San Diego & SoCal Fishing Forums

Hi all, new to this forum. I am going to be in ocean beach first week of January. As I understand it the pier is closed. I was curious if shore fishing was worth the effort? I’ll have my two young sons 6&4 and they wana do some fishing. We are going on a charter January 6th however I thought in the evening/night they might enjoy some surf fishing. I have a pretty wide variety of poles and tackle and while it’s been a long time since I’ve fished in Sandiego I’m not stranger to fishing. I’m curious for those who live down there what would be my best bet that time of year to fish with from shore? Any and all suggestions appreciated.

This time of year, mostly perch, an occasional yellow fin croaker possible. You're going to have morning neep tides that week so it's a crap shoot as to how good (or bad) the fishing might be. Neeps can be good for halibut but tough to get from open beach and better chances if you find a nice hole. You'll see a small rock groin just north of the LG station. That spot can, at times, be money on either side for hali's and other species. I'd go with mussel meat or blood worms (expensive) for perch & croaker also Gulp camo or sandworms work well. Swimbaits or stick baits for hali's. Large slab size perch will hit those also. Kelp and grass can be a problem and OB's beaches get more than their fair share of it. Good luck & report back.

Shore fishing can be extremely dangerous in that area. Swell will be massive and brutal. Might try the bay