San Diego, CA

I just found out that the wife needs to travel to San Diego at the end of Sept. and I get to go also. Neither of us have been there SO what is a must see attraction. We will be there for four days, two days together and she will have seminars the other two so I will be on my own during the day.
Need some ideas.

Thanks,
Ron

I was in San Diego in April and I seen a number of shore fishermen fishing for who knows what!!!! I did talk to one man who reported catching a small 5′ shark from shore just a few days earlier!!!!
They were fishing near downtown San Diego directly across the small bay from the Navy Base….if that gives you any direction!!!
Bring some tubes or some sort of topwater and see what happens!!!!

Good Luck!!!

I say go shopping Have a good trip Ron.

All the guys I knew in the Army used to fight with Marines when they went to San Diego, you could try that………

Was there over Christmas and enjoyed the beaches and drove to LA & Huntington Beach and NewPort Beach only about a hour & 1/2 away. I was told the Mexican Border was pretty tough. Lots of people surf fishing. Enjoy!!!!!!!!

There are alot of things to do in San Diego. For fishing you can go out on the party boats from Mission Bay. Should be pretty cheap $20 or $30 bucks I would guess. Seabass, Tuna, Bonito, Halibut, and the like.

You can also find out what days of the week some of the local lakes are open for fishing and can usually rent a small boat. Lake Moreno is about an hour east of SD on I-8 and used to kick out alot of 1 to 2+ lb bluegills from shore when I lived there.

There is also Seaworld, Balboa Park, San Diego Zoo (one of the worlds best), La Jolla Cove (snorkeling), Blacks Beach (nude), boardwalk from Ocean Beach to Pacific Beach (rent bikes or skates and cruise for great people watching), Killer Mexican food and not that Tex/Mex or MN bean filled cr*p, Tijuana (walk across the border rather than drive), Old Town, Lion Country Safari, Mt. Laguna, Mt Palomar observatory, and oh so much more.

Have a great time.

The great thing about San Diego is that the weather will be perfect every day that you are there. No bugs and no humidity.

Ron,
THE ONLY THING YOU should think about doing is, (forget about salt water) GO Largemouth BASS fishing, and just go catch a WORLD RECORD.
I know you know all about the lakes in that area. Do some homework and call a few quides. That is what I did for the Sacramento River/Delta a few years back, and got TWO TEN pound bass in four trips. San Diego is even a better area, lots of good lakes.
Good Luck.
Jack…

I have a good ocean guide I’ve used twice. Let me know if interested.

Lucky Dog!

Get on I-5 and go like He– .Loved it out there 95 mph and still getting passed .

Tijuana is the Mexican border town. Never been there, but everbody I know says it is pretty scurvy. The later the night goes, the worse it gets. One word of advice from a friend that lives in SD if you go to TJs, bring small bills. It is common to not give the correct change for a $20 from bars. Stack your wallet with $5 and $1, leave the $20 at home.

Go down to the Navy Base and thank a few Sailors and Marines for our freedome.

THEN go deep sea fishing.

CHASE BASS!!!!! Lots of great LM lake down there. With a little home work you could get into some PIGGIES!!!!!

Have fun take picture.

Castaic and Casitas. There are plenty of guides in the area. If you really are a fan of the green things, this would be Mecca!
Beautiful lakes! Full of rainbow trout which the bass feed on. Most of the rubber baits they use there are of a rainbow color theme, and HUGE!!!

My wife and I went there on our Honeymoon in October and enjoyed the San Diego Zoo and the Wild Animal park. I did not get any fishing in on the trip though

Check out a Padres game, and on your way there or back, check out the GasLamp district, and make sure you stop at the Gaslamp Stripclub. It’s not what you think, It is a steakhouse/bar, where you grill your own steaks. Best Long island ice tea(s) I have ever had.

Just bringing this back up to the top as I leave early on Wednesday morning.

Thanks for the ideas,
Ron

Blacks beach is a must see!!!

Since this is a fishing site…

Having lived in SoCal for ten years, if you will have a couple free days in San Diego I suggest you go to 976-tuna.com and check out the sportfishing fleet down there.

I know you guys all think IDA is the best fishing forum on God’s green earth, but Philip Friedman at 976-tuna.com runs an absolutely phenominal website for the West Coast saltwater guys. Be sure to check the recent fish counts to see which boats/landings are on the bite and then make a reservation for a 1 or 2 day trip.

You guys think that 30-inch walleye puts up a fight, wait til you lock onto a tuna that makes your reel go zzzzzzzzzzzz!!!!!! That’s fun!!!!

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Castaic and Casitas. There are plenty of guides in the area. If you really are a fan of the green things, this would be Mecca!
Beautiful lakes! Full of rainbow trout which the bass feed on. Most of the rubber baits they use there are of a rainbow color theme, and HUGE!!!

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I lived in Ventura for ten years…ten miles from Casitas. Spent hundreds of hours fishing Casitas. I can count the number of largemouth bass caught there on ONE-HAND.

That was a major reason I chose to move back up here.

I was stationed there for five years while I was in the Navy, if you visit any of the bases, go to Point Loma Submarine Base some of the best views of the ocean. You want to try Coronado Beach or the hotel Del Coronado is real nice. Only go to Mexico during the day & shop at the markets there. Hopefully this helps.

Take your wife to the Hotel Del for lunch! It is right on the beach, lunch is not too pricey, and you can walk on the beach before or after. There’s also some shops down there to check out. You’ll score big points in taking her to the Hotel Del as hookem69 points out above.

I also enjoyed driving by Miramar (sp? the Top Gun base). Rent a convertible and on the days you have to yourself, go park it by the Naval base and enjoy the fighter jets. Quite a show.

Have fun!

If you go on a charter boat in SD, talk to people first. I had a REALLY bad experience on one (they forgot the bait, we caught very few fish, captain wouldn’t move to new locations, crew was smoking pot…). We chose one of the cheaper charters, guess you get what you pay for.

Maybe a little too late, but if you get the chance, check out the “Midway” aircraft carrier. The sheer size of this thing will leave you in awe! That was my favorite part of San Diego! The zoo is cool too.

I was stationed out there as well when I was in the Navy. I would recommend not going to Mexico unless it’s light out or you’re with a crowd. Me and a few other dudes rented an apartment in Pacific Beach and would hang out at Mission Beach daily!

If you want to see some cool stuff (from a mans point of view) you can head to the Amphibian Base on Coronado Island and watch the Navy SEALs train, or you can hang out at Mirimar (Top Gun USA) and watch some F-14 in action… (that was all 15 years ago, they might not still do that stuff)

They still do that great flying, the better half and I were walking along the beach when she says “look at that” well I looked up to see a F-14 flying directly at us 200 feet off the ground.
As it went by I told Cindy to cover her ears, WOW that thing was loud. I never knew that we were 1500 feet from that bases landing strip. We sat there for about an hour and watched plane after plane land. Even got to watch the choppers doing training.
As I type this, I can look out my hotel window and look at the USS Ronald Reagan (CVN-76), our biggest and newest aircraft carrier.
I am touring the USS Midway early on Sat before we go home.

Ron

Ron,
So what have you got WORKED OUT with the Bassin Action?????
I sure hope something…
You swing on a Toad, You Will Never Forget IT……
Jack..

No Basssin

I did spend a 3/4 day out saltwater fishing. Report coming soon.

Ron