October 1997
Southern California
Imperial Beach Pier - John Munoz, at Cox Bait & Tackle, says things are about the same. A few Pacific mackerel and bass out toward the end and yellowfin croakers and surfperch in the inshore areas. The mackerel and bass are falling to anchovies while the croakers and perch are hitting on mussels, ghost shrimp and bloodworms. Although the water has been a little choppy, anglers continue to haul in fish.Ocean Beach Pier - Steve, at the Ocean Beach Bait Shop, reports that action has been interesting the past few weeks. Leading the list of fish have been smallish sized yellowtail (6-7 pounds) that have been taken almost daily. Most have been caught on live mackerel and they join a few bonito and the daily dose of mackerel. Mid-pier and mid-depth areas are yielding lots of queenfish while inshore, yellowfin croaker continue to show up in good numbers. Sharks and rays are also active although most have been on the small side lately. Water continues to be rough and dirty from Baja's hurricane Nora.
Crystal Pier - Ben Szu reports that he visited the pier but returned home fishless. He did catch some under-sized bass and halibut but did his duty and returned them to the water. He also saw a bucket of small croakers and some mackerel but that was about all. Hang in there Ben, the big one is on its way to your line.
Ferry Landing Pier (Coronado) - Coronado - Ritchie Reano, reports that " fishing is still good at the Ferry Landing. The bass fishing, both in number and size have been decreasing. Mackerel runs are consistent with the early morning and late evening hours being the most productive. Halibut continue to be caught almost every day although most are undersize. Yellowfin croakers can be caught if targeted with ghost shrimp or mussels. An occasional sargo sometimes shows up. One good fishing afternoon during the month for me produced 3 undersize halibut, 2 legal bass, 1 bat ray, and a softball size octopus. All returned to the water. I saw one bonito landed recently using a feather jig/splasher combo. No others to speak of. For those looking for ghost shrimp, there seems to be a good bed of them north west of the pier." A great report Ritchie!
Shelter Island Pier - The good folks at the Shelter Island Pier Bait & Tackle shop report that the bay has been rough and fishing has been somewhat slow -- although a 3 1/2 pound sand bass was caught just before I called. The usual list -- mackerel, bass, yellowfin croaker and perch lead the list followed by a few sharks and rays.
Oceanside Pier - George, at the Oceanside Pier Bait & Tackle shop, reports huge waves and dirty water has hurt fishing. Before the storm the mackerel and bonito were plentiful but they've now headed out to cleaner water. There do continue to be lots of yellowfin croakers and white seabass around but most are too small to keep. One idiot had a bucket full of about 30-40 small, baby sized yellowfin croaker as we spoke on the phone but the game warden was headed down to the pier. Sportsmen have also been keeping 12-13 inch, recently-released white seabass even though the minimum length is 28 inches. PEOPLE, please follow the laws!!!
San Clemente Pier - Kamal, at the Pier Tackle shop, reports that the pier had no problems from the storm although there were 7-foot waves and there is still a lot of grass in the water. Most recent action has been on mackerel with a few bonito joining into the fun when they see the anglers becoming bored. Inshore, the regulars continue to pull in lots of yellowfin croaker and spotfin croaker on fresh mussels and ghost shrimp. One angler did pull in a 60-pound black sea bass (which was returned to the water). Shark action has been slow. Finally, lobster season just opened and Kamal says most families are averaging 6-7 spiny lobster each night.
Aliso Beach Pier - Barbara, at the Seaside Cafe on the foot of the pier, reports the same old thing -- mackerel and jacksmelt together with a dab of this and a dab of that. A little dab will do you.
Newport Pier - Bombermom reports she took her kids fishing at the pier just before Hurricane Linda. Although the waves were huge that day, she says: " I could hardly believe it! People were hauling in huge mackerels like crazy!!! My son's girlfriend caught one 17" long! That was not uncommon, either. People had loads of them that size. We fished from 7:15 a.m. until 6:00 p.m. We had so much fun! One guy got a two-foot shark. I also caught a bass and so did another lady. I landed 16 and lost 4 on the way up. It was a great day!" Thanks for the report Bombermom!!!
Seal Beach Pier - Bob, at the Seal Beach Sportfishing shop, reports huge swells and dirty water but also says that anglers continue to land fish. Topping the list are yellowfin croakers, sargo, and spotfin croaker. All are hitting in the inshore areas and they fall for the usual -- fresh mussels, ghost shrimp or bloodworms. At the end, anglers continue to haul in mackerel but there haven't been any bonito. Night time hours continue to yield up sharks, mainly sand sharks (shovelnose guitarfish or banjo sharks).
Belmont Pier - Mel, at the Belmont Pier Sportfishing shop, says that anglers are primarily pulling in a mix of mackerel, jacksmelt and sardines, especially sardines. Almost all are being caught on Lucky Lura type bait rigs. At night, anglers continue to pull in large yellowfin croakers and a few sharks and rays. Mel says the water is very dirty, almost like a red tide, and there is a lot of debris which washed down from the Los Angeles River (due to the recent tropical-storm type conditions). Mel also says there have been a number of threadfin shad landed recently which he attributes to the El Nino conditions. (These fish are common to Central America and considered rare in ocean waters -- although they have been reported from the Long Beach Harbor in the past).
Cabrillo Pier - Closed for repairs.
Hermosa Beach Pier - Things have slowed according to Don, at Just Fishing by Pete. Nothing is really hot although fishermen continue to land a few sargo, an occasional legal halibut, some small to medium sized white seabass (on live mackerels or sardines), and lots of mackerel. Some yellowfin croaker continue to grab baits inshore, while a few sharks, mostly leopards, continue to fall to squid fishermen. The pier is still scheduled to close in October for repair.
