Please help me find the hot spots in Dana Point.

[BrokeLoser]

I must be an idiot...I've asked this here before...but...I've fished Dana many times and still haven't found the 'spots' / 'holes'.
I've had some of you try to tell me how to get to 'the pipe' but I haven't been able to locate it on my finder. I've even had trouble finding the sweet spot for halibut along Doheny. People talk about the Headlands and Salt Flats which I believe are north of the point / big boiler.
My question:
Does anyone have coordinates for these hot spots?
How about very specific directions?

I love fishing Dana as it is relatively close for me....plus I normally fish with my 68 year old father-in-law so the launch ramp works well for us too. Now....if we could just find the right places to drop a line..haha

Any help will be greatly appreciated....PM me if necessary.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

[DanaPT]

Sorry those dumb fish aren't playing along.

It's been tough fishing for me too! (water is cold and the fish are harder to come by).

If I had GPS coordinates with fish guaranteed to be in the spot, I would give them to you. send me a PM, leave a # and I'd be happy to share what I know.

[BrokeLoser]

Originally Posted by DanaPT

Sorry those dumb fish aren't playing along.

It's been tough fishing for me too! (water is cold and the fish are harder to come by).

If I had GPS coordinates with fish guaranteed to be in the spot, I would give them to you. send me a PM, leave a # and I'd be happy to share what I know.

haha...I wish someone could give me a guarantee...for now I'll settle for instructions on finding the general location (say, within 25yd's) of the few hot spots we all hear referred to along DP.
Thanks DanaPT...I'll pm you and talk to you about it...(I know X-mas day is probably a bad day to do so...haha)

[BrokeLoser]

With all of our fish finders out there on the Pacific surely someone has marked the locations mentioned and has coordinates?

[bus kid]

pm amish ed hes out there a lot.

[BrokeLoser]

Originally Posted by bus kid

pm amish ed hes out there a lot.

Will do...thanks bus

[ful-rac]

Yes the headlands and salt creek are toward the north. As far as hot spots...things change out there from day to day, week to week...it wont neccesarily bite in the same spot the next day or even the next 5 minutes. Its your job to find the areas that have fish, thats part of the fun. The only way to know that is to get out there and fish. Heres a tip, halibut like areas that are sandy next to structure, rocks, kelp, baitfish etc...So you ask how do you find these areas? Learn to read your fish finder.

[BrokeLoser]

Originally Posted by ful-rac

Yes the headlands and salt creek are toward the north. As far as hot spots...things change out there from day to day, week to week...it wont neccesarily bite in the same spot the next day or even the next 5 minutes. Its your job to find the areas that have fish, thats part of the fun. The only way to know that is to get out there and fish. Heres a tip, halibut like areas that are sandy next to structure, rocks, kelp, baitfish etc...So you ask how do you find these areas? Learn to read your fish finder.

While I appreciate the lesson in philosophy...I should note; I've been out on hundred's of sport fishing boats over the years...all of them have had a sh!t load of GPS coordinates that they use to locate various things under water that they know may hold fish....while we all know that simply having the coordinates to these locations does not guarantee a catch it certainly helps as a base point. Imagine this: You peddle out to the known structures that you have the coordinates to and that are often known to hold fish. You fish those X number of spots first...if you have no luck you then get creative and aimlessly peddle around while watching your finder for structures that may induce a fish habitat...crazy concept?
Further; while some may totally get off on paddling and peddling all over the Pacific chasing fish and reading their finders I tend to prefer to have a 'starting point' or points...At the end of the day...after all the time and money spent, the only thing I really find rewarding is a catch of fish...Frankly, I never brag about the fact that I can read a fish finder or the fact that I know where different species of fish live...but I do brag about catching fish...To each his own...I suppose

[dc1983]

Ill be out at DP in the morning if you want to rag along. I got a new ff and will be trying to mark some new spots

[rossman]

In the spirit of the season here a a great starting point. It's a fairly large rock pile which will be easy to spot now because of the lobster buoys. In a hundred yard swath from this point to the red buoy, are 4 other large rock piles and 8 or 10 other ones that I've marked, Some have buoys on them and most don't. Go find them. This area has yielded to me 7 legal halibut, one 31" ling, and countless clico and sand bass in the last month. All but one halibut and the ling were released.

