Best time to fish at Santa Monica Pier
Today, Wednesday, October 28, 2026 · local time (PDT) · California, United States Today, Wed, Oct 28 · PDT- High tides
- 10:35 am
- Major periods
- 1:36–3:36 am and 2:08–4:08 pm
- Solunar activity
- Medium
- Sun
- 7:10 am–6:05 pm
Today, Wednesday, October 28, the best time to fish at Santa Monica Pier is 5:30 pm to 6:30 pm, with the 6:03 pm low tide, sunset, a light onshore breeze and some swell. It's a good day (7/10). Today is the best day this week.
Your day in Santa Monica Pier at a glance
The strip runs from midnight to midnight, local time. Night in gray, daylight in yellow; the blue curve is the tide; below, the solunar periods and the best windows.
Fishing forecast for the next 7 days
| Day | Rating | Best times | High tides | Moon |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Today | 7good day | 5:30–6:30 pm9:40–10:40 am | ▲ 10:35 am | Waning gibbous |
| Thu 29 | 6average day | 3:50–4:40 am10:50–11:50 am | ▲ 12:35 am ▲ 11:21 am | Waning gibbous |
| Fri 30 | 6average day | 5:30–6:20 pm11:50 am–12:50 pm | ▲ 1:55 am ▲ 12:18 pm | Waning gibbous |
| Sat 31 | 6average day | 5:30–6:30 pm12:40–1:40 pm | ▲ 3:33 am ▲ 1:30 pm | Waning gibbous |
| Sun 1 | 6average day | 5:50–6:40 am7:40–9:00 am | ▲ 3:54 am ▲ 2:01 pm | Last quarter |
| Mon 2 | 5average day | 5:50–6:50 am2:30–4:30 pm | ▲ 4:45 am ▲ 3:35 pm | Waning crescent |
| Tue 3 | 7good day | 4:20–5:30 pm5:50–6:50 am | ▲ 5:23 am ▲ 4:53 pm | Waning crescent |
Each day's rating comes from the tide, the solunar periods, the light and, when we have the forecast, the weather.
What can you catch in Santa Monica Pier?
Sport fishing species with the most records within about 19 mi of Santa Monica Pier: kelp bass, white seabass, barred sand bass, California halibut and striped mullet. October is one of the months when these are seen most: tope shark and yellowtail amberjack.
- Kelp bass Paralabrax clathratus · fish · 4,929 records Photo: Steve Lonhart/MBNMS · public domain · Wikimedia Commons
- JanJ
- FebF
- MarM
- AprA
- MayM
- JunJ
- JulJ
- AugA
- SepS
- OctO
- NovN
- DecD
- White seabass Atractoscion nobilis · fish · 3,246 records Photo: Wikimedia Commons · public domain
- JanJ
- FebF
- MarM
- AprA
- MayM
- JunJ
- JulJ
- AugA
- SepS
- OctO
- NovN
- DecD
- Barred sand bass Paralabrax nebulifer · fish · 884 records Photo: NickW557 · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
- JanJ
- FebF
- MarM
- AprA
- MayM
- JunJ
- JulJ
- AugA
- SepS
- OctO
- NovN
- DecD
- California halibut Paralichthys californicus · fish · 566 records Photo: Wikimedia Commons · public domain
- JanJ
- FebF
- MarM
- AprA
- MayM
- JunJ
- JulJ
- AugA
- SepS
- OctO
- NovN
- DecD
- Striped mullet Mugil cephalus · fish · 274 records Photo: Roberto Pillon · CC BY 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons
- JanJ
- FebF
- MarM
- AprA
- MayM
- JunJ
- JulJ
- AugA
- SepS
- OctO
- NovN
- DecD
- Lingcod Ophiodon elongatus · fish · 266 records Photo: Will Sides · CC BY 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
- JanJ
- FebF
- MarM
- AprA
- MayM
- JunJ
- JulJ
- AugA
- SepS
- OctO
- NovN
- DecD
- Tope shark Galeorhinus galeus · shark · 252 records Photo: Anonymous Unknown author · public domain · Wikimedia Commons
- JanJ
- FebF
- MarM
- AprA
- MayM
- JunJ
- JulJ
- AugA
- SepS
- OctO
- NovN
- DecD
- Yellowtail amberjack Seriola lalandi · fish · 250 records Photo: Nholtzha · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons
- JanJ
- FebF
- MarM
- AprA
- MayM
- JunJ
- JulJ
- AugA
- SepS
- OctO
- NovN
- DecD
These are sightings and catches recorded since 1970 (reports from divers and anglers, scientific surveys and museum collections), not a promise that you will catch them. The months come from sightings only, adjusted for how many there are each month; hatched months have too few to tell.
Source: GBIF.org, which also gathers OBIS data. Only records licensed CC0 or CC BY 4.0, from 1,130 datasets (retrieved October 24, 2026). Where the data comes from
Photos: each species' image on Wikidata (Wikimedia Commons) or, if there isn't one, one from GBIF; only licences that allow this use, each with its author and licence.
