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Chunky wintertime yellowtail off La Jolla
Santee Lakes trout reopener
(left): Matt Rabasco with his solid 40-pound-plus yellowtail caught off La Jolla.
(right): Santee Lakes trout Reopener will feature lightning trout to good size, as witnessed by this hefty unit caught earlier this season.
(right): Santee Lakes trout Reopener will feature lightning trout to good size, as witnessed by this hefty unit caught earlier this season.
Dock Totals 12/29 – 1/4: 1192 anglers aboard 44 half-day to 3-day trips out of San Diego landings over the past week caught 9 calico bass, 4 halibut (22 released), 26 rock crab, 3483 rockfish, 1 rock sole, 2 rubberlip seaperch, 301 sand bass, 105 sanddab, 899 sculpin, 4 sheephead, 52 spiny lobster (66 released), 213 whitefish, and 4 yellowtail.
Saltwater: Local boats are concentrating on sculpin, whitefish, calico bass, and sand bass as we move into the closed rockfish season from January 1 until the first of April, when the season reopens at 50 fathoms or less. Anglers scored very well on large reds during the deepwater season up to the end of the year, but will now have to go into Mexican waters to target reds, lingcod, and other groundfish until the reopener in California waters.
The long range fleet is still whacking yellowfin tuna and wahoo while fishing the banks off Baja Sur during 10-day and longer trips, as well as some good grouper fishing along the coast. They have been finding good action on yellowtail along the mid-Baja coast during the return leg of their trips to top off their holds (within limits) for the anglers aboard. Yellowtail made a show close to home, too: boilers off La Jolla showing up under birds just outside the Reserve was a New Year’s surprise.
Longtime angler Matt Rabasco was on his private skiff fishing just off the ‘Condo’ maybe one mile outside La Jolla Shores and landed an estimated forty-pound-plus brute of a yellowtail. I’ve followed Matt for years, as we used to kayak fish the same stomping grounds a couple of decades ago. I know he flies a lot these days, pursuing his new love of paraglidin, and I sometimes imagine he can spot activity on the surface while soaring, proving that fishing and paragliding can be a complementary combination of hobbies to enjoy here in America’s Finest City. Anyhow, Matt saw the birds working hard, cast a Salas blue and white jig, wound it back fast on the surface, and was rewarded with a solid wintertime yellowtail for his efforts.
Halibut are biting well in San Diego Bay for the anglers fishing the first of the Wednesday halibut derby trips aboard the Dolphin, with 24 fish caught along with a few bass and sculpin. Surf fishing has been hit and miss between allowable conditions, with a few corbina and surf perch taking bait, crankbaits, or plastics for those anglers trudging the beaches. All in all, it has been a great start to 2025 in the saltwater scene.
Freshwater: Trout continue to bite well at area lakes that stock them, while catfish and largemouth bass fishing has been picking up, as usual, with the activity around the trout plants. Cut mackerel, shrimp, and chicken livers continue to be best for the whiskerfish, while low and slow plastics fished on the deeper edges have been getting the bass to bite.
Lake Wohlford has been pumping out some really nice catfish lately, with a near 20-pounder landed by Robert Jenkins of Riverside in Oakville Cove while fishing with shrimp. Trout have thus far been a bit picky and are best targeted with jigs, spoons and flies on the surface along the southern shoreline. But the trout should pick up with four plants in January, the second one coming this week. Lake Wohlford holds a monthly Whopper Contest, with the winners in each of four catagories awarded a free fishing and boating permit. Fish entered must be caught at Wohlford and weighed by a lake Ranger. (Call 760-839-4346 for details on fishing conditions or the Whopper Contest.) December winners were: 6.70-lb largemouth bass caught by Justin Kennedy; Francis Huang with a 1-pound crappie; A. Phandanouvong and his 49.5-pound catfish; and Ezequiel Bueno 7.9-pound trout. Congrats to all the winners!
Santee Lakes is holding a Trout Reopener January 11 and 12 with 3500 pounds of rainbow and lightening trout stocked in the Kid’s Fishing Pond and Lakes 2,3,4, and 6. The Kid’s fishing pond is catch and release only for all species except for the stocked trout, which are catch and keep only. Stocked trout should not be released as they have a low survival rate, especially if caught using bait.
Campsites and cabins may be available for those who wish to overnight at the park, but check their website for openings before loading up the gear and crew. Fishing permits can be purchased beforehand or on the day of fishing at the General Store and Gatehouse. Whether the beach, bay, lake, or offshore, they’re out there so go out and get ‘em!
Here's something you might be interested in.
