This page covers mahi-mahi, also called dorado, and what is documented about fishing it out of Santa Barbara Harbor. The documentation is thin and rests on one older account, so this page says plainly what is and is not known. For the harbor, launch ramp and landings, see the Santa Barbara port page. For identification and biology, see the mahi-mahi fishing guide.
When mahi-mahi are around Santa Barbara
The only documented dorado from Santa Barbara is an account of a summer trip in a strong El Niño year. The same account says dorado are not normally caught this far north, so the fish here should be read as occasional rather than a settled season. No season is documented for the harbor. For the wider region, see the Southern California mahi-mahi guide (see also the Pacific Southwest offshore fishing guide).
Where boats run
Santa Barbara Harbor is entered through one dredged channel between the breakwater and Stearns Wharf. The entrance shoals rapidly after southeast storms, and the channel buoys are moved often. At night the breakwater light is hard to see against the city lights, and the sandbar north of the breakwater light is easy to miss on a high tide. The harbor patrol monitors VHF channel 16 and will help boats entering when asked.
The documentation describes a run out to the Channel Islands, including their backside, but gives no distance from the harbor to any dorado water. Channel winds usually build in the afternoon, so a morning crossing may meet lighter wind than the return. Morning fog is most frequent from August through November. Check conditions yourself before you run.
Grounds and structure
The 4-Mile is the one named ground tied to the dorado account, and it is given with no depth. Santa Cruz and Santa Rosa Islands are the islands boats here fish, but dorado are not documented on either.
How mahi-mahi are fished out of Santa Barbara
No method is documented for dorado from the harbor. The same trip used live mackerel and sliding sinker rigs for yellowtail. For dorado, use the general approach: troll feathers or ballyhoo along the edges of weed, scan for birds and bait, and keep a hooked fish in the water beside the boat while the others cast.
Who fishes them
No charter is documented as landing dorado out of Santa Barbara. The landings’ trips are documented for rockfish, lingcod, halibut and yellowtail rather than dorado. Ask the landings directly before you book.
FAQ
Is there a regular dorado season at Santa Barbara?
No. The one documented account describes a summer trip in a strong El Niño year and says dorado are unusual this far north.
Which boat should I call?
No charter is documented as landing dorado from the harbor. Ask the landings about recent dorado before booking.
Is an early start better?
Channel winds usually build in the afternoon, so an early crossing may meet lighter wind. Morning fog is most frequent from August through November, so check conditions yourself.
