About Avalon
Avalon Harbor is a small bay on the north shore of Santa Catalina Island, 2.5 miles from the island’s southeast end. Boats cross San Pedro Channel from the mainland to fish the island’s kelp, reefs and offshore water. Avalon is one of our California ports. The island fishes all year, and the targets shift with the seasons: yellowtail, white seabass, calico bass, barracuda, bluefin tuna, yellowfin tuna, dorado, striped marlin, albacore, rockfish and lingcod. The Pacific Southwest fishing guide covers how these species move along the coast.
Access and navigation
Avalon has no alongside berths. Visiting boats lie on city mooring buoys.
- Avalon Harbor Department – city mooring field on buoys, no alongside berths, fuel.
Most boats reach Avalon across San Pedro Channel, about 17 miles wide, from mainland ports such as San Pedro and Long Beach or Dana Point. Catalina lies 18 miles south of Point Fermin. Two Harbors sits at the island’s west end.
The entrance is the breakwater gap between Casino Point and the Cabrillo Peninsula breakwater. The harbor patrol boat meets arrivals there and assigns a mooring; assignments are not made over VHF. The NOAA Coast Pilot 7, Chapter 5 covers the entrance and the harbor.
The harbormaster reports shelter in southwest, northwest and southeast weather when the wind stays at or below 20 knots. Northeast Santa Ana winds occasionally blow in fall and winter, and in that wind the breakwater gives only limited protection at the northwest and southeast ends of the harbor. West and northwest wind blows nearly every day and tends to build in the afternoon, which can make the return leg slower.
Fishing is prohibited in the Casino Point and Lover’s Cove marine protected areas. Casino Point forms the north side of the harbor entrance. Boundaries and rules are on the CDFW marine protected areas page.
Buoy 46222 reads the channel, not the bay, so forecasts only go so far. On arrival, look at the water, then read the NWS PZZ655 marine forecast and NDBC buoy 46222. If conditions look bigger than you want, hold or change plans.
Fishing conditions
Named grounds within reach of Avalon include:
- Church Rock
- The Ridge, east of the East End
- Silver Canyon sand flats
Offshore water carries tuna, striped marlin and dorado in the warmer months, and in warm years dorado in the Pacific Southwest can show up in numbers. CDFW sets the rules, so check the CDFW ocean sport fishing regulations before you fish. Southern Management Area groundfish seasons and depth limits change through the year, and white seabass carries a seasonal sub-limit south of Point Conception.
Before committing to an offshore run, check the OBS SST and Chlorophyll layers to judge the pelagic water. Chart layers are not for navigation.
Winter
Calico bass, blue perch, yellowtail and white seabass fish through the cooler months, and lobster is part of the island’s winter picture. Santa Ana wind is the exposure to plan around at the harbor.
Spring
Targets are white seabass, yellowtail, barracuda, rockfish, lingcod and albacore. Rockfish and lingcod depend on CDFW season and depth rules.
Summer
Yellowtail, bluefin tuna, yellowfin tuna, dorado, striped marlin, albacore and barracuda all fish in summer. Our California yellowtail fishing guide covers the yellowtail. Dorado are the same fish as mahi-mahi, and the mahi-mahi fishing guide covers them. The afternoon westerly affects the run back.
Autumn
Yellowtail, barracuda, striped marlin and bluefin tuna fish in autumn, and lobster is part of the picture. Our guide to yellowtail in the Pacific Southwest covers the yellowtail. Santa Ana winds can arrive in fall.
