San Diego and fishing go hand in hand: The SoCal city offers beautiful, tranquil emerald green and sapphire waters, glorious panoramic views, and such stunning scenic treats. San Diego has a smorgasbord of diverse activities and entertainment for the entire family: You can go swimming, hiking, biking, snorkeling, cycling, sailing, surfing and so forth.

So where else would an enthusiastic angler choose to fish but here? It doesn't matter if you wish to fish the shores, lagoons, bays, piers, bridges or from out on the deep blue with a charter boat, San Diego will give you the very best of saltwater and freshwater fishing. With an armada of wonderful deep-sea sport fishing charters boats, you'll find a variety of ways to catch that monster of a fish you have always coveted.

There are a great assortment of fishing tours to be had in and around San Diego - some even offer the ideal three-week fishing adventure right up to the very tip of Baja. Wouldn't that be an experience to write home about? These set out from the San Diego Harbors.

On the other hand, you may simply wish to beach fish -- ah how delightful, toes squishing in the cool sand while you troll for speckled trout or Spanish mackerel. This is the life indeed, and does it not soothe the soul?

Perhaps you yearn to kayak out to one of the many tranquil lagoons, bait your line with a sand fly and try for bluefish. Whatever you choose, know that the fish are definitely biting, and the fun to be had in San Diego is second to none.

Note that the big game fish such as yellow fish and tuna are frequently caught further out to sea. If you are boating, try approximately 60 to 80 miles offshore. These fish are a prize to catch and certainly put up a good fight.

There are hundreds of large and small fish waiting to be caught in San Diego. OK I lie, they are really quivering with fear and sending SOS messages to old Neptune. But considering Neptune's age and his reputation for chasing bare-breasted mermaids, I don't think he'll be coming to the rescue in a hurry.

With more than 90 excellent fishing spots to choose from, I think you may need a little guidance if you have never been to San Diego. Come with me and I shall show you where you'll truly find the best fishing spots. Don't forget that you will need a fishing license for most areas.

CRYSTAL PIER:
You won't catch the behemoths unless you sink that line nice and deep, further out to sea. So cast well, my friend. Yes, there's a load of excellent fishing to be had from the piers. Many good-sized sharks are caught at the Crystal Pier, which is located in Ocean Boulevard and Garnet Street Pacific Beach.

Fish for barracuda or bonita, but don't be surprised if you haul in a good-sized perch, corbina or some croakers. Huge Spanish mackerel and halibut are often caught from here, but as I said earlier, you'll need to cast out further and deeper for these. There's a load of bait fish to be caught here. The Crystal Pier is very popular in the summer months. Don't leave until you have seen the stunning sunset; it's certainly worth waiting for.

OCEAN BEACH PIER:
Constructed back in 1966, Ocean Beach Pier has certainly poked its tongue out at "Father Time." It's aged well considering it has been subject to pounding 30-foot waves and some of the most brutal storms in San Diego's history.

This is where most of the locals fish and is there any wonder why? The views are superb, the fishing is great and the people here are so friendly. The pier has a cafe that serve the best pancakes I have ever tasted in flavors like mango and blackberry.

If you have no rod or bait, don't panic: The bait shop here rents poles and fishing supplies, lures and so forth. This is actually the longest concrete pier on the entire West Coast. You'll most likely catch some Spanish mackerel and blue fish, and there's a load of pompano if you use the correct bait.

EMBARCADERO MARINA PARK PIER:
Just down from the San Diego Coronado Bridge is a very popular place to fish, Embarcadero Marina Park Pier. It's located very close to the town center and a medley of excellent accommodation. It's quite a small pier, yet it certainly has an excellent reputation for being where the best fish are biting.

Being only 95 feet from shore to end, it is much smaller than many other piers yet certainly has seen some large catches. The terrain below is muddy bottomed, so be sure not to get caught in the eel grass. Near at hand is the artificial reef, which certainly attracts many species of fish.

Try fishing on the bay side: It seems to be the more popular area for calico bass, bay bass, sand bass, walleye, surf perch, spot fin croakers and so many more fish species. Try hooking into a smooth hound shark. Fly fishing here is also very popular.

Attempt to use ghost shrimp, blood worms and diced anchovies when bottom fishing. This will bring an abundance of mackerel and small barracuda to the line. Grab a curly-tail lure such as Scroungers to catch bass. If you are hoping to catch some croakers, note that they thrive on live ghost shrimp. For halibut, load your line with live bait. Too often anglers try to catch these using lures. Use some bread or raw meat to lure the anchovies. The locals actually use a mixture of corn meal which has been dampened. Try squid, as well.

Halibut are a frequent goal and these fish are caught more often if anglers used live bait. Use the live bait on the bottom with a sliding sinker. The next best bait after live anchovies would be live ghost shrimp or blood worms, then frozen anchovies or squid. If you wish to fish for perch, bait your hook with mussels or blood worms but ensure that the mussels are fresh. Most anglers use light tackle when fishing from here. Try a single A-1 hook with a small-sized twist sinker or split shot.

LAKE MURRAY:
Approximately two miles off the I-8, you will find Lake Murray which is deemed as the playground for some humongous bass. My son landed a good size nine-pounder, yet the locals say that 12- to 15- pounders are the norm. Use crank bait for frequent strikes. The better areas for strikes shall be within the reeds and amongst the rocky areas.

SURF FISHING:
From San Onfre right across to Imperial Beach, you will find some superb fishing areas. Look for the reasonably large sand bars. These are excellent fishing areas with relatively calm waters which will make for an ideal day of fishing.

Why not head on over to either Ocean Beach, or Oceanside for some great surf fishing? But please note that fishing is prohibited around the Marine reserve area, which is right from La Jolla Cove north down to Torrey Pines.

Shakespeare Ugly Sticks are the popular rods in San Diego for pier fishing and beach fishing. These little beauties are worth their weight in gold. Anglers who are 12 years of age and older will certainly need a license for fishing within the San Diego areas.

You know the best fishing spots now, so what are you waiting for?  Send me the pics of that mounted fish when you get back home.

 This tidbit of travel advice was revealed by frequent contributor Shenni Bubb.