About Carlsbad / Agua Hedionda Kelp and Reefs

The Carlsbad / Agua Hedionda Kelp and Reefs sit off San Diego along an outer-exposed drop-off, where a rocky bottom falls from roughly 100 to 600 feet beneath open water and kelp. This structure holds Yellowtail through their July to September peak, with anglers working live sardines, mackerel, and anchovies over the reef and switching to yo-yo jigging with heavy iron along the deeper edges. White Seabass move through in the March to July window and respond to live squid, sardine, or mackerel, while Calico Bass fish best in June and July on plastics fished on leadheads across the shallower rock. The deep rock lines produce Rockfish nearly year-round on dropper loop rigs baited with squid, mackerel strips, or anchovies, and Lingcod hold through the October to February stretch for vertical jigging with heavy iron and metal jigs. California Barracuda work the surface from April to September, taken by trolling diving plugs, feathers, and spoons over the exposed structure.