Newport Beach fishing spots and seasons

A canyon right off the beach

Newport's trick is the Newport Canyon, deep water that comes in unusually close to the harbor mouth. That means squid, bait and predators stack near shore, and you don't need a marathon run to reach real depth. It's a big reason the port fishes so well for its size.

From the same ramp you can pick your day: work the Newport and Huntington flats for summer sand bass and halibut, run the local reefs and kelp for calico, or point it at Catalina and the offshore blue for yellows, tuna and dorado in the warm months.

Newport fish species

Leaving Newport Beach, on any given week you could tangle with:

Fishing spots within range of Newport Beach

• THE NEWPORT CANYONDeep water close to the harbor: squid, bait and the predators that follow, minutes from the ramp.
• NEWPORT & HUNTINGTON FLATSBroad sand flats, barred sand bass on the summer spawn and halibut sliding across the bottom.
• CATALINA ISLANDA run across to island kelp and boilers for yellowtail, calico and white seabass.
• THE OFFSHORE BANKSBlue water and paddies where tuna and dorado show on a warm summer-fall push.

Which ground holds which fish

The grounds above, grouped the other way round. Where to go is the part that does not move; what you may keep, and when, is not, so read the note at the foot of this page and check the current CDFW rules before you run.

• Yellowtail

  • THE NEWPORT CANYON
  • CATALINA ISLAND

• Yellowfin

  • THE OFFSHORE BANKS

• Dorado

  • THE OFFSHORE BANKS

• Calico Bass

  • CATALINA ISLAND

• Marlin

  • THE OFFSHORE BANKS

• Sand Bass

  • NEWPORT & HUNTINGTON FLATS

• Halibut

  • NEWPORT & HUNTINGTON FLATS

• Sheephead

  • CATALINA ISLAND

• Whitefish

  • CATALINA ISLAND

• Mako

  • THE OFFSHORE BANKS

• Thresher

  • NEWPORT & HUNTINGTON FLATS

• Skipjack

  • THE OFFSHORE BANKS

Best time to fish out of Newport Beach

Newport's flats fire up in summer when the sand bass gang up to spawn, and the offshore tuna-and-dorado game peaks on the warm push into fall. Calico fish the kelp through the warm months; the canyon keeps bait and fish close much of the year.

Warmer = redder. A rough shape of the year, not a promise: the ocean writes its own calendar, which is exactly why you check the daily read.