Redondo Sportfishing is the King Harbor landing in Redondo Beach, and it is the cheapest way onto the water anywhere in the Los Angeles area: a half day runs $60. It sells open party seats per person on a small fleet, and what it lacks in new boats it makes up for with a sharp local captain and an easygoing crowd of regulars. It is the value pick on this page, and it earns the spot with one clear caveat about the state of the boats.
The verdict and where it ranks
At 6.0 the landing is a mixed pick and the eighth ranked operator on the Los Angeles ranking, the lowest of the boats we placed this season. Book it with caveats. Its strengths are price and a captain reviewers credit, by name as Morgon, with putting them on fish, plus a relaxed, friendly feel and good whale watching out of King Harbor. Its weakness is the fleet. The boats are old, described even by fans as fishy but worn, and a recurring thread of reviews reports uneven crew manners. Book it for an affordable, no-frills day close to home, not for a polished boat or a guaranteed warm welcome.
The fleet
The boats wear their years openly. The Redondo Special has fished King Harbor for more than 60 years and the Betty-G for more than 50, and while regulars insist the old hulls still find fish, they are basic, aging platforms rather than modern boats. The Pescador runs the full day to the islands, with bunks for the first ten anglers who reserve, and the Navegante handles the longer overnight and multi-day trips. All are Coast Guard inspected passenger vessels. The honest read is that you are trading boat comfort for the lowest fare in the area, and that trade is the whole point of this landing.
The fishing and what you target
King Harbor sits beside the Redondo Canyon, so the local boats reach rockfish, calico and sand bass, mackerel, and whitefish quickly, with barracuda, bonito, and yellowtail moving in as the water warms. The full day and overnight trips run to Catalina and the islands for better grades. As across this coast, the rockfish season and depth limits are set by the state and shift through the year, so check the current rules with California Fish and Wildlife before a bottom-focused day. The canyon edge also makes for strong whale and dolphin watching, which the landing runs alongside the fishing.
Trips and prices
Seats are per person and the prices are the lowest around. A half day on the Redondo Special is $60, morning or afternoon, and a full day on the Pescador is $130, with bunks for the first ten to reserve. Bait is included, and fish cleaning is about $2 per fish, which is cheap and clearly posted. Longer overnight and multi-day trips on the Navegante are priced by the trip, so ask when you book. For value, nothing else in the Los Angeles area undercuts a $60 half day. Our cost guide and the party boat versus private charter guide set this against the pricier boats.
The crew
The crew is where the reviews split. The captain draws real credit for reading the local grounds and putting a full boat on fish, and the regulars describe a relaxed, welcoming deck. Against that sits a recurring strand of reviews reporting a crew member as rude or short, enough times that it is worth naming rather than waving off. On a busy half day with about 40 anglers, the experience leans on which crew you draw, so go in with modest expectations on service and let the fishing and the fare carry the day.
Booking and what to know
Book online or by phone, and arrive early to park near the International Boardwalk and check in. Bring a cooler, a few dollars for fish cleaning, and motion sickness medication for the longer runs. The half day boats often have walk on room, but the full day and island trips fill, so reserve a bunk ahead on the Pescador or Navegante.
How we scored it
The King Harbor landing scores 6.0: the lowest fares in the area, a capable local captain, and a relaxed feel, set against the oldest fleet in our field and an uneven service record. Value is its strongest factor. Boat and equipment is its weakest, on genuinely aging boats, and captain and crew is held down by the recurring complaints about manners. See how we scored this landing, and compare it with the rest of the Los Angeles charters.