Sportfishing in San Diego is a great way to get out and enjoy the water!  From the novice angler chartering his first six-pack charter boat to the avid fisherman departing on a long-range trip of a lifetime, those of us here at Dana Landing want your trip to be as successful and enjoyable as possible.  Be sure to stop by and get the latest fish reports and fishing tips before you head out; we’re always happy to assist in making your trip a great one!

To give you a little insight into sportfishing in Southern California, particularly in the San Diego/Mission Bay area, we put together the following information.  Please do not hesitate to contact us with any questions.

Mission Bay is a shallow manmade aquatic park that supports an excellent light tackle fishery. The average depth of the Bay is 10 feet and the bottom is a combination of sand flats and eelgrass beds which offer excellent cover and ambush points for the Spotted Sand Bass, Sand Bass, and Halibut, all of which inhabit the bay. A favorite method for fishing the Bay is drifting over the many eelgrass beds, casting small plastic grubs or swimbaits (3-5") rigged on light ¼ to 3/8 oz. leadheads. Keeping your jig right on the top edge of the eelgrass often produces violent strikes. Spotted Sand Bass are the most commonly caught species and average 10-14" in length, so using light tackle (4-10 lb. test) makes this fishing much more effective and enjoyable.

The arrival of spring brings Halibut into Mission Bay and fish over 30 pounds have been taken through the early summer months by anglers targeting the sand flats in the western portion of the Bay. Halibut prefer live baits such as anchovy, smelt, or sardine rigged on a 2 to 2/0 hook below a sliding sinker.

Occasional catches of White Seabass, Bonito, Barracuda, and Bonefish add variety to the more consistently caught species, making Mission Bay an exciting destination for the experience light tackle specialist or the beginning fisherman.
Southern California's offshore sportfishing season typically begins is late spring as Albacore, Bluefin Tuna and Yellowtail move onto the local offshore banks. Concentrations of these species are typically found feeding on abundant baitfish in areas where the colder waters of the California current mix with warmer water moving in from the south. Trolling a variety of feathers and jet-heads by Zukers, Burns, Sevenstrand, and Tady, as well as small swimming plugs by Rapala and Yozuri along these temperature breaks is the usual method for locating these pelagic fish. Most years, by the month of August we see increasing water temperatures and the influx of sub-tropical species such as Yellowfin and Bigeye Tuna, Dorado, and Striped Marlin. Anglers targeting these species typically try to locate pockets of warm water holding an abundance of bait. Trolling larger feathers, jet-heads, and swimming plugs along warm water temperature breaks, near kelp paddies, and over schools of porpoise are the primary techniques for locating these fish. Once located on the troll, chumming with live sardines or anchovies while casting live baits, swimbaits or irons to the school can produce wide open action where multiple fish are landed.

Anglers fishing the nearshore waters of Southern California will encounter numerous gamefish species seasonally and should be outfitted with the rods, reels, and tackle necessary to employ a variety of techniques to maximize success. The time of year, water temperature, and ocean conditions will dictate which types of techniques will work at any given time.

In the spring and summer months, the experienced angler will be working the upper water column along the outside edge of the kelp forests where Kelp Bass, Barracuda, and Yellowtail will often be found actively feeding. Search the surface waters for signs of concentrated bait fish, diving birds, and gamefish breaking the water. When a good area is located, fish can be taken on live bait, surface irons (light metal jigs) such as the Tady 45's or Kicker 25's, and larger plastic swimbaits from Fishtrap or McSwimbaits fished on ¾ to 1 ½ oz. heads.

Anglers targeting Yellowtail and White Seabass this time of year may want to catch Mackerel or live squid to use as bait before fishing. In the spring, squid can often be located on a fathometer near deep water areas and brought to the surface in the pre-dawn hours using simple 12v lights we sell. Later in the season, Mackerel are caught using frozen chum and bait catcher rigs in the morning prior to fishing. A lively 8 to 12" Mackerel trolled along the outside edge of the kelp line at 1 to 3 knots can be an excellent technique for targeting these larger gamefish.

During the winter months, a couple of other game plans come into play. The first is targeting California Halibut inhabiting the sand flats along the coast. Drifting a sliding sinker rig with live bait in 40 to 120 feet of water can be a surprisingly effective technique for Halibut, with fish in the 20 to 30 pound range commonly being landed. An alternative to fishing the flats at this time of year is to target Rockfish on the rocky reefs outside the kelp forests in deeper water.

The first concern of anglers targeting Marlin in Southern California waters should be to acquire live bait to cast or drop back to sleepers, feeders, tailers, and fish seen working jigs in the spread. The primary species used to bait Marlin off Southern California is the Pacific Mackerel. Mackerel can be caught nearshore using Sabiki style bait catching rigs and a small box of frozen chum prior to departing offshore to search for Marlin.

Once on the fishing grounds, most boats will troll an array of three to five mid-sized marlin lures. The multitude in size, shape, and color of marlin jig heads and skirts produces wide array of swimming actions, bubble trails, and silhouettes, allowing the angler to select the optimal lures for a particular area, sea-state, water clarity and time of day. Popular models we at Dana Landing carry include Zukers, Wildlife Lures, Mister Jigs, and Sevenstrand Kona Clones. These lures are usually rigged on 100 to 200 lb test monofilament with a needle sharp forged hook. We carry a full line of hooks, leader materials, and rigging components to go along with our lure selection. We even provide detailed demonstrations and instruction to anglers wanting to learn the proven methods and newest approaches to rigging lures, teasers, casting and drop-back setups. Once the bait has been made and the lures selected it's time to drop back the jigs to create a spread that readily entices marlin to strike. Lever drag reels capable of holding 450 yards of 30-60# test monofilament line mounted on rods approximately 6 ft in length are the primary equipment required. The International and KG series from Penn and the Tiagra and TLD series from Shimano mounted on rods from Calstar, Seeker, Allstar, and Shimano are the premier choice of anglers worldwide. Marlin raised by the spread or seen on the surface feeding/tailing/sleeping should be baited with live Mackerel using a medium weight casting outfit loaded with 20-50# test mono with an 80-120# test leader spliced on. The Shimano Trinidad and TLD series or Diawa SLX series matched with a medium action 7 ft rod from Calstar or Seeker would be an excellent choice.

No matter your skill level or experience, Dana Landing has the equipment and expertise to make your trip a success. We carry the finest rods, reels, lures, line, and rigging supplies from the world’s top manufactures and the our sportfishing charter boat captains and expert sales crew are always on hand to help outfit you for your next trip offshore.