Bodega Jetty 3.17.2013

Drove 2 hours up to bodega bay today with some friends.  My kayak delivery got delayed, so wound up hopping along the jetty.

Caught a seatrout & kelp greenling, both over 15": http://i.imgur.com/cNpoUoe.jpg

We also caught 4 fish under 5". Mixture of sculpin or baby cabezon, and rock cod.  All thrown back.


Anyone fish these jetties often?  It was a pain to walk, but most of the fish came from right up against the rocks, wondering if its productive to try from a kayak here. 

I have fished it once from a kayak one day before the crab opener this year. I caught one greenling.  I also caught two sardines in the harbor by following the pelicans.  It does get heavy pressure but I will fish it again.

Nice catch!!

Find structure farther out (islands) and the other side jetty... But watch the waves, rock heads, current and wind. there are fish Pay Attn... You can get in trouble fast out there

Any tips on bait?  I did some research and saw a regular mentioning cooked shrimp, but that the store that used to sell them closed.

I did okay with raw market shrimp, but  there weren't many bites.  Found quite a few nice looking holes, but didn't get bites.  Wondering if maybe a different bait would also help?

Nice way to spend a few hrs!
You caught a seatrout AND a kelp greenling?

I'm the cooked shrimp guy. Have you searched the old board over at PFIC yet? You gotta search the old board, not the new one.

Do a search for "doran, report" and to see the wonders of cooked shrimp do a search there for "cooked shrimp, report"


I haven't fished either jetty in years, but if there's anything thing still there March was pretty much the best month for lings. It slows down there big time in the summer.

I like jetty fishing with bass rigs. Try Zoom "the fluke" in smokin Shad. Hook it SIDEWAYS, like you would hook a rubber worm on a Gamakatsu 1 or 1/0 G-Lock worm hook. Bring an assortment of split shot and use just enough to slowly bounce it off the rocks. Just slowly twitch the fluke off the rocks. You should feel the bottom very often, but if all the sudden the bottom falls out, let the fluke sink cause you probably found a hole or gap in the rocks. Strikes are usually brutal. Setthe hook hard and keep your rod tip high to keep whatever it is you have out of the rocks. Alot of the time, blacks will hit it on the drop. If that happens, get that booger in ASAP and throw back in the exact same spot to whack another one.
Good luck!

Uncle Larry's makes a small 1" pink squid http://unclelarryslures.pinnaclecart.com/uv-mini-b-squid-5-pack/uv-pink-mini-b-squid-5-pack/  (hard to find sometimes)... I put it over a tube jig head (small) and fill the cavity with procure squid gel... bounce it around or punch it threw kelp umbrella... Really does the trick.

That's some cool fish for jetty fishing!  Yeah, that rockwall is more treacherous than others i've been on.  But i've definelty caught fish by kayak off the end of it.  Think I lost a nice ling there too!  Cooked shrimp?!?!?  That seems odd, but Dustin is the Bodega Master! 

You caught a seatrout AND a kelp greenling?

So, i'm confused.  Aren't they the same fish????  Thought sea trout was a pseudonym for greenling?

You caught a seatrout AND a kelp greenling?

So, i'm confused.  Aren't they the same fish????  Thought sea trout was a pseudonym for greenling?

Yes they're the same. At the time of posting i didnt know ^^;

You caught a seatrout AND a kelp greenling?

So, i'm confused.  Aren't they the same fish????  Thought sea trout was a pseudonym for greenling?

Yeah... seatrout is our made up name for them I think.  There are actual seatrout in the coastal waters of the southern US... nothing like a greenling though.