Help on fishing Glorietta Bay
 

Without giving away your "secret" spots, can anyone provide us some advice on fishing Glorietta Bay and nearby spots?

We've never launched or fished there. It looks like the sandy beach just south past the municipal pool is the place to launch. We know there's decent bass and bonefishing nearby, plus maybe some corvina, halibut, etc. Is right across the sandy beach area any good? How about if we paddle out right from the beach and go around to the other side south?

Since we don't plan on making a bait barge run, besides plastics for bass and maybe a halibut, what might be good methods to have a shot at the bonefish?
Thinking ghost shrimp, but launching at sunrise, we probably can't buy any that early in the morning. We know flies are used for Florida flats, how about a Mepps spinner with a bucktail, or is that dreaming? Any good frozen baits that we could buy (or might have already), that stands a good chance at catching fish?

Any advice would be appreciated. We haven't been out in awhile, looking for some easy paddling to get in shape for longer paddling.

Thanks in advance.

Going around the right side of Glorietta bay and all the way around the corner we see (GoogleEarth) a small island that is mostly sandy. Is that place any good for fishing?

Edited: We saw on sdkc.org that the sandy beach to the south of the swimming pool isn't THE launch but the boat ramp closer to the pool is a launch. Is the sandy beach off limits or doesn't have available nearby parking?

You might just want to use the launch ramp instead of carting/carrying your kayak across the lawn. If you go out Glorietta n turn right you'll be over a huge eel grass flat. Don't know that it has a name but I've always called it the Amphib flat. There can be good fishing all over this area; from in the center on out to edge where the bottom drops off in to the channel.

The channel in to Glorietta is maybe 20' but the main shipping channel in the center of the bay drops off rapidly to 60'+. Ive had good Hali fishing right on the edges of the grass beds. If bait is around you can frequently see birds working all over the grass flats.

Some report having consistent success on bone fish with lures but over the years I've caught exactly 2 bone fish on lures. Both were on 3" ghost shrimp colored swim baits.

BFs are bottom feeders and what's worked best for me has been to anchor over sand or mud bottom near grass and fish Carolina style slip sinker rigs right on the bottom. Ghost shrimp work well but I have had equal success with raw frozen head on shrimp. BFs have a small mouth so a small piece of bait is fine.

Not like it's a bad thing but about every fish in the bay will eat a shrimp. So while fishing BF you'll be weeding thru; black white n yellow fin croaker, leopard smooth hound n shovelnose sharks, bat round n thorny back rays, n spotted bass. Use cheap hooks cause you dont get most hooks back from the sharks n rays.

There are hoards of smelt in South Bay that can be chummed up with bread and caught with small sibikis. Using Smelt increases your chances of catching halibut.

Good luck n post a report. Mike

Hey, Mike, thanks for all the great information, feeling much more confident about a trip sometime soon.

We'll probably buy frozen shrimp, have sabikis ready to catch smelt and fish plastics and small plugs for bass, and whatever. Since neither of us have caught a bonefish, we'd love to get one, maybe the shrimp will do the trick. I've always said bonito are the best pound for pound fighter, but I know there's a lot of bonefish fisherman who claim the same thing. I'd like to find out on the light gear, since I've caught bonito on ultra light gear before.

When you mentioned going right in Glorietta to those grass flats, do you go past all the docks on the right all the way to the corner, then go right to find the flats? Are they fairly noticeable? How shallow do they get?

Thanks again for the good info, we'll definitely report if we go.

Use the Glorietta Bay Boat Launching Ramp. Drop your kayak off and park your vehicle on Strand Way (get there early to park). Eel grass area is easy to spot. I've also had good luck along Tidelands Park and around the Coronado bridge supports but they may be off limits due to security angst.

As Mike said, sabikis tipped with white bread rolled up in pea sized balls is good for smelts. I usually flatten the sabiki hook barbs so as to not damage the smelts.

It's a very mellow and relaxing place to fish.

Wouldn't launching from Tidelands be easier/closer to the areas you would want to fish?

X2

That's where I launch.

for bonefish, I use a dropshot rig on a light spinning setup (10# braid with 6 - 8# fluoro leader). Tie a size 1 or 2 octopus hook about 30" from a 1/2 oz. weight.

I prefer my 9 ft surf rods so I can whip it around the bow quickly when they make a run. Plus it allows me to hold the rod tip higher so I'm not dragging the ghost shrimp through the eelgrass. I'll pump ghost shrimps before I head out, but frozen shrimp sounds a whole lot easier and it will still on the hook better!

Good Luck!

Since we haven't fished Glorietta before, wereabouts is the Tidelands launch and
parking, and how do you get there?

Thanks, A&J

We'd love to pump our own ghost shrimp, whereabout do you get your's?

