San Diego & SoCal Fishing Forums

High end bass gear. I have had zero problems with Shimano and Daiwa bass reels corroding. I do rinse with freshwater after each trip. I use the smaller baitcasting reels (mostly loaded with 6 lb mono) and 2500 size spinning reels. Most rods are very corrosion resistant, even the cheap ones. BFS ...

That would be the exception to salt water use, magnesium corrodes quickly in salt water.

Are you fishing from shore, float tube, kayak or boat?

All of those heads will catch fish if used correctly. Spotties really like a slow, stop and go retrieve with pauses on the bottom. The main choice is whether to go with an exposed hook or weedless, which depends on how much weeds are in the ...

Ned rig has worked well for me although I can't say it is better or worse than the other heads for spotties. It has really worked well at Barrett for LMB. I prefer the weedless versions with an offset hook. The Zman Ned heads really retain the baits although you have to pull hard to get the Elaztech ...

Some opinions/observations about lures:
1. I see statements made all over the Internet that a certain lure works because it resembles such and such a bait that fish feed on. This is usually nonsense. Plastic worms work but bass do not normally feed on earth worms and they do not look like minnows. A ...

Looks like the same fish over and over to me, just different lighting and backgrounds. I see Vinny even changed his shirt for some of the pics.

So here are some tips to get it back together correctly:

1. Use an egg carton (18 egg size) and put items in it sequentially as you take them out.
2. Take pictures with your phone of anything complex. Or even of the starting condition if not sure.
3. Pay close attention to items that can go back ...

VinnyBass wrote: Fri Jan 02, 2026 11:58 am

Big C wrote: Thu Jan 01, 2026 6:48 am You’ve had a lot of success with the craw bait. Happy New Year!

Yeah the Brushhog, craw-type baits and senkos have been good to me in 2025

What about the Junebug color? Colors don't get respect?

Please, no GLP-1 for fish.

I like my bass fat.

foulhook wrote: Sun Jan 11, 2026 8:31 am Trip to Alaska this summer

bear.jpgfly.jpgling.jpgmoose.jpgttt.jpg

Is that bear right off the side of the boat? If so, looks like he could have crawled aboard.

Interesting how bass will ignore fancy swimbaits that have been carefully designed to look like trout and other natural bait, some which cost over $100, but will eat a Senko which doesn't look like anything they have eaten. Or weird colors like junebug.

FYI, those bass have no trouble telling the ...

I have mostly been fishing the bay but may try Miramar soon. I will certainly have my usual drop shot for bass but will also have subtle action minnow like lures with light jig heads i.e. I-motion, "do nothing", Ned rig, hover rig, etcetera. The Z-man StreakZ or Assassin could be fished that way too ...

Also, not a bad idea to glop the connections with dielectric grease, especially if they could get exposed to salt water spray. Scuffing up the battery terminals and wire terminals with a wire brush gives a better connection. Getting a good, tight crimp is critical too. I personally prefer solder ...

I have noticed that I have been less likely to sunburn than in the past and was curious why. It looks like it could be due to taking astaxanthin (12 mg), which I started taking to improve recovery from exercise (long bike rides in particular).

Possible effect to watch for is lower blood pressure ...

Still there: https://fox5sandiego.com/news/local-news/port-of-san-diego-receives-grant-to-stop-invasive-algae/

As a reminder, it looks like https://www.portofsandiego.org/stories-and-highlights/environment-stories-and-highlights/environmental-conservation/dos-and-donts#:~:text=Caulerpa%20(Caulerpa ...

Get booties with thin neoprene, 3 mm or less. They slide over the waders much easier than thick ones. I use Force Fins for flippers which I like better than anything else I have tried. I have problems with longer fins breaking the surface which I think may spook the fish plus be less efficient. Make ...

This performed well again today. 39 spotties, 1 corvina, 9 bonefish, all on flats in South Bay. Outperformed other lures. I get errors when I try to attach some photos.

A yearly stocking of tilapia might. They would eat that nasty filamentous algae that infests the lake in the summer too. They would have to be restocked every year as they die off when the water temperature drops below 55F. The Mexican lakes with the big bass have tilapia (year around though). They ...

But none of those eat that nasty filamentous algae.

How about we net a bunch of bass and transfer them to Upper Otay Lake? That was a good lake before the big fish die off.

Years ago, I was kicking back to the car at Barrett around 6 pm and off of Desolation Point in the deeper water, probably about 20'. I had a good day, with 40+ fish. I saw a guy who had been fishing that area all day and asked how he had done. He said he only caught 7 bass but they were all over 7 ...