Venice Pier - closed for repairs.
Santa Monica Pier - John, at the Santa Monica Pier Bait & Tackle Company, reports that things are slow. When the storms hit it just seemed to turn off the fish and the fish are just now starting to return. The highlight of the month was a 60-pound black sea bass which was caught by one angler (and returned) and a 25-pound beak-nosed king salmon that must have been lost. Other than that there have been a few mackerel, fewer halibut and even fewer barracuda.
Malibu Pier - closed for repairs.
Port Hueneme Pier - Phil, at the Hueneme Pier Bait and Tackle Shop, says that anglers continue to pull in lots of jacksmelt and mackerel on the locally produced Filipino jigs. Corbina are in the surf (although no one is fishing for them) while sand sharks (guitarfish) continue to be landed in fair numbers. Artie Mendoza reports that he uses the Filipino Jig at Port Hueneme. It gets him a lot of smelt (without any bait). When he tried putting some shrimp on the hooks, he got some decent mackerel at the end of the pier.
Ventura Pier - Cruise Kelly reported early in the month that he had visited the pier and caught small mackerel, jacksmelt, and a couple of queenfish. A second day produced good queenfish action together with a calico bass (kelp bass). A third trip produced some perch. Artie Mendoza reported a trip to the pier which included small mackerel, smelt and a couple of croakers.
Santa Barbara Wharf - Mike, at Mikes Bait & Tackle on the wharf, reports slow fishing. A few small bonito, mostly small mackerel, short halibut, and lots of small, illegal kelp bass. The only thing of decent size has been large yellowfin croaker and they're being caught all around the wharf. There are also quite a few big buttermounth perch falling to fresh mussels fished around the pilings. At night, anglers are catching bat rays, smoothhounds and leopard sharks but again, most are small. Mike continues to crab by his shop but says even that is producing babies -- 4-5-6 baby spider crabs each drop.
Goleta Pier - Boyd Grant reports that the halibut are finally starting to bite at the pier (he's caught 15 since mid-August). He saw one fish of 28 inches and heard a report of another 20-pound fish. Most of the fish are being caught in the mid-pier area. Boyd shared the secret of his success: "I've had great success dragging the bottom less than 20' from the piers. I use frozen anchovies snout-hooked to a 2/0 live bait hook tied to the end of 20# test and weighted down with a small split-shot (1/4" - how do you measure split-shot?). I cast to either side and let the bait settle to the bottom ... then I bring it up several times and let it settle back down before finally dragging it very slowly (4-6" per second). I hold the pole balanced in my hand and have to be extremely alert to when the bait is picked up - if it meets with some resistance I stop dragging and wait for the line to start pulling away before I set the hook. Works like a charm! But it is such an intensive effort that I usually only fish the hour before and after the tidal high. The advantage here is that (unlike still fishing with dead bait where, if you catch one at all, they swallow it all the way down making it somewhat difficult to extract from a short without severely injuring the fish) it generally produces a fish hooked through the side of the mouth which can be released without hardly any damage at all." Boyd also said his "biggest thrill of all was a 6 lb, 24" white sea bass (at first I thought it was a giant croaker)! I have never landed a harder fighting fish in my life ... it was really heart-breaking having to return it but I didn't think that even standing on it could stretch it to the legal 28" (even though there were several people who had suggested it). In the future I am going to arm myself with a Polaroid so that I can at least capture them on film." He also said shark fishing had picked up and that he had caught several smoothhounds and shovelnose guitarfish.
Gaviota Pier - Boyd Grant says things have also improved at Gaviota. One ranger reported a 34-inch halibut falling for a whole live mackerel fished out at the end of the pier. Boyd says he is catching a few legal sized kelp bass each trip and his brother caught a 16-inch, 3 1/2 pound kelp bass.
Central California
Pismo Beach Pier - Troy, from Sheldon's Clam Stand reports good perch fishing for fish up to around a pound in size. The baits: pieces of clams or shrimp. Regulars get them on grubs. There's also quite a few jacksmelt on top and bat rays and skates for bottom fishermen. The temperature hit 90 degrees last weekend at the pier but now fog has returned to the beach area.Port San Luis Pier - Rob, at Avila Beach Sportfishing on the Port San Luis Pier, reports that not much is happening. There are a plethora of jacksmelt and sardines, but no mackerel. Most of the smelt are being taken on Lucky Lura type bait rigs. Fishermen trying the bottom are catching king fish (white croaker) as always while an amazing number of starfish are also latching onto the hooks. Too bad the starfish aren't edible (at least no one I know wants to eat a starfish). An unusual recent catch was a two-foot-wide sea turtle -- which was released. At night a few shark anglers continue to catch a mix of shovelnose sharks (guitarfish), puffer sharks (swell sharks) and bat rays.
Cayucos Pier - the Tidepool reports that while action remains good on perch, both large barred surfperch and small walleye surfperch, most other species are slow. A few halibut continue to hit and several have been nice sized (37 inches and 19 pounds) but the numbers are low. Anglers were surprised by the appearance of a good sized school of barracuda which lingered for a few days but they now appear to have moved on to warmer pastures.
San Simeon Pier - Joe, at Virg's Landing, San Simeon, says that things have been slow. Mainly a few mackerel, some small perch, and a few sand sharks (smoothhounds?). Joe says water continues to be rough.
Capitola Wharf - Frank, at the Capitola Boat and Bait Shop, