San Onofre - Kayak Fishing Adventures on Big Water’s Edge

flydigital · 05-16-2011, 10:59 AM

I tell ya, I still haven't yakked SanO but I used to fish the heck out of it when I had a boat, and surfboard-fished it all the time, including north to San Mateo Point. It's a bit of a hidden gem, the whole area, from the surf line to outside the kelp. Not much pressure at all, and you can find plenty of halibut and even WSB and the occasional YT (rare but it has happened). Bass fishing is off the hook of course. Plenty of bait as well.

I only know of a couple yakkers who go out there regularly. I think the surf launch scares off most people, as it can be "fun" many times but then again there are plenty of flatter days where it is a walk in the park.

As to where to launch, I personally would launch from the north-most area of Sano surfing beach parking area - Basilone exit (there is a deeper channel and not much surf past the shorebreak), but the guys I know who do this often always go down closer to the domes, near the south-most parking area. I think it's $15 these days for the day-use parking pass and it opens around 6am. The parking abuts the sand and its only about 50 yards to the water. The kelp starts around 25-30ft and goes out to about 60ft of depth. The kelp closer to Cotton's (San Mateo) Point, and the area just outside "Upper Trestles" where sand meets rock has been very productive for me in the past. Oh, and if you are out there often enough you'll find there are plenty of Whiteys that cruise the area. Suggest not hanging fish over the side.

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05-16-2011, 10:59 AM	#3
flydigital Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2009 Posts: 192	I tell ya, I still haven't yakked SanO but I used to fish the heck out of it when I had a boat, and surfboard-fished it all the time, including north to San Mateo Point. It's a bit of a hidden gem, the whole area, from the surf line to outside the kelp. Not much pressure at all, and you can find plenty of halibut and even WSB and the occasional YT (rare but it has happened). Bass fishing is off the hook of course. Plenty of bait as well. I only know of a couple yakkers who go out there regularly. I think the surf launch scares off most people, as it can be "fun" many times but then again there are plenty of flatter days where it is a walk in the park. As to where to launch, I personally would launch from the north-most area of Sano surfing beach parking area - Basilone exit (there is a deeper channel and not much surf past the shorebreak), but the guys I know who do this often always go down closer to the domes, near the south-most parking area. I think it's $15 these days for the day-use parking pass and it opens around 6am. The parking abuts the sand and its only about 50 yards to the water. The kelp starts around 25-30ft and goes out to about 60ft of depth. The kelp closer to Cotton's (San Mateo) Point, and the area just outside "Upper Trestles" where sand meets rock has been very productive for me in the past. Oh, and if you are out there often enough you'll find there are plenty of Whiteys that cruise the area. Suggest not hanging fish over the side.