Hi gents-
Casted out from shore next to the edge of the Sandpiper Golf course and managed to bring in two small leopard sharks and my buddy caught one too. We were using squid strips with a 2oz weight dropper loop. No luck on the plastics. It was high tide going low with water visibility at clear. Are leopards common to be hanging out close to shore? Just wondering cuz I never seen 3 consectively come out...

Nothing else was biting. Normally a great calico and other bass spot up and down that beach but just ran across the sharks...

Leopards seem pretty common out there. I was out on the yak a couple of weeks ago and a guy caught about a 4 footer from the surf. It was the biggest leopard I'd ever seen.
Another Brian

Where is Sandpiper Golf Course?

Thanks.

Sandpiper is at the end of Hollister ave. Winchester canyon exit in Goleta.
Another Brian

Anyone ever try any surf fishing spots south of Gaviota? I met a guy recently who worked at the refinery at Gaviota and he told me he goes fishing out in front of the facility at lunch. He said he uses a 9 foot pole with light test casting spinning lures. He said he caught legal halibut often (and he stessed often) using this method. Said he lost of tackle this way but always catches fish. Either he was pulling my leg or else it is a good fishing spot. Anyway, does anyone know if there is public access to the beach in front of Gaviota refinery?

I know ther is a little dirt parking lot next to the freeway just south of the refinery. I think it is called San Onofre. No this is not the San Onofre in Orange County, just incase anyone was wondering. There is a trail leading to the beach there. You could just walk north from there. It is not very far.

Another Brian

Went to check that beach out for flyfishing and the seaweed in the surf was to thick. The real problem I noticed as I spooled up my line to leave I noticed two guys chasing each other and they were naked! I saw some more guys as I ran to my van before anyone recognized it as being parked at a Gay beach. Almost got run over by an Amtrak train doing 60. They are really quiet! Capt.Carl

Um.... What train track are you talking about? Hmmm... There isn't a nude beach that I am aware of... Maybe the planets are aligned in such a way that people feel the need to fish nude?

Sorry to hear about that- you must have made a wrong turn and ended up on the Hershey Highway!

Yeah I have actually heard that is a nude beach down there. Never been down there so I wasn't sure. I was crossing the tracks at Trestles one time with my dive gear on, only to look up and see an Amtrack like 50 yards away. They are indeed very quiet. Ever try and move fast in full dive gear. Not very fun.
Another Brian

Guys, you have your site mixed up big time. I grew up in goleta and have spent hundreds, maybe thousands of days at the beach areas from naples to IV and there are no tracks NEXT to the beach anywhere along that run with the possible exception of Driftwood beach but even there it is about 500 yards to the trestles from the beach. The tracks do run parallel to the beaches along there but they are no where to be found near sandpiper, they run along 101. The golf course is on the beach, not the tracks. As for the gay guys, I bet you that you were further up the coast near gaviota, thats where the nudey/gay beaches are. when I was a kid surfing this area, the whole beach scene was nudey, lots of hippy chicks and guys just hanging out au natural, hell, we used to surf naked ourselves. Next time, grab your rod and keep fishing,

I am aware of the geographics too. There is no train track that you cross to get to that beach and I have yet to see a nude person there. It's approximately 1.5 miles from the Costco/Kmart shopping area off Hollister Road. (A great area for fishing tackle) <JUST KIDDING> The only time I fish there is late spring to the end of summer. I liked the spot because it's semi remote and the beach is accessible to surf cast from. The seaweed provides great cover for the fish. I have been blessed by catching wonderful legal sized calico's and cabazon. On the latest excursion we ran across leopards which I deemed unusual.

I believe the previous poster is confused with Haskels or Gaviota Beach/Pier wear you do have to get past the train tracks to enter.

Ok guys broomstick and frank. If you read all the posts on this thread you would have realized that we were no longer talking about Sandpiper. See post #4 We are talking about San Onofre beach which is just south of the mariposa reina refinery. There are tracks that you have to cross to get to the beach. No they are not next to the beach but you do have to cross them to get to the beach. I too have lived in Goleta my whole life and spent countless hours fishing and diving all the spots from the hollister ranch to butterfly beach. So really we are not confused.
Tight Lines
Another Brian

Exactly, "Another Brian"... Indeed there are two different areas being discussed on this thread. The first area mentioned being the Sandpiper Golf Course area and the second being the beach in front of the refinery (Mariposa Reina?). And yes, there are several different beaches in the vicinity of the refinery where "nudies" hang out (literally).

Man somebody says nude beach and people come out of the woodworks.... Hmmmm

Sorry guys, looks like I got lost in the series of emails. Glad to know Sandpiper and the beach below are still hetero. In fact, that entire stretch on down to Haskells is now family time, hard to believe that we had it to ourselves for all the sixties and most of the seventies, my mom only went down there once to chase us back to school, the rest of the time it was empty except for a summer swell when as someone said, the surf rats came out of the woodworks to hit the beach breaks. We did fish Haskells pier when it was an L shape and had great calico fishing all along it due to the huge kelp bed that wrapped around it and along the beach at Haskells. Calicos to 10 pounds were pretty common then.
Great to see a local board for Goleta and SB, keep up the postings..

Former Haskells Hilton guest.