San Diego & SoCal Fishing Forums

Finally got back out to Mission Beach after last week’s king tides. Fished the outgoing tide from about 6:30 - 9:00. The water wasn’t super clean, with seaweed scattered on the shore and in the water. Thankfully, it wasn’t floating in huge clumps so I was able to avoid it pretty easily.

As for the fish, lots were caught. All perch, maybe 10 in total. Unlike the past month or so they tended to be on the smaller side, although that’s mostly relative to how been they’ve been lately. They sure were fighting hard, again relatively speaking, which made them fun to pull in today.

I used dried lugworms for the first time and they were great! I was alternating between them and mussels and both were equally effective. I would say the fish were caught on a 50/50 split between the two baits. The lugworms were nice because they’re a lot cleaner and easier to hook, they didn’t break as easily (was catching more than one fish per worm), and I was getting better hooksets in the sides of mouths, whereas the mussels tend to get caught much deeper for me. Can’t beat the convenience, either.

It’s nice to have a chance to try all these different baits and I’m certainly gathering quite the arsenal. The mussels and lugworms are much more effective than the salted clams and shrimp I’ve also been messing around with. The sand crabs seem to be the most effective overall, but they’re not available now so I can’t compare. Seems like they’re the consensus #1 surf bait, though. Gulp camos are nice in a pinch, and I certainly appreciate baits that are quick and easy to get in the water.

Thanks for the report… Good info… I’ve been using dried blood worms, and like you with the lug worms, I appreciate the ease of use and lack of mess.. And most of all effectiveness…. Good fishing..
Butch

I too was @ MB by where tower 12 used to be. I was on fire for an hour dead sticking the Swim Baits. The Tug is my Drug. Fun Day.

Just a thought. When I was growing up we had a strip of ivy growing next to the street. It was full of Snails. I would gather up those maybe 20-30 at a time in the early morning. My Mom Froze them and when we went Surf Fishing, which was often, we would cut them in half with scissors and hook it on a # 4 hook. It was tough and the Barred Perch sucked them down, also Opaleye near the rocks. In freshwater, Catfish ate whole Snails and the Bluegill would eat small pieces, as would Trout. It was way easier than shovel digging deep Sand Crabs in the Winter. Funny, it was just another bait back then. Don’t see it at all now when I’m out and about. We learned it from the Asian Surf Fisherman from a Club in Torrance during our Tournaments, back in the Day. My Dad was a member of the Fullerton Spinners. There were many Clubs back in the 60s and early 70s. The only one left is the Long Beach Rod and Gun Club that I know of. I got a lot of different looks at fishing methods back then.
I see now there is a San Diego Rod and Gun Club, never met any of those Guys.

Escargot... That's one I haven't used...
Butch

Bendo wrote: Sun Dec 14, 2025 6:29 am Just a thought. When I was growing up we had a strip of ivy growing next to the street. It was full of Snails. I would gather up those maybe 20-30 at a time in the early morning. My Mom Froze them and when we went Surf Fishing, which was often, we would cut them in half with scissors and hook it on a # 4 hook. It was tough and the Barred Perch sucked them down, also Opaleye near the rocks. In freshwater, Catfish ate whole Snails and the Bluegill would eat small pieces, as would Trout. It was way easier than shovel digging deep Sand Crabs in the Winter. Funny, it was just another bait back then. Don’t see it at all now when I’m out and about. We learned it from the Asian Surf Fisherman from a Club in Torrance during our Tournaments, back in the Day. My Dad was a member of the Fullerton Spinners. There were many Clubs back in the 60s and early 70s. The only one left is the Long Beach Rod and Gun Club that I know of. I got a lot of different looks at fishing methods back then.
I see now there is a San Diego Rod and Gun Club, never met any of those Guys.

W

My buddy talked me into taking a bunch of snails in a shoe box with sawdust to Mexico. We fished just south of San Quinten, and they worked great for catching calicos in the kelp. Just took the whole snail, smashed it and cast it out. Easy to use, free and made my Mom happy that her flowers were no longer getting eaten!

Redemption! I’ve had a lot of raised eyebrows upon disseminating this information. A few angry comments about sharing a secret bait, over the years. Thanks! I think it’s as good as Powerbait for Trout…Great for Fishing Bluegill with the Kids because the “foot” is tough.

See these while picking up more mussels and thought of this conversation. I didn’t pick them up because I’ve got more than enough bait to work through for now, but I was tempted and I’ll likely grab some sooner than later just to see if they work!

And here all of the time, I thought they just tasted like garlic and oil? ... Who thought they could be bait...
Butch