San Diego & SoCal Fishing Forums

Hello,

I’m looking for direction in regards to planning fishing trips for SD Bay and Mission Bay. From the material that I read both bays fish differently.

What are the best times and tides for these bays? What’s the best way to fish them ?

Super simple approach is plain ole dropshot during moving tide. Then start playing with different baits and techniques.

Drag a 3-4" curly tail grub on a 1/4 ounce jig head in 6-10' of water, run the line between your fingers for the best feel. Weedless if in the grass, ball head or Ned rig if not. Moving water is best. Best spots are where water flows from shallow to deep and along channel edges.

Would you say a tide swing 3+ft or more is ideal for both bays ?

Luc42 wrote: Fri Apr 25, 2025 9:58 pm Would you say a tide swing 3+ft or more is ideal for both bays ?

At least 3'. Bigger is even better. I have had some phenomenal days when the tide swing was 7' or more. But I will still go out when there isn't a big swing.

Everything you need already at top of this section.

viewtopic.php?t=735

Like others have said, moving water is better.
I mostly fish San Diego Bay.
There are lots of tide charts out there; I use Tides4Fishing because I am used to it. And I like seeing a tide graph, which can tell you visually when the water's moving faster....which is a bigger deal for me because I'm in a float tube. The steeper the line, the faster the flow. This graph also shows sunrise and sunset; important because there's less wind before 10 a.m.

So Sunday, May 4th:
The fish logos are the bottom of the chart are based on solunar tables, which is not my thing. But in this case, I'd agree about the best time for catching fish. The last half of the outgoing (or incoming) tide, while the flow is still strong (steeper angle). You can see the blue line starts flattening at about 9 a.m.....and between 10 and 12 there's not much water moving at all.

But there are always other factors. For instance....Crown Cove on the Coronado side has flat beach all around the shoreline. I have waded around in the summertime and could see the fish prowling around and even sight-fished a few with my fly rod....and I SUCK at fly-fishing. But if I was fishing there on Sunday, after about 8 a.m. the fish are going to be out in deeper water near the center of the cove or in the channel at the mouth of the cove. Whether they bite or not is a whole 'nother Oprah. If a school of baitfish moves in, the bass and needlefish and halibut and corvina are going to follow 'em.

If I was shore fishing, looking at a tide chart would help me decide which area to fish, based on past results.

And sometimes, fish just seem to hang in one area most of the time, regardless of tide, weather, barometric pressure, whatever.
The area marked in yellow is an example of that. I have launched my tube here, and kicked all over the flats, marinas, pilings, and dropoffs...everywhere within 3/4 of a mile...but have caught more fish, and more different species, right in this zone, regardless of conditions. And yeah, been skunked there, as well. Because it's tucked in a corner of the bay, there are no fast currents to deal with, and no random 200 lb stringers of kelp sliding into your line.