Catch o' the day...

Inshore: The inshore fishing up and down the coast is very good for those that are getting out there between the occasional winter storms and large swells. Sometimes, one just needs a bigger boat, and sometimes, one should just stay at port. The sport-fishing fleet here in San Diego boasts well-seasoned captains and crew that can get you there if it can be done safely. There is a good mix of taco meat being caught; whitefish, croaker, halfmoon, sculpin and the like, along with a still-strong yellowtail bite deep in 100’-140’ of water. A few barracuda and bonito are around the kelp edges and the sand bass are stacking up on the IB flats in 60’-80’.

Outside: While the long-range boats are fishing south of the Tropic of Cancer, midrange boats are getting out occasionally from San Diego to the rockfish grounds further offshore and scoring well. That said, a well-timed trip down the coast into Baja for a panga ride is another option afforded SoCal residents. The usual great rockfish havens, Colonet, San Quintin (and the bumps along the way), are producing large whitefish on the dropper loop to 8 pounds, lingcod to 15 pounds and wide open yellowtail at times on yoyo iron. Many of the jacks are in the smallish 7-10 pound range, though a few into the 30s have been reported.

1/17 – 1/23 Dock Totals: 762 anglers aboard 39 boats out of San Diego landings this past week caught 531 yellowtail, 39 calico bass, 97 sand bass, 797 rockfish, 2 sheephead, 70 lingcod, 273 sculpin, 25 halfmoon, 22 rubberlip seaperch, 1 halibut, 4 barracuda, 54 sanddab, 13 bonito, 4 white croaker, 11 whitefish, 79 mackerel and 27 spiny lobster.

Freshwater: Lake Jennings will be closed Friday, January 29, to prepare for their 2nd annual Kid’s Day, held from 6am to 2pm on Saturday. Kids 10 and under fish free, and for beginners there will be a Fishing University class at 10 am taught by rangers at the bait shop. The special kid’s pond will be stocked with 400 pounds of trout, some with tags that can be redeemed for prizes. Tips for fishing Jennings: The T-dock and Hermit cove are the most productive spots for trout. Fly-lined nightcrawlers not only attract the large trout cruising the edge, but also work well on bass and red-ear sunfish. Just flip it out as far as you can and let it sink slowly as it wriggles. Give it a few minutes, then twitch it back in and repeat, as some of the best bites come on the sink.

Scheduled trout plants (lbs): 1/29 Santee Lakes (800), 2/1 Jennings (2500), 2/3 Poway (3000)