San Diego & SoCal Fishing Forums

Hit the Bay on an idyllic post Santa Ana Wind Day. Flat calm and glassy all day, water temperature was 60.1 in the lower Harbor and 64 in the back, by the Arches Bridge. Ian and I dropped into the lower Harbor, around 12:30pm, right next to the Balboa Pavilion and rode the outgoing Tide down the Bay, pitching our jigs into and around the docks. Again Ian was after that elusive(for Him) keeper Halibut having not landed one since 2002. When I told him I’ve been landing a few each trip during my Bass sessions he was all over it. To raise his odds he fished the White Swimbait while I throw a color ZMan calls Mud Minnow. It catches a lot more Spotted Bass than Pearl which seems to attract more Sand Bass and Halibut. I wasn’t getting bit under the docks and kicked out into the Boat Channel and started getting some Sand Bass and I hear “Jim!” Several times followed by “Oh my God it’s Huge!”. So I kicked back over to see Ian battling a nice 25 inch Halibut and then struggling to net it, his excitement causing a few errors in judgment. When “Green” those Halibut can throw it in reverse and back up, as well as showing some extreme agility at avoiding a Net or Gaff. It was comedy gold for a minute as he swiped the net several times and actually had it in the net once before it jumped out. I said “start kicking and wait until it lays out along the surface and put the net under it and lift”. He pulled it off perfectly. He was elated and said he didn’t care if he caught another fish. I on the other hand kicked back out and got back on the Sand Bass, landing some good ones up to 16 inches and landed 3 Halibut between 18 and 20 inches. Curious because I haven’t caught a short Halibut in this area all year. Most have been between 22 to 26 inches. Still fun to pull on. The Tide petered out, I wasn’t getting bit down by the mouth of the harbor, having traveled about a mile and a half in the swift current in the main channel. Ian was still hitting the docks and had only gone about 3/4 of a mile during the same period. I saw a Buddy on the Public Dock and stopped and gave him a fish report and he gave me a cold Dr Pepper that went down good on a warm day. I kicked back out to to the channel and the incoming tide was really picking up. I nailed a few more Sandies, they were schooled up tight and I could get one or two each time I found an area where they were. Big schools of Baitfish would come up under my tube from time to time. Eventually I caught back up to Ian and we drifted back to the get out spot. I didn’t get one Spottie from under the docks. Ian was ready to go so we went back to our respective vehicles, he had an Ice chest complete with Blue Ice Bricks ready to go and his Halibut fit nicely in the 60 quart Cooler.
I wasn’t done. It was around 4:30 pm, still warm and dead calm. I drove up to the Lido Island Bridge, there is a nice little Beach to launch from. The incoming Tide had a swift current coming thru the water under the Bridge and a couple of kids were throwing spoons and landing small Barracuda here and there. I hit the Docks between the Bridge and the Rhine Channel. I kicked hard against the current to get under the Bridge and then it virtually went away as I got to the backwater away from the channel where it was very protected. It was wide open Spotties in there and one spot I sat and caught 7 Bass on 7 casts. Some nice Bay Groupers as well as some smaller Bass came with ease, the Twilight bite was insane and my thumb was getting chewed up landing Bass after Bass. It got dark and I did not have a flashlight, I got out in the channel and it whisked me back to the Little Beach. I got out, had a drink of cold water out of my ice chest and settled into my Truck for a nice ride home. Great afternoon/evening on the water.

Great report!!! Thanks