Chunky wintertime yellowtail off La Jolla
Santee Lakes trout reopener
Chunky wintertime yellowtail off La Jolla
Santee Lakes trout reopener
(left): Matt Rabasco with his solid 40-pound-plus yellowtail caught off La Jolla.
(right): Santee Lakes trout Reopener will feature lightning trout to good size, as witnessed by this hefty unit caught earlier this season.
(right): Santee Lakes trout Reopener will feature lightning trout to good size, as witnessed by this hefty unit caught earlier this season.
Dock Totals 12/29 – 1/4: 1192 anglers aboard 44 half-day to 3-day trips out of San Diego landings over the past week caught 9 calico bass, 4 halibut (22 released), 26 rock crab, 3483 rockfish, 1 rock sole, 2 rubberlip seaperch, 301 sand bass, 105 sanddab, 899 sculpin, 4 sheephead, 52 spiny lobster (66 released), 213 whitefish, and 4 yellowtail.
Saltwater: Local boats are concentrating on sculpin, whitefish, calico bass, and sand bass as we move into the closed rockfish season from January 1 until the first of April, when the season reopens at 50 fathoms or less. Anglers scored very well on large reds during the deepwater season up to the end of the year, but will now have to go into Mexican waters to target reds, lingcod, and other groundfish until the reopener in California waters.
The long range fleet is still whacking yellowfin tuna and wahoo while fishing the banks off Baja Sur during 10-day and longer trips, as well as some good grouper fishing along the coast. They have been finding good action on yellowtail along the mid-Baja coast during the return leg of their trips to top off their holds (within limits) for the anglers aboard. Yellowtail made a show close to home, too: boilers off La Jolla showing up under birds just outside the Reserve was a New Year’s surprise.
Longtime angler Matt Rabasco was on his private skiff fishing just off the ‘Condo’ maybe one mile outside La Jolla Shores and landed an estimated forty-pound-plus brute of a yellowtail. I’ve followed Matt for years, as we used to kayak fish the same stomping grounds a couple of decades ago. I know he flies a lot these days, pursuing his new love of paraglidin, and I sometimes imagine he can spot activity on the surface while soaring, proving that fishing and paragliding can be a complementary combination of hobbies to enjoy here in America’s Finest City. Anyhow, Matt saw the birds working hard, cast a Salas blue and white jig, wound it back fast on the surface, and was rewarded with a solid wintertime yellowtail for his efforts.
Halibut are biting well in San Diego Bay for the anglers fishing the first of the Wednesday halibut derby trips aboard the Dolphin, with 24 fish caught along with a few bass and sculpin. Surf fishing has been hit and miss between allowable conditions, with a few corbina and surf perch taking bait, crankbaits, or plastics for those anglers trudging the beaches. All in all, it has been a great start to 2025 in the saltwater scene.
Freshwater: Trout continue to bite well at area lakes that stock them, while catfish and largemouth bass fishing has been picking up, as usual, with the activity around the trout plants. Cut mackerel, shrimp, and chicken livers continue to be best for the whiskerfish, while low and slow plastics fished on the deeper edges have been getting the bass to bite.
Lake Wohlford has been pumping out some really nice catfish lately, with a near 20-pounder landed by Robert Jenkins of Riverside in Oakville Cove while fishing with shrimp. Trout have thus far been a bit picky and are best targeted with jigs, spoons and flies on the surface along the southern shoreline. But the trout should pick up with four plants in January, the second one coming this week. Lake Wohlford holds a monthly Whopper Contest, with the winners in each of four catagories awarded a free fishing and boating permit. Fish entered must be caught at Wohlford and weighed by a lake Ranger. (Call 760-839-4346 for details on fishing conditions or the Whopper Contest.) December winners were: 6.70-lb largemouth bass caught by Justin Kennedy; Francis Huang with a 1-pound crappie; A. Phandanouvong and his 49.5-pound catfish; and Ezequiel Bueno 7.9-pound trout. Congrats to all the winners!
Santee Lakes is holding a Trout Reopener January 11 and 12 with 3500 pounds of rainbow and lightening trout stocked in the Kid’s Fishing Pond and Lakes 2,3,4, and 6. The Kid’s fishing pond is catch and release only for all species except for the stocked trout, which are catch and keep only. Stocked trout should not be released as they have a low survival rate, especially if caught using bait.
Campsites and cabins may be available for those who wish to overnight at the park, but check their website for openings before loading up the gear and crew. Fishing permits can be purchased beforehand or on the day of fishing at the General Store and Gatehouse. Whether the beach, bay, lake, or offshore, they’re out there so go out and get ‘em!
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