For some reason every year around this time I get a strong urge to go rock cod fishing.  In San Diego, we are so lucky to have the Santa Ana winds that bring the most beautiful weather that you can imagine.  The ocean lays down, the air temperature warms up to about 75 degrees, and the air is so clear that you can see San Clemente Island which is 60 miles away.  When this happens, the conditions are perfect for a cod run.



My co-worker Carl and I fished today out behind the Coronado Islands.  We left Fisherman's Landing at 7:00, got a tank of sardines, and left the point.  The ocean was so beautiful today with no swell and just enough breeze to tickle the back of you neck. 

We were a half a mile short of our first structure spot when a new rock appeared on the Furuno.  It rose steeply 15 feet from the bottom in 275 feet of water.  There were some nice fish marks on it to boot.  After punching the way point into the GPS we set up for our first drop.

Carl hooked a fish almost immediately and I followed up a moment later.  The game was on.  On the second drop my rod went bendo hard.  When the fish approached the surface it was a nice triple on reds.  We were starting to grow fond of our new rock.



It went on this way for the next hour or so until we had our Mexican limit of reds and a few misc. rockfish, including Carl's toad chucklehead.



The reds that we caught were of good quality, with many going over 3 pounds.




Before we headed in we spent a few minutes filleting the fish and putting them back on ice.  We took care of the boys at the bait receivers and some of the crew at the landing with some fresh fillets.  The rest went home with Carl and I.  Needless to say dinner was awesome tonight! 

Each day spent on the water is special, whether chasing marlin, tuna, or just cranking up some nice cod on a sunny winter day.



Good luck on your next adventure!

Doug