South SD Bay 8/12 - Kayak Fishing Adventures on Big Water’s Edge

taggermike · 08-13-2013, 01:35 PM

I had some time to fish but not enough to go too far. Launched at Jst at high tide and headed south towards the bird reserve island. Caught a few spotties on the way. Set up on the anchor out of the wind behind the island. Caught the usual suspects on raw shrimp; spotties, smooth hounds, sting rays, and then the right kind moved through. I haven't caught a bone fish in a while and forgot how fast and powerful they were. I was using an 8 1/2 foot 6-12lb trout rod with 8lb line. Landed 1, lost another in the anchor. The bone was the biggest I've seen down there, maybe 16-18 inches. Lots of birds, a few sea turtles, no people, the usual So Bay experience.

Ya ya, no pictures. I'm seriously week on the electronics right now. Mike

Amish Ed · 08-13-2013, 07:29 PM

Sounds good to me. Never caught a Bone myself. Maybe one day.

dmrides · 08-13-2013, 08:03 PM

Sounds like a lot of fun. That has to be about the most diversity you can fit into an hour and a half on the water. I imagine a 18" bonefish on a trout rod would be a hoot! Nice going and I appreciate the report of something different than the norm.

taggermike · 08-14-2013, 09:14 AM

La Jolla is always an experience with big fish a possibility every trip, but the close to home stuff is fun too. And with out the crowd and parking issues. I grew up in Chula Vista and have been fishing SD Bay since I was a kid. Over 40 years now, crap I'm getting old. I've caught enough spotties in that time that I rarely even target them any more. Other fish like halibut, corvina, and bonefish are the targets now. I've seen 2 scalloped hammer heads come out of the deep So Bay and a buddy has caught 2 jack craval down there. So ya never know. The whole area at the south end of the bay is all closed USFW reserve land. So osprey, brant, tern colonies, and a bunch of other birds are around. I've seen peregrine falcons chasing shore birds there. Add in the sea turtles and you have a unique habitat in so cal. In the winter there are often huge schools of little bay anchovies from Jst over to the Cays with bird working all over them. It's kinda strange to see spotties and yellowfin croaker boiling. Corvina, halibut, and bonito, when they're around, get in on the action. I don't eat the fish from down there but this dead of winter top water/shallow water fishing is a fun break from our usual winter bottom fishing. Ok, enough of sounding like the Chula Vista chamber of commerce. Mike

buddha · 08-14-2013, 11:28 AM

I fish there all the time.

So you used raw shrimp for the bonefish?

I have caught them on gulp, plastics, spoons, worms, ghost shrimp but never raw shrimp.

interesting bait.

taggermike · 08-14-2013, 12:43 PM

Hey Buddha. I've caught bonefish on plastics a few times too. I'm sure ghost shrimp would work great but I don't have a pump and have never used one before. I fished from a buddy's skiff a few years ago and he recommended bringing some raw head on shrimp. Can't say if ghosties would have worked better but 3 guy caught 20 bonefish on the store bought shrimp that day. I hit the Seafood city at Melrose and Orange and get the cheapest head-ons they have. Bone fish will certainly eat lures but in that murky back bay bait works better. Imagine they'd eat blood worms, small crabs, or even sand crabs back there. The store shrimp are always available, fairly cheap, and work, so I use them. Mike

buddha · 08-14-2013, 04:56 PM

So you get the smallest head on shrimp and hook them up whole?

Ghost shrimp are really great for bonefish.

I will give the raw shrimp a try.

Thanks.

08-13-2013, 01:35 PM	#1
taggermike Senior Member Join Date: May 2007 Location: Chula Vista Posts: 1,589	South SD Bay 8/12 I had some time to fish but not enough to go too far. Launched at Jst at high tide and headed south towards the bird reserve island. Caught a few spotties on the way. Set up on the anchor out of the wind behind the island. Caught the usual suspects on raw shrimp; spotties, smooth hounds, sting rays, and then the right kind moved through. I haven't caught a bone fish in a while and forgot how fast and powerful they were. I was using an 8 1/2 foot 6-12lb trout rod with 8lb line. Landed 1, lost another in the anchor. The bone was the biggest I've seen down there, maybe 16-18 inches. Lots of birds, a few sea turtles, no people, the usual So Bay experience. Ya ya, no pictures. I'm seriously week on the electronics right now. Mike

08-13-2013, 07:29 PM	#2
Amish Ed Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Grants Pass, OR Posts: 1,906	Sounds good to me. Never caught a Bone myself. Maybe one day. __________________ Amish Ed You can't catch it again if it's dead!

08-13-2013, 08:03 PM	#3
dmrides Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: Point Loma Posts: 584	Sounds like a lot of fun. That has to be about the most diversity you can fit into an hour and a half on the water. I imagine a 18" bonefish on a trout rod would be a hoot! Nice going and I appreciate the report of something different than the norm.

08-14-2013, 09:14 AM	#4
taggermike Senior Member Join Date: May 2007 Location: Chula Vista Posts: 1,589	La Jolla is always an experience with big fish a possibility every trip, but the close to home stuff is fun too. And with out the crowd and parking issues. I grew up in Chula Vista and have been fishing SD Bay since I was a kid. Over 40 years now, crap I'm getting old. I've caught enough spotties in that time that I rarely even target them any more. Other fish like halibut, corvina, and bonefish are the targets now. I've seen 2 scalloped hammer heads come out of the deep So Bay and a buddy has caught 2 jack craval down there. So ya never know. The whole area at the south end of the bay is all closed USFW reserve land. So osprey, brant, tern colonies, and a bunch of other birds are around. I've seen peregrine falcons chasing shore birds there. Add in the sea turtles and you have a unique habitat in so cal. In the winter there are often huge schools of little bay anchovies from Jst over to the Cays with bird working all over them. It's kinda strange to see spotties and yellowfin croaker boiling. Corvina, halibut, and bonito, when they're around, get in on the action. I don't eat the fish from down there but this dead of winter top water/shallow water fishing is a fun break from our usual winter bottom fishing. Ok, enough of sounding like the Chula Vista chamber of commerce. Mike

08-14-2013, 11:28 AM	#5
buddha Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: chula vista Posts: 907	I fish there all the time. So you used raw shrimp for the bonefish? I have caught them on gulp, plastics, spoons, worms, ghost shrimp but never raw shrimp. interesting bait.

08-14-2013, 12:43 PM	#6
taggermike Senior Member Join Date: May 2007 Location: Chula Vista Posts: 1,589	Hey Buddha. I've caught bonefish on plastics a few times too. I'm sure ghost shrimp would work great but I don't have a pump and have never used one before. I fished from a buddy's skiff a few years ago and he recommended bringing some raw head on shrimp. Can't say if ghosties would have worked better but 3 guy caught 20 bonefish on the store bought shrimp that day. I hit the Seafood city at Melrose and Orange and get the cheapest head-ons they have. Bone fish will certainly eat lures but in that murky back bay bait works better. Imagine they'd eat blood worms, small crabs, or even sand crabs back there. The store shrimp are always available, fairly cheap, and work, so I use them. Mike

08-14-2013, 04:56 PM	#7
buddha Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: chula vista Posts: 907	So you get the smallest head on shrimp and hook them up whole? Ghost shrimp are really great for bonefish. I will give the raw shrimp a try. Thanks.