Ep. 12: Nate Stilinovich on Local Water Breakdown & Depth by Species

Guest: Nate Stilinovich Hosts: Daniel Dahlin ([FISH]rx), El Charly, Luke Dean (Bait Slingers / Artemis Charters)

Nate Stilinovich is one of the most recognized names in South Bay SoCal fishing — consistently catching big fish on foot, on kayak, and at structure most anglers walk past. Episode 12, recorded live on May 2, 2023, covers his local water breakdown, depth ranges by species, a universal rod setup that works from the harbor to the park, and his personal bests across every SoCal inshore target.

In This Episode

• Depth ranges by species — Nate’s framework: spotties in shallow to mid-column water, sand bass to 25 feet, calico anywhere from 10 feet down to 30–50 feet in San Diego. The shallower the calico’s structure, the more reliable the bite — they hold tighter and less structure means less competition
• Personal bests: 19-inch spotty, 25-inch sand bass, 27-inch calico — notably, none of these were boat fish. Nate attributes consistent size to structure knowledge and foot-accessible spots that most boat anglers can’t reach
• Universal rod setup — Nate’s philosophy: one rod that can handle both saltwater inshore and freshwater bass without switching. He settled on a setup that covers 3/8 to 1 oz presentations from the harbor to the park. Reduces the decision fatigue of carrying multiple rigs
• Dark sleeper and neck breaker for inshore applications — Nate talks through how freshwater finesse baits translate to saltwater structure. The dark sleeper as a bottom-sitting presentation for calico in rocky spots is one he keeps coming back to
• Calico in rocky structure — his biggest calico came from shallow rocky structure. He’s found that shallower calico in rocky holds bite more consistently because the structure is simpler and there’s less water for the fish to retreat into
• Crankbait and jig in freshwater parks — Nate fishes local LA parks for largemouth and has applied similar crankbait and jig logic to saltwater bass. The same presentation logic — bang structure, deflect, trigger — works in both fisheries
• Fish Reps team and Kicker rods — Nate joined Fish Reps around this time, fishing Kicker rods and War Baits. He talks through the Kicker rod build and why the sensitivity on the slow pitch series surprised him for inshore applications

Beyond the Rod & Reel with Nate Stilinovich

The depth framework is the most immediately useful thing in this episode. Nate doesn’t fish by species and hope — he fishes by depth first and lets the depth tell him which species is likely. Spotties are shallow and tight to structure. Sand bass push into mid-column territory and hold on flat structure. Calico go wherever structure is, but the shallower the calico’s hold, the more aggressive the bite. That’s a framework worth fishing.

The universal rod conversation is underrated. Most anglers build separate setups for every application. Nate’s version: one rod that covers the range, learn it well enough to feel what’s different between a spotty bite and a calico grab, and stop trying to optimize gear before you understand the water. The gear doesn’t catch fish. The cast does.

Watch the full episode on the Time On The Water YouTube channel. New episodes every Tuesday at 6 PM.

Note: This episode was originally recorded as part of Is This Mandatory, the show that became Time On The Water. Daniel was fishing and building baits under the name Dahlin Baits at the time — the brand is now [FISH]rx.