Flying to California to Fish With the Big Bass Dreams Team

We had an incredible time fishing with Oliver and Riley Ngy back in June on the tail end of a family vacation to Southern California. While some of the species were new to us and some of the terrain looked exotic, one of the things that made the trip so great is how easy it is to get there. ‍ ‍

They typically launch from various sites in and around Orange County, California. Many of you will be there for business or to take your kids to Disney or for some other non-fishing reason – so even if it’s not a dedicated multi-day trip, you can still fish for a day or two without messing up anyone’s plans. But if you want to take a dedicated trip to fish with them for multiple species over multiple days, and you don’t live within driving distance, it’s a remarkably easy venue to access.‍ ‍

We flew into Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), about 37 miles from the spot where we launched both days. Advantages: Tons of inexpensive flights from all over the country and all over the world. Disadvantages: That 37 miles can take a long time depending on L.A.’s unpredictable traffic. ‍ ‍

You could also fly into San Diego International Airport (SAN), about 93 miles from where we launched. This doesn’t have nearly as many flights from all over as does LAX, but it does have quite a few. Furthermore, San Diego is a lovely city with great food and culture and a lot to do. ‍ ‍

We started our trip in LA for a wedding, then took Hanna’s dad and his girlfriend to San Diego for a few days before hitting Orange County, so none of these are that far apart, but if the primary goal of your trip is to fish this section, you might also consider flying into Long Beach (LGB) or John Wayne Airport (SNA) in Santa Ana. They have far fewer flights from all over, but they’re closer to this particular attraction. ‍ ‍

I became aware of these options through Oliver, and these airports’ accessibility was driven home to me upon my return, when I learned that starting in August United will become the only airline to fly direct between Dulles (IAD), one of my home airports, and SNA. [In October, they’re also going to add four direct flights a week to and from Los Cabos International Airport (SJD), which should make future trips to Cabo and Mag Bay much easier.].‍ ‍

John Wayne Airport is approximately 17 miles from where we launched, and while there is some traffic it’s not nearly as bad as around LA. Currently SNA has direct flights to and from the following 48 cities: Phoenix, San Francisco, Seattle, Denver, Las Vegas, Dallas, San Jose, Oakland, Sacramento, Chicago, Salt Lake City, Provo, Portland, Newark (NJ), Atlanta, Houston, Santa Rosa, JFK (NY), Minneapolis, Boise, Spokane, San Jose Cabo, Austin, Everett (WA), Vancouver, Puerto Vallarta, Charlotte, Tucson, Dallas, Detroit, Orlando, Des Moines, Calgary, Raleigh Durham, Pasco, Ogden, Missoula, Medford, Idaho Falls and Grand Rapids.‍ ‍

The Long Beach Airport is also approximately 17 miles from where we launched. In fact, as we came into the marina each day one guidepost for those of us not looking at the GPS was the port of Long Beach on the shoreline.‍ ‍

Currently LGB has direct flights to and from the following cities: Denver, Las Vegas, Phoenix, Salt Lake City, Austin, Chicago, Portland, Dallas, Houston, Honolulu, Sacramento, San Jose, Albuquerque, Oakland, Kahului, Bozeman and Reno.‍ ‍

With either of these airports, it might be possible to take a multi-day fishing trip without a rental car, using Ubers entirely – although it might be inconvenient given the fact that launch sites may change depend on weather conditions, the season and the fish being targeted. There are plenty of affordable and safe hotels in the region and a ridiculous number of dining options.‍ ‍

If you’re looking for a fishing destination that’s remote and hard to access, this is not it. Instead, it’s one of the most traveler-friendly locales we know. It’s one of the many reasons we’ll be back.‍‍