Carlsbad Beach Surf Fishing: Complete Guide & How-To

Carlsbad beach is made up of a few smaller beaches. From south to north, Carlsbad starts at South Pontos at the border of Encinitas and Carlsbad, and ends where Carlsbad city beach meets St. Malo beach in Oceanside. Carlsbad beach surf fishing has a little bit of everything (sandy areas, reefy areas etc.) so continue reading to learn everything you need to know about surf fishing in Carlsbad.

Overview of Carlsbad State Beach Surf Fishing

Parking Info	Free and Paid – Medium Difficulty
Ease of Access	Very Easy to Mild Easy with Staircases
Tides	Any Tide is Good for Some Zones – Others Need Less Than a 3-Foot Tide
Crowds	Medium Crowds
Terrain Type	Carlsbad City – Sandy Tamarack – Sandy Terramar – Reef Pontos – Pebbly/Sandy/Reef
No Fishing Areas	None
Recommended Gear and Tackle	Surf Fishing Gear and Tackle

Parking at Carlsbad Beaches

Again, something about North County, it seems each city has a small collections of beaches. So, from south to north, we have South Ponto, North Ponto, Terramar Beach, Tamarack State Beach and Carlsbad City Beach (Frazee).

• Parking at South Ponto and North Ponto Beach: there are two lots nearby (paid and free) and also additional street parking along the sand. Worse comes to worst, you can always find parking over closer to Grandview and walk.
• Parking at Terramar Beach: Carlsbad Blvd and Cerezo Dr. (you’ll walk from Warm Water Jetty Beach.
• Parking at Tamarack State Beach and Parking at Frazee State Beach: There are multiple public parking lots located between these two beaches and given all the cross streets above, it won’t take long to find a street spot.

Carlsbad Surf Fishing YouTube Video

What Fish Can You Catch Surf Fishing in Carlsbad

Most of Carlsbad is open sandy shoreline which holds species like corbina, spotfin croaker, barred and walleye surf perch, yellowfin croaker, guitarfish and more. Where there’s sand, you’ll find these species in San Diego. There’s one section of Carlsbad that holds more reefy critters. Terramar is a reef that holds species like calico bass, sand bass, white seabass along with halibut in those sandy patches between reef.

Common Species	Peak Season	General Season
California Corbina	Jun-Aug	May-Oct
Spotfin Croaker	Jun-Aug	May-Oct
Yellowfin Croaker	May-Aug	May-Oct
Barred Surfperch	Nov-Apr	Year-Round
Walleye Surfperch	Nov-Apr	Year-Round
Shovelnose Guitarfish	Jun-Aug	May-Oct
Sting Ray (Round Ray)	Jun-Aug	Year-Round
Bat Ray	Jun-Aug	Year-Round
Leopard Shark	May-Aug	Apr-Oct
California Halibut	Jan-May	Year-Round
Soupfin Shark	Mar-Jul	Year-Round

Bait and Gear & Tackle For Each Species

Corbina/Croaker/Perch

From May through August, sand crabs should be your number one choice of bait for all the light tackle species (corbina, croaker etc.). As mentioned above, target these species where its sandy (aka everywhere but Terramar). If sand crabs aren’t available (usually from October-April), opt for clams or mussel meat. See the drop-down below for my exact gear and tackle for light tackle surf fishing.

Lure Species (Halibut/Basses)

For lures, both jerkbaits and swimbaits work well in Carlsbad. As mentioned in similar articles, the denser the reef and structure, the more likely I am to choose swimbaits over jerkbaits. The north and south section of Carlsbad can easily be fished with a jerkbait as it’s mostly sand. The central area in Terramar should be fished with a swimbait. See the drop-down below for my exact gear and tackle for lure surf fishing.

Sharks

Sharking here for me just depends on the time of year, time of day, tides and crowds. The Pontos area below the campground will remain the least crowded but it can’t hold as a high a tide as the north section (city beach). Both of these are good for sharks though. Avoid Terramar for sharking. See the drop-down below for my exact gear and tackle for light tackle surf fishing.

Where to Legally Fish at Carlsbad Beaches:

Carlsbad Beach surf fishing is legal for the whole stretch of sand. You’re good to fish with no worries of MLPAs or any other added restrictions.

Tides for Fishing Carlsbad Beaches

Areas like Robert Carlsbad City Beach can take a lot of water – aka: “any tide beach”. But, areas like Terramar can only take 3-feet or so. I’d also say the Pontos stretch can take a sub 4. The whole stretch is a mix of no bluffs and bluffs for what you’re backed up against.

Beach	Max Tide Height To Fish
South and North Pontos	4 ft
Terramar	3 ft
Tamarack	Any Tide
Carlsbad City Beach	Any Tide

Carlsbad has a few different beaches that make it one of the best beaches for surf fishing in San Diego. When fishing a beach like Ponto (and even those in Encinitas), at least for light tackle, I like to find the sandiest area in comparison to a nearby pebbly area, and fish that. I’ve had good success using that method. In theory, the pebbly beaches reduce the size and amount of hunting grounds for fish like corbina and croaker. They prefer sandy areas as that’s where the sand crabs will be. So, find the sandy spot and it should only be a matter of minutes before you get hit.

For perch and halibut, I lean more towards finding small sandy sections that have good rocky structure nearby. For Lucky Craft fishing, I’ll run my lure as close to the structure as possible, hoping for an ambush from behind or from the base of the rock. If I’m fishing Carolina Rig for perch, I’ll cast into the sandy section adjacent to the rocks.