BORDER BONANZA

FISH THE ‘PIPE’ ALONG MEXICO-U.S. LINE FOR GREAT SALTY OPTIONS

By Capt. Bill Schaefer

This past summer was, at least in my opinion, kind of slow for inshore fishing in Southern California. The calicos just didn’t go off as usual and the sand bass spawn bite was smaller and shorter than the normal wide-open bite we are all used to.

If the waters warm up, the fishing should improve. But you should always have some spots to fall back on. Natural reefs or rock formations or man-made reefs can fill that void when the other areas you fish go bad.

There are many natural areas and a few man-made ones along the Southland coast. One of my favorites and one that may not disappear with MPLA actions is what we call the “Pipe.” It’s a sewer outlet that stretches out into the Pacific Ocean from the Tijuana River Valley and acts as a home to many different species of fish.

The Pipe comes out of the sand in about 65 feet of water and continues out – about a mile or so – to about 100 feet deep and then forms a T on the end, where it continues out about 40 to 50 yards in each direction, so there is plenty of room for a number of boats to fish. The fish will hang out in different areas along the Pipe, so always try several sections of it.

Buffet Of Fish

Some sand bass and calicos call this home almost year-round and at certain times of year there are many rockfish and lingcod on this deepwater structure as well. However, for the rockfish and lings, make sure to double check the regulations before keeping any. It is an ever-changing set of rules. Usually, the California

Department of Fish and Wildlife will have updates on its website (wildlife .ca.gov), so check before heading out.

One of the first things you’ll need is the location of the Pipe. It is a fairly short trip from the Shelter Island launch in San Diego and not that far from Mission Bay either. At about 8 miles from the mouth of San Diego Harbor, it takes about 15 to 25 minutes, depending on boat speed.

Glassy winter mornings will allow you to put the pedal to the metal!

In winter, lobster fishermen will have marked the location for you with their traps. Rows of traps line either side of the Pipe. But for the rest of the year, when it is just more ocean out there, I will give you a starting point. The GPS numbers for about the center of the Pipe are N32 32 256, W117 10 767, but you may want to mark your own favorite section. Every area is a little different and fishes differently at times.

The Pipe can be a little tough to spot on your meter; you may even have to zoom in to see it more easily. It will show as a large bump on the bottom. If you are moving too fast when you travel over it, you can miss it. It will show the best when you drift over it. It rises up about 15 feet off the bottom and is about 25 feet wide. The higher the bottom setting is on your meter, the harder it may be to spot, so set your meter’s bottom setting to 100.

Most of the time there will be clouds of fish on it; some kelp stringers will also help you spot it more easily. Keep in mind that when you first meter over it, don’t give up if you don’t see fish. Remember, there are large boulders down there that can be holding fish in their cracks and holes.

Gear Check

For tackle, anything from a freshwater trigger or flipping stick to medium ocean gear works well here. Live bait on a dropper loop or egg sinker and leader bait rig is fine for rockfish and bass. Sinkers can vary from a ½ ounce to 2 ounces, depending on the current. There are a lot of rocks down there, so you will definitely lose some tackle.

Plastic swimbaits are superior for catching the sand bass and calicos that live here, and just about everything else will eat the plastics as well. With the plastics, since the hook rides up on the back side, there is a lower chance of hooking a rock and breaking off.

Where you can control a swimbait as you work it over the Pipe, a live bait will swim into the holes in the rocks and cause nothing but trouble for you. Golden or olive brown bait, anchovy or sardine swimbaits by Big Hammer, Reyes Swimbaits, MC Swimbaits and Western Plastics are just some of the great options that will work. Experiment with your favorite colors; everyone has a chance of finding the new hot color.

With plastics, a freshwater bass trigger stick will do great. For example,