Solana Beach 6/15

[jwacky]

Midday trip to Solana Beach/Fletcher Cove for some fishing and family time. Sand crabs were a little tough to come by but caught 6 perch (personal record for a session!) on both blood and camo Gulp sand worms. Surf was on the heavier side, little bit of kelp, but all in all a fun day on the shore.

[vito1023]

Have you tried Z-MANNS sand crabs the look similar to the real thing, put a small orange bead and fish them on a Carolina rig.
On my first surf session I caught 10 or so nice perch as I couldn’t find any live crabs and I was so impressed my catch I have several bags in different colors to try the next time.

[Midnightpass]

Have you tried blood worms if sand crabs are unavailable?…. I think they are a better bait than sand crabs anyway… Last time I was at https://pacificcoastbaitandtackle.com/ they had them…
Butch

[jwacky]

Have you tried Z-MANNS sand crabs the look similar to the real thing, put a small orange bead and fish them on a Carolina rig.
On my first surf session I caught 10 or so nice perch as I couldn’t find any live crabs and I was so impressed my catch I have several bags in different colors to try the next time.

I have not, but I'll take a look at them! Might be nice for those super short sessions when either the crabs aren't available or I really only have an hour or so to fish... or when I want to squeeze in a few last casts before heading home but am out of crabs!

[jwacky]

Have you tried blood worms if sand crabs are unavailable?…. I think they are a better bait than sand crabs anyway… Last time I was at https://pacificcoastbaitandtackle.com/ they had them…
Butch

I have not tried these either; this was the first time that crabs were a bit scarce, or that the ones I was digging up were tiny little things. Always looking to try new things so will keep this in mind as well. Thanks!

[Perch killer]

Blood worms great bait but expensive & not cost effective for catching just perch IMHO. Corbina & croaker love them as well if only they could get to the bait before the perch do !

[William Ritchie]

Thanks for the report and hints guys . I do most of my perch fishing Jan to the end of May . If you want the bigger models , Green or Red shore crabs about the size of a quarter are top notch . One thing I will say if you have the gumption to DIY and the time . Ghost Shrimp = fish crack in the surf . Everything eats them ! WR

[Midnightpass]

Thanks for the report and hints guys . I do most of my perch fishing Jan to the end of May . If you want the bigger models , Green or Red shore crabs about the size of a quarter are top notch . One thing I will say if you have the gumption to DIY and the time . Ghost Shrimp = fish crack in the surf . Everything eats them ! WR

I agree with Bill… Ghost shrimp are the best bait around… But they can be tough to keep on the hook in the surf… But with a little finesse and maybe some elastic line, they are magic…
Butch

[Mike M]

...and crabs were a little tough to come by but caught 6 perch (personal record for a session!) on both blood and camo Gulp sand worms. Surf was on the heavier side, little bit of kelp, but all in all a fun day on the shore...

Sounds like a fun session

As for sand crabs, I use a homemade rake/sifter to find them year round. As the wave recedes, I kick sand into it and the crabs strain out. I wear Shimano Evair sandals to protect my feet. I can also dig down easier with my foot. Micro crabs are generally on top of the other crabs. Soft shells are best and I too use a 6mm orange bead.

I like a single hook with the weight on the bottom. I keep the line tight and it moves slightly with the waves and current. I hold my rod and adjust as it moves. It doesn't drag through the weeds like a c-rig and I can keep my bait in the strike zone longer. Strikes away and side to side from me feel like slight pulls, while strikes coming toward me pop the weight and the line goes slack.... wind and swing!

For my beaches, croakers are generally farther out and corbina are closer in. There's no barred surf perch where I fish at Torrance and Redondo. Corbina especially will key in on soft shell crabs, so as I hold my rod, I sift each wave looking for them.

The water is warm and the fish corbina and croaker are starting to bite!

Here's my son with a 22" corbina from last year, my setup and a hooked soft shell crab.

[jwacky]

...and crabs were a little tough to come by but caught 6 perch (personal record for a session!) on both blood and camo Gulp sand worms. Surf was on the heavier side, little bit of kelp, but all in all a fun day on the shore...

Sounds like a fun session

As for sand crabs, I use a homemade rake/sifter to find them year round. As the wave recedes, I kick sand into it and the crabs strain out. I wear Shimano Evair sandals to protect my feet. I can also dig down easier with my foot. Micro crabs are generally on top of the other crabs. Soft shells are best and I too use a 6mm orange bead.

