Summer-time fishing in March

[Neuroshima]

Yahoo!!!!! I spent an hour casting at a school of about 6 until I finally tricked one to eat my fly. It's such a great feeling, especially when you lose track of the fly, when you feel the tug and see those big white lips open up.

Afterwards, some corbina showed up, and I had the first-world problem of choosing which fish to cast at.

[Neuroshima]

You guys are missing one of life’s great joys…Watching a big ol’ corbina suck up your sand crab, then head out with your drag screaming…
Butch

I think a lot of socal surf anglers miss out on this joy, having observed them casting 100 ft into the ocean. Or not wearing polarized sunglasses. These fish were going tails up today no more than 15 ft from dry sand.

[Midnightpass]

Yahoo!!!!! I spent an hour casting at a school of about 6 until I finally tricked one to eat my fly. It's such a great feeling, especially when you lose track of the fly, when you feel the tug and see those big white lips open up.

Afterwards, some corbina showed up, and I had the first-world problem of choosing which fish to cast at.

PXL_20260410_184539563.jpg

Nice fish... And I wish I had the problem of "which fish to cast at"..
Butch

[Nelson 1]

Yahoo!!!!! I spent an hour casting at a school of about 6 until I finally tricked one to eat my fly. It's such a great feeling, especially when you lose track of the fly, when you feel the tug and see those big white lips open up.

Afterwards, some corbina showed up, and I had the first-world problem of choosing which fish to cast at.

PXL_20260410_184539563.jpg

I have never seen fish in the surf that shallow yet. That water looked pretty calm for being in the surf. First picture. Not saying it wasn't. I just started surf fishing. I have seen fish shallow at Ocean Beach dog Park channel. And Bone fish around Fiesta Island. I will keep looking in the surf.

[Neuroshima]

Yahoo!!!!! I spent an hour casting at a school of about 6 until I finally tricked one to eat my fly. It's such a great feeling, especially when you lose track of the fly, when you feel the tug and see those big white lips open up.

Afterwards, some corbina showed up, and I had the first-world problem of choosing which fish to cast at.

PXL_20260410_184539563.jpg

I have never seen fish in the surf that shallow yet. That water looked pretty calm for being in the surf. First picture. Not saying it wasn't. I just started surf fishing. I have seen fish shallow at Ocean Beach dog Park channel. And Bone fish around Fiesta Island. I will keep looking in the surf.

It's all about finding the right structure at the right tidal height. Low wave height and long periods help too.

Below is a picture of corbina from a few years back. You can clearly see the large sandbar in the background, with a deep trough in front. At this specific tidal height he sandbar acts as a barrier for the incoming wave, causing the water to trickle into the trough creating clear conditions. At a lower tide, the sandbar prevents the trough from filling in, while at a higher tide, the water easily rolls over the sandbar creating too much disturbance to see clearly.

When conditions line up perfectly, it can be like fishing in a lake, but it usually doesn't last long.

[Nelson 1]

Yahoo!!!!! I spent an hour casting at a school of about 6 until I finally tricked one to eat my fly. It's such a great feeling, especially when you lose track of the fly, when you feel the tug and see those big white lips open up.

Afterwards, some corbina showed up, and I had the first-world problem of choosing which fish to cast at.

PXL_20260410_184539563.jpg

I have never seen fish in the surf that shallow yet. That water looked pretty calm for being in the surf. First picture. Not saying it wasn't. I just started surf fishing. I have seen fish shallow at Ocean Beach dog Park channel. And Bone fish around Fiesta Island. I will keep looking in the surf.

It's all about finding the right structure at the right tidal height. Low wave height and long periods help too.

Below is a picture of corbina from a few years back. You can clearly see the large sandbar in the background, with a deep trough in front. At this specific tidal height he sandbar acts as a barrier for the incoming wave, causing the water to trickle into the trough creating clear conditions. At a lower tide, the sandbar prevents the trough from filling in, while at a higher tide, the water easily rolls over the sandbar creating too much disturbance to see clearly.

When conditions line up perfectly, it can be like fishing in a lake, but it usually doesn't last long.


Screenshot_20260411-113647.png

. That is so cool. I hope to see something like that in my surf fishing trips. I am trying to explore new beaches . Thanks for the pictures and the information. Something I will be looking for when I am out fishing.

[kastmaster]

Yahoo!!!!! I spent an hour casting at a school of about 6 until I finally tricked one to eat my fly. It's such a great feeling, especially when you lose track of the fly, when you feel the tug and see those big white lips open up.

Afterwards, some corbina showed up, and I had the first-world problem of choosing which fish to cast at.

PXL_20260410_184539563.jpg

Yahoo is correct! Nicely done!

