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Fish City

Tackle Shops in Santa Barbara

2 shops — hours, live bait, and directions.

Updated

Bait and tackle near you in Santa Barbara

2 open shops, 1 with live bait, live bait first.

Santa Barbara's two tackle shops sit at opposite ends of the angling spectrum. Hook Line & Sinker, at 2259 Las Positas Rd a couple of miles inland from the harbor, calls itself Santa Barbara's only full-service tackle shop and has run since 1976; it carries gear spanning long-range offshore trips through surf and pier fishing, builds custom rods, and handles rod-and-reel repair and line spooling. It is open Tuesday through Sunday and closed Mondays. Down on the water, Stearns Wharf Bait & Tackle is the pier bait shop on Santa Barbara's historic wharf — it carries live bait, rents rods (a cup of bait included) and crab nets, and is open seven days a week, roughly 9 AM to 5 PM. No fishing license is needed to fish off Stearns Wharf, a public pier, which makes it an easy first stop for families and visitors.

Santa Barbara faces the Santa Barbara Channel and the northern Channel Islands — Santa Cruz, Santa Rosa, San Miguel, and Anacapa to the southeast. Rockfish and lingcod hold over the island reefs year-round, subject to seasonal groundfish closures. As the water warms from spring through fall, the pelagic season builds: calico bass on the kelp, California halibut on the flats, white seabass and yellowtail at the islands, and barracuda and bonito closer in. Albacore and the occasional bluefin tuna show offshore in warm years. Off Stearns Wharf, pier anglers pick up mackerel, surfperch, jacksmelt, and bonito. The region's sportfishing fleet runs from Santa Barbara Harbor — Sea Landing and Stardust — a separate operation from the two tackle shops here.

Select a shop or scroll the map to find the one closest to where you'll fish.

Shops in Santa Barbara

Santa Barbara on the map

Species to target here

Nearby charters

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Frequently asked questions

  • Which Santa Barbara tackle shops carry live bait?

    Stearns Wharf Bait & Tackle on the wharf carries live bait and includes a cup of bait with its rod rentals, per its own site. Hook Line & Sinker is a full-service shop a couple of miles inland; its own site doesn't state whether it stocks live bait, so call ahead at (805) 687-5689 if your trip depends on it.

  • Do you need a fishing license to fish off Stearns Wharf?

    No. Stearns Wharf is a public pier, and no California fishing license is required to fish from it — one reason it's a popular family and first-timer spot. A license is required almost everywhere else, including from a boat or most other shorelines. Stearns Wharf Bait & Tackle rents rods (with a cup of bait) and crab nets right on the wharf.

  • How long has Hook Line & Sinker been open?

    Hook Line & Sinker describes itself as Santa Barbara's only full-service tackle shop and has operated since 1976, per its own site — about 50 years as of 2026. It carries gear for everything from long-range offshore trips to surf and pier fishing, builds custom rods, and handles rod-and-reel repair.

  • What fish are in season around Santa Barbara?

    Rockfish and lingcod hold over the Channel Islands reefs year-round, subject to seasonal closures. From spring through fall, calico bass, California halibut, white seabass, yellowtail, and barracuda fill in as the water warms, with albacore and occasional bluefin tuna offshore in warm years. Off Stearns Wharf, pier anglers catch mackerel, surfperch, and bonito.

  • Where do Santa Barbara sportfishing boats run from?

    Santa Barbara's sportfishing fleet operates out of Santa Barbara Harbor — Sea Landing and Stardust Sportfishing — which is a separate operation from the two tackle shops on this page. Both shops sell gear; the harbor landing books the boats to the Channel Islands and the Santa Barbara Channel.