This page covers mahi-mahi, also called dorado, around Avalon on Santa Catalina Island. Dorado are documented around the island, but very little is documented for boats based at Avalon, and this page says so plainly. For the harbor, moorings and access, see the Avalon port page. For identification and general biology, see the mahi-mahi fishing guide. The wider picture is in the mahi-mahi fishing in the Pacific Southwest and the Pacific Southwest region guide.
When mahi-mahi are around Avalon
Dorado around Catalina Island are described as a summer fish, found in open water where floating kelp and debris collect. No month is given for Avalon boats, and no run of dorado is documented for the harbor itself. Treat summer as the window to watch, and let the water temperature and the floating weed decide the day rather than the calendar.
Where boats run
Avalon Harbor sits on the north shore of Santa Catalina Island, and boats cross San Pedro Channel from the mainland to reach it. The harbor is entered through the gap between the Casino Point breakwater and the Cabrillo Peninsula breakwater. There are no alongside berths, so boats pick up a mooring buoy, and the harbor patrol meets arrivals at the entrance to assign one.
Two closed areas sit close to the entrance. Casino Point Dive Park and Lover’s Cove are marine protected areas where fishing is prohibited, and Casino Point forms the north side of the entrance. A line trailed while leaving toward the north or east could fall inside them, so check the state’s marine protected area map before fishing near the harbor. The wind often builds in the channel during the afternoon, so check conditions yourself before running offshore.
Grounds and structure
No named dorado ground is documented for Avalon. The Ridge, east of the island’s east end, is described as a good place to find floating kelp and pelagic fish. No dorado catch is documented there, so treat it as a place to search rather than a known spot. Church Rock, a rock with an underwater seamount and a kelp bed off its face, is a nearby kelp-bed ground documented for kelp fish rather than dorado.
How mahi-mahi are fished out of Avalon
No method specific to dorado is documented for Avalon, so the general approach for dorado under floating kelp and debris applies. Run between kelp patches and debris, scanning the water for birds, bait and fish. Troll feathers or rigged ballyhoo along the edge of a weedline rather than through it. When a school comes up, pitch to the fish that rise, and keep one hooked fish in the water beside the boat, since the school tends to stay with it while others cast.
Who fishes them
No charter or tournament that targets dorado out of Avalon is documented. Island charters are documented mostly for yellowtail, calico bass, rockfish and white seabass. Ask any boat directly whether it runs for dorado before you book, since the answer depends on the water that season.
FAQ
When is the best time for dorado at Avalon?
Summer is the window described for dorado around the island. No month is documented for Avalon itself, so follow the water temperature and the floating kelp.
Are there named dorado grounds at Avalon?
None is documented. The Ridge, east of the island’s east end, is a general place to search for floating kelp and pelagic fish, and it is the best starting point without a named spot.
Which Avalon boats fish for dorado?
No Avalon charter is documented as targeting dorado. Ask the boat before booking.
Where do I check the rules?
Use the California regulations page for state waters and the federal page for the waters beyond them.