[Neuroshima]

Yahoo!!!!! I spent an hour casting at a school of about 6 until I finally tricked one to eat my fly. It's such a great feeling, especially when you lose track of the fly, when you feel the tug and see those big white lips open up.

Afterwards, some corbina showed up, and I had the first-world problem of choosing which fish to cast at.

PXL_20260410_184539563.jpg

I have never seen fish in the surf that shallow yet. That water looked pretty calm for being in the surf. First picture. Not saying it wasn't. I just started surf fishing. I have seen fish shallow at Ocean Beach dog Park channel. And Bone fish around Fiesta Island. I will keep looking in the surf.

It's all about finding the right structure at the right tidal height. Low wave height and long periods help too.

Below is a picture of corbina from a few years back. You can clearly see the large sandbar in the background, with a deep trough in front. At this specific tidal height he sandbar acts as a barrier for the incoming wave, causing the water to trickle into the trough creating clear conditions. At a lower tide, the sandbar prevents the trough from filling in, while at a higher tide, the water easily rolls over the sandbar creating too much disturbance to see clearly.

When conditions line up perfectly, it can be like fishing in a lake, but it usually doesn't last long.


Screenshot_20260411-113647.png

. That is so cool. I hope to see something like that in my surf fishing trips. I am trying to explore new beaches . Thanks for the pictures and the information. Something I will be looking for when I am out fishing.

I just checked the webcams and it looks like Carlsbad has some really nice structure right now (1:50, low tide). A big 'ol sandbar with a huge trough in front of it.

[Osidecoffee]

I have never seen fish in the surf that shallow yet. That water looked pretty calm for being in the surf. First picture. Not saying it wasn't. I just started surf fishing. I have seen fish shallow at Ocean Beach dog Park channel. And Bone fish around Fiesta Island. I will keep looking in the surf.

It's all about finding the right structure at the right tidal height. Low wave height and long periods help too.

Below is a picture of corbina from a few years back. You can clearly see the large sandbar in the background, with a deep trough in front. At this specific tidal height he sandbar acts as a barrier for the incoming wave, causing the water to trickle into the trough creating clear conditions. At a lower tide, the sandbar prevents the trough from filling in, while at a higher tide, the water easily rolls over the sandbar creating too much disturbance to see clearly.

When conditions line up perfectly, it can be like fishing in a lake, but it usually doesn't last long.


Screenshot_20260411-113647.png

. That is so cool. I hope to see something like that in my surf fishing trips. I am trying to explore new beaches . Thanks for the pictures and the information. Something I will be looking for when I am out fishing.

I just checked the webcams and it looks like Carlsbad has some really nice structure right now (1:50, low tide). A big 'ol sandbar with a huge trough in front of it.

Screenshot_20260413-134825~2.png
Screenshot_20260413-134756~2.png

Looking absolutely juicy!

[Nelson 1]

It's all about finding the right structure at the right tidal height. Low wave height and long periods help too.

Below is a picture of corbina from a few years back. You can clearly see the large sandbar in the background, with a deep trough in front. At this specific tidal height he sandbar acts as a barrier for the incoming wave, causing the water to trickle into the trough creating clear conditions. At a lower tide, the sandbar prevents the trough from filling in, while at a higher tide, the water easily rolls over the sandbar creating too much disturbance to see clearly.

When conditions line up perfectly, it can be like fishing in a lake, but it usually doesn't last long.


Screenshot_20260411-113647.png

. That is so cool. I hope to see something like that in my surf fishing trips. I am trying to explore new beaches . Thanks for the pictures and the information. Something I will be looking for when I am out fishing.

I just checked the webcams and it looks like Carlsbad has some really nice structure right now (1:50, low tide). A big 'ol sandbar with a huge trough in front of it.

Screenshot_20260413-134825~2.png
Screenshot_20260413-134756~2.png

Looking absolutely juicy!

That looks like a nice Beach to fish. Might have to make the trip before the summer crowds. It's about 30 miles from my house. Looks like there's street parking.

[Neuroshima]

. That is so cool. I hope to see something like that in my surf fishing trips. I am trying to explore new beaches . Thanks for the pictures and the information. Something I will be looking for when I am out fishing.

I just checked the webcams and it looks like Carlsbad has some really nice structure right now (1:50, low tide). A big 'ol sandbar with a huge trough in front of it.

Screenshot_20260413-134825~2.png
Screenshot_20260413-134756~2.png

Looking absolutely juicy!

That looks like a nice Beach to fish. Might have to make the trip before the summer crowds. It's about 30 miles from my house. Looks like there's street parking.

If you can withstand the hike and naked dudes, Blacks is my go-to beach. Plenty of parking, you can stand on top of the cliffs and scout for structure before you go down, and the hike makes it pretty secluded.
I usually fish south of the nude section, near the lifeguard hut.

