Dana Wharf Blog

Plowed through another week here locally and over at the island. Along the coast here, 63° water was pretty much the norm.  Where is the sun?  Man a little bit of sun would really kick things up.   We’ve got some great sardine and anchovy mix for our live bait so the bass action picked up…

Good week, very similar to what we had to work with last week with the conditions on the beach with 63° water. Bass fishing for the 1/2 day anglers showed more signs of improvement with some action for the guys on the fly lined baits and the artificials.  A day or two of some dirty…

American naturalist Roy Chapman Andrews called the fin whale “the greyhound of the sea … for its beautiful, slender body which is built like a racing yacht and the animal can surpass the speed of the fastest ocean steamship.” We have been so fortunate to see a rare Fin whale cow/calf pair as Fin whales…

Magnificent Blue and Mighty Fin Whales Still Feeding Off Our Coast! A Blue Whale was feeding for two days just outside the Dana Point Harbor early in the week before heading north!  Multiple Fin Whales are seen daily on almost every trip.  Many of these whales are VERY boat friendly, and our passengers are getting…

Status quo type of week with some good opportunities and some good fishing. 3/4 day fishing has still been on the rockfish push.  Along the coast here, the reds and bocaccio made up the bulk of the counts with some whitefish and other random mixed rockfish.  Good conditions made for easy drifts and anchor sets.   Off the beach…

Water temps on the beach making good improvements 62°-63° and the half-day bass fishing has been improving every day with it.  Good action on the live baits with the calico bass.  A 1/4 oz egg sinker and a live anchovy are super simple and just classic bass approaches are catching fish. We just started our…

Blue Whale Season Has Begun At Dana Wharf! We saw our first blue whale of the season on Sunday, May 7, 2023 with Captain Tommy White on the 95ft. Dana Pride, our largest whale watching vessel who called in the sighting from the 10am trip. Tommy said “When you think that the blue whale is the…

Fin Whale Mania including a Cow/Calf Pair, Gray Whales, a Humpback Whale, and a Minke Whale! Fin whales have been seen eight of the last nine days, including a cow/calf pair where the baby whale appeared to be playing with the dolphin very close to shore just north of the Dana Point Headlands. On multiple…

FINTASTIC Week with Fins on Parade! We have had several encounters with up to four and even five fin whales. The week’s highlight was the Dana Wharf 8-hour Ultimate Whale Watch which began with a cloudy, hazy morning with three fin whales feeding off the Dana Point Headlands. The brilliant contrast of the fin whale’s…

Whales are a majestic species that captivate people’s hearts and minds with their impressive size and movements. California is known as one of the best places in the world to watch whales, with several species found along its coast, including gray whales, humpback whales, and blue whales. If you’re planning a whale-watching trip in California,…

Dana Point, California, is a beautiful coastal town in Orange County, known for its scenic views, sandy beaches, and water activities. If you’re planning a visit to Dana Point, here are five things you should definitely do: Visit Dana Point Harbor: The harbor is the heart of the town, offering stunning views of the Pacific…

Babies on Parade! As the last phase of the Gray Whale northbound migration begins to peak, we are seeing several cow/calf pairs.  The highlight of the week was watching a northbound gray whale cow/calf gray pair swimming together off Victoria Beach. They clearly entertained whale watchers and beachgoers as this calf was “playing” displaying surface behaviors…