San Onofre 7/30

[hugo c]

I'm intrigued by this pristine beach; therefore I decided to fish it again on my afternoon off. Tough conditions due to the rocks, which line the shoreline and extend into the breakers. For me, it's low tide or nothing. High tide brings too many monster waves.
http://fishingnetwork.net/forum4/picture.php?pictureid=363&albumid=54&dl=1217475955&thumb=1

I spied some mini-boiler rocks in the distance and decided to cast up to them in hopes of a few bass.
http://fishingnetwork.net/forum4/picture.php?pictureid=366&albumid=54&dl=1217476005&thumb=1

Lost two of my weighted Frenzys to those "rock gods".
http://fishingnetwork.net/forum4/picture.php?pictureid=365&albumid=54&dl=1217475955&thumb=1

Hard jerk baits may not be the way to go at San Onofre because of the treble hooks lodge between rocks. While I took a chance by throwing near boilers, a better alternative should be plastic swimbaits. Next time I'll huck some half-oz. Big Hammers.

Decided to deadstick some ghost shrimp and got tons of hits but lost 6 high/low rigs due to the weight catching between rocks. Really frustrating. But caught and released a lot of leapords and bsp.

http://fishingnetwork.net/forum4/picture.php?pictureid=367&albumid=54&dl=1217476005&thumb=1

http://fishingnetwork.net/forum4/picture.php?pictureid=368&albumid=54&dl=1217476005&thumb=1

Nothing to really get excited about, but at least the pictures are pretty nice. Ha. I first have to learn how to fish this beach. I have some "out of the box" thoughts on how to avoid all the lost terminal tackle. (I fished identical conditions at Palos Verdes years ago and eventually triumphed.)

Very uncrowded beach, with 6 separate trails. Be prepared for a nice hike back to your car from this beach. And, if you're clumsy and not the careful type, stay home. Dem rocks will eat ya up.................Ha

[fish_sauce]

thanks for the report. Those rocks could be preeetty nasty on incoming high tide. I remember my first time there without waders or shoes...those things freaken drew blood! Came home with my toes all beaten up.

I haven't tried the frenzys on the surf before, do they cast well?

[camrydad]

Hey Hugo,

Those rocks can really hurt.

Give me a shout next time you go out if you want company, since I basically live around the corner from you.

Alex

[Wingnut]

San-O is an interesting place to fish... and yes, waders & boots are a must! Thanks for the report. :Cool: :Big Grin:

[bruce watson]

San-O is an interesting place to fish... and yes, waders & boots are a must! Thanks for the report. :Cool: :Big Grin:

Not if you fish the nude part of the beach.

[chris]

thanks for the report might be stopping there in a couple hours

[hugo c]

Frenzys are the "poor man's" surf jerk bait. I fish jerk baits at this price level, since I modify them by drilling (ruining) the main cavity and adding split shot to weight them. From shore, I can huck them a fair distance with the added shot. Plus, the Frenzy has a great side to side wooble that I can feel; therefore I feel confident that it's doing its dance to entice. I have caught legal butts off San Clemente with the Frenzy. San C is a tamer beach to fish but the place is wall to wall people for another month.

To throw a Lucky Craft in San Onofre's conditions would be too dicey for me. (I've tried to buy one or two, since LCs appear to be awesome. I simply can't find the 110 Flash Minnow size at any tackle store in my area, South County.)

Swimbaits may be a better alternative here.

Rocks won't hurt you too much as long as you stay back a few feet from where the waves break and have adequate protective foot cover.

This beach is really strange. When waves recede, you can hear a hissing sound from all the rocks settling. It's kindda like, "Wow -- the beach is talking".

Camrydad is a friend and has bought some awesome tackle, etc. from me in the past. I'll ring, ya. Problem is that I fish whenever a time slot becomes free.

Bruce, in the three times that I've fished here, I've never ventured towards the nude beach. Fishing near some "hotties" in the buff, might break my concentration. Ha..... ( They have all sorts of signs up now warning against beach nudity. Not sure if its been stopped. I've heard some crappy stories about trysts on that beach.)

Cheers to all for the comments...........

[That Dang Guy]

Yes, the nude beaches have been shut down in San O'fre. It was in the papers a few months ago. It used to be an unofficial hot spot and there was no law enforcement down there. Now, the city decided to crack down on it.

Anyways, San Onfre fishing is generally what I consider poor, but sometimes the Spotfin Croaker go absolutely insane out there. They're so thick out there sometimes, I wonder if they're there spawning.

[camrydad]

[quote=hugo c;221132]

Camrydad is a friend and has bought some awesome tackle, etc. from me in the past. I'll ring, ya. Problem is that I fish whenever a time slot becomes free.

quote]

Hugo, no problem. I work from home, customers are all east coast so time is fairly flexible.

[fish_sauce]

Hugo C,

thanks for the reply. I do the same things to my lower end lures to help with casting!

the last time i fished near the nude beach, all i saw were old guys lettin it all hang out. >..< And trust me on this one, it was disturbing :Confused:

[Wingnut]

Hugo C,

thanks for the reply. I do the same things to my lower end lures to help with casting!

the last time i fished near the nude beach, all i saw were old guys lettin it all hang out. >..< And trust me on this one, it was disturbing :Confused:

:ROFL: Now that's "eye" pollution!

[hugo c]

Dang Guy, you are one of the few, who has reported some fishing experience at San O. Wingnut fished it a few weeks ago and posted an excellent report (as usual), regarding his tactics.

If it's not a CIA secret, Dang G, how do you rig your terminal tackle not to get caught in the rocks? (This assumes you deadstick bait once in a while.)

Anybody in FNN land have any experience fishing San O on a regular basis? Please --- chime in. We need your help.........

[That Dang Guy]

There's nothing wrong with dead sticking!

It's been awhile since I've been down there. I was mainly using lugworms. Carolina or drop loop like rigs worked fine. I've tried camoworms down there, but it did not seem to produce. Nuclear worms should work as well and don't require you carrying around ice for.

There are quite a bit of rays and sharks down there too.

[fatherof5]

My dad used to take us camping out there decades ago. I remember the croaker bite was usually good, we slept next to the 5, which always had loud trucks, and those hissing rocks! I've got to go back. When I do, I'll post the results.

[steelhead]

I've fished there in the past. If you are going to fish bait then I would use a true surf rod and use weight of one ounce sinkers with the bait 2-3 feet up from the sinker and bring a 2 foot pvc pipe to act as a rod holder. You want to cast out and let the line settle and then reel it in and keep th eline taut. The heavier sinker will prevent the bait from drifting. I use a pyramid sinker which stays put and have not lost any due to snag. It also helps if you use heavier line. I use a main line of 25 lbs which the sinker is tied directly to and then the bait line is 12lb. You've also got to scope out the beach areas and pick an area that does not have many rocks. If you see a lot of rocks on the beach chances are the fishing area is also littered with them as the tides bring them out. I like to go down there and soak bait, bring a lawn chair and wait for the fish to bite. Squid and shrimp will work well for sharks. Occasional halibut and lots of bsp perch.