From northern California to Baja, anglers can find an abundance of great areas to fish. Tips on lakes, streams, and ocean.
One of the best known piers in the southern part of the state is the Imperial Beach Pier. The pier has a couple of manmade reefs that are home to thousands of mussels. Many species of fish are attracted to the reefs and the pilings of the pier making it an excellent area to fish. Different areas of the pier generally yield different types of fish. Depending upon where you are standing on the pier, you might catch yellowfin, croaker, jacksmelt, perch, herring, and maybe even a shark.
Many anglers love to fly fish in the surf off the beaches of Southern California. There are many beaches to choose from, and Laguna Niquel, Huntington, Bols Chica, and Newport are just a few. These beaches tend to have sandy bottoms that make excellent habitats for perch. You can also try Dana Point's jetties, where you might catch bonito, mackerel, barracuda, or bass. Redondo Beach Harbor is another excellent place to fly fish for bonito.
Baja sportfishing is in a class of its own. Ensenada's kelp beds are great feeding grounds for a vast variety of fish. Albacore, yellowfin tuna, halibut, and sand bass are just some of the fish caught here. You can charter a boat for short trips around the bay or all day trips into deeper water. Many fishermen find that East Cape is a great place to fish from the shore for jack and mackerel. Loreto lays claim to its significantly larger dorado and yellowtail.
If Northern California is your destination, one of the best areas to fish is the Sacramento River area. This watershed covers miles of rivers and lakes, including the Sacramento and Feather rivers. It is indeed considered a fisherman's paradise. You can venture out on your own or hire one of the many fishing guides available in the area. Salmon, trout, and bass are just some of the varieties of fish caught here.
There are several lakes in the Sacramento River watershed that should be mentioned. Shasta Lake is one of the best known lakes in the area. It is a huge reservoir at the base of the breathtaking Mount Shasta. The lake is stocked with rainbow trout, sturgeon, king salmon, bass, and catfish. Whiskeytown Lake yields trout for a good part of the year. Lewiston Lake and Lake Siskiyou also have various types of trout.
Lake Isabella is the second largest lake in California and is known as a "big fish" lake. Large mouth bass and crappie are plentiful in this beautiful lake. Watch the weather, however, as this lake is known for its strong winds on occasion. Nacimiento is the only lake in California that stocks white bass. Large and smallmouth bass are also caught here. Campgrounds are available for use on the shores of this lake.
As you can see, the possibilities for fishing in California are almost endless. Northern California boasts beautiful lakes and rivers with plenty of trout and bass. Southern California and the Baja area offer pristine bays and deep coastal waters which yield everything from mackerel to shark. California is truly a fisherman's paradise.
