Best Beaches for Surf Fishing San Diego: Tides and More

What are the best beaches for surf fishing? After fishing every beach in San Diego and many north of San Diego, I figured it’d be helpful to provide an overview of where you can fish the beach in San Diego. There are a few things you want to consider when trying to figure out the best beaches for fishing including, the right tides for each beach, parking, crowds, is it rocky, pebbly, or sandy, and much more. In this article, I’ll give you a run down of the best beaches for fishing in San Diego.

Table of Contents: Best Beaches for Fishing

• Silver Strand
• Coronado Beach
• Mission Beach
• La Jolla
• Blacks Beach
• Torrey Pines State Beach
• Del Mar
• Solana Beach
• Carlsbad Beaches
• Encinitas Beaches
• Oceanside Beaches
• San Onofre State Beach

So you might have questions like, “what are the best surf fishing spots in San Diego?”, or “which styles of surf fishing are best for the beach nearest to me?” These are tough questions, but hopefully having this guide at your fingertips helps out. Additionally, you can always book a guided surf fishing session with me too. Below, is a comprehensive list outlining some of the best San Diego County beaches for surf fishing.

Silver Strand State Beach

Overview of Surf Fishing at Silver Strand State Beach

Parking Info	Free and Paid – Free is typically easy to find.
Ease of Access	Very Easy
Tides	Any Tide is Good
Crowds	Less Crowded Than Most
Terrain Type	Mostly Sandy
No Fishing Areas	None
Recommended Gear and Tackle	Surf Fishing Gear and Tackle

Silver Strand is a state beach that connects Coronado to Imperial Beach. If you’re looking for an easy access beach with minimal crowds, it doesn’t get much better than Silver Strand State Beach. Before I get into the location, it’s a flat sandy beach that houses plenty of corbina, croaker, perch, guitarfish and all the other usual suspects. The structure you’ll be reading will typically be made of sandy indents (troughs, rips, scallops, and deep pockets). But, just because there’s no permanent structure, doesn’t mean it’s a bad spot. I’ve caught plenty of monsters at beaches that are pure sand… Continue Reading

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Coronado Beach

Overview of Surf Fishing at Coronado Beach

Parking Info	Free – Nearby parking can be tough in the summertime. Lots of options further from the water.
Ease of Access	Very Easy
Tides	Any Tide is Good
Crowds	More Crowded Than Most
Terrain Type	Mostly Sandy
No Fishing Areas	Two Naval Areas – Read Above
Recommended Gear and Tackle	Surf Fishing Gear and Tackle

Coronado Beach is one of the many flat, sandy beaches that San Diego has to offer. But, Coronado takes “flat and sandy” to a whole new level. It’s the one beach that I consistently cannot seem to pinpoint structure like troughs, scallops, and holes. It just seems like such a consistently flat, sandy beach. It could be because of the average swell direction given its angle, but all I know is that it’s tough to read the surf at Coronado… Continue Reading

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Mission Beach Surf Fishing

Overview of Surf Fishing at Mission Beach

Parking Info	Free – Harder Than Most
Ease of Access	Very Easy
Tides	Any Tide is Good
Crowds	More Crowded Than Most
Terrain Type	Mostly Sandy
No Fishing Areas	None
Recommended Gear and Tackle	Surf Fishing Gear and Tackle

Mission Beach is a popular beach for surf fishermen across the county. It’s known for the infinite amounts of sandy beach for all-purpose needs. Meanwhile, it’s also incredibly popular in terms of beach goers, which, for fishermen, isn’t the best-case scenario. When fishing Mission Beach, plan to fish the evening through sunset and maybe into the night, or the early morning until crowds arrive. The perch here seem to be larger than anywhere else on average and the… Continue Reading

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Surf Fishing La Jolla

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 Above
Recommended Gear and Tackle	Surf Fishing Gear and Tackle

La Jolla is San Diego’s “Jewel” when it comes to tourism etc. As far as the fishing goes, it’s an interesting option. 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 and more reef-fish. Just make sure you’re fishing in the legal boundaries… Continue Reading

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Blacks Beach Surf Fishing

Overview of Surf Fishing at Blacks Beach

Parking Info	Free – relatively Easy at the Glider port
Ease of Access	Difficult
Tides	Any Tide is Good
Crowds	Less Crowded Than Most
Terrain Type	Mostly Sandy
No Fishing Areas	South at Box Canyon – Read Above
Recommended Gear and Tackle	Surf Fishing Gear and Tackle

Black’s Beach is one of the most beautiful and secluded beaches in all of San Diego. The crowds tend to be minimal except during holidays and very sunny or hot days. The reason for its minimal crowds as well as stunning beauty, can be linked to the fact that it isn’t the easiest beach to access. Another “interesting aspect about Black’s Beach is well… it’s a nude beach, and the majority of these nudists tend to be old men with no shame. Nonetheless, Blacks beach makes the list of best beaches for surf fishing in San Diego simply because of its seclusion and pure beauty. To learn more about the fishing and which tides and tactics are best… Continue Reading

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Torrey Pines State Beach

Overview of Surf Fishing Torrey Pines State Beach

Parking Info	Free and Paid – Free is typically tough to find.
Ease of Access	Easy
Tides	Any Tide
Crowds	Crowded Near Lots – Thins Out North and South
Terrain Type	Mostly Sandy with Mixed Reef
No Fishing Areas	None
Recommended Gear and Tackle	Surf Fishing Gear and Tackle

