7 Reasons You're going To Love Fishing in San Diego

If you haven't gone fishing in San Diego yet, you may want to consider adding this Pacific coast city to your "must-fish" list. Do you need a few specific reasons to justify making the trip? Check out the reasons why San Diego is known for reeling in anglers from far and wide.

1. You'll love fishing in San Diego due to the city's temperate climate conditions. San Diego averages 76°F during the summer months and 50°F during the winter. The temperatures are ideal for year-round outdoor activities like fishing and boating.
2. You won't need to look very hard or travel very far to figure out where to fish in San Diego. Take your pick from a number of saltwater and freshwater spots that are all within a one-hour drive from the city.
3. You can take advantage of the fantastic inland freshwater fishing opportunities for Florida-strain largemouth bass. Three of the best lakes in San Diego for big Florida-strain bass are El Capitan Reservoir, Lake Cuyamaca, and Lake Murray.
4. Depending on the time of year, offshore San Diego sportfishing can mean a delightful variety of blue water species such as yellowfin tuna, bluefin tuna, albacore tuna, and mahi mahi (dolphinfish). Just check a San Diego fishing report to find out what will be biting during the time of your visit.
5. You can go saltwater inshore fishing in San Diego and Mission Bay for calico bass, halibut, rockfish, sheephead, croaker, corbina, or white sea bass. If you don't have your own boat along, you can charter an inshore fishing boat or try surf fishing from one of the public beaches. You'll probably notice that surf fishing is one of the most popular types of fishing in San Diego.
6. There are a total of seven piers on the ocean that allow fishing. These San Diego fishing piers include the Imperial Beach Pier, Coronado Ferry Landing Pier, Embarcadero Marina Park Pier, Ocean Beach Pier, Crystal Pier, Shelter Island Pier, and Oceanside Pier.
7. If you visit San Diego during the month June, you can participate in the grunion run. California grunion are small, silvery fish that are found only along the coast of Southern California. This is a unique San Diego fishing experience that doesn't involve a rod and reel since the regulations state that grunion can only be taken by hand during the open season.

Given the wide array of fishing experiences and comfortable climate you get from fishing in San Diego, it's not too hard to see why this city is one of the best areas to go fishing in California. Just make sure you read the California fishing regulations and buy your fishing license online before you arrive at your first San Diego fishing spot.

Photo Credit: Lake Cuyamaca Fishing - Courtesy SanDiego.org

Debbie Hanson

Debbie Hanson is an award-winning outdoor writer, women’s sport fishing advocate, IGFA world record holder, and freshwater guide living in Southwest Florida. Hanson’s written work has appeared in publications such as Florida Game & Fish Magazine, BoatUS Magazine, and USA Today Hunt & Fish. To learn more about her work, visit shefishes2.com or follow her on Instagram @shefishes2.