About La Jolla Kelp Beds

The La Jolla Kelp Beds sit off San Diego, California, where dense kelp canopy and rocky structure hold fish across depths of 30 to 90 feet. White Seabass move through in spring and early summer, peaking March through July, while Yellowtail and Pacific Bonito fill the warmer months, with Yellowtail peaking July through September and Bonito June through August. California Sheephead and Calico Bass work the bottom and kelp edges through summer, and Lingcod and Rockfish take over the deeper rock in fall and winter. Live bait fishing with sardines and mackerel produces on Yellowtail and White Seabass, while dropper loop rigs with squid and mackerel strips reach the Rockfish aggregate along the harder bottom. Anglers targeting Sheephead work bottom fishing with squid strips and rock crab tight to the reef.