About Del Mar / Soledad Canyon Reef

Del Mar / Soledad Canyon Reef is an outer-exposed rocky drop-off off San Diego, falling from roughly 100 to 600 feet along a steep edge that concentrates fish across a wide depth band. Yellowtail run strongest from July through September and respond to live bait such as sardines, mackerel, and anchovies, along with yo-yo iron worked over the structure. Pacific halibut hold through the February-to-July window and come to drift-fished live anchovies, sardines, or soft plastic swimbaits along the base of the drop. Rockfish and lingcod work the deeper rock, with dropper-loop squid and mackerel strips for the aggregate and heavy iron or metal jigs vertically fished for lingcod from October into February. Calico bass and California sheephead fill in the shallower reef, the former on swimbaits and grubs on leadheads and the latter on live shrimp, squid strips, and rock crab worked hard on the bottom.