Shelter Island

[army guy]

Going to launch at Shelter Island this morning. Looking for bass. Had good luck in past in grass by the pier. Any recommendations?

[Rufus]

Army Guy...it's the craziest thing. There are spots in SD Bay (and everywhere else) that consistently produce fish for me. And then there are the surprises.

I fished the bay last weekend with nice choivies. Worked my ass off with a beautiful incoming tide for some shorts and barely legal bass, butts and the proverbial lizard fish.

In three hours I was out of chovies, then the tide went slack. I was screwed, so I started throwing plastics on my way back to the SI ramp. In short order I had half a dozen dinner fish. All caught within a 1/4 mile of the ramp. Go figure.

You know, I used to have a diesel boat and would think nothing of running down to the 425 or to the 181. Then I got smarter and stopped running over fish to find fish. Then I got real smart and sold the big boat and bought a yack. Now I work every inch of water under my yack and enjoy the livin' shift out of my time on the water.

Ya, there are honey holes in SD Bay, but for the most part I've caught just as many dinner fish were and when I wasn't expecting them.

Work the water, don't ignore areas because you've never caught any fish there. Change baits often. You'd be surprised at what you'll catch. And most of all, enjoy your time on the water!

[Mad Daddy]

Change baits often. You'd be surprised at what you'll catch. And most of all, enjoy your time on the water![/QUOTE]

X10

[jorbon]

I've been catching huge sand bass in the area in front of the pier. I would paddle out past the pier west of it, and drift past the pier using flukes. No shorties so far!

[Aaron&Julie]

Just a note, the new law has the minimum length for all bass at 14 inches, with no more than 5 kept total, i.e. 3 sand bass+2 calicos, etc.
Have fun.

[J.Mac]

I've never eatin a spottie and I wouldn't reccommend it either. Sd harbor is one of the dirtiest. Very little water circulation. And if eating fish is why youre out there, it's probably cheaper to buy a couple filets at the grocery store than it is to fish that day (all expenses included)

Catch n release

[chuckt]

Eating halibut from SD bay must be even more toxic than bass because they stay right at the bottom where bad stuff or chemical accumulate. I guess if you don't eat them everyday that should be ok. At least, bass is not yet on the sign at the pier as "no eat" fish ( tom cod, mussle.. etc..)

[EntropyFletch]

Originally Posted by J.Mac

I've never eatin a spottie and I wouldn't reccommend it either. Sd harbor is one of the dirtiest. Very little water circulation. And if eating fish is why youre out there, it's probably cheaper to buy a couple filets at the grocery store than it is to fish that day (all expenses included)

Catch n release

Sorry but this statement is untrue. The only place with bad water circulation is the back bay and the fingers. The main channel and main offshoots actually have quite good water circulation. In addition SD Bay is not considered one of the dirtiest...any more. It is exponentially cleaner than it was decades ago and getting better each year. While I generally practice catch and release in the bay, I frequently eat halibut and corvina caught in the main channel. If I'm fishing from the Independence back, generally I do not eat those fish. Just my .02 but coming from a biologist so take it as you please...

[LawDog]

Originally Posted by J.Mac

I've never eatin a spottie and I wouldn't reccommend it either. Sd harbor is one of the dirtiest. Very little water circulation. And if eating fish is why youre out there, it's probably cheaper to buy a couple filets at the grocery store than it is to fish that day (all expenses included)

Catch n release

No circulation... have you ever fished there? The current can get wicked strong. I'm not opposed to the occasional one or two bass every couple months. But they take a long time to grow to maturity.

[alanw]

The amounts of fish you should eat from SD Bay is very low. For women and children most fish from there should not be eaten at all. http://www.oehha.ca.gov/fish/so_cal/sandiegobay.html

[Zed]

Originally Posted by chuckt

Eating halibut from SD bay must be even more toxic than bass because they stay right at the bottom where bad stuff or chemical accumulate. I guess if you don't eat them everyday that should be ok. At least, bass is not yet on the sign at the pier as "no eat" fish ( tom cod, mussle.. etc..)