Thanks, A&J

P.S. Like the idea of the of your 9 footer, we were going to bring one each along with some other outfits. Ours 9 footers are nice and whippy. We'll bring frozen shrimp as backup.

As you're crossing the bridge heading west, Tide lands is the cove and park you'll see off to your right. To get to the area I mentioned you do need to paddle passed all the docks before you turn right (south).

You can't eat them, they're kinda funny looking, n super slimy, but Bone fish do fight. Ive found they make long straight runs out, then come straight back under the yak, n take off out the other side. Fastest fish I've ever fought in the bay for sure. I usually use 6lb. Which is plenty strong for BF. Draw back of 6 lb is you can waste lots of time in long slow tug o wars with bat rays n shovelnose sharks. Mike

As you're heading into Coronado across the bridge, you did say Tidelands is on the right side, is that correct? I guess that's a golf course on the left side.

If I'm looking at GoogleEarth correctly, the paddle to the grass flats is about the same distance from Tidelands as is the boat launch in Glorietta Bay, does that seem right? Also, correct me if I'm wrong, but if I launch from Tidelands, I'll have to go under the bridge heading south to get to those grass flats, yes?
Wow, I knew BF weren't any good to eat, but I didn't know bonefish were super slimey, slimier than 'cuda? Looking forward to that fight. We might try 4lb line, to hell with rays n shovelnoses.

Thanks for the extra information.
Aaron

I've never fished the grass flat being discussed, but I refer Tidelands park launch from the sand, and fish from the moored boats all the way north as far as your comfortable paddling. If you get an early start, you can go across the bay and fish near Seaport Village too.
Dropshotting flukes has been very good for me lately in the 30-40' depth when the shallower bass quit biting.

For tidelands, cross the bridge staying in the far right lane. Make the first right, go to the stop sig and make a right. Takes you right into the park. Sign says park not open until 6. Have never been stopped or hassled for being early. Park in the southwest part of the parking lot.

This is the Tidelands launch area. Park next to the grass and wheel your kayak along the hard surface walkways and launch down by the dinghy's.

https://www.google.com/maps/@32.690238,-117.1644797,189m/data=!3m1!1e3

It's easy access and ample free parking, close to the bridge, safe, and an easy launch area. If you go early you can park under a tree for shade.

If you surf around you will find information on nearby clam beds, patches of eel grass and their boundaries, a variety of structures that draw fish, you are close to fishing the channel and you can head out in multiple directions for different kinds of fishing. Conditions are always changing, so what you target should change as easily.

In my own humble opinion, as you go further into Glorietta Bay toward the launch areas and boat docks there, what you will tend to catch are small bass. Other people may have other advice about this. The main difference is convenience and kayak travel time for finding fishing areas that might be more productive.

If others disagree with my assessment, I would like to hear their opinions too.

Just south of the moored sailboats there is a shallow grassy area. It occasionally has some nice fish there. You might find bonefish there. Along the grass edges. I've never specifically targeted them.


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Thanks everyone for your tips and advice. We'll try and take it all for when we go, sometime soon. We'll give a report soon after of our results.

One of our kayak carts (wheels) is broken, so we'd have to make 2 trips to launch at tidelands, where it looks like we can drive right to the boat launch at Glorietta and drop off both 'yaks before parking. We still haven't made up our minds yet which spot we'll launch.

I guess if someone chimed in who's done both launches numerous times, as to which launch is a shorter paddle to some good fishing (and which species), it might make the difference. Like I said, we're out of good paddling shape, so much of this trip is about taking it relatively easy.

For anyone who's followed our posts over the years you know we used to cover many miles and many hours on our trips, but it's just not in the cards for this trip. We want to get back in shape with a couple of these trips to maybe make a run at tuna off of LJ;):D, though it still won't be the long trips some of you 'yakers are doing.
Aaron

I've launched both and highly prefer tidelands.
I've never had a good fishing experience in glorietta until I'm nearing the bridge. I like to fish north of the bridge, so tidelands makes a ton more sense.
If you're set on the "amphib flats" than glorietta may make more sense. Just use google maps and scale it. I've never fished in that area.

If ease of launch, parking and paddling distance are motivating factors, another place that I like to launch for the same kind of fishing for similar species, perhaps more abundant, would be the J St Marina.

https://www.google.com/maps/@32.6213.../data=!3m1!1e3

That far south in the bay I prefer fishing at around high tide and ebb current. There's more water available and room for easier casting and retrieval over the grass.

That launch point comes with the added benefit of a nice patio restaurant overlooking the boats in the marina. It's beautiful at sunset. Thursday nights feature all-you-can-eat fish & chips for $11.

http://www.yelp.com/biz/galley-at-th...source=(direct)