North County trips.

[bdb74]

North inlet to Agua Hedionda Lagoon. Beach just South of the South jetty. 3 small BSP on 1" pumpkin red flake curly tail grub, C-rig. Some seaweed but not too much. No visible sand crabs. The fish were in a 2' deep hole that was 2-3 feet from the waterline. Very hesitant bites. 5-10 nibbles for one hookup. Small tantalizing taps that were very hard to get on the hook. Usually I can let the lure rest after a nibble and they go for it but not today.

[Midnightpass]

Thanks for the report...
Butch

[Mike A]

Fished from 11:50 to 12:30. Only found 4 small crabs, plenty of micro. Had to use 2 crabs at a time. Caught a 4” perch on the 1st cast. He took one of the 2 crabs. Added another, just was getting pecked. No more hook ups. No seaweed. Beach got crowded, stopped fishing.

[bdb74]

Last year had good action. This year is slow for some reason. No nibbles this morning. I want to try the lagoon instead of the beach but the times I can go have low tide and I just get hung up at low tide. I am thinking of switching gear and casting larger lures past the breakers instead of going for corbina, perch, and croaker.

[bdb74]

Went back in the afternoon. One 8" BSP on a 1" motor oil grub. C-rig.

[Bendo]

Just so it’s out there, SquidCo has Ghost Shrimp and other Baits. It is near Rosecrans and the 5. I picked up 8 dozen several years ago when I went on a Bonefish Quest.i was going to fish the Lower Harbor continuously until I caught one. Funny thing was, I landed my first Bonefish on my Second Ghost Shrimp. The rest were shared with the other Fishermen around and used up on Round Stingrays and Yellowfin Croaker. This all happened on a Beach by the Cays.

[Perch killer]

I used to buy baits from them but found the quality of the ghost shrimp & blood worms to be inferior to those at Seaforth. So for me, Squidco is a back up if Seaforth is out of supply (which happens often - they sell a lot). Also, Squidco changed their opening hours from 8:30 am, which was bad enough, to 10 am. That's a no go for me, not going to fight the traffic the afternoon before to pick up bait for next day when I can get it from Seaforth as early as 5 am the morning I'm going fishing. Just my 2 c on Squidco

[Midnightpass]

I used to buy baits from them but found the quality of the ghost shrimp & blood worms to be inferior to those at Seaforth. So for me, Squidco is a back up if Seaforth is out of supply (which happens often - they sell a lot). Also, Squidco changed their opening hours from 8:30 am, which was bad enough, to 10 am. That's a no go for me, not going to fight the traffic the afternoon before to pick up bait for next day when I can get it from Seaforth as early as 5 am the morning I'm going fishing. Just my 2 c on Squidco

My bait source up here stopped carrying blood worms, and their hours are horrendous for a bait shop as well...They used to have an employee that came in at 5am, on his own dime, to open up early... Unfortunately, he was a cool older fisherman, that passed away... RIP Ron...
Butch

[jwacky]

I used to buy baits from them but found the quality of the ghost shrimp & blood worms to be inferior to those at Seaforth. So for me, Squidco is a back up if Seaforth is out of supply (which happens often - they sell a lot). Also, Squidco changed their opening hours from 8:30 am, which was bad enough, to 10 am. That's a no go for me, not going to fight the traffic the afternoon before to pick up bait for next day when I can get it from Seaforth as early as 5 am the morning I'm going fishing. Just my 2 c on Squidco

My bait source up here stopped carrying blood worms, and their hours are horrendous for a bait shop as well...They used to have an employee that came in at 5am, on his own dime, to open up early... Unfortunately, he was a cool older fisherman, that passed away... RIP Ron...
Butch

Funny, Butch, because Squidco hours also seem a little strange to me (not sure if they have multiple locations or perhaps you're talking about somewhere else entirely). 10am-6pm, closed Saturdays and Sundays. It must work for them, or just doens't work at all for my general availability for bait shops, ha. I have a local one that I use more often anyway, but Squidco has the more "exotic" fresh baits that are fun sometimes.

