The Dogtown Dispatch: Issue #08

treylfinton
Sep 8
3 min read

Los Angeles County: September 01 – September 07, 2025

Last week was mostly a bust.

Early Week (Mon–Tue): The tides looked good on paper, but the sand didn’t back it up. Morning structure was clean, light was workable, but the water felt empty. A couple backs flashed here and there, but nothing you could string together. Not the numbers we expect in late August — more silence than signs.

Midweek (Wed–Thu): Things perked up slightly. Afternoon falling tides lined up into the lows, and that’s where the windows opened. Saw four fish across two sessions, managed to connect with one — a hard-earned victory in an otherwise lean stretch. Each cast had to be dialed, each angle planned. It wasn’t wide open, but at least there were moments that reminded you the beans are still in the system.

Weekend (Fri–Sun): The heat brought the people. Beaches were packed, water full of swimmers, kids charging through the skinny just as you’d lined up a cast. Plenty of fish were around — pods sliding through, singles cruising tight — but getting a shot off without a human torpedo blowing it up was near impossible. Three separate setups dissolved into chaos the second a swimmer ran through the zone. That was the weekend story. What can you do? The beach belongs to everyone.

Conditions Recap: Water temps hovered steady in the high 60s, prime for corbina. Surf sat in the 2–3 ft range midweek, clean with longer lulls, but stacked up again over the weekend — making an already crowded beach even tougher to fish.

Key Takeaways – Los Angeles Beaches

Early week was quiet — fish were scarce, with only a few backs flashing.
Wednesday–Thursday offered the best window: afternoon falling tides produced four fish seen, one landed.
Weekend was crowded chaos — fish present, but opportunities shut down by swimmers and heavy beach traffic.
Water temps stayed prime, surf manageable midweek, stacked on the weekend.
August wrapped quiet, leaving more questions than answers heading into September.

Bottom Line

It wasn’t the week we wanted. A few glimmers midweek, one fish to hand, and plenty of busted chances. Corbina don’t care about your tides or your notes — they’ll remind you they run the show. With August behind us, all eyes turn to September and the hope that this finicky season still has some fire left in it.

Ventura County: September 01 – September 07, 2025

Ventura didn’t make it easy this week.

Early Week (Mon–Tue): Most beaches were tough right out of the gate. Stained water and thick salad stretched across the county, making it hard to find clean lanes. A few scattered fish showed, but the poor water quality kept opportunities slim.

Midweek (Wed–Thu): If you were able to line up the falling tide at the right moment, Ventura finally cracked open. Pods slid into the skinny, feeding lanes lit up, and the windows felt alive. But fooling them was another story. They tracked, they nosed down, they followed — but real eats were rare. Miss the window, and you were done. Once the tide pushed past, it turned into a ghost town.

Weekend (Fri–Sun): Conditions stayed about the same. Most setups continued to favor ultra-soft surf with falling water, though a couple of beaches hinted at promise on the early AM lows. Fly-wise, natural Merkins drew the most attention, though the old-school salmon pink still pulled a few grabs.

By the end of the week, it felt like Ventura had fish in the system, but the dice were loaded against you — dirty water, short windows, and tight setups. Every opportunity demanded patience and precision.

Key Takeaways – Ventura County Beaches

Water quality was poor — salad and stain across most beaches.
Falling tides were the ticket; miss the window and the fish vanished.
A few beaches offered shots on early AM lows, but most favored soft surf + falling water.
Natural Merkins were the most consistent; salmon pink still produced.
Fish were present, but eats were hard-earned.