Piers, ramps and tackle shops nearby
Map: OpenFreeMap · © OpenMapTiles · © OpenStreetMap contributors
- Venice Fishing Pier 2.7 mi
- Santa Monica Pier 0.0 mi
- U.S. Coast Guard Pier 4.0 mi
- Jetty 3.8 mi
- Jetty 3.9 mi
- Boat ramp 2.3 mi
- Boat ramp 3.8 mi
- Boat ramp 3.9 mi
- Marina del Rey 3.7 mi
- Santa Monica Pier Bait and Tackle 0.1 mi
- Wylie's Bait and Tackle 5.4 mi
- Del Rey Landing 3.8 mi
Within 9.3 mi. A spot may be missing or closed. Open the map on OpenStreetMap · Missing one? Add it to OpenStreetMap
Spots: © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL) and Overture Maps.
Artificial reefs and wrecks to fish from a boat
Artificial reefs and wrecks draw fish, so they make good spots to fish from a boat. The nearest ones, within 16 mi.
- Santa Monica Center 1.8 mi
- Wreck 1.5 mi
- Topanga 2.4 mi
- Marina Del Rey 2 Center 2.9 mi
- Wreck 2.3 mi
- Marina Del Rey 1 Center 3.1 mi
Check the rules before you go: some have closed seasons, protected zones or banned gear. Wreck and reef positions are approximate and not for navigation; a wreck’s depth runs from the top of the hull to the seabed.
US wrecks: NOAA electronic navigational charts (ENC), a U.S. Government work; not for navigation. Artificial reefs: NOAA and BOEM (MarineCadastre.gov), a U.S. Government work.
How we work out the best time
We score every moment of the day, every 10 minutes, with simple rules anglers have used for decades:
- Tide: 2 to 3.5 points in the hour before and the hour after each high and low tide. Spring tides (high coefficient) score more, because the water moves faster.
- Solunar: 2.5 points in the major periods (moon overhead or underfoot) and 1.5 in the minor ones (moonrise and moonset).
- Light: 2 points at dawn and dusk, from first light to the end of the morning golden hour and from the evening golden hour to the end of twilight.
- Weather: falling pressure adds 1 point and rising pressure takes 1 away; wind takes points away from force 4 (about 12 mph), up to 5 points in a gale; waves of 1.6 ft to 4.9 ft add half a point (they stir up the water) and from 8.2 ft they take points away (up to 4).
- Best windows: the stretches of 40 minutes to 3 hours with the most points, at least an hour apart.
- Day's rating out of 10: the best window (up to 5), the moon (up to 2, near new or full moon), the tide coefficient (up to 2) and whether a solunar period lines up with sunrise or sunset (1). Without a tide, we score out of 8 and scale it to 10. Good weather adds up to 1 point and bad weather pulls it down.
Today: best window 3.6 of 5, moon 1 of 2, coefficient 1.5 of 2 and lineup 0 of 1; the weather adds 1.
It's a guide, not a guarantee: fish don't read tide tables. Always check the sea conditions and local fishing rules before you go.
Learn more
Fishing rules at Santa Monica Pier
Licenses, size limits, bag limits and closed seasons are set by the authorities and change often. We don't copy them here: check the official website before you go.
Questions about fishing at Santa Monica Pier
What's the best time to fish at Santa Monica Pier today?
5:30 pm to 6:30 pm, with the 6:03 pm low tide, sunset, a light onshore breeze and some swell. Also 9:40 am to 10:40 am. Today's rating: 7/10 (good day).
What about tomorrow? When's the best time to fish at Santa Monica Pier?
Tomorrow, Thursday, October 29: 3:50 am to 4:40 am, with a rating of 6/10.
Which day this week is best for fishing at Santa Monica Pier?
Wednesday, October 28, at 7/10. Its best window is 5:30 pm to 6:30 pm.
What can you catch at Santa Monica Pier?
Sport fishing species with the most records within about 19 mi of Santa Monica Pier: kelp bass, white seabass, barred sand bass, California halibut and striped mullet. October is one of the months when these are seen most: tope shark and yellowtail amberjack. These are sightings and catches recorded in GBIF and OBIS, not a promise that you will catch them.
When are the solunar periods at Santa Monica Pier today?
Major: 1:36–3:36 am and 2:08–4:08 pm. Minor: 9:44–10:44 am and 7:30–8:30 pm. Solunar activity today: medium.
Does the tide affect fishing at Santa Monica Pier?
Yes. Today high tide is at 10:35 am and low tide at 4:09 am and 6:03 pm, with a tide coefficient of 84 (average tides). The hours around each tide change tend to fish best, because moving water carries food.
How is the rating worked out?
From the tide, the solunar periods, the light at dawn and dusk, the moon phase and, when we have the forecast, the pressure, the wind and the waves. Each factor gives a fixed number of points and the rating sums them up out of 10.
Does it take the weather into account?
Yes. During today's best window: steady pressure (29.88 inHg), light onshore wind (7 mph) and some swell (2.4 ft waves) to stir the water. Strong wind and big waves lower the rating; falling pressure raises it a little.
What are the fishing rules at Santa Monica Pier?
Recreational fishing rules at Santa Monica Pier (licenses, size limits, bag limits and closed seasons) are set by the authorities: California Department of Fish and Wildlife; offshore, NOAA Fisheries. They change often: check the official website before you go.
More about Santa Monica Pier today
Our own calculation: tide from Santa Monica (NOAA), sun and moon with astronomy-engine and, when available, weather and sea from Open-Meteo (ECMWF, NOAA GFS and Copernicus Marine, CC BY 4.0). Slackwater database (https://github.com/openwatersio/slackwater-database)