Mission/Pacific Beach 10/18 - 10/19

[jwacky]

I’ve really been blurring the line between Mission and Pacific Beach lately so I’ll call the weekend “both”. I think the LG towers are all pulled in for whatever reason so no marker to go off but I was approximately where T-21 would be and south. There was an early high tide both days so I tried staying out of the way of the surfers, especially the weekend city school.

I started Saturday with a pre-dawn stop at the pier for crabs and found nothing. I didn’t look particularly long because I’d brought lots of clam and Gulp worms to use, and it was cold. But I didn’t see signs of crabs anywhere under the pier (around 5:30-5:45ish if you want to look back at where the tide was at this time for reference), so I hopped back in my car and headed south.

I got a line in the water by about 6:30 and immediately caught back to back to back perch on salted clam. First three casts about 15 minutes. Small perch but I figured it was about to be an epic day!! Naturally, I changed everything I was doing and didn’t catch another fish for at least an hour. I settled on Gulp sandworms and was getting slammed with the “bloody” type. Not sure the final count but I’d guess 8-10 over 2.5 hours or so.

Back at it Sunday and while it was definitely a slower bite, I still ended with 5-6 over the same 2.5 hour window. Gulp camo worms were the bait of choice, with my clams being all but ignored save for a couple bites here and there. Lots of bites overall on the day but not as many takers.

Some general observations…

No crabs anywhere. A passerby mentioned seeing a few large ones on Saturday, but they must not have been where I was.

Little to no grass/kelp. This was a nice change from the past few weeks. It wasn’t totally absent but it wasn’t an issue.

Salted clams worked until they didn’t. The bloody gulp sandworms worked great on Saturday. The camo worms worked better Sunday. Perch certainly are finicky! The next baits I’m going to try are shrimp and squid.

I used mono line Saturday and braid Sunday, and mono has been a much less frustrating experience. The braid has been tangling, especially with my leader. I’m sure it’s user error but I seem to spend a lot more time tending to the braided line. I use 15 pound fluoro leader with both the 15 pound mono and braid. I do like how the braid casts, so perhaps the solution is switching to lighter mono line. I’m definitely still finding my way out there!

[Jteo]

You come all the way up to the pier and walk half way back before casting? More self control then I good sir! Glad to see you get some better conditions finally! Good catching!

[Perch killer]

Thanks for the report Joe. Gulp worms seem to have been the hot bait past week or so.

[jwacky]

You come all the way up to the pier and walk half way back before casting? More self control then I good sir! Glad to see you get some better conditions finally! Good catching!

I made the walk a couple times, but the past couple weekends I’ve driven to the pier, checked for crabs, and then drove a bit farther south to fish. I tend to not move much once I pick a spot for the day.

[Jteo]

Just out of curiosity what size hook are you using. I ask because the nibblers I keep hearing about usually end up hooked for me. Curious if upsizing my hook will help me survive harassment by the fingerlings long enough for a little more quality to get in.

[jwacky]

Just out of curiosity what size hook are you using. I ask because the nibblers I keep hearing about usually end up hooked for me. Curious if upsizing my hook will help me survive harassment by the fingerlings long enough for a little more quality to get in.

I use #4 mosquito hooks. This is my first year (summer, really) of surf fishing. I’ve fished freshwater for years, albeit not as often as I have salt water. Not sure what took me so long; I love the beach and I love fishing, and until I tried combining the two on a camping trip earlier in the year at South Carlsbad State Beach. I was… hooked.

[Midnightpass]

Great report... Nice info and good fishing... Thank you for posting...
Butch

[Jteo]

Just out of curiosity what size hook are you using. I ask because the nibblers I keep hearing about usually end up hooked for me. Curious if upsizing my hook will help me survive harassment by the fingerlings long enough for a little more quality to get in.

I use #4 mosquito hooks.

This makes a lot of sense I have been using 8's.

[jwacky]

Just out of curiosity what size hook are you using. I ask because the nibblers I keep hearing about usually end up hooked for me. Curious if upsizing my hook will help me survive harassment by the fingerlings long enough for a little more quality to get in.

I use #4 mosquito hooks.

This makes a lot of sense I have been using 8's.

I am always amused when a catch those tiny, finger-sized perch! Bait is as big as they are but they went for it anyway, gotta love the confidence

But yes, I think I'd prefer to leave some of those little guys in the water and I think the bigger hooks likely help with that. Lots of people here pointed me to Nick Heid's site when I joined (https://surffishingsocalsd.com/), and I pretty much copied his setup exactly. The nibblers are crazy though! Their persistence and precision is admirable, though they're playing a dangerous game with a sharp hook so close to their mouths...

[Calmwater]

Thanks for this report and all of your other reports. Since, your leader is getting tangled with your braid, you might wanted to consider shortening it up, a bit. That might help. I'm relatively new to braid, as well, and I have had some "beginner" issues for sure. Tight lines to you!

[jwacky]

Thanks for this report and all of your other reports. Since, your leader is getting tangled with your braid, you might wanted to consider shortening it up, a bit. That might help. I'm relatively new to braid, as well, and I have had some "beginner" issues for sure. Tight lines to you!

That could certainly play a role! I tend to use a longer leader because I don't feel like going through the whole process of attaching a new leader if a fish takes a hook or I need to cut it for some reason during a session. I'd rather get a new hook on and keep fishing. Of course, I probably spend more time untangling line than I would just attaching a new one when/if needed.

I was just now looking at different knots to try and have been watching videos of Uni knots. I typically use a palomar knot but that can get a bit messy when attaching to a swivel and then main line, and then the hook, etc. The Uni knot looks like it'll save some time when changing things out on the beach and be 'strong enough' for the purposes I'd need it for.

[Calmwater]

I use uni knots all the time. For surf fishing, they're strong, and they're quick and easy to tie, especially when you're in the middle of a bite. I haven't had one of those knots fail me, yet. Go get some more!