N 33 27.091
W 117 43.065

I'll be out tomorrow for another try.

The Rossman

[ful-rac]

Originally Posted by BrokeLoser

At the end of the day...after all the time and money spent, the only thing I really find rewarding is a catch of fish...Frankly, I never brag about the fact that I can read a fish finder or the fact that I know where different species of fish live...but I do brag about catching fish...To each his own...I suppose

Well if thats all you find rewarding....then you are going to be dissapointed...alot.

You dont need to brag about knowing how to read your fish finder, in fact i dont know anybody who does...but learning how to interpret your fishfinder, will have you bragging about how much fish you caught alot more.

So your looking for a starting point? What do you want to catch? If its halibut or bass, the headlands and salt creek are great starting points. You already know where that is right?

[BrokeLoser]

Originally Posted by dc1983

Ill be out at DP in the morning if you want to rag along. I got a new ff and will be trying to mark some new spots

Thanks for the invite dc. I'd love to join you...unfortunately I have a Dr's appointment in the AM. Let me know the next time you're headed out. Good luck!

[BrokeLoser]

Originally Posted by rossman

In the spirit of the season here a a great starting point. It's a fairly large rock pile which will be easy to spot now because of the lobster buoys. In a hundred yard swath from this point to the red buoy, are 4 other large rock piles and 8 or 10 other ones that I've marked, Some have buoys on them and most don't. Go find them. This area has yielded to me 7 legal halibut, one 31" ling, and countless clico and sand bass in the last month. All but one halibut and the ling were released.

N 33 27.091
W 117 43.065

I'll be out tomorrow for another try.

The Rossman

AWESOME!
Thanks Rossman...that's exactly what I've been after.
Good luck tomorrow...you and dc1983 should hook up.

[BrokeLoser]

Originally Posted by ful-rac

Well if thats all you find rewarding....then you are going to be dissapointed...alot.

You dont need to brag about knowing how to read your fish finder, in fact i dont know anybody who does...but learning how to interpret your fishfinder, will have you bragging about how much fish you caught alot more.

Funny how you totally disregard everything in my previous post that really matters and only pick out the things you can cast a shadow on and play devils advocate to. I hope you're not always a 'glass is half empty' kind of guy.

"So your looking for a starting point? What do you want to catch? If its halibut or bass, the headlands and salt creek are great starting points. You already know where that is right?"

Yep, I know what species that general area holds and I know the location of that general area...but just as mentioned in the original post...a good coordinates for a base point like all fishing vessels use would be nice to have.

[Amish Ed]

I don't have #'s for you, but this will get you to the Pipe. It's particularly easy to find right now with all the buoys on around it. Head out of the harbor at like a 60º angle from the outside jetty. When you hit around 45-50' go left and stay in that depth. The pipe will come up about 8'. It lines up with the red buoy on the inside and the lefthand barber pole on the outside. The Pipe starts in about 25' and goes out to at least the poles, but I've never fished it deeper than 65-70'. The pipe does wander a bit, but not more than maybe 30' off the landmarks I gave you.

I haven't fished south in a while, but if you head south stay in about 20' until you see the walkway over PCH. Then just wander around, lots of little rock piles around. This is especially true around Capo Reef and south to the end of the houses.

Sorry I don't have #'s, but I've never tried to use that feature on my FF. So, I don't know how or even if I can pull #'s from a given waypoint.

[CheapPelican]

I was out this morning looking for a rock pile mentioned in a previous thread. I dropped my sabiki on, what I thought was a bait ball and pulled up a single squid. Pulled up four more singles before I got greedy and tied on my squid gannion. By the time I got that in the water they had disappeared. This was the first time I've made squid. Handling them... didn't feel right.

On my FF, the school showed up like a bait ball but was solid. There were several good sized fish ID'ed within the school. In hindsight I should have sent the first squid back down. What would have been the best way to do this? Flyline? Dropper? C-rig? I was in 180' of water. All this was happening at 30'.

