Cardiff Reef Report - Kayak Fishing Adventures on Big Water’s Edge

dsafety · 02-04-2009, 10:29 AM

Tuesday was another beautiful day, (just like Monday and most of the last week). I had not been out on my kayak for over a month so I decided to give Cardiff a try.

The bad news is that someone has put up a parking meter in the former Charlie's parking lot. They want $5 to park there these days. The lot, of course, was empty. Let's hear it for good old fashion American greed. The good news is that there was plenty of parking on Coast Hwy south of the restaurants.

Although the wind was up a bit, the surf was very small. I made it out without hitting a swell. The water was clear and not too cold. I peddled to the kelp and worked the beds with a scampi. It was pretty dead. I did manage to catch one small rock fish but that was the end of the action.

The wind and current made it difficult to stay on a spot. Although the fishing was slow, it was such a pretty day that I did not care. After a while I was joined by two pairs of dolphin who were foraging in the kelp. I have never seen dolphin swimming deep in a kelp forest before. They were fun to watch. Maybe they scared away the rest of the fish. My poor luck could not have have any relationship to my poor fishing skills... could it?

Cardiff may not have the bounty that we expect in La Jolla, but for those of us who live in North County, it is a good second choice with easy access and a short paddle, (or peddle) to the beds. I spent a few hours on the water and headed in for an uneventful landing. Life is good.

If anyone has tips on how to coax a few fish out of this location, I would love to hear suggestions.

Bob

02-04-2009, 10:29 AM	#1
dsafety Olivenhain Bob Join Date: May 2008 Location: Olivenhain, CA Posts: 1,121	Cardiff Reef Report Tuesday was another beautiful day, (just like Monday and most of the last week). I had not been out on my kayak for over a month so I decided to give Cardiff a try. The bad news is that someone has put up a parking meter in the former Charlie's parking lot. They want $5 to park there these days. The lot, of course, was empty. Let's hear it for good old fashion American greed. The good news is that there was plenty of parking on Coast Hwy south of the restaurants. Although the wind was up a bit, the surf was very small. I made it out without hitting a swell. The water was clear and not too cold. I peddled to the kelp and worked the beds with a scampi. It was pretty dead. I did manage to catch one small rock fish but that was the end of the action. The wind and current made it difficult to stay on a spot. Although the fishing was slow, it was such a pretty day that I did not care. After a while I was joined by two pairs of dolphin who were foraging in the kelp. I have never seen dolphin swimming deep in a kelp forest before. They were fun to watch. Maybe they scared away the rest of the fish. My poor luck could not have have any relationship to my poor fishing skills... could it? Cardiff may not have the bounty that we expect in La Jolla, but for those of us who live in North County, it is a good second choice with easy access and a short paddle, (or peddle) to the beds. I spent a few hours on the water and headed in for an uneventful landing. Life is good. If anyone has tips on how to coax a few fish out of this location, I would love to hear suggestions. Bob