I had a wildly frustrating year of fishing in 2025 without a boat. I'm so convinced there are no fish in this county that I want to move somewhere south of Carlsbad the minute Alicia graduates nursing school. But since that's still a couple years out, I'm going to keep challenging myself around here.

Just a few simple goals to help me get out:
1. 52 trips
2. 365 fish
3. 1 new species
4. OC striper
5. local trout (one within 5 miles of my house, 3 potential lakes)

I'm probably gonna wait one more year before the next boat, although if a killer deal comes up I may swoop on it.

Anything come to mind for ya'll? Is this the year for pontoon part 2 for Timmy?

Decent trip! I'm sure he wouldn't have minded if you called the old guy an intolerable raisin.

I suppose I should head to one of the better stocked lakes in north county to prove my skunks are a result of Mile Square Park and not skill.

I ran down to the puddles in the morning and went to a lake that hasn't been stocked in a while.  It didn't take long before my strike indicator started bouncing!  Pretty much the cookie cutter stocker for these parts at about 2-2.25#.  Problem was soon as I was netting it a guy in a truck started driving by and parked right away setting up right next to me with his kid.



The father and son were really impatient and after 30 minutes of not getting a nibble, they took off.  Soon after a lady dropped off her old dad right next to me and he set up his snoopy rods close by while telling me how I need to fish.  He had that terrible cast with two hands that went into a one hand "hold the bottom of the rod" at the end.  It was tough to watch.  He was so loud when he talked, I realized I wasn't going to get any P&Q so I packed up and moved to another lake while he said "Quitting already, huh? Quitters".  I didn't have the heart to tell him it was all because I didn't have the patience to stay there another moment.

Funny thing was the next lake I was at and the Ranger pulled over to check my permit.  I mean I had it, but I wasn't on even a lake that was stocked for the last month plus.  I'm assuming the Rangers had a bet I was not buying my permit and was ready to get me.  The Ranger actually looked relieved to see it was from today.

I decided to call it quits and get home.  At this point it was "The Walking Dead-Santee edition" with all of the retirees and birders walking in herds around the lakes.  I'll be back later though..

I went home and went on the job hunt.  Not sh!t out there and it's getting really depressing.

I headed back to the Lakes with 2 hours until closing and went back to where I got the trout in the morning.

Two missed bites as I had to run to my rod, and running isn't what my body does anymore so of course they dropped the bait soon as I grabbed the rod.

As I was casting out, I saw a light colored fish coming straight up from the murky water.  I realized it was a dead catfish and I think I saw the moment where the gasses reached the buoyancy point!  I drug it over to shore and it was pretty nasty!



It was pretty nasty smelling, so I cast out and went back to the truck.  The Ranger was driving around letting people know to start packing up when I saw my strike indicator head straight to the guide!  That only means catfish!
It was a great fight compared to the trout and wow!  Another Blue!  I've been catching a bunch of them these last few months!





That was it.... I headed home with my first two fish of 2026.  Not exactly monsters, but not bad either.

Thanks for reading and until next tide!

Quote from: Dark_Knight_9C1 on January 01, 2026, 10:24:48 AM....it's been strangely warm and not windy the entire time. Ocean has been a lake with ankle slippers too.
- Keith

Yeah, it was weird.  With that east wind it was nothing close to land, but get out 5+ miles and the wind touches down on the water.  Weird heading in and having the wind in my face rather than at my back.

I hope you catch them up while you're there Keith!

Quote from: jrodda on January 02, 2026, 05:48:20 AMNice trip! Interesting to get that mako flurry going. Happy new year!

I'm guessing they were following the bonito.  Every year I've caught little makos, I was fishing for bonito.  Seems way too coincidental.

Nice trip! Interesting to get that mako flurry going. Happy new year!

Great start to a new year, a freezer full of fresh fish.
Happy New Year!

I've been at Doheny Beach campground since Monday and it's been strangely warm and not windy the entire time. Ocean has been a lake with ankle slippers too.
Hadn't done much fishing yet but will today now that the rain stopped.


- Keith

I was going to scrap the last trip of 2025 because the weather window was pretty tight.  I couldn't get out Monday or Tuesday and Wednesday was supposed to be flat in the morning but small craft warning by the late afternoon.  I know how that weather predictions goes on the morning you're supposed to head out.

The morning was rainy and storm clouds were on the horizon.



On the way out I had to do a slalom through all of the tumbleweeds in the bay.



Well, I'm glad I went.  The seas were only about a foot with no wind.  I was cruising on the open ocean at 39 mph and got to my spot pretty quick!  There were a few other boats out there past the 50 fathom line.

The spot was loaded... but with decent sized reds.  I caught my two in no time.



Thankfully I caught other stuff in between.



I had to reel up really slow and the reds would look great at the surface.  I probably descended 8 or 9 without any issue.