Decided to tie on a dropper and ended up drifting south. Drifted around capo too. No bites all day.

[BrokeLoser]

Originally Posted by Amish Ed

I don't have #'s for you, but this will get you to the Pipe. It's particularly easy to find right now with all the buoys on around it. Head out of the harbor at like a 60º angle from the outside jetty. When you hit around 45-50' go left and stay in that depth. The pipe will come up about 8'. It lines up with the red buoy on the inside and the lefthand barber pole on the outside. The Pipe starts in about 25' and goes out to at least the poles, but I've never fished it deeper than 65-70'. The pipe does wander a bit, but not more than maybe 30' off the landmarks I gave you.

I haven't fished south in a while, but if you head south stay in about 20' until you see the walkway over PCH. Then just wander around, lots of little rock piles around. This is especially true around Capo Reef and south to the end of the houses.

Sorry I don't have #'s, but I've never tried to use that feature on my FF. So, I don't know how or even if I can pull #'s from a given waypoint.

Okay thanks Ed...and no problem on the numbers. I realize not everyone has GPS equipment or uses the GPS feature within their finders.
So, the "pipe" is north of the harbor? See, I had always thought it was to the south. How far off shore is the furthest end of the pipe?

[Amish Ed]

No it is south. I mean a 60º angle, not the compass heading. Sorry if I confused you. Never thought about the difference until now. I'm guessing it's about a mile to the 50' area. A little more as I usually paddle a dog leg to get to it. I guess I should get smart and zoom out my GPS when I start, I could save myself a little paddling.

[BrokeLoser]

Originally Posted by Amish Ed

No it is south. I mean a 60º angle, not the compass heading. Sorry if I confused you. Never thought about the difference until now. I'm guessing it's about a mile to the 50' area. A little more as I usually paddle a dog leg to get to it. I guess I should get smart and zoom out my GPS when I start, I could save myself a little paddling.

Haha...no problem. I appreciate the detailed advice.

[steveooo]

Those numbers from Rossman are good, and one of a few that I'll always stop and look at if I make the trip up Norte. Rossman has had his butt in a kayak for more hours at Dana point than anyone I know, and caught more fish at Dana point than anyone I know, so I'd pay attention.

No need for GPS coordinates in Dana right now though- Just look around for the lobster buoys and you have all the "spots" that Dana has to offer. Mark them now, so you can have them once the lobster season is over. As with most "spots" in any location, they are a good place to start, but I think success will depend on you learning how to fish those "spots" in different conditions. Pay attention to all the details when you do catch a fish. Which way was the current running? What side of the structure were you on? What were the tides doing? Water temp? Bait situation? Catch enough fish (or get skunked) from one "spot" and you will start to see a pattern. Keep track of conditions in a journal, both when you catch fish and when you don't, and soon enough you will have a little bit of info on how to fish each "spot" ensuring your best chance of catching a fish on each outing.

I think that can probably be transferred to any body of water...

Sometimes the conditions just aren't favorable at a "spot" in Dana Point, even at the numbers above, and you need to abandon one "spot" to go see if the conditions are favorable at another.

Here's my generic tip for Dana Point that has worked for me. Look for a good south flowing current. No water movement = no fish. I've been on and off the water in 30 min if I see the water is not moving. I wish I could pin the water movement at Dana to the tide movement, but it isn't that easy. Sometimes it moves, sometimes it doesn't. If your schedule allows, fish the high tide for Halibut.

I wish I could stress it enough, but success at Dana Point is more about fishing the right conditions more than any place than I have seen.
Regardless, 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. I hated to lose that the most.

There are no secret areas, GPS spots, or fish dope required for Dana Point. Spend your time learning one of the areas above, and you will see your success rate increase drastically. Once you have it figured out, then Dana will throw you a curveball skunk outing that will send you back to the drawing board. When you figure out how to avoid those skunk outings, please send me a private message with the details, because those are the ones that keep me coming back to Dana, and I'd really like to spend more time fishing in La Jolla....

Good luck,
Steve