San Diego & SoCal Fishing Forums

This is also my first Fall. I fished year-round and sporadically when I was a kid/teen, but this is the first time I have been fully engaged in Surf Fishing mentally in San Diego. It's starting to have an effect. Crab beds are shrinking, and they are no longer available at as many tide levels in the ...

Started at CP at roughly 7am worked down to tower 15 by 11am.

Overcast, strong surf, Salad non existent at the pier but got progressively worse as I worked south.

Still crab beds under pier and between 20-21 at high to mid tide

Day started strong with a decent guitar and 4 back to back cast perch ...

Nice catching!

I've only caught croaker on gulp sand crabs and even then, only in the peak summer months.

I'd recommend using a device that allows you to sift a lot of sand and find something else besides a normal hard shell... soft shell, crab with egg, "crispy" crab, or a crab about to molt and ...

Thanks for the discussion guys. Trying to decide if I should head that way in the morning. Went and fished an AZ stream yesterday, fall is nice around here.

Near Sedona

So, Fall is when the sand crabs start to hibernate. There are great alternatives, though. Berkley Gulp! sandworms are very good. You can, either, drag them in using a Carolina rig, or still-fish them with a hi-low rig like I do. Maybe add a little scent to them for added attraction. Guys in the ...

Another messy couple of sessions for me at south and north Mission Beaches. Can't have the good ones without the bad, right?

My son and I went out to south Mission beach Friday evening, arriving around 5:00. Walked north to T-11 or so, and were snagging massive piles of grass on every cast. The ...

On the sand this morning at 6:20, about 1/4 mi south of the pier. Incoming tide was already about 3', little to moderate grass but strong surge from southerly swell. Cast 45 to the left and start slow walk to north & if not bit in 3-4 min pull in 45 to right. Check bait and repeat. That's the way it ...

Went out Sunday and Monday. About 15 surf perch and a corbina for about 8 hours of fishing. Got my first walleye surf perch, so that was cool

This morning was as calm in mid-Del Mar as I have seen it since June. Not much grass in the water until high tide, but I was leaving then anyway. Kept thinking I should throw the LC, but didn't. I found enough crabs to fish for a few hours, supplemented with a little market shrimp and another test ...

summer is fading fast now—time to take out the warmer clothes.


Indeed. My sweatshirts have made their way out of storage bins, and it’s raining as I type this.

Thanks for the report, sounds like you had a nice day! I’ve used the sand crab fishbites and my experiences with those mirror what ...

Got out today about 7:30-10:30
Half hearted attempt for crabs under pier nothing larger than a rice krispy.Also was more interested in trying artificial so maybe 5 mins before giving up.

Incoming tide-middle
Surf very light
Salad was an issue but workable
Strong push to the south

If you needed ...

In a half hour at guard tower 36 in Carlsbad I caught a surf perch and my first corbina on a brown paddle tail grub. This was a receding low tide. I used a hybrid Carolina/Texas rig with the Carolina rig setup and the hook Texas style. It made it through the large quantity of vegetation.

Just got back from fishing the outgoing tide at south Mission Beach. Calm conditions and minimal grass, but also minimal fish. One small perch on Gulp sandworm. Had a few bites on clam and the fishbites bloodworms but no takers.

Better than no fish but nowhere near your morning bounty!

Sounds about right cast right briskly walk with line briskly retrieve.
Was a total of 2 mins tops before recast lol

Also keep in mind the current direction on hard south the pier creates a break so you get less current closer to it. If the current flips north same concept with Jetty. I have found ...

Son and I hit up Mission/Pacific Beach Saturday afternoon and things were far more “normal” than they’ve been over my past few weekends of fishing. The tide was in, but heading out.

We got to Mission Blvd and turned right, deciding we’d fish where we found a spot and were, I think, technically in ...

Nice to get out with your son. With some fish, all that much better..
Butch


Thanks, Butch. Yes, always nice to get some quality time in with him! Both just in spending time with him as he gets older, and also it lets us have a couple lines in the water at once to try different things.

Our ...

Friday 7-11 am. A good amount of walking in the first hour and a half to try to find a break in probably 3 miles of shallow/flat sand bottom due to accumulated sand from previous months. Finally, I came across a small cut next to a shallow sandbar with a good amount of N current from the short ...

Got out at first light for couple hours. Great conditions this morning, water temp felt around 65, little surge if any & no kelp/grass whatsoever. Not a skunk but not an all out bite either. Mostly bait stealing nibblers but managed 4 perchies, largest 8". Alternated between mussel meat & dried lugs ...

First time Surf fishing. I was fishing in the morning for 7:00 am to 9:00 am. Caught 5 Perch. A lot of fish nibbling on my bait. Maybe I will try a small hook next time. No seaweed that was a good thing.