I've never fished Carlsbad; I was just browsing the webcam. Blacks is the closest proximity-wise to me so it's hard to justify the drive, but that structure looks amazing. Del Mar rivermouth can get like that too (it where I took the pic of the schooling corbina), but it can get crowded.

[jwacky]

All I know about south Carlsbad State Beach is that its where I first tossed a line and some bait into the ocean and caught four fish in my very first time surf fishing. I had an old 6' rod, who knows what reel and line, I think I was using squid for bait that I had in the freezer from who-knows-how-long ago. I knew almost literally nothing about surf fishing or that it was even really a thing.

So yeah, there's fish in the water in Carlsbad

I've been hooked ever since.

[Perch killer]

I just checked the webcams and it looks like Carlsbad has some really nice structure right now (1:50, low tide). A big 'ol sandbar with a huge trough in front of it.

Screenshot_20260413-134825~2.png
Screenshot_20260413-134756~2.png

Looking absolutely juicy!

That looks like a nice Beach to fish. Might have to make the trip before the summer crowds. It's about 30 miles from my house. Looks like there's street parking.

If you can withstand the hike and naked dudes, Blacks is my go-to beach. Plenty of parking, you can stand on top of the cliffs and scout for structure before you go down, and the hike makes it pretty secluded.
I usually fish south of the nude section, near the lifeguard hut.

I've never fished Carlsbad; I was just browsing the webcam. Blacks is the closest proximity-wise to me so it's hard to justify the drive, but that structure looks amazing. Del Mar rivermouth can get like that too (it where I took the pic of the schooling corbina), but it can get crowded.

Drive to C'bad also hard for me to justify, 30 min or more each way. D.Mar about as far north as I care to go. I can get to the SD beaches in 15 min and Coronado/IB in 20. Now, if I was 10 or more years younger, I would go back to Black's in a heartbeat. I could probably still do the climb down but not the return up anymore, a gasser. The long walk from Torrey ( I think about a mile) or the Ho Chi Min trail are also out of the question. If you can do it, do it because I think it's the best surf fishing beach in SD county. Just my 2 cents.

[Nelson 1]

I just checked the webcams and it looks like Carlsbad has some really nice structure right now (1:50, low tide). A big 'ol sandbar with a huge trough in front of it.

Screenshot_20260413-134825~2.png
Screenshot_20260413-134756~2.png

Looking absolutely juicy!

That looks like a nice Beach to fish. Might have to make the trip before the summer crowds. It's about 30 miles from my house. Looks like there's street parking.

If you can withstand the hike and naked dudes, Blacks is my go-to beach. Plenty of parking, you can stand on top of the cliffs and scout for structure before you go down, and the hike makes it pretty secluded.
I usually fish south of the nude section, near the lifeguard hut.

I've never fished Carlsbad; I was just browsing the webcam. Blacks is the closest proximity-wise to me so it's hard to justify the drive, but that structure looks amazing. Del Mar rivermouth can get like that too (it where I took the pic of the schooling corbina), but it can get crowded.

. I don't think I can make that hike back up from blacks. I would hate to have the lifeguards come rescue me. I can hike flat ground. I think Torrey Pines is my best bet for that area.

[Neuroshima]

Torrey pines is actually 3 miles away. You can also park at La Jolla farms and take a paved road down. It's still a little steep but you won't be taking steps up. Unfortunately it's a 2-hour time limit at top so it's really not worth it.

I've seen some social media footage of tailing fish at other beaches, so I think that they're active wherever they are. Just got to find the good structure. For those that can make the hike, Blacks is fishing phenomenally. I saw schools that must have been at least 20 fish thick today; so miraculous that beachwalkers were taking pictures of them. Once the tide got too low, they left but the corbina stayed.

And I got lucky too! Yahoo number 2! I also got a great close-up of an osprey munching on a corbina.

[Nelson 1]

Torrey pines is actually 3 miles away. You can also park at La Jolla farms and take a paved road down. It's still a little steep but you won't be taking steps up. Unfortunately it's a 2-hour time limit at top so it's really not worth it.

I've seen some social media footage of tailing fish at other beaches, so I think that they're active wherever they are. Just got to find the good structure. For those that can make the hike, Blacks is fishing phenomenally. I saw schools that must have been at least 20 fish thick today; so miraculous that beachwalkers were taking pictures of them. Once the tide got too low, they left but the corbina stayed.

And I got lucky too! Yahoo number 2! I also got a great close-up of an osprey munching on a corbina.

PXL_20260414_192341025.jpg

PXL_20260414_210136275.jpg

That's awesome man. Great pictures.

[Midnightpass]

I agree, and very nice SFC….
Butch