San Diego & SoCal Fishing Forums

... I fish and chat with people I have met and am on a first-name basis with, as well as strangers. I like that aspect of surf fishing.




This has far and away been my favorite part of surf fishing this year - the conversations with people taking pictures, walking dogs, surfers, others ...

Anyone looking for sand crabs, there are massive beds of them up in North Carlsbad as of Sunday evening. Mostly nickel sized, over 50% over that size or bigger had roe.

Fished from 5:30pm-7:30pm. Lots of perch in the shallows. Saw a couple guys fly fishing who caught a couple beans, no luck there ...

Went out from 5pm until just after sunset. All perch on crabs and gulps. Lots of bait fish swimming around. Could see corbina swimming in close, no takers. 2 other guys fishing. 1 throwing a buck tail for halibut, the other using crabs.

Most surf fishing in SoCal is done close in, often even sight fishing. Described in the book https://www.thriftbooks.com/w/surf-fishing-the-light-line-revolution---the-complete-guide-to-surf-fishing-the-california-coast_bill-varney-jr/39625644/item/23582516/?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm ...

Sounds like fun . Learning something new / different . I have done a bit of dabbling in the long distance casting myself . There are some websites that go pretty deeply into it . I have been using mono main and shock lines connected by a Crazy Alberto knot . .040 mm diameter Suffix Siege or ...

My buddy uses circle hooks and 4oz weights while his rods are spiked. The sinker provides constant resistance. When the fish bites, the circle hooks grabs as they swim away. No need for braid on the main line to prevent stretch. The weight sets the circle hook.

My buddy uses circle hooks and 4oz weights while his rods are spiked. The sinker provides constant resistance. When the fish bites, the circle hooks grabs as they swim away. No need for braid on the main line to prevent stretch. The weight sets the circle hook.


Mike, I'd be interested how your ...

He uses crabs like me. Nothing exotic, yellowfin croaker can be way out at our beaches. He also uses the same setup to cast closer for corbina.

Squid beds have been around, huck a whole frozen squid out there. Never know. Big flatty, WSB or yellow

The spool I have now is 17lb .016 " , 0.40 mm , Siege in neon tangerine for visibility , 5 to 6 turn Crazy Alberto and have to tie several to get a nice smooth one it seems . Wet it good when pulling . When I first got into the distance casting I studied about casting tournaments and the line ...

Hit the beach at 6:30. Caught 1 YFC (12.75”), 1 halibut (19.5”) and 3 perch. Caught YFC in less than 10 minutes. Halibut was caught 15 minutes after that. Lost another YFC at my feet. From 7 am to 8 am caught nothing. All caught on LC.
Switched from LC to gulps. From 8 am to 8:30 caught 3 perch, all ...

Everydog wrote: Thu Sep 18, 2025 10:45 am Notwithstanding, I caught several regular perch, and after about five fishing trips without another good spotfin, one came in around 20".

A 20" perch?!?! Wow! Would have loved to see that!

jwacky wrote: Thu Sep 18, 2025 10:51 am

Everydog wrote: Thu Sep 18, 2025 10:45 am Notwithstanding, I caught several regular perch, and after about five fishing trips without another good spotfin, one came in around 20".

A 20" perch?!?! Wow! Would have loved to see that!

Believe he meant a 20" spotfin

I was happy to get Ironknuckles' post right before my overnighter at South Carlsbad beach, even though I think he said North Carlsbad. I found big sand crabs, though not many in the first afternoon, yesterday, and lots of perch and one decent corbina. This morning, with a headlamp, it was much ...

Nice morning & conditions at Mission Beach by B. Park. Biting fairly aggressively from 6:30 to about 8, then bite went totally dead up to high tide. No big hits from other species. 7 perch total, largest about 9. No visible crab beds but you could find a few just digging here & there. No eggs or ...

Hi Joe, used a variety of baits. Frozen mussel & clam meat pieces which were effective when a perch would hit the whole bait but not so when they go into just a nibbling mode & strip the hook eventually. Also had some freeze dried lug worms which work well too if not just nibbling. Good luck this ...

Snuck in a few outings this past weekend but much like Perch killer Bill's experiences lately, it was "just perch" for me.

I made it out Friday evening for a very short session, but it was more of an excuse for the wife and I to try a new pizza place while both kiddos had plans of their own ...

Perch-only sessions don't seem to be anyone's favorite on most days, but being out there, yep, that's it. We can't catch them from home or enjoy the rest of it. Thanks for the report. Joe. One day, I'd like to try an all surf perch ceviche. I hear it's good, but I mostly let them go, just like ...

The Daiwa reels work very well for casting , they just don't have the convenience of magnetic braking . I haven't tried a Lexa but have casted with other well built level winds . Distance can be a problem due to the added friction of the level wind and the line guide can conflict with the shock ...

Thanks for the links. I will look into it tonight. I see kids fishing off of surfboards in Del Mar from time to time, and well, I do own a kayak. I have always wanted to try the long cast, and it may be a good way to get some mileage out of my second rod permit. And I have a friend in Sarasota ...