Tips for Dana Point?

[HobieScot]

I will be launching from the Dana Point boat launch for the first time tomorrow morning. Can anyone offer any tips on where to head? I've never fished out of DP before so I'm just looking for a general area on where to fish. Any suggestions will be greatly appreciated

[DanaPT]

The headlands north to monarch beach. Or you can try the pipe outside the harbor mouth. Or you could head south and pound sand.

Good luck.

[steveooo]

From an older post...

Originally Posted by steveooo

....here are a few generic "Spots" for Dana. I don't really look for GPS numbers, just general areas that have structure, recognizable landmarks, or areas I have caught random fish at...

The Pipe- A reef structure that extends from the "rivermouth" at Doheny to the area that it dumps in about 90 ft deep. The area that it dumps in is almost directly west of the tip of the long jetty but for the most part is is just slightly south of the harbor. Right now it is easy to find. Go to the red buoy in front of Doheny, then look south west. It will be littered with lobster Buoys. Those buoys are a good place to start, but make sure you are either directly on the structure, or on the same side of the structure that the fish are on. 30-60 ft has always been the most productive for me. There is a nice section in 40 ft of water, that the reef comes up to about 25 ft that has been good to me, but it is the most snaggy bottom I've ever seen. Be prepared to lose alot of tackle in this area. It can be costly, but worth every penny.

The Headlands- The area just west of the Dana Point Bluff, near the red Buoy. There is lots of hard bottom and kelp. Fish tight to the kelp that is visible on the surface. A few reefs marked by buoys in the area as well. The headlands is a generic area that is pretty big. In regard to how people refer to it, it is the equal to La Jolla's "In front of the Condo". Nothing special needed. Fish the right structure at the right time, you might catch a fish. Conditions rule here.

Doheny- The beach just South of the harbor. Sandy bottom with sporadic kelp. I typically fish this area from 5 - 40 ft deep. Halibut move around so I don't have any GPS coodinates. Pound as much sand near structure as you can in this area and you will scratch a fish or two. There are a few reefs in the area that are visible on a negative low tide. Mark them on that low tide, and fish them on the next high tide. The area in front of the "rivermouth" can be productive if the conditions are good. Keep going south and you will fish the Capo reefs. Capo reefs are directly in front of Capistrano Beach. The wind there usually blows south, so don't get caught south when that turns on.

Salt Creek- A long substantial kelp bed directly in front of Salt Creek beach. It is a long paddle, several miles, but can be productive at times. Generally, fish in 50- 70 feet of water, on the west side of the kelp. The fish like it very tight to the structure there, so if you are getting snagged and losing lots of rigs, you are in the right spot. I'd like to give you GPS numbers, but the reality is that it is about a 1 mile stretch of beach that has kelp. Fish it near the kelp at the right time, you can catch a fish. It is a long paddle to get a skunk from though. The current can go VERY slack there. If there is no current, move to another spot south. North of Salt Creek is the Laguna MPA.

[HobieScot]

Thank you all for the tips. That's exactly what I was looking for!

[kayakfisherman]

Try for halibut inside the marina. Use live bait and fish
all the jetty points where the current is ripping. There must
be at least a dozen or so spots.

Fish right where the sandy bottom meets the rocky jetty.

At the bait barge, ask Joe or Jeff to point you in the
right direction. Tell them Yanni sent you. Good luck.

[HobieScot]

Thank you all for the tips! We decided to give the Pipe a try and I'm glad we did.

I caught my personal best Calico. It was a 22 inch 8lb hog! I do believe I'll be fishing Dana Point again!

[Amish Ed]

What a beauty!

[JayB619]

Nice, thats a quality calico right there! I'm heading up to DP next month to try it for the first time

[DanaPT]

Nice fish. Nice to know them big fish are still around.

[kayakfisherman]

Hey Ed,

WTF???