I haven't seen a Greenstripe in a while



Then I get SLAMMED!  I actually had a body cam that I turned on and fought it around the boat for 20+ minutes!  It was just heavy and soon as I started getting it close under the boat, it would shoot back down to the bottom in one hard long run.  Because it was slowly going around the boat and felt super heavy, I'm pretty sure it was a 7-gill.  As I finally had it about 50 feet under the boat, the line broke.  Ugh.

It came up with nicks in it, but didn't feel sanded like shark skin.  I'm still certain it had to be a Seven...



Then the water became alive!  3-4 pound bonito came up and started crashing hard but would sink out too quick for me to get to them.  I also kept seeing crazy splashing and was pretty sure they were sharks thrashing fish at the surface.  I also had some rockfish ripped off on the way up and knew it had to be sharks... until I saw a mako come up with my red and rip it to shreds!

Next red and he's on!  I slowly reeled it in and was about to tail grab it since it wasn't hooked but just wouldn't let go of the rockfish!  I grabbed the tail and it didn't like that and bolted.  I then noticed about 6 or 7 sharks circling my boat!  I just cast the iron out with a piece of squid on it and hooked up right away!



I tried using the lip gripper on him but message to everyone out there... A lip gripper doesn't work on lipless grinner.  LOL

I tail grabbed him to make sure I got my lure back and it almost flew out of my hands trying to take a picture!  One good shot and over the rail it went!



I was trying to get everything straight and looked out to see all these baby makos around!  I'm not exactly sure if it was the bonito or bait or chewed up rockfish that brought them in!  I cast a bare iron out and slowly reeled it in and other one grabbed it!  It was a little smaller and much easier to handle.

I had my phone set up to try and keep dry so I couldn't take any cool shots up at the bow.  It was raining pretty good at this point.



I threw him back and the sharks were still all over!  I cast out the iron again, but should have retied in retrospect...  Another mako on! 

I get him next to the boat and as I was grabbing his tail, he shook and busted the line!  There goes my custom lure!  Oh well.

I tied on a different lure but didn't want to lose that so I would cast and rip it in.  If a shark came close to grabbing it, I would yank the lure away from him and consider it a catch since I definitely would have kept catching them.  Then I had one beat me to the lure and I lost it... Ugh... I decided to stop at that point and limit my lost lures.

The bonito were gone and I just called it the morning since the winds started picking up... from the East which was really weird! 

Deepwater Rockfish limit!  Well, one was a whitefish...



I have to say, with that whipping rain in my face on the way back, it stung really bad!  I almost felt like I needed a face shield!

Anyway a successful way to end 2025.  Too bad I lost 3 jigs and would have loved to see what that big mystery fish was.

Anyone else get out?  I'd love to see your posts!

Nice! Some funky stuff going on with a couple of those but overall very successful outings.

It's been a while since I've been down to the puddles fishing, so I thought I'd give it a go.  They usually stock little stuff between the big stockings so I had no urge to get down there but there are still big Lightning Trout to catch from the last plant!

They just stocked lake 2 and you could tell from all of the people fishing that one.  Lake 3 had the next most recent plant, but there still was a few people on that one.  I decided to try the next lake and see what it had to offer.



I didn't get a single bite on the bait rods, but saw a boil within casting difference.  I didn't know if it was a trout, bass or Red Ear, so I cast my spoon out there and got bumped!  Two casts later and I was on!

Not huge, but a legit 2.25# trout!



I watched a kid catch a bass and some guys down the shoreline from me lose a trout but otherwise it was quiet and nothing going on.  I think the Pelicans and Cormies got most of these fish.

I was ready to leave when I saw another boil and re-deployed the micro spoon!  It slammed it on the first cast but gave me a shock when I netted it!  It looks like it might have been grabbed by an osprey.



I went home to grab some lunch but would be back since I paid for a permit and I was literally right around the corner.

I tried another lake to get a feel what was going on.  It was really slow until about 30 minutes before closing.

I got picked up and the strike indicator was in the water, but no one was home.  I put a new inflated crawler on and recast to get bit almost immediately!  Definitely a typical stocker that was under 2#.



But this one had a weird foggy colored head.



I think these guys are the weird ones that don't get all of the genes for whatever strain they are shotting for.

I then have another hit.  I get him all the way to the net and breaks the 2# test right at the shoreline and I consider it a Sportsmen's release.

Now the Rangers are saying last call and pack up so I slowly start reeling in my one rod that's still out there.  Well, I felt the trout hunt it down and slam it!  Last minute stocker!



This one also had an off-colored head.  Apparently, this last stocking was all of Santa's misfits!



Well, I say it was a limit with the C&R broken line, but I had 4 fish for the smoker... or actually one for the hoop net.  lol

I was planning on going back this morning, but decided to sleep in instead.  Maybe I'll try again tomorrow.

Thanks for reading!