Come to San Diego and you will end up sitting on the beach. As you are, you will probably notice the boats cruising offshore with people fishing. Simply put, the fishing off the coast is tremendous and makes for a good day trip.
A quick word on deep sea fishing because it is a bit different. There are two basic options. You can do a short trip that goes a day or less. This is the most popular. However, you can also do multiple day trips that get into serious fishing areas.
The waters off of San Diego are excellent for fishing. The warm waters and kelp beds provide a perfect habitat. The prime location is between three to ten miles offshore. The fish in this area are plentiful and include some great game fish.
So, what can you expect to catch? The fish include barracuda, Dorado, white sea bass, sand bass, calico bass, and mackerel. Take a longer trip out to the 60 mile point and you can catch Skipjack, Albacore and a variety of big Tuna.
The deep sea fishing boats are found in two areas in San Diego. In the north county, we have Oceanside which is the last northern town in the county. Point Loma is our second spot and located just to the west of downtown San Diego.
You can find various options at each of these locations. Each offers different trips with corresponding prices. Some are multi boat businesses while others may just be a single boat with the owner acting as captain.
One of the slicker options is San Diego Sportfishing, Inc. Based in Point Loma, the company specializes in one day or less trips, but also offers charters to those looking for longer trips. The outfit has three boats.
If you like something a bit more personal, try the Fish Taxi in Oceanside. The boat is smaller, but Captain Don Nelson offers a more personal experience than those found on bigger operations. This is a charter boat, but with reasonable rates.
San Diego is a warm area, but it can get cold in the morning on the boat. Make sure to use a layered clothing approach when you head out on even a half day trip. Remember, it will be cold in the morning and hot the rest of the day.
The boat will be going up and down, side to side and rolling. Sea sickness will be a problem. Nothing will ruin your fishing worse than feeding the fish all day. There are patches you can put behind your ear that will stop it. Bring them.
The beaches of San Diego are great, but the fishing off the coast is equally good. If you consider yourself an angler, make sure to take at least a half day trip if you are in town.