[Midnightpass]

Funny, Butch, because Squidco hours also seem a little strange to me (not sure if they have multiple locations or perhaps you're talking about somewhere else entirely). 10am-6pm, closed Saturdays and Sundays. It must work for them, or just doens't work at all for my general availability for bait shops, ha. I have a local one that I use more often anyway, but Squidco has the more "exotic" fresh baits that are fun sometimes.

Yea, I’m talking about Big Fish in Seal Beach OC… When the old guy, Ron, was still alive and working, the fishermen wold be in at 5 am to get bait, even though the shop wasn’t supposed to open for many hours later….I’ve been there at their supposed opening time and waited for hours for someone to show up… You never know… Unfortunately there is no alternative close by…
Butch

[jwacky]

Actually meant that Squidco is closed Sunday and Monday... they're open Saturday, but not until later in the morning. Just clarification!

[jwacky]

Funny, Butch, because Squidco hours also seem a little strange to me (not sure if they have multiple locations or perhaps you're talking about somewhere else entirely). 10am-6pm, closed Saturdays and Sundays. It must work for them, or just doens't work at all for my general availability for bait shops, ha. I have a local one that I use more often anyway, but Squidco has the more "exotic" fresh baits that are fun sometimes.

Yea, I’m talking about Big Fish in Seal Beach OC… When the old guy, Ron, was still alive and working, the fishermen wold be in at 5 am to get bait, even though the shop wasn’t supposed to open for many hours later….I’ve been there at their supposed opening time and waited for hours for someone to show up… You never know… Unfortunately there is no alternative close by…
Butch

Gotta love folks like Ron who did it for the love of the sport/game/whatever. I hope that's me someday, ha.

[Midnightpass]

Funny, Butch, because Squidco hours also seem a little strange to me (not sure if they have multiple locations or perhaps you're talking about somewhere else entirely). 10am-6pm, closed Saturdays and Sundays. It must work for them, or just doens't work at all for my general availability for bait shops, ha. I have a local one that I use more often anyway, but Squidco has the more "exotic" fresh baits that are fun sometimes.

Yea, I’m talking about Big Fish in Seal Beach OC… When the old guy, Ron, was still alive and working, the fishermen wold be in at 5 am to get bait, even though the shop wasn’t supposed to open for many hours later….I’ve been there at their supposed opening time and waited for hours for someone to show up… You never know… Unfortunately there is no alternative close by…
Butch

Gotta love folks like Ron who did it for the love of the sport/game/whatever. I hope that's me someday, ha.

He was a great guy...
Butch

[bdb74]

Tamarack Beach Tower 35. Still very few sand crabs. C rig with 2" Xmas tree curly tail grub. One 10" striped sand bass and one 8" YFC. Two grubs had their tails bitten off, I assume by BSP. The waves were small enough so I could fish and the seaweed was sparse.

[Everydog]

Today was just my third trip out from late spring until now, all three times to 11th Street in Del Mar; I caught around a half dozen mixed-species fish each time. Leopards, yellowfin croaker, perch, guitar sharks. What a difference in the wrong direction from last year.
I had a lot more time and energy to fish last summer, but also it's like it's not even the same world. Is it the missing/scarce crabs, right?
Today I had my son on a short trip, so I quit looking for them quickly so he could catch something, and he got a few each of leopard and surf perch. I don't know if I could have found crabs this time because I kept scanning and didn't see the signs of them. Shrimp works, but I haven't ever caught a spotifn or corbina on it yet. Didn't see any of those in the surf today. Seaweed was horrible going south of 11th; just north, it was fine. It was good incoming tide, and I was very optimistic going into it. It was nice to pick up my son, get donuts, and be on the water, so good trip, and we did catch something. His first surf fish ever.
Maybe a few of our SDFISH surf fly fishing people were out there? All I can say is that their patience is incredible, and I admire it and wonder why sometimes! Nonetheless, good luck and tight lines to all!

[Midnightpass]

Shrimp works, but I haven't ever caught a spotifn or corbina on it yet.

I have had excellent results on spotfin and crobina on live ghost shrimp.. I don't use dead market shrimp, so can't give any help with that... Blood worms are fantastic as well...
Butch

[Neuroshima]

Maybe a few of our SDFISH surf fly fishing people were out there? All I can say is that their patience is incredible, and I admire it and wonder why sometimes! Nonetheless, good luck and tight lines to all!

