Hey anyone know of any ocean action in the Santa Barbara area for tubin? This weather is too good...thinkin about heading south from SLO on Sat. and doing some ocean fishing from a tube...don't have much experience in ocean fishing and don't know the area around S.B. that well, so any info would be great!

Thanks,

Bryan

I don't think the bite has begun in SB yet...hopefully soon.

SB can be awesome for Tubing. Brian is right though, the bite has not started as of yet. The water temp is at 57 right now and should continue to rise through the weekend. The SB Harbor is probably your best bet if you are coming down. I am not sure if you plan on fishing artificials or live, but if you do plan on using live bait, the reciever is open until 12:00pm on the weekends. It opens at 7:00am if I am not mistaken. Another awesome place to tube is in Goleta. Either Haskells or Goleta Beach can produce some quality fish as well as a nice variety of species. You can "map quest" the directions to all 3 places and with this BEAUTIFUL weather we have been getting, things might start to pick up this weekend. I will be tubing the Harbor with a couple of buddies on Saturday morning. Hope to see you out. Take it easy.

Dblaz

DBLAZ'

One more question for you Ocean tubing pros.....I have a caddis
Nav. II tube. What kinds of gear (fishing,wearing) would you have that would be different from Fresh water tubing? One thing I have been thinkin about doing is changing for dry waders to a wetsuit...those piss breaks suck! ;P

Thanks for the info!

Bryan

It all depends on what you want to do...If you are going to fish with live bait you will need a live bait bucket. You may also want to consider a big net, and/or gaff. Another good thing to have would be a rocket-launcher style rod holder. A BogaGrip or other similar gripping device is helpful too.

You hit it on the knob with the wetsuit! It does suck to have to kickin in to shore to take a piss when the bite is going off! Definetly have a live bait well if you are fishing live. Those little yellow ones that they sell at the tackle stores dont keep the bait alive well at all. Try using a 5 gallon bucket with holes and a pool noodle wrapped around the top of it. This keeps the bait alive for longer periods of time. A bigger net, in my opinion, is alot easier to use than a boga or a gaff. Just try not to net the shorts or any fish that you do not plan on keeping. The net usually causes slits in the fins of the fish and that can lead to a nasty infection for the fish down the line. Take it easy and check out Pete's report on pierfishing.com. They did awesome on the Halibut this week and it does seem as thought the Hali have moved in!

Hey Brian.....Its on brotha! We are heading out in the morning around 5:30 am. Can you make it up this weekend? Take it easy.

Don

DBLAZ'

I was planning on fishing Cabrillo on Sat morning...but I may just come up to SB instead....What beach are you gonna be fish'n?

I agree with you Don about the bucket. I have had zero problems with my 5 gallon bucket. One thing to keep in mind is to attach the rope near the middle of the bucket, that way when the rope is tight and pulled, your bucket won't tip as much--I have lost bait this way. But that isnt' too big a deal in SB since the bait barge is so close. Instead of a pool noodle I used pipe insulation and it works fine.

I also agree about the net. A net is WAY easier than trying to use a Boga or a Berkely Gripper. I actually lost a big one a few weeks ago b/c I didn't have a net OR a gaff. I think the net is the way to go, that way the halibut can be safely released if you want to. I have both a net and a gaff. Another note on the net...try to get the kind that is made for C&R, it will increase the chance of survival.

Sounds awsome!..thanks for the info....Now I'm torn between going to Margarita lake for that bass bite or comin down that way and givin this a try....Yeah, what beach are you guys going to be at?
Bryan

Were gonna be at the Harbor. Same place we fished last time. We should get there around 5:30. High wont be until the afternoon, but that shouldnt be a problem. Maybe kick out a little further. I am definetly gonna hit the Sandbar this time. There are some sweet drop-offs over there. Just sucks having to kick all the way back over to the pier! Anyways, hope to see you out there. Take it easy.

Don

DBLAZ'

My bad. Bassin, we are gonna be fishing adjacent to the Santa Barbara Wharf. Right at the end of State st. Quick mapquest will get you there.I forget the exit you would take coming Northbound.

Don

DBLAZ'

Couldn't make it happen today ....Hope you guys had some great luck!....Pics????

Hope to make it down that way some time soon though.