San Diego Kelp

Some photos of a San Diego trip to the Sunset Cliffs Kelp

Departed the Dana Landing launch area at 8:30am.  Water was glass for much of the day.  Took about an hour long paddle to get to the kelp beds.  Once there, the target was to catch some calico bass in preparation for a full team visit coming up at the end of summer.  The calicos, however, had no intention of joining the party on this day.  So a change of tactics was in order.  Rather then fish the kelp stringers on the surface, I started dropping into the holes in the kelp and sinking the swimbaits to the bottom.  A couple of yo-yos and a quick retrieve to the surface got most of the strikes on the day.  All rockfish.  Biggest was 16 inches but lots of fun anyway.

On the trip in, I trolled a swimbait and got bendo on a beauty of a spotted bay bass.

Last photo is the weapons on choice

Polar

Nice looking fish!  Thanks for the report and pictures John.

Saltwater yakfishin in shorts! Nice sandie.

Saltwater yakfishin in shorts! Nice sandie.

Sin Coast - the weather was 78 degrees and water temp in the high 60s.  Down here they call that guy a "spotted bay bass".  My biggest is around 2.5lbs.  That one was about 2lbs.  They fight like crazy.  I thought I had a small halibut at first.

Polarcat

some pics that didn't show up on the first go 'round

Nice report and photos . I lived in that water yak fishing  for 10 years and never wore more than shorts and a tee shirt    looked like a beautiful day in Diego. big fish live in the mouth of mission bay by life guard head quarters .drift the wide spot for big butts .check out hodads in OB if you can.

Nothing better than light tackle spotty sessions. Carefull in the kelp, from the tip of point loma to about the sewer pump house is an MLPA. No fishing.

Nothing better than light tackle spotty sessions. Carefull in the kelp, from the tip of point loma to about the sewer pump house is an MLPA. No fishing.

I was a ways north of there.  Don't think I made it any farther south then PLNU.

check out hodads in OB if you can.

Been there many times and a better burger I've never had.

Still not sure why the calicos weren't going but I'll keep heading out.

Polarcat

Nice report! The kelp is my nemesis, how do  you keep from snagging the swimbaits?

Nice report! The kelp is my nemesis, how do  you keep from snagging the swimbaits?

MANBEARPIG - if I'm lucky enough for the kelp to be laying in a given direction then I can cast parallel to the stringers and feel relatively safe at only hanging up once in a while.  On this particular day, the kelp was "confused" but the visibility wasn't bad so I could search out dark green holes in the kelp and reach the bottom fairly consistently.  I lost 3 swimbaits that day and felt lucky that it was only 3. 

PC

Nice report! The kelp is my nemesis, how do  you keep from snagging the swimbaits?

MANBEARPIG - if I'm lucky enough for the kelp to be laying in a given direction then I can cast parallel to the stringers and feel relatively safe at only hanging up once in a while.  On this particular day, the kelp was "confused" but the visibility wasn't bad so I could search out dark green holes in the kelp and reach the bottom fairly consistently.  I lost 3 swimbaits that day and felt lucky that it was only 3. 

PC

Copy that!  So you don't have a magic button, and DO lose swimbaits.  I was thinking you just blitz the kelp, steal the fish, and come out unscathed  there are always nice fish hiding in there, and I've caught a few, but it usually costs me about $10!!

Warbaits slayer heads are awsome in the jungle. Have you ever tried to fish the mission beach kelp? Or any of the artificial reefs out there? I always wanted to try to paddle out there. I used to paddle from shelter island to the PL kelp before it closed.

Nice report! The kelp is my nemesis, how do  you keep from snagging the swimbaits?

MANBEARPIG - if I'm lucky enough for the kelp to be laying in a given direction then I can cast parallel to the stringers and feel relatively safe at only hanging up once in a while.  On this particular day, the kelp was "confused" but the visibility wasn't bad so I could search out dark green holes in the kelp and reach the bottom fairly consistently.  I lost 3 swimbaits that day and felt lucky that it was only 3. 

PC

Copy that!  So you don't have a magic button, and DO lose swimbaits.  I was thinking you just blitz the kelp, steal the fish, and come out unscathed  there are always nice fish hiding in there, and I've caught a few, but it usually costs me about $10!!

  truth be told I've never not lost a bait or 5 when I fish in the plants but I just love the possibilities.  I've hooked up on some big, unseen beasts, and gotten broken off.  I'll keep trying though.  I'd love to see what it is.  Maybe a WSB. 

Warbaits slayer heads are awsome in the jungle. Have you ever tried to fish the mission beach kelp? Or any of the artificial reefs out there? I always wanted to try to paddle out there. I used to paddle from shelter island to the PL kelp before it closed.

Never been out there in the yak.  But the twilight party boats will head out there sometimes.  Actually caught my first 3 Humboldt squid out there.

Basically that PL kelp you describe, I was about a mile or two north of there.  I launch at Dana Landing so I can fish the grass for spotties, troll the sandy bottom of mission bay channel for a halibut, head outside to the kelp and then reverse it on the way back.

big fish live in the mouth of mission bay by life guard head quarters .drift the wide spot for big butts .check out hodads in OB if you can.

I've still never caught the big halibuts out on that spot.  I've had to settle for just barely legal fish from inside the bay.

Polarcat