Oceanside/Carlsbad - Kayak Fishing Adventures on Big Water’s Edge

Jack210 · 02-08-2018, 06:44 PM

Just got a kayak and was planning on heading out in local waters before going to LJ. I have heard of artificial reefs off oceanside and carlsbad. I was wondering where exactly these are. On another note I used to surf at south Ponto beach and used to see a huge kelp bed off Grandview. I have not seen it in a year or two and I had always wanted to fish it. Does anyone know if it is growing back? Same goes for the Terramar kelp. I am a beginner and have a lot of questions. Sorry if I ask to many

Hopefully I'll start posting good reports after I get racks to transport the yak

Dirty Curti · 02-09-2018, 09:56 AM

Yes, they are growing back. After 2016 most of it thinned out quite a bit so last year we were seeing a good growth in those areas. It takes a couple of years of cooler water to restore the Forrest.

I fish these areas depending on the surf conditions. We've had some good fishing where we are getting nice Yellows, big calicos and sandies an occasional Thresher. The bait has been plentiful and pretty easy to fill your bucket.

Watch for the right conditions and charge as much as you can. Should be another good year.

mattamatta · 02-09-2018, 12:25 PM

I was out in front of the inlet/outlet jetties for a while on Sunday and came across a fairly small amount. There was a little paddy at the surface, maybe 5x10ft and a couple small clumps of vegetation I saw coming off the bottom while paddling around. I wasn't really looking for kelp though, so there may be more interesting stuff around there.

Didn't find anything but mackerel, which was pretty easy to come by, though I did get a 3lb chunk of kelp on my rig while trolling and happened to have a small octopus on there.

Some info on the artificial reefs here:
https://www.wildlife.ca.gov/Fishing/...al-Reefs/Guide

Check out both Oceanside AR 1 and 2. I haven't been to either.
Carlsbad Artificial Reef is right off the lagoon mouth in Ponto. I was there once in late December and there was actually some big kelp-looking growth from place to place on the fish-finder. Lots of rocky bottom and lobster bouys, though I only caught a small calico and (lots of) mackerel that day. As with last weekend, I probably didn't do a good job getting into the right spots, so there may be more to catch there than I've ended up finding.
I'm pretty much a beginner, too, and like to watch posts from guys like DirtyCurti who seem to have the North County fishing pretty well figured out.

Jack210 · 02-09-2018, 08:30 PM

That's great. I'll have to head out there soon

Drift421 · 02-11-2018, 11:54 AM

Hey there, I’m new to this site but not new to fishing. I live in Oside and fish the artificial reefs quit often. If you buy the inshore map of Oceanside/ Dana point and put the gps coordinets in, it will put directly over the reefs. I mainly catch sand bass and calicos. I’ve caught many different types of rockfish and even a sculpin and halibut. Also it’s about a 2 mile paddle each direction. So if you new to kayak fishing in open ocean I recommend having a buddy and a vhf radio. Always wear your life jacket and bring more then enough fresh drinking water. Hope this helps and good luck!

Jack210 · 02-11-2018, 08:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Drift421

Hey there, I’m new to this site but not new to fishing. I live in Oside and fish the artificial reefs quit often. If you buy the inshore map of Oceanside/ Dana point and put the gps coordinets in, it will put directly over the reefs. I mainly catch sand bass and calicos. I’ve caught many different types of rockfish and even a sculpin and halibut. Also it’s about a 2 mile paddle each direction. So if you new to kayak fishing in open ocean I recommend having a buddy and a vhf radio. Always wear your life jacket and bring more then enough fresh drinking water. Hope this helps and good luck!

Oh cool. Where do you get the map? Yeah I am going with a friend who has a PA and he's been kayaking a long time so he should be able to help me, but he mainly fishes in baja. What do you usually use out there?

02-08-2018, 06:44 PM	#1
Jack210 Junior Join Date: Nov 2015 Location: Carlsbad Posts: 12	Oceanside/Carlsbad Just got a kayak and was planning on heading out in local waters before going to LJ. I have heard of artificial reefs off oceanside and carlsbad. I was wondering where exactly these are. On another note I used to surf at south Ponto beach and used to see a huge kelp bed off Grandview. I have not seen it in a year or two and I had always wanted to fish it. Does anyone know if it is growing back? Same goes for the Terramar kelp. I am a beginner and have a lot of questions. Sorry if I ask to many Hopefully I'll start posting good reports after I get racks to transport the yak

02-09-2018, 09:56 AM	#2
Dirty Curti Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2012 Location: Oceanside, CA Posts: 419	Yes, they are growing back. After 2016 most of it thinned out quite a bit so last year we were seeing a good growth in those areas. It takes a couple of years of cooler water to restore the Forrest. I fish these areas depending on the surf conditions. We've had some good fishing where we are getting nice Yellows, big calicos and sandies an occasional Thresher. The bait has been plentiful and pretty easy to fill your bucket. Watch for the right conditions and charge as much as you can. Should be another good year. __________________

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02-09-2018, 12:25 PM	#3
mattamatta Member Join Date: Sep 2009 Posts: 34	I was out in front of the inlet/outlet jetties for a while on Sunday and came across a fairly small amount. There was a little paddy at the surface, maybe 5x10ft and a couple small clumps of vegetation I saw coming off the bottom while paddling around. I wasn't really looking for kelp though, so there may be more interesting stuff around there. Didn't find anything but mackerel, which was pretty easy to come by, though I did get a 3lb chunk of kelp on my rig while trolling and happened to have a small octopus on there. Some info on the artificial reefs here: https://www.wildlife.ca.gov/Fishing/...al-Reefs/Guide Check out both Oceanside AR 1 and 2. I haven't been to either. Carlsbad Artificial Reef is right off the lagoon mouth in Ponto. I was there once in late December and there was actually some big kelp-looking growth from place to place on the fish-finder. Lots of rocky bottom and lobster bouys, though I only caught a small calico and (lots of) mackerel that day. As with last weekend, I probably didn't do a good job getting into the right spots, so there may be more to catch there than I've ended up finding. I'm pretty much a beginner, too, and like to watch posts from guys like DirtyCurti who seem to have the North County fishing pretty well figured out.

02-09-2018, 08:30 PM	#4
Jack210 Junior Join Date: Nov 2015 Location: Carlsbad Posts: 12	That's great. I'll have to head out there soon

02-11-2018, 11:54 AM	#5
Drift421 Junior Join Date: Jul 2017 Location: Oceanside, CA Posts: 5	Hey there, I’m new to this site but not new to fishing. I live in Oside and fish the artificial reefs quit often. If you buy the inshore map of Oceanside/ Dana point and put the gps coordinets in, it will put directly over the reefs. I mainly catch sand bass and calicos. I’ve caught many different types of rockfish and even a sculpin and halibut. Also it’s about a 2 mile paddle each direction. So if you new to kayak fishing in open ocean I recommend having a buddy and a vhf radio. Always wear your life jacket and bring more then enough fresh drinking water. Hope this helps and good luck!