Cool setup! I just bring a couple 5" colanders with me; scoop, sift, and then put anything usable into a plastic water bottle for easy/quick access. I try to refresh the bait every 30-45 minutes or so.

I'm sure I'll eventually want to move on from fishing only for perch but for now, the excitement of catching anything at all is still new! I'm coming from freshwater fishing where I really struggled to have any sort of success, which started to make it boring. Nice to know that the perch are kinda always there to fall back on.

I actually just picked up some egg sinkers, beads, and flourocarbon line leader to improve my setup. Hard to tell if it's the setup or the conditions that made for good fishing on Sunday, but I'm sure it didn't hurt anything.

[Perch killer]

...and crabs were a little tough to come by but caught 6 perch (personal record for a session!) on both blood and camo Gulp sand worms. Surf was on the heavier side, little bit of kelp, but all in all a fun day on the shore...

Sounds like a fun session

As for sand crabs, I use a homemade rake/sifter to find them year round. As the wave recedes, I kick sand into it and the crabs strain out. I wear Shimano Evair sandals to protect my feet. I can also dig down easier with my foot. Micro crabs are generally on top of the other crabs. Soft shells are best and I too use a 6mm orange bead.
No perch ! Lucky you don't have to deal with those bait stealers, LMAO ! I've had mixed results using a small orange/red bead with crabs not having roe. What I found works better are the Kamakatsu soft eggs, orange or red.

Cool setup! I just bring a couple 5" colanders with me; scoop, sift, and then put anything usable into a plastic water bottle for easy/quick access. I try to refresh the bait every 30-45 minutes or so.

I'm sure I'll eventually want to move on from fishing only for perch but for now, the excitement of catching anything at all is still new! I'm coming from freshwater fishing where I really struggled to have any sort of success, which started to make it boring. Nice to know that the perch are kinda always there to fall back on.

I actually just picked up some egg sinkers, beads, and flourocarbon line leader to improve my setup. Hard to tell if it's the setup or the conditions that made for good fishing on Sunday, but I'm sure it didn't hurt anything.

[Bendo]

One of the first things I look for on a beach is the abundance of Sand Crabs. You have to look for them mid- tide as they burrow at low tide and many are covered up by the high tide. But I like to see beds scattered all over where I fish. Most of my large Corbina are caught in skinny water right below these beds. So fishing beaches where they are hard to find is just making it tough on yourself. Also, fishing the skinny water is best achieved fishing sideways as skinny water fish are extremely wary. We have all seen Corbina exit stage left when we spook them. Of course you can have a wide open bite anywhere anytime if you luck onto a migrating pack of fish. This is sheer luck though. My best this Spring was 12 Corbina C&R-ed plus a nice Striper that rushed into shallow water to steal a Sand Crab from the Corbina I was throwing at. Thought it was a White Seabass until I landed it, 12 pounds. Great fishing from 5 am until around 9 am, when the gloom lifted. Remember, Sand is the enemy, never set your rod down or get it anywhere near the sand while you walk and check your drags.

[Perch killer]

To Mike M: I had 2 comments to your post that for whatever reason did not post yesterday . . . kept getting messages that the site was experiencing issues. Anyway, (1) I said you're fortunate not having to deal with the bait stealing perch at your beaches, lucky you ! and (2) about the red/orange bead on your hooks, I've tried that with crabs not having roe & had mixed results. What I found to work better was the Gamakatsu soft eggs in red or orange FYI and for what its worth.

[Midnightpass]

To Mike M: I had 2 comments to your post that for whatever reason did not post yesterday . . . kept getting messages that the site was experiencing issues. Anyway, (1) I said you're fortunate not having to deal with the bait stealing perch at your beaches, lucky you ! and (2) about the red/orange bead on your hooks, I've tried that with crabs not having roe & had mixed results. What I found to work better was the Gamakatsu soft eggs in red or orange FYI and for what its worth.

Great suggestion I've never seen those... I need to pick up some... These are the ones?..
https://gamakatsu.com/product/durascent-salmon-eggs/
Butch

[Perch killer]

Yes Butch. For me, hook crab from top down to digger & egg on hook tip where roe would be. Looks like Mike hooks from bottom up so egg at end of hook near digger. Either way works.