For the second time, I’ve tried fishing San Diego Harbor from my 19’ boat. I used a jig head with swim bait, and a few different lures. I fished all the likely areas: all along the jetties, along the submerged jetty, in the channel, in the open water, at drop offs. Today I got one light hit, that fought for about 15 seconds before letting go. So, after 2 outings for about 10 hours total…nothing…
Has anyone else had better luck than me? If so, do you care to share location and technique.
FisherJeff wrote:
For the second time, I’ve tried fishing San Diego Harbor from my 19’ boat. I used a jig head with swim bait, and a few different lures. I fished all the likely areas: all along the jetties, along the submerged jetty, in the channel, in the open water, at drop offs. Today I got one light hit, that fought for about 15 seconds before letting go. So, after 2 outings for about 10 hours total…nothing…
Has anyone else had better luck than me? If so, do you care to share location and technique.
I haven’t fished sd bay for a 3 or so months but have always caught spotties and others using 1/4 oz jighead with kalins lunker grubs color Ron’s craw 3” works best. I stay out out of the deep water 18ft or less. Incoming tide is best, bigger the swing is the best. I launch at pepper park in South Bay and fish the east side of bay from 34 bouy to the bridge. Many days of 20 to 40 fish each.
Oops! Dang it. My post was supposed to be about Oceanside Harbor. I’ve never been skunked in SD bay. But, I’m thinking there are no fish in Oceanside Harbor.
Thanks for being a nice person and giving Great info
Thanks for the info. I’m a dumb ya know what…my post was supposed to be about Oceanside Harbor. Anyhow, I fish the other end of SD bay, s9uth of the Ammunition Dock to the opening of the bay. Almost always on the east side, as the guys in the gray patrol boats with the .50 Cals claim ownership of the other side. The deep water along the channel is usually good for Sand Bass. The area around the old submerged jetty just south of Zuniga point is good for a bit of everything, but we always end up donating some lures to the rocks. Along North Island between the Ammunition Dock & Zuniga point is good for spottys. I’ve caught some legal Halibut in different areas, deep & shallow…I guess it’s a matter of bonking them on the head while they lay in sand.
We use jig heads with swim bait as well. I haven’t figured out which type works at what time…but it seems to vary. We are catching fewer fish since about the end of September, but the ones we catch are on the average larger. Last time out “the boat” of me & buddy caught 16…2 mackerel for lobster bait, spottys, sandbass, calico, sculpin…and we called that a slow day.
Happy fishing.
Update, I just ordered some of the kalins grubs. They look different than what we use, and maybe the fish want something different. Amazon didn’t have red, so I ordered cotton candy and white ghost.
Fishandrods wrote:
I haven’t fished sd bay for a 3 or so months but have always caught spotties and others using 1/4 oz jighead with kalins lunker grubs color Ron’s craw 3” works best. I stay out out of the deep water 18ft or less. Incoming tide is best, bigger the swing is the best. I launch at pepper park in South Bay and fish the east side of bay from 34 bouy to the bridge. Many days of 20 to 40 fish each.
They think it is a shrimp.
I used to fish the hetty on the harbor side, and would catch a variety of fish. I would use frozen anchovy chunks.
I once had a whale swim right in front of me, came up, went down, came up a hundred yards away.
That’s winter fishing on the bay, slow,slow,slow! Reduce the size of your baits and slow down on the retrieve, deadsticking now and then.
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