Guides

• Free Fishing Piers in San Diego (No License Needed)

  Every public pier in San Diego County you can fish without a license, which ones are actually open right now, and what the rules still are once you get there.

• How to Catch Sand Crabs for Bait

  Sand crabs are the best surfperch bait on the West Coast and they're free, sitting in the sand at your feet. Here's how to find them, which ones to keep, and how to hook them.

• How to Keep a Fish Fresh: Bleed It, Ice It, Eat It

  Most fish that tastes muddy or mushy was ruined in the first ten minutes on the beach, not in the kitchen. Here's what to do the moment you decide to keep one.

• Surf Fishing Rigs: The Two You Actually Need

  How to tie the fish-finder rig and the high-low rig, and how to tell which one the conditions are asking for. Nearly every other surf rig is a variation on these two.

• What Size Sinker for Surf Fishing?

  How to pick a sinker weight for the conditions in front of you, why shape matters as much as ounces, and an honest note about the one type we don't stock.

• How to Read a Tide Chart for Fishing

  Why moving water beats high water, how to find the two hours actually worth fishing, and how to plan a session around the tide instead of around your day off.

• Best Line for Surf Fishing: Braid, Mono and Leader

  Braid or mono for the mainline, what pound test you actually need, what the leader is really for, and when a shock leader stops being optional.

• Beginner Surf Fishing Setup: What to Buy First

  What you actually need to fish a beach, what each piece is doing, roughly what it costs, and the gear you can safely skip until you know your beach.