Newport tomorrow 5/1?
 

I'm taking the day off tomorrow and hitting up newport; anyone else planning on going out?

I have tomorrow off. Where are you going to launch from? I've got a Blue Cobra Fish N Dive if you see one say Hi.

Chris

I don't mean to shoot you down or anything, just that when you go later in the day its tough to fish that spot with the wind picking up, if you don't really know what you are doing, plus I just looked at swellwatch and the swell is 4-5 ft around that area. Its still very fishable in these conditions, just be prepared for a lot of rollers.

Just thought I would give you a heads up for what you'll probably encounter.

Otherwise, good luck out there. Hope to see some taco meat on your report.

Thanks for the heads up I've never fished that spot before and wasn't aware the wind picks up later during the day.

I wish I could join you!

I headed out there solo, with my son this last Sunday, and I know what you mean about wanting to be with others. My son got a little scared being so far out, so we turned back a bit too soon. About 1/4 to 1/2 mile further out, a bunch of kayakers were slaying the reds. :reel:

The bait barge area looks fishy to me, but I didn't see any yaks fishing there. I didn't stop by since time was short, so I don't know how much it costs. I'm guessing $10 plus tip for a kayak scoop of 'dines and/or 'chovys??

Just so you know...

re.. KID BEACH.. it looks like a great launch site on Google Earth.
..but, few things..

(1) There's a lot of road construction along that area of Balboa, so NO PARKING along that beach side. You can probably find parking across the street, or on a side street, but you have to roll your PA over the road construction onto Kid Beach. Not a big deal, there are driveways so you don't even need to jump a curb.

(2) Bigger problem.. there is a small brick retaining wall on Kid Beach you have to navigate. It's about a 3 foot drop down to the lower sand, or you can try bouncing down 3-4 cinder block steps. On the way back, I decided to kayak past it, and beach at K STREET. This is a very small beach.. pretty much a tiny patch of sand with a storm drain exiting, but you should be able to find it. Just keep looking to your left as you move along the shore. You'll see the street and some small skiffs stacked there. I would look for Balboa and K Street, and launch there. (GPS = 33.599857,-117.8869 )


The other option is to launch across the harbor, near the Coast Guard Harbor Patrol Station. I've heard that's a good place, but parking is a bit hard. You can dump your gear, and then go park. It's off Bayside Dr. I think the Google Maps GPS coordinates are: 33.602125,-117.882679


Good luck!! :luxhello:

if its a 9am low tide, i'd say your best bet is to be rockfishing from 8-10am. big rollers are rarely ever an issue for me out in newport, but those winds start kicking up before noon. rockfish hang out anywhere from 180-220ft. going out that deep wont get you rockfish though. the main thing is that once you're out at 180... start to stare at your fishfinder as you zig-zag from 180-220ft. once you find a school of fish that are big enough to be picked up on the FF, stay on top of the school and you'll get limits fairly quickly.

I normally launch or CGS or by 15 street if you can find parking. For CGS, you need to get there by 7am.

There's often too much traffic near the bait barge, as you'll end up getting the wake from larger boats interfering with your drop-shotting. It's best to head north or south outside of the harbor once you clear the jetties.

There's decent fishing by the kelp beds to the south, otherwise, head out with a group to the drop-off for the Rockies... Most of the local Newport boats drift the flats from 1/2 mile west of HB Pier. If the swells are more than 3 feet, you're looking at possibly losing your breakfast :D.