In this guide, we’ll cover everything you need to know about surf fishing Torrey Pines State Beach. Torrey Pines is one of the best beaches for surf fishing in San Diego. It’s one of the most (if not the most) popular surf fishing spots in San Diego due to its ease of access and good fishing. Below we’ll talk about things like common species, type of terrain and structure, which tides are best, what bait to use and much more… Continue Reading

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Del Mar Beach Surf Fishing

Overview of Surf Fishing at Del Mar Beach

Parking Info	Free and Paid – Free is all street parking and medium/difficult to find
Ease of Access	Very Easy
Tides	Any Tide is Good
Crowds	Less Crowded Than Most
Terrain Type	Mostly Sandy
No Fishing Areas	None
Recommended Gear and Tackle	Surf Fishing Gear and Tackle

This guide will provide all the essential information for surf fishing at Del Mar Beach. Del Mar is one of the top locations for surf fishing in San Diego as you can find areas with easy access as well as spots that require a bit of walking (from the access point) to get to. Below, we’ll discuss topics such as common fish species, terrain and structure, optimal tides, recommended bait… Continue Reading

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Solana Beach

Overview of Surf Fishing in Solana Beach

Parking Info	Free Lot and Street Parking – Relatively Easy
Ease of Access	Very Easy at Access Points – Ramp at Flecther Cove and Stairs at Table Tops
Tides	Lower Than a 5-foot Tide
Crowds	Less Crowded Than Most – But Still Very Crowded At Access Points
Terrain Type	Mostly Sandy with Intermittent Reef
No Fishing Areas	North at Swamis – Read Above and Below
Recommended Gear and Tackle	Surf Fishing Gear and Tackle

Solana Beach is a beach city in San Diego County featuring beautiful coastal bluffs and numerous local beaches. Solana Beach begins just north of Del mar Dog Beach on the north side of the San Dieguito Lagoon and ends where Table Tops meets Seaside beach (near Cardiff) in Encinitas. In this guide, I’ll be over-viewing everything you need to know about surf fishing in Solana Beach. We’ll talk tides, common species, access points, parking and… Continue Reading

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Encinitas Beaches

Overview of Surf Fishing at Encinitas Beaches

Parking Info	See Individual Beach Sections
Ease of Access	Usually Steep Staircases Down To Sand
Tides	Below a 4-5-foot High Tide
Crowds	Less Crowded Than Most
Terrain Type	Intermixed Sand/Reef/Pebbles
No Fishing Areas	Swami’s – Read Below
Recommended Gear and Tackle	Surf Fishing Gear and Tackle

Encinitas is a beach town in north county San Diego that is known for its numerous quaint beaches below the bluffs. It begins at Cardiff Beach or Seaside Reef at the end of Solana Beach and Table Tops, and it ends where Grandview Beach meets South Pontos in Carlsbad. In this article, I’ll be over-viewing everything you need to know about surf fishing in Encinitas and all the individual beaches that make up “Encinitas Beach”. We’ll talk tides, common species, access points, parking and… Continue Reading

Carlsbad Beaches

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 4-Foot High Tide
Crowds	Medium Crowds
Terrain Type	Carlsbad City Beach – Sandy Tammarack – Sandy Terramar – Reef Pontos – Pebbly/Sandy/Reef
No Fishing Areas	None
Recommended Gear and Tackle	Surf Fishing Gear and Tackle

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 this guide to learn everything you need to know about surf fishing in Carlsbad… Continue Reading

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Oceanside Beach

Overview of Surf Fishing Oceanside Beach

Parking Info	Free and Paid – Medium Difficulty
Ease of Access	Very Easy to Mild Easy with Small Staircases
Tides	100 yards south of pier requires below 2-3 ft. Pier and north can take higher tides.
Crowds	Crowded by pier but low crowds south by rocks and houses
Terrain Type	South is all pebbly and backed by rocks/houses at anything above a 2ft tide. North is sandier.
No Fishing Areas	None
Recommended Gear and Tackle	Surf Fishing Gear and Tackle

Like many north county beaches in San Diego, Oceanside beach is made up of a few smaller beaches. From south to north, Oceanside begins at St. Malo Beach at the border of Oceanside and Carlsbad and ends at Oceanside Harbor Beach. Tides play an important factor when it comes to Oceanside beach surf fishing but so do a number of factors. In this guide, we’ll walk you through everything you need to know about surf fishing Oceanside Beach.

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San Onofre State Beach

Overview of Fishing at San Onofre State Beach

Parking Info	Free and Paid – See Below Per Beach
Ease of Access	Very Easy to Fairly Difficult (Varies Per Beach)
Tides	Varies Per Beach (See Below)
Crowds	Varies
Terrain Type	Pebbles and reef to the south / Sand and some pebbles (little bit of reef) to the north
No Fishing Areas	None
Recommended Gear and Tackle	Surf Fishing Gear and Tackle

Surf fishing at new spots and beaches is always fun, but it can certainly be challenging and a bit intimidating. In this guide, I’ll be over viewing everything you need to know about San Onofre State Beach surf fishing. Surf fishing at San Onofre State Beach can be great, but some things you’ll want to think about before going include the tides, your target species, the right bait, time of year, parking and more.

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Thanks for Reading

I hope you enjoyed my list of the best beaches for surf fishing in San Diego. Please let me know if you have any recommendations of other beaches and I hope this information helps you in your surf fishing endeavors.

Be sure to take a look at my reviews pages on “gear and tackle” and the surf fishing rods and surf fishing reels I recommend. All products are overviewed and explained in detail. If you have any questions about any of the items listed feel free to reach out to me directly at surffishingsocalsd@gmail.com. Or use the Contact Us page or post a comment and I’ll be sure to respond within 48 hours.

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