Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs

Surfboard fishing in Pacific Beach

Look for the orange buoy in front of Law Street

Surfboard fishing in Imperial Beach, 2002 - Image by PD Photo.org
Surfboard fishing in Imperial Beach, 2002

It is finally surfboard fishing season in Pacific Beach. The surf is small (unfortunately for surfing) and the water is warm (over 70 degrees). Usually the conditions are favorable only two months a year, in August and September.

The best time for surfboard fishing is early in the morning, before the wind comes up. The goal is to take the least amount of fishing gear possible, usually a fishing pole and a net. Right now there are more legal size calico bass (14˝) out there than this fisherman can ever remember. Plus a lot of small barracuda, kelp bass, and a few white sea bass. But they need to be at least 28˝ long, and most of the ones right out front are not that big. Then there is the California halibut. They are the best eating fish out there.

Sponsored
Sponsored

But before we get too excited, there is the South La Jolla State Marine Preserve to consider. From the maps, it appears to begin at Diamond Street (two blocks north of Crystal Pier) and go almost straight out along the pier.

But this is not correct. In fact, from the end of Diamond Street, the south boundary of the preserve is due west, at 270 degrees. Interestingly, the large orange buoy in front of Law Street lies directly along the boundary line. This means that much, much more of the ocean in front of Pacific Beach is not inside the reserve. And there is a small kelp bed a few hundred yards out from the orange ball, which is outside of the reserve.

Anyone with a long surfboard (and a valid fishing license) should consider trying this sport. Since you will be soaking in salt water, only use cheap reels, as they will not last very long. A bungee cord is necessary to hold the rod to the surfboard on the way out and back in. A net is only necessary if you plan on bringing back fish, but most surfboard fishermen are catch-and-release. There is a good reason for that. It is because of the sea lions that are constantly moving between kelp beds. They are very curious and will come right up to you, but as long as you do not have a bag of fish attached, they (probably) will not hurt you.

If you catch a big calico bass it might be worth bringing home. They are the original fish-taco fish from Mexico.

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Making Love to Goats, Rachmaninoff, and Elgar

Next Article

20 Best Online Casinos USA For Real Money (2024 List)

USA Online Casinos: Top 20 Online Casino Sites of 2024
Surfboard fishing in Imperial Beach, 2002 - Image by PD Photo.org
Surfboard fishing in Imperial Beach, 2002

It is finally surfboard fishing season in Pacific Beach. The surf is small (unfortunately for surfing) and the water is warm (over 70 degrees). Usually the conditions are favorable only two months a year, in August and September.

The best time for surfboard fishing is early in the morning, before the wind comes up. The goal is to take the least amount of fishing gear possible, usually a fishing pole and a net. Right now there are more legal size calico bass (14˝) out there than this fisherman can ever remember. Plus a lot of small barracuda, kelp bass, and a few white sea bass. But they need to be at least 28˝ long, and most of the ones right out front are not that big. Then there is the California halibut. They are the best eating fish out there.

Sponsored
Sponsored

But before we get too excited, there is the South La Jolla State Marine Preserve to consider. From the maps, it appears to begin at Diamond Street (two blocks north of Crystal Pier) and go almost straight out along the pier.

But this is not correct. In fact, from the end of Diamond Street, the south boundary of the preserve is due west, at 270 degrees. Interestingly, the large orange buoy in front of Law Street lies directly along the boundary line. This means that much, much more of the ocean in front of Pacific Beach is not inside the reserve. And there is a small kelp bed a few hundred yards out from the orange ball, which is outside of the reserve.

Anyone with a long surfboard (and a valid fishing license) should consider trying this sport. Since you will be soaking in salt water, only use cheap reels, as they will not last very long. A bungee cord is necessary to hold the rod to the surfboard on the way out and back in. A net is only necessary if you plan on bringing back fish, but most surfboard fishermen are catch-and-release. There is a good reason for that. It is because of the sea lions that are constantly moving between kelp beds. They are very curious and will come right up to you, but as long as you do not have a bag of fish attached, they (probably) will not hurt you.

If you catch a big calico bass it might be worth bringing home. They are the original fish-taco fish from Mexico.

Comments
Sponsored
Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

SDSU pres gets highest pay raise in state over last 15 years

Union-Tribune still stiffing downtown San Diego landlord?
Next Article

20 Best Online Casinos USA For Real Money (2024 List)

USA Online Casinos: Top 20 Online Casino Sites of 2024
Comments
Ask a Hipster — Advice you didn't know you needed Big Screen — Movie commentary Blurt — Music's inside track Booze News — San Diego spirits Classical Music — Immortal beauty Classifieds — Free and easy Cover Stories — Front-page features Drinks All Around — Bartenders' drink recipes Excerpts — Literary and spiritual excerpts Feast! — Food & drink reviews Feature Stories — Local news & stories Fishing Report — What’s getting hooked from ship and shore From the Archives — Spotlight on the past Golden Dreams — Talk of the town The Gonzo Report — Making the musical scene, or at least reporting from it Letters — Our inbox Movies@Home — Local movie buffs share favorites Movie Reviews — Our critics' picks and pans Musician Interviews — Up close with local artists Neighborhood News from Stringers — Hyperlocal news News Ticker — News & politics Obermeyer — San Diego politics illustrated Outdoors — Weekly changes in flora and fauna Overheard in San Diego — Eavesdropping illustrated Poetry — The old and the new Reader Travel — Travel section built by travelers Reading — The hunt for intellectuals Roam-O-Rama — SoCal's best hiking/biking trails San Diego Beer — Inside San Diego suds SD on the QT — Almost factual news Sheep and Goats — Places of worship Special Issues — The best of Street Style — San Diego streets have style Surf Diego — Real stories from those braving the waves Theater — On stage in San Diego this week Tin Fork — Silver spoon alternative Under the Radar — Matt Potter's undercover work Unforgettable — Long-ago San Diego Unreal Estate — San Diego's priciest pads Your Week — Daily event picks
4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs
Close

Anchor ads are not supported on this page.