and sand bass, whitefish, and mackerel, with barracuda and bonito moving in as the water warms from late spring. The rockfish bite is the one governed by a hard, dated rule: the Southern California recreational season is closed January 1 to March 31, opens at all depths on April 1, draws back to inside the 50 fathom line from July 1, and tightens again on October 1, so a winter bottom trip is off the table. Offshore, the warm season brings the prizes, bluefin tuna on the overnight and 1.5 day boats from roughly June into October, and yellowtail and white seabass around Catalina and the islands through spring and summer. Match the trip to the calendar before you pick a date.

The boats and operators

The Los Angeles fleet comes in two shapes. The open party landings are the institution here: Coast Guard inspected party boats that sell seats by the person, so you turn up, pay a fare, and share the rail with other anglers. 22nd Street Landing in San Pedro and Long Beach Sportfishing at Berth 55 run the deepest fleets, covering everything from a half day to a two day offshore trip, while Marina del Rey Sportfishing and Redondo Sportfishing run smaller, cheaper, closer-in operations. The other shape is the private six pack, a small boat booked by the whole group for up to six anglers, with a named owner-captain and a personal day on the water. San Pedro has the standout six packs in ROGEZAC and the Mystic Queen, and Marina del Rey has LA Sportfishing and Spitfire. The trade is simple: the landings are the value and the access, the six packs are the quality of the day if you can fill or afford a boat.

How the field ranks

The field sorts into those two camps, and the private six packs take the top four spots on the strength of their crews. At the top is ROGEZAC Sportfishing at 8.0, a San Pedro owner-operator with more than three decades on the water and the deepest review record in the harbor, held back only by sentiment that sits almost entirely on one platform. Mystic Queen Sportfishing is second at 7.8, a Cabrillo Beach boat with a 25 year captain and a named, hands-on crew, marked down where its own site and its booking listing post two different price sets. LA Sportfishing follows at 7.6, a Marina del Rey boat with high catch counts and a rare shared overnight, pulled back by a stack of add-on fees on top of the boat rate. Spitfire Sportfishing rounds out the private boats at 7.4, a two decade owner-operator with clean pricing, on a thinner independent review trail than the boats above it.

Below them sit the open party landings, which is how most people actually fish Los Angeles. 22nd Street Landing at 7.3 is the flagship, with the widest trip range in the harbor, from a $70 half day to overnight tuna runs, marked down on add-on fees and a crowded rail. Long Beach Sportfishing at 7.2 is the Berth 55 equivalent, friendly and full service, held back by tight overnight bunks. The two mixed picks are value landings: Marina del Rey Sportfishing at 6.3, an affordable, beginner-friendly Westside operation that is cash only and stops at the three quarter day, and Redondo Sportfishing at 6.0, the cheapest seats in the area on a genuinely aging fleet. The cards below carry each boat’s verdict and score.

Trip types and what they cost

Los Angeles fishes two ways, and the price gap is wide. A walk on seat on an open party boat is the cheap way out: about $60 for a half day at Redondo or Marina del Rey, $70 to $78 at the San Pedro and Long Beach landings, $75 to $119 for a three quarter day, and $129 to $150 for a full day to Catalina. The overnight and longer offshore trips, the ones that reach the tuna, run from about $190 to $270 a seat, and a two day trip is around $450 to $650 plus a meal plan. Bait is included on the open party boats, and the landings sell a California one day license at the dock, but fish filleting usually costs extra, and two of the landings, Marina del Rey and parts of others, take cash only.

A private six pack is booked by the whole boat for up to six anglers, so it only works out per person when you bring a full group. Expect about $1,200 to $1,300 for a half day on the Marina del Rey and San Pedro boats, $1,600 for a three quarter day, $1,700 to $2,600 for a full day to Catalina or the islands, and $3,500 or more for a 12 hour offshore bluefin run. The private rates usually include bait, tackle, and fish cleaning, though some add a dock tax or fee on top and most leave the California license to you. Our cost guide breaks down what each tier buys, and the party boat versus private charter guide helps you choose between the two formats.

How to pick the right trip

If it is your first trip, or you are watching the budget, take an open party half day out of the nearest landing and keep your expectations to a sociable few hours of bottom fishing. 22nd Street Landing is the best all-round choice for the range of its fleet, and Marina del Rey or Redondo are the cheapest and easiest if you are on the Westside or the South Bay. If you want a real shot at a specific target, book by the season: a full day or island trip for yellowtail and white seabass in spring and summer, or an overnight for bluefin tuna from June into the fall. If you have a group of four to six and want a named captain and a private boat, the six packs are the better day, with ROGEZAC and the Mystic Queen the picks out of San Pedro and LA Sportfishing the standout on the Westside. First time anglers should read the first time guide before booking.

Getting there and what to bring

The fleet is spread across four harbors, so the first decision is which one is closest. San Pedro and Long Beach sit at the south end of the county off the 110 and 710 freeways, about 25 to 35 minutes from downtown, and run the biggest fleets and the offshore trips. Marina del Rey is on the Westside near the airport, and Redondo Beach is in the South Bay, both closer-in and lighter on long range options. Arrive 30 to 45 minutes before departure to park and check in, and bring cash, since some landings do not take cards for the fare, the galley, or filleting. Pack sunscreen, a hat, polarized sunglasses, a soft cooler for your fillets, and motion sickness medication if you are unsure of your stomach, since the swell offshore and a side-on drift can both turn a stomach. A California license is needed for anyone 16 and over, sold aboard the open party boats and brought yourself on most private trips.

Los Angeles is the urban anchor of the Southern California ports we cover. If the boats here are booked, Newport Beach fishes the same water down the coast in Orange County, and San Diego to the south is the home of the long range tuna fleet. The California hub lists every port we rank in the state.