They do spend a lot of time on the bottom being a flat fish, but they migrate a lot. A spottie won't leave the bay but halibut move in and out.

[jorbon]

I usually catch and release......but my parents were bugging me for fish as I always tease them with pictures and stories of my fishing trips so I decided to take them some sand bass. I figure occasionally eating fish from the bay wouldn't be so bad as I rarely take fish home to begin with. I have to say though, I was pleasantly surprised by the taste! Maybe because they have been marinating in toxins the last couple years

[Dail14]

Halibut do live on the bottom but consider what they eat. They feed mostly on fin fish especially sardines and anchovies which are filter feeders at the surface. Species like bass, bonefish and croakers are eating the shrimp and mollusks on the bottom which filter feed and sift food from the sand. They are going to accumulate much more in the way of pollutants and environmental toxins. Either way those contaminants will generally collect in the liver and kidneys so just avoid eating those areas and your meal will be much healthier. Also I once kept a nice spottie and it did not taste good at all. Sand bass and calicos taste good but spotties are tough and do not taste good at all. Just my experience.

[PapaDave]

I hear you shouldn't even touch the fish in the Bay. They are so toxic that you could get sick just touching them, the contaminates collect in the outer slime layer of the fish. Add to that the radiation from Japan and the discharge from all those navy boats and jets and your dead meat my friends.

Bottom line, you shouldn't even fish the bay, it is bad for your health.
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well, gotta run, my uh, well, fishing reels need some work, yeah, that's the ticket, fishing reels need some work...
>SI

[alanw]

Originally Posted by Dail14

Halibut do live on the bottom but consider what they eat. They feed mostly on fin fish especially sardines and anchovies which are filter feeders at the surface. Species like bass, bonefish and croakers are eating the shrimp and mollusks on the bottom which filter feed and sift food from the sand. They are going to accumulate much more in the way of pollutants and environmental toxins. Either way those contaminants will generally collect in the liver and kidneys so just avoid eating those areas and your meal will be much healthier. Also I once kept a nice spottie and it did not taste good at all. Sand bass and calicos taste good but spotties are tough and do not taste good at all. Just my experience.

Right on with why halibut can be better than bass even though they spend most of their time on the bottom. But, I read that it's the fatty tissue that stores most of the toxins, which is why you always discard the belly meat and why leaner fish (like halibut) are safer compared to some other fatty fish. Also older fish are worse, as are fish closer to the top of the food chain like sharks because they collect stuff from what everything that they eat has eaten down the chain.

Eat in moderation and don't worry too much.

[Dail14]

The liver is considered a fatty tissue that acts as the filter of the body. It breaks down all poisons and toxins found in the body that he body is capable of metabolizing. That is why most drugs cause liver damage. The body collects them there and they either are metabolized or dit there and cause problems.

[army guy]

I launched late in the afternoon because I had to wait for a relative. Family fished the pier and caught 3 sand bass. Afternoon wind and choppy water made the trek around the harbor challenging on the outback. I was the only kayak out there late Saturday afternoon. No fish for me. The worse day of fishing is better than the best day of work.

I've launched many times from SI and found that there is sand bass on the bottom in the grass near the pier and plenty of Spanish mackerel at about 6 ft depth if you want it. And the tidal current is fairly strong. I didn't know about the issue of the cleanliness of the water there. Thanks for all the feedback.

[JDW]

Hi Army guy, I was in the Army too. My mos was 11b. What was yours? Here are some links i found about eating fish from the bay and mission bay...

http://www.oehha.ca.gov/fish/so_cal/sandiegobay.html


http://www.oehha.ca.gov/fish/so_cal/missionbayfish.html

Hope that helps!

JDW

[Rufus]

Oh ya, the fish in San Diego Bay glow in the dark and will give you herpes.

If I were you I'd fish Oceanside or Dana Harbor and leave SD Bay and the fish to those of us who are immune from that sort of silly talk.

(Snerk)