Dana Wharf Blog

When the Dana Wharf sportboats head offshore in the summer and fall, every set of eyes on the boat—from the captain in the wheelhouse to the anglers on the bow—is scanning the deep blue horizon for one specific thing. A floating piece of detached kelp. In the vast, featureless expanse of the open…

You can have the most expensive rod and reel on the boat, but if your live bait is spinning in circles or dies the second it hits the water, the fish are going to swim right past it. When you fish with Dana Wharf Sportfishing, our bait tanks are loaded with fresh, lively…

If you fish Southern California year-round, you know that the Pacific Ocean has moods. During the winter months, the water is cold, the days are short, and the strategy is all about going deep. Winter fishing at Dana Wharf Sportfishing is dominated by heavy lead, dropping bait to the bottom, and pulling up…

When you drop your line down to the rocky reefs off the coast of Southern California, you never quite know what’s going to bite. While many anglers have their hearts set on a giant Lingcod or a colorful California Sheephead, there is one fish that often steals the show: the Ocean Whitefish. Don’t…

You are standing on the deck of a Dana Wharf vessel looking out at the Pacific. Suddenly, you see a puff of white water on the horizon. Before you can even focus your binoculars, the captain announces over the loudspeaker, “We have a Gray Whale at 2 o’clock!” How do they do that?…

It is almost impossible to comprehend the sheer size of a Blue Whale. At over 100 feet long and weighing up to 300,000 pounds, they are the largest animals to have ever lived on Earth. But the most mind-boggling fact about these massive ocean leviathans isn’t just their size—it’s how they fuel it. Every summer,…

Every day at Dana Wharf Whale Watching is an adventure. Seeing a 40-foot migrating Gray Whale or watching a mega-pod of 1,000 Common Dolphins stampede through the water is an experience you never forget. But every so often, the Pacific Ocean decides to really show off. While we have our reliable, year-round residents…

Remember when whale watching meant staring at the horizon for hours, just hoping for a random splash? It used to be a beautiful game of hide-and-seek in a massive ocean. While the ocean is still wild and unpredictable, your trip out of Dana Point—the Dolphin & Whale Watching Capital of the World®—has evolved. Thanks to…

They have teeth that look like a human’s, they change gender from female to male, and they fight like a bulldog. The California Sheephead is one of the most iconic fish in our local kelp beds. While many anglers catching them by accident while fishing for bass, targeting them specifically is a skill. Known as…

When the water temps rise off Southern California, the “Gold Rush” begins. Mahi Mahi (Dorado) move into our local waters, often coming within just a few miles of the harbor. Whether you are hopping on a ¾ day boat out of Dana Wharf Sportfishing or running your own skiff from Dana…

They vibrate like a jackhammer, run like a tuna, and fight harder than fish three times their size. The Pacific Bonito is the unsung hero of the Southern California coast. Often called “little tuna,” Bonito are pelagic schoolers that invade the waters off Dana Point when the currents warm up. For anglers aboard…

When the rockfish season opens, the sacks at Dana Wharf are usually filled with Vermillion Rockfish (Reds), Boccaccio, and Whitefish. These are great eating fish, but for the serious angler, there is one prize that stands above the rest: The Lingcod. Often called “The Dragon” because of its prehistoric look and mouth full…