FISHING
MISSION IS
POSSIBLE FOR
BIG BASS PLENTY OF OTHER SPECIES ARE AVAILABLE IN SAN DIEGO’S MISSION BAY By Capt. Bill Schaefer
W
ith all the great fishing going on right now, it’s a tough decision where to go. Not all of us have a boat that can reach tuna offshore. However, you may be looking for a nice change of pace or a place to take the kids fishing. If so, Mission Bay Park in San Diego is the place for you. This small bay fishes like a lake, and with more than 70 percent of the water regulated by a 5 mph speed limit, you won’t have reckless boaters or jet skiers racing by you. Mission Bay is loaded with bass – spotted sand bass, calico bass and barred sand bass – along with halibut, corvina and a bunch of other incidentals you might catch. The best thing is you can fish it just like a lake. You can substitute anchovies for shiners and use bait, or go with any of a number of freshwater artificial lures to attract fish. If you have freshwater bass gear already, you needn’t go out and spend a bunch of money on new tackle. There is no need for heavy “ocean” tackle in this bay, although there are a few fish that could spool a small reel. But let’s concentrate on catching bass and all the other spe-
cies will come as incidental catches. Go with medium tackle, say a reel with 8- to 10-pound-test line and a 6½- to 7-foot rod in medium action. For baits, let’s look at the most common for the bay: small grubs or swimbaits on a ¼- to ⅜-ounce jighead. Lure colors vary, but different shades of silver, green and brown
are ¾best. They are cast out and slowly retrieved over the weed beds that cover the entire bay. Bass – or any other fish for that matter – will charge up off the bottom and attack the free meal! Most of the fish in the bay are on the small side, but hit like freight trains and fight just as hard. If you can teach the kids to cast, they will catch fish. There is one detail to pay attention to: the tides. The tide moves all day and stirs up the entire food chain in the bay. Don’t let it deter you from going fishing, even if there is little tidal movement. I’ve been out on days when there has been hardly any tide change and still caught fish. You never know when the fish are hungry. Usually, I like a 3- to 5-foot tide that comes into a high tide. For outgoing tides, I like a smaller 2- to 4-foot tide moving water out of the bay. Again, the tides stir up all the clams and crustaceans the various fish feed on. Grab the kids and head on out to fish Mission and other coastal bays in Southern California this month. CS
The author shows off a nice spotted bay bass that fell for a Bomber crankbait, just like its freshwater largemouth cousins. (BILL SCHAEFER)
calsportsmanmag.com | SEPTEMBER 2015 California Sportsman
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