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Fish City

Tackle Shops in Ventura County

5 shops — hours, live bait, and directions.

Updated

Bait and tackle near you in Ventura County

5 open shops, 3 with live bait, live bait first.

Ventura County's tackle shops cluster around the two harbors that launch the local fleet — Channel Islands Harbor in Oxnard and Ventura Harbor a few miles up the coast — both jumping-off points for the northern Channel Islands. In Oxnard, Channel Islands Sportfishing Tackle sits inside the Channel Islands Sportfishing landing at 4151 S Victoria Ave: a full tackle store stocking live bait (squid, anchovies, and sardines when available), rental rods, and California fishing licenses for an 11-boat fleet that runs half-day through multi-day trips and serves as an IGFA weigh station. Also in the harbor, Hook's Landing is a fourth-generation family-operated bait-and-tackle shop and ticket agent that carries live bait and books an owner-operated fleet. In Ventura, Eric's Tackle Shop at 2127 E Thompson Blvd is an independent shop a few blocks off the water, known for custom rod building and rod-and-reel repair, with big-game, island, bass, and fly gear; it opens Monday through Saturday and closes Sunday. Down at Ventura Harbor, Ventura Sportfishing runs the landing's tackle shop with live bait and tackle for its northern Channel Islands trips, and nearby on Harbor Boulevard, Hyun's Tackle Shop is a retail and online tackle shop carrying rods, reels, lures, and terminal gear.

The county fishes the Santa Barbara Channel and the northern Channel Islands — Anacapa, Santa Cruz, Santa Rosa, and San Miguel. Rockfish are the year-round mainstay over the island reefs and dominate the catch counts. Calico bass turn on at Anacapa and the front side of Santa Cruz Island from spring through fall, alongside California halibut on the inshore flats in summer. White seabass turn on from late spring into early summer when the squid show, and yellowtail stage at the islands from spring into fall. Bluefin tuna and other offshore species move within range in summer and fall, and lingcod fill in over the reefs in fall. The northern islands tend to run a few weeks behind the Southern California bight on the seasonal calendar, so the warm-water bite arrives a touch later here than off Orange County or San Diego.

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

Shops in Ventura County

Ventura County on the map

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Frequently asked questions

  • Which Ventura County tackle shops carry live bait?

    Both Channel Islands Harbor shops in Oxnard carry live bait. Channel Islands Sportfishing Tackle stocks live squid, anchovies, and sardines when available, per its own site, and Hook's Landing carries live anchovies, sardines, and squid when available, per the Channel Islands Harbor listing and the shop's own live-bait page. Live-bait status for Eric's Tackle Shop in Ventura — an inland shop away from the harbor — is not confirmed from the shop's own sources; call (805) 648-5665 before a trip that depends on it.

  • What is the most offshore-focused tackle shop in Ventura County?

    Channel Islands Sportfishing Tackle in Oxnard is the county's offshore-focused landing shop. It sits inside the Channel Islands Sportfishing operation — an 11-boat fleet running half-day through multi-day trips to the northern Channel Islands and the offshore banks — carries live bait, rental rods, and licenses, and serves as an IGFA weigh station.

  • Where do Ventura County anglers get rod repair or a custom rod built?

    Eric's Tackle Shop at 2127 E Thompson Blvd in Ventura builds custom rods and handles rod-and-reel repair, alongside big-game, island, bass, and fly tackle, per its own site. It opens Monday through Friday 9 AM to 6 PM and Saturday 9 AM to 5 PM, closed Sunday.

  • What fish are in season in Ventura County waters?

    Rockfish are available year-round over the Channel Islands reefs. Calico bass and California halibut pick up from spring through summer. White seabass turn on from late spring into early summer with the squid, and yellowtail stage at the islands from spring into fall. Bluefin tuna and other offshore species move within range in summer and fall. The northern islands run a few weeks behind Southern California on the warm-water calendar.

  • Which Ventura County shops are attached to a sportfishing fleet?

    Both Oxnard shops are. Channel Islands Sportfishing Tackle is the counter for the Channel Islands Sportfishing landing and its 11-boat fleet, and Hook's Landing is a ticket agent for an owner-operated fleet out of Channel Islands Harbor. Eric's Tackle Shop in Ventura is an independent retail shop, not attached to a landing.