San Diego’s five main sport fishing landings are home to over 70 sport boats and while not all of them operate during the winter months, many run year-round offering exciting day trips or long range trips. 2014 delivered some of the best sport fishing ever and all indicators are showing 2015 offers fisherman another incredible […]
Catch of the Day: Tuna Harbor Dockside Market on San Diego Bay!
If you've ever been to Pike Place Market in Seattle or Fisherman's Wharf in San Francisco, you know what a delight it is to see seafood as fresh as it gets from local waters.
San Diego now has its very own open-air seafood market called the <a title="Tuna Harbor Dockside Market" href="http://www.thdocksidemarket.com/" target="_blank">Tuna Harbor Dockside Market</a>, located on Fish Harbor Pier on picturesque San Diego Bay between <a title="Seaport Village" href="http://www.sandiego.org/members/shopping/seaport-village.aspx" target="_blank">Seaport Village</a> and Ruocco Park (across the street from the chic new <a title="Headquarters at Seaport District" href="http://theheadquarters.com/" target="_blank">Headquarters at Seaport District</a>).
Lake Barrett Takes You Back in Time for a Simpler Way of Fishing
It can be said that fishing Lake Barrett is like going back in time in San Diego County to a simpler way of fishing when there were no high-powered bass boats zipping across our suburban and rural lakes.
The Life Aquatic on San Diego’s Mission Bay
San Diego’s Mission Bay is the largest aquatic park of its kind in the world. Comprised of a 4,600-acre aquatic playground surrounded by 27 miles of meandering shoreline and grassy parks, a day spent on Mission Bay can include an assortment of outdoors water activities, from the active to the relaxing, for everyone from the watersport novice to the experienced professional.
A Guide to Local San Diego Freshwater Fishing Guides
I’ve been the San Diego area for a few decades and I’ve fished local lakes since I first arrived here, but I wouldn’t think twice about hiring local freshwater fishing guides to put me on fish at these very tough fisheries.
San Diego lakes hold some of the heaviest largemouth bass in the world, but knowing how to fish them and where to catch them can be very challenging to someone who doesn’t know the lakes. There also are giant blue catfish in some lakes and even sturgeon at Lake Cuyamaca. None of the guides listed below mention sturgeon as a target fish, but you might be able to convince them to go try for one at the mountain lake.
Bottom line is that San Diego has a handful of good freshwater fishing guides who can take the guesswork out of fishing these lakes. Most of them offer the latest in fishing gear and lures and know all the latest techniques to catch bass or any fish you might want to target.
7 Pier Fishing Spots in San Diego
Scrape away the years and years of fishing experiences from most old salts and you’ll probably find a pier or barge fisherman under all those tales of whoppers and the ones that got away.
Pier fishing is how many fishermen started out. It’s a blue-collar way to enjoy the sport. Anglers don’t need a fishing license to fish a public pier, so there’s that, but it’s also a great place to take kids because there’s always something for them to do.
San Diego is blessed with some of the best fishing piers in the state, including two that are nearly 2,000 feet long.
Take the Kids Fishing in San Diego
With kids spending more and more time in front of Smart phones or desk computers and less time in the outdoors, organizations throughout the country have taken on the task of getting more kids involved outside. One of them is the Take Me Fishing movement at www.takemefishing.org, an excellent source for parents seeking guidance on […]
5 Great Camping and Fishing Spots in San Diego
A few years ago I decided to try some tent camping in order to get an early start on some shoreline fishing at Lake Jennings, just one of a handful of lakes in San Diego County where camping can be part of the fishing experience. There’s something unique and very worthwhile about camping above the suburbs of San Diego’s East County and looking down at the city lights from a bluff above the campground.
Visitors can easily catch this view and more at one of the following five (in no particular order) great places in San Diego for a relaxing weekend of camping and fishing in San Diego.
Enjoy a Half-Day Saltwater Fishing Trip in San Diego
Seeing a 30- to 50-pound white seabass, or better yet, catching one like that, is part of the adventure of taking a half-day sportfishing trip out of Point Loma or Mission Bay. You never know what will tug the end of the line. And springtime means topwater time, the start of surface action for calico bass, barracuda and bonito or maybe a trophy yellowtail or white seabass.
Great Freshwater Fishing Spots in San Diego
There’s a reason Field and Stream Magazine placed San Diego No. 2 on its list of America’s Best Fishing Cities. In addition to some of the most diverse saltwater fishing in the world and two productive bays, the area has 23 different lakes to choose from for a great freshwater experience.
When I moved to San Diego, I thought it was all about the ocean, but I soon found out there is a whole other world out there for fishermen at this area’s mix of city and county lakes. At most lakes you can count on catching trophy-sized largemouth bass, catfish and bluegill, but many are stocked with trout in the late fall, winter and spring. Some lakes like Dixon, Poway, Santee Lakes and Wohlford get stocked with channel catfish in the spring and summer months.
Before heading out onto the water, you’ll need a California fishing license ($14.30 for a one-day state license) at most lakes, but Dixon, Santee and Poway lakes don’t require a one. You will need a fishing permit ranging from $6 to $9, depending on the lake.
After the break are my three favorite freshwater lakes, based on good shoreline access and good fishing.