The Dogtown Dispatch: Issue #05

Big surf. Flat light. Lockjawed beans.

LA was a heartbreaker — miles walked, shots taken, hooks pulled, nothing to hand. Ventura gave cleaner water and a few pods, but only if you had the patience to wait them out.

Some weeks the sand gives. This one made you earn every step.

Los Angeles County: August 11 – August 17, 2025

A rough go on the sand this week. Seventy-three thousand steps logged, twenty-seven casts made, sixteen fish spotted, three pulled hooks, and zero fish to hand. That’s the game sometimes — a head scratcher from start to finish.

Monday had the tides I love — early lows with another shot late in the day. Double windows, double the chance. Except the surf didn’t get the memo. Four-to-five footers rolling through in heavy sets, pushing water in and ripping it back out. With that much energy in the wash, windows shut fast. Fish were seen, shots were taken, but nothing stuck.

Tuesday and Wednesday carried the same tides, the same surf, and the same frustration. Afternoon lows gave me a couple of shots — decent fish sliding into casting range — but wind and cloud cover made it tough to see. Still, got the fly in the zone and moved a couple. Close, but no seal.

Thursday finally gave me the surf break I was waiting on. Two-to-three foot sets with long pauses between waves — what we call “the skinny.” The perfect setup for sight fishing corbina. Only problem? No sun. The light stayed flat, and picking out fish was tough. Still, that afternoon produced the best action of the week. Pods of three and four fish pushing up into the skinny, sliding onto crab beds as the waves washed over. Casts were made, fish followed, eats happened… and hooks pulled. Another round of heartbreak. You breathe, regroup, and accept that losing is part of this pursuit.

The weekend brought flat morning tides and a slow, steady rise into the afternoon. Usually, flat mornings are gold — prime windows for beans to stage and feed. Not this time. I covered four sections of four different beaches and saw a grand total of three fish, none of which were interested. Those are the rough days, the kind that test more than your legs. You find a way to reset — skip rocks, pocket shells, maybe even swim. The skunks will drive you crazy if you let them. Sometimes you’ve got to take the small win.

Sights form the sand

Key Takeaways – Los Angeles Beaches

• Big surf early in the week shut down the best windows.

• Tuesday/Wednesday: same tides, same swell, same tough results.

• Thursday’s “skinny water” conditions were ideal, but flat light made it a challenge. Still, pods of 3–4 fish showed and gave up shots.

• Pulled hooks were the theme. Eats happened, but nothing came to hand.

• Weekend flat tides didn’t produce. Only a handful of fish seen across multiple beaches.

• Resetting your head matters as much as casting. Some days, the beach gives you nothing.

Bottom Line

Not every week ends with a grip-and-grin. This one was proof. Plenty of shots, plenty of miles, but no payoffs. That’s the corbina curse — they’ll take your time, your legs, and your spirit, then dangle one eat in front of you just to keep you coming back.

Ventura County: August 11 – August 17, 2025

Ventura stayed stubborn but showed signs of life. Water quality continued to improve — most beaches were fishable, though a few pockets of junky water still lingered.

The AM tides fished better than the PM. Morning lows gave anglers the cleanest shots, but the fish weren’t generous. This season’s theme has been patience and persistence, and Ventura reminded us of that again. Fish weren’t hanging around for long. If you were too eager, casting at every shadow, you burned opportunities. The trick was waiting, watching, and only making the cast when the angle, water, and fish all lined up.

The PM tides were tougher — more chop, more glare, fewer consistent signs of life. But even in the junk, you could still pull something if you stayed sharp. The few productive windows often came down to subtle reads: a swirl on the edge, a faint v-wake pushing down the line, a dark flash cutting against the grain.

Wind stayed a factor in the evenings, especially in central stretches, but northern beaches gave cleaner lanes if you were willing to walk for them. Those who braved the push and covered miles were rewarded with a handful of quality eats.

This was a week for grinders. No wide-open bite, no magic windows, but enough fish in the system to keep hope alive.

A solid fish caught by Scott Y.

Key Takeaways – Ventura County Beaches

• AM tides outperformed PM — morning lows gave the best chances.

• Water quality improved overall, though stained pockets remained.

• Patience and persistence were critical — cast less, watch more.

• Subtle signs (swirls, v-wakes, shadows) were the only real tells.

• Evening wind made central beaches tough; northern stretches offered relief.

• Fish are around — success went to the ones willing to wait for the moment.

Bottom Line

Ventura didn’t make it easy, but it rarely does. The fish are here, just not handing themselves over. The wins came to the anglers who walked long, watched longer, and trusted their instincts.

Looking Ahead

Fall is creeping closer. The crowds will thin, the “people hatch” will fade, and the beaches will feel a little emptier. The surf forecast looks favorable, with manageable AM lows and steady afternoon highs. Opportunities should be there — but don’t expect quality shots every tide.

The heavy surf we battled last week should have pushed sand around and carved out some new, much-needed structure across LA County beaches. Fresh troughs and crab beds could reset a few of the zones that have felt flat and lifeless.

Soft water will matter. When the swell stacks up, hunt the stretches that let you see clean lanes. Falling afternoon highs could be the ticket for higher-percentage sight shots, especially if the sun stays on your shoulder.

The fish are in the system. The only question is whether you’ve got the patience to wait them out.