San Diego & SoCal Fishing Forums

San Diego Bay Crazy Good Fishing! Halibut & Bass
https://youtu.be/QU4PZuHW1qs

Hey all I hope that the new year is treating you well so far. I headed out on the big bay for the first time this year with a few goals in mind.
1. Catch Fish
2. Use old gear
3. Catch fish on a new lure
4. Catch a fish ...

Plenty of sculpin next to the midway. Dropper loop rig with market shrimp on size 4 hooks works great. Lots of small ones, but definitely enough keepers to make it worth an afternoon. Don’t cast far—they’re right by your feet.

I had my third ever bay session Tuesday. Got there around 6:45am and fished until the windy stormy weather ran me off. Launched the canoe from J street marina and drifted toward the cays. Ended up with a mackerel, 5 spotties and a 21 or 22 inch corvina. I love the bay fishing, but it is a 6 hour ...

It's probably been 4 months since I caught a fish, but I've kept trying. Sunday I was using a slow pitch jig for not it's intended use, throwing it way out, letting it sink, then slowly dragging and popping off the bottom. Hooked up what I thought would be a small spotty or small hali, ended up ...

I have been recording what I have learned over the years about fishing for Spotties and thought I would post it here. I learn something new all the time so anything that can be added is appreciated. Comments?

Spotted Bay Bass Fishing Tips:

1. These tips are mainly for lure fishing spotted bay bass ...

My father and I caught some pinky size live smelt off of the Ferry Landing pier then headed to North Island for a two and half hour afternoon session. I was practically skunked landing just a cigar size lizard fish that gulped down one of those pinky size smelts at the end of my hook throughout my ...

Took the kayak out with my son and grabbed some perfect sized sardines from the bait barged. Trolled while throwing plastics. Around 3pm the bite picked up and got 6 barracudas, 4 spotties, 1 halibut. Was expecting a slow day but turned out pretty decent.

First day of wabbit season...at the south end of the Cays.

251130 RobHat.jpg

Water wasn't really moving yet....the crazy spotty bite should be going off any time....any minute now...just about now...heck, I'll take a consolation fish...

251130 hali apron.jpg

Eventually scratched up a few ...

Only took 5 years but i finally landed a bonefish- kinda
Day1- Fished with Chris, the current was flowing and the spotties were biting for me , everything biting for him
Me: Loads of spotties, 1 missed bonefish at the board
Chris: Spotties, corvina, halbut, bones
Decided i needed to get back out ...

Landed in my book! Congrats on the bone.

Decided on a rare trip to the salt. Not my usual because I have so much tied up in my fresh water gear and the salt doesn't exactly play well with them. Still i figured a sh!t ton of thorough rinsing should take care of it for one trip.

I put in at J street marina and fished the grass and dropoff ...

Hey Dann nice meeting up with you at the ramp. We also had a good day even after getting very lost in the fog and ending up at the cays. We nailed over 40 spotties and one confused halibut between both of us on my boat. It was the first time my neighbor ever experienced such a bite and had a great ...

...

went local fishing off o'side yesterday...paid my $60 for bait( threw up in my mouthLOL) for a mix of sardines and macs
hit the barn kelp first not much happening there so we headed off to the yellowtail kelp where we hada a nice pic on calicos for several hours until we used most of the bait...(fly ...

So the last couple weeks have been rather eventful for me. Flew up to San Francisco for the Grateful Dead's 60th anniversary celebration August 1-3 anr the day after I got back I flew down to Costa Rica with my grandpa and our buddy Pete. Stayed down there for 6 days and fished 3. Was definitely a ...

Would be better off riding the San Diego out of New Seaforth if anything

Glad everyone is safe but drunk captains isn't anything new.

Others normally get away with it because they're in the middle of the ocean

Yeah, The San Diego is usually booked in advance and that's the case now.
I almost didn't go, but decided I would be happy even with a "boat ride" if I didn't catch anything.
I like the Grande because I can rest in a bunk if I want to. But they stayed in port.
However, I also like Mission Belle ...

Just got off the Mission Belle. Landed 4 between 25 and a touch over 30, all fly line baits. 3 on the 70 year old jigstick and one on the 60 year old trueline. Tight lines and following seas my friends...