Help on fishing Glorietta Bay

[taggermike]

You might just want to use the launch ramp instead of carting/carrying your kayak across the lawn. If you go out Glorietta n turn right you'll be over a huge eel grass flat. Don't know that it has a name but I've always called it the Amphib flat. There can be good fishing all over this area; from in the center on out to edge where the bottom drops off in to the channel.

The channel in to Glorietta is maybe 20' but the main shipping channel in the center of the bay drops off rapidly to 60'+. Ive had good Hali fishing right on the edges of the grass beds. If bait is around you can frequently see birds working all over the grass flats.

Some report having consistent success on bone fish with lures but over the years I've caught exactly 2 bone fish on lures. Both were on 3" ghost shrimp colored swim baits.

BFs are bottom feeders and what's worked best for me has been to anchor over sand or mud bottom near grass and fish Carolina style slip sinker rigs right on the bottom. Ghost shrimp work well but I have had equal success with raw frozen head on shrimp. BFs have a small mouth so a small piece of bait is fine.

Not like it's a bad thing but about every fish in the bay will eat a shrimp. So while fishing BF you'll be weeding thru; black white n yellow fin croaker, leopard smooth hound n shovelnose sharks, bat round n thorny back rays, n spotted bass. Use cheap hooks cause you dont get most hooks back from the sharks n rays.

There are hoards of smelt in South Bay that can be chummed up with bread and caught with small sibikis. Using Smelt increases your chances of catching halibut.

Good luck n post a report. Mike

[Aaron&Julie]

Hey, Mike, thanks for all the great information, feeling much more confident about a trip sometime soon.

We'll probably buy frozen shrimp, have sabikis ready to catch smelt and fish plastics and small plugs for bass, and whatever. Since neither of us have caught a bonefish, we'd love to get one, maybe the shrimp will do the trick. I've always said bonito are the best pound for pound fighter, but I know there's a lot of bonefish fisherman who claim the same thing. I'd like to find out on the light gear, since I've caught bonito on ultra light gear before.

When you mentioned going right in Glorietta to those grass flats, do you go past all the docks on the right all the way to the corner, then go right to find the flats? Are they fairly noticeable? How shallow do they get?

Thanks again for the good info, we'll definitely report if we go.

[PescadorPete]

Use the Glorietta Bay Boat Launching Ramp. Drop your kayak off and park your vehicle on Strand Way (get there early to park). Eel grass area is easy to spot. I've also had good luck along Tidelands Park and around the Coronado bridge supports but they may be off limits due to security angst.

As Mike said, sabikis tipped with white bread rolled up in pea sized balls is good for smelts. I usually flatten the sabiki hook barbs so as to not damage the smelts.

It's a very mellow and relaxing place to fish.

[Mr. NiceGuy]

Wouldn't launching from Tidelands be easier/closer to the areas you would want to fish?

[Geno Machino]

Originally Posted by Mr. NiceGuy

Wouldn't launching from Tidelands be easier/closer to the areas you would want to fish?

X2

That's where I launch.

[fongman]

for bonefish, I use a dropshot rig on a light spinning setup (10# braid with 6 - 8# fluoro leader). Tie a size 1 or 2 octopus hook about 30" from a 1/2 oz. weight.

I prefer my 9 ft surf rods so I can whip it around the bow quickly when they make a run. Plus it allows me to hold the rod tip higher so I'm not dragging the ghost shrimp through the eelgrass. I'll pump ghost shrimps before I head out, but frozen shrimp sounds a whole lot easier and it will still on the hook better!

Good Luck!

[Aaron&Julie]

Originally Posted by fongman

for bonefish, I use a dropshot rig on a light spinning setup (10# braid with 6 - 8# fluoro leader). Tie a size 1 or 2 octopus hook about 30" from a 1/2 oz. weight.

I prefer my 9 ft surf rods so I can whip it around the bow quickly when they make a run. Plus it allows me to hold the rod tip higher so I'm not dragging the ghost shrimp through the eelgrass. I'll pump ghost shrimps before I head out, but frozen shrimp sounds a whole lot easier and it will still on the hook better!

Good Luck!

We'd love to pump our own ghost shrimp, whereabout do you get your's?

Thanks, A&J

P.S. Like the idea of the of your 9 footer, we were going to bring one each along with some other outfits. Ours 9 footers are nice and whippy. We'll bring frozen shrimp as backup.

[Aaron&Julie]

Originally Posted by Mr. NiceGuy

Wouldn't launching from Tidelands be easier/closer to the areas you would want to fish?

Since we haven't fished Glorietta before, wereabouts is the Tidelands launch and
parking, and how do you get there?

Thanks, A&J