For me, its way more fun. Catching fish on a fly rod is like taking the red pill, seeing the Matrix for the first time, sex without a condom. In my mine, you're either addicted to it, or have never caught a sizeable fish on one.

From the initial backcast, to the bite and fight, it's a completely different experience. Casting alone is more fun, feeling that rod flex and load with 30-50ft of line out. And once that fish bites, you've got a direct connection from hand to fish, and you feel that "thump" with your hand rather than your rod tip. When it starts to run it might leave some friction burns on your fingers, and when it pulls drag, the whole reel spins so you have to let go and fight it one handed. It's a much more dynamic game of give and take. Then there's the difference in physics, with the reel/fulcrum being at the end of the rod, rather than higher up making for a different feel. Throw in the added satisfaction of fooling a fish with yarn and feathers you created yourself.

Paraphrasing Monte Burke via Dave Schonzeithttps://youtu.be/ky8KbhtRquE?is=aabOg4zzpy7st2qA

“[Fly]Fishing for [spotfin] on these flats is like hitting on models in night clubs. You’ll rarely, if ever, land one, but the fun is in the game, in the scenery, in the moment.”

[Everydog]

Maybe a few of our SDFISH surf fly fishing people were out there? All I can say is that their patience is incredible, and I admire it and wonder why sometimes! Nonetheless, good luck and tight lines to all!

For me, its way more fun. Catching fish on a fly rod is like taking the red pill, seeing the Matrix for the first time, sex without a condom. In my mine, you're either addicted to it, or have never caught a sizeable fish on one.

From the initial backcast, to the bite and fight, it's a completely different experience. Casting alone is more fun, feeling that rod flex and load with 30-50ft of line out. And once that fish bites, you've got a direct connection from hand to fish, and you feel that "thump" with your hand rather than your rod tip. When it starts to run it might leave some friction burns on your fingers, and when it pulls drag, the whole reel spins so you have to let go and fight it one handed. It's a much more dynamic game of give and take. Then there's the difference in physics, with the reel/fulcrum being at the end of the rod, rather than higher up making for a different feel. Throw in the added satisfaction of fooling a fish with yarn and feathers you created yourself.

Paraphrasing Monte Burke via Dave Schonzeithttps://youtu.be/ky8KbhtRquE?is=aabOg4zzpy7st2qA

“[Fly]Fishing for [spotfin] on these flats is like hitting on models in night clubs. You’ll rarely, if ever, land one, but the fun is in the game, in the scenery, in the moment.”

“Sex without a condom”? Does anyone want to trade a spinning outfit for a fly rod? Seriously, is the beach safe?
Just an aside: I did see a small airplane pulling a "Cheetahs Banner" up and down the beach on one day. Are they looking for us?

[Everydog]

Had another 2026-style outing to Del Mar yesterday; no sense in too many words: grass galore, rough surf, tiny crabs, a gazillion surfers, nonetheless one YFC on crabs, and a 30" Leopard shark on shrimp. The Leopard made a great jump that was really cool to see. On the way home, I got an email alert for the Surf Fishing in SoCal Report on how dismal the year has been due to El Niño.
I am still glad I went out, fished, and met my buddy and some other happy anglers. We swear we won't go back on a weekend because of the surfers, but we go when he has time.
It would be good to change strategies and fish the outer portions of the reefs, but that seaweed is exhausting, and there are many surfers.

[Perch killer]

Had another 2026-style outing to Del Mar yesterday; no sense in too many words: grass galore, rough surf, tiny crabs, a gazillion surfers, nonetheless one YFC on crabs, and a 30" Leopard shark on shrimp. The Leopard made a great jump that was really cool to see. On the way home, I got an email alert for the Surf Fishing in SoCal Report on how dismal the year has been due to El Niño.
I am still glad I went out, fished, and met my buddy and some other happy anglers. We swear we won't go back on a weekend because of the surfers, but we go when he has time.
It would be good to change strategies and fish the outer portions of the reefs, but that seaweed is exhausting, and there are many surfers.

Well, getting that 3' leo had to have been fun + a yfc for good measure so at least it wasn't a bust. The salad was rough also at Solana yesterday, a real PITA and tiring.