Surf Fishing in La Jolla: Where to Legally Fish and More

La Jolla Shores is one of the most unique stretches of beach in San Diego. One look and it’s easy enough to see why. Surf fishing in La Jolla is much different than surf fishing at many of our other local beaches mainly due to the structure and landscape. There’s tons of intermittent reef and sand and there’s much more variation in swell protected areas due to small coves and different facing (direction-wise) beaches.

Overview of Surf Fishing In La Jolla

Parking Info	Free – Ease depends on where you go.
Ease of Access	Easy
Tides	Any Tide is Good But Some Zones Need Lower Tides
Crowds	Average Crowds
Terrain Type	Mix of Reef and Sand
No Fishing Areas	MPA’s – Read Below
Recommended Gear and Tackle	Surf Fishing Gear and Tackle

Due to the reef and abundance of rocky structure, many different species are attracted to the area. It also leads to an excess of seaweed which sort of sucks… a lot. But, you can get anything from the typical corbina and croaker, to leopard sharks and bigger sharks, as well as calico bass, halibut, white seabass and more reef-fish.

What Can You Catch Surf Fishing La Jolla Beaches?

You can expect to catch any of the species listed in the table below, including corbina, spotfin croaker, yellowfin croaker, stingrays, guitarfish, and various other light tackle species. Continue reading the “Bait and Gear& Tackle” section below for some more info on this and other species.

For lure fishing, your best bet will be using swimbaits, as they work better in La Jolla’s rocky reef areas. Calico bass are the most common catch, with chances for halibut, sand bass, and if you’re fortunate, even white seabass. While jerkbaits can also be effective, swimbaits tend to perform better when weeds become an issue.

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

Your choice of bait should be dictated by your target species. Sand crabs will work the same as I’ve mentioned for all the typical species like corbina, spotfin croaker, yellowfin croaker, surfperch etc. Additionally, while surf fishing La Jolla, you have the option to use shrimp or mussel meat to catch species like calico, sheephead, opaleye and some other reef species.

If you’re going after calico, halibut, or even if you’re trying for the elusive white seabass, it’s best to ditch the jerkbait and use a swimbait. Refer to the details below for the appropriate gear and tackle for each approach.

Parking in La Jolla

Finding Parking in La Jolla can be a challenge depending on where you look. It’s such a large area that I can’t speak much about it. But, La Jolla Shores (can’t fish here) is probably the toughest place to find parking, followed by the children’s pool.

Where to Legally Fish in La Jolla

To make this one simple, I’ll just tell you where you CAN’T fish in La Jolla. There are three main Marine Protected Areas that we should go over. 1) the South La Jolla State Marine Reserve, 2) the Matlahuayl State Marine Reserve, and 3) the San Diego – Scripps Coastal State Marine Conservation Area.

What does all this mean? Well, don’t fish between Diamond Street and Palomar Avenue (South la Jolla SMR). If you’re fishing Pacific Beach, stay south of Diamond Street. If you’re fishing near Windansea, stay north of the stair-line that stems down from Palomar Avenue.

Don’t fish the surf between Point La Jolla and Ho Chi Minh Trail/Box Canyon. If you’re really fishing “the surf”, you shouldn’t really worry about Point La Jolla, but for “Ho Chi Minh Trail” or “Box Canyon“, you’ll run into this landmark if you’re fishing Black’s Beach which will be outlined in the next beach section. It’s that big crevasse in which you’ll see people climbing down with a rope.

Tides for Fishing at La Jolla Beaches

La Jolla is an “any tide area” but some parts of La Jolla need lower tides. For example, Marine Street can take any tide, but some more rocky, reefy areas, can’t take more than a 4 foot high tide. Head over there, check it out, and you’ll see what I mean.

Type of Structure

I know I’ve already mentioned it, La Jolla is made up of a series of reefy spots and sandy spots. There’s lots of reef offshore as well which results in winter kelp growth and summer kelp die-off, often leading to lots of seaweed on the shoreline.