Friday report, SD Bay
 

Wanted to put in at LJ but was scared of the surf reports.

SD Bay 630-1030 from low tide to high tide.

Put in at shelter island ramp and headed right to the bait barge for a scoop of chovies and then right out to Zuniga jetty and then ride the tide all the way back in. Managed to pull in a dozen fish mostly SBB with one calico and a monster mac. Nothing legal so no photos. Most fish came in 20 ft near the jetty. Couldn't get a bite at the bait barge on the way back in which was strange because a few weeks ago there was a calico on every cast. No halibuts dragging live bait while throwing swimbaits. Boo!

Good to be on the water.

Hey big Joaquin, are there unwritten rule about fishing near the bait barge (etiquette).

Toby

...I'm all ears if there are unwritten rules, but if you mind all incoming boats and you bought bait from them I feel that buys a pass to fish it.

If I hear a BB gun, it's probably time to leave.

What are these unwritten rules?

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I was curious about fishing around the bait barge and asked one of the workers there if it was OK as I was buying bait. He told me it's just fine, but that we are not allowed to get up on the barge structures. Of course that makes sense for a number of reasons, including safety and legal liability.

He said we can tie up out of the way and fish all day, but not climb up.

If we get too close to the nearby military barriers we will be shooed away. There are signs and soldiers assigned to monitor this.

My questions about this were about 10 months ago in April.

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I've usually got a line in the water no mater what I'm doing, including pedaling in to get bait. I often troll into that area with a rapala, etc., in search of mackerels or smelt for my bait tank. I often catch random small fish around that area, both in the depressions and around the barge cages. I'm not an expert on the subject, but once I get bait I'd rather head out to the channel for halibut. Personally, I'm not interested in bass, bonito, baby barracudas, etc. I want to get a proper fish for my grill.

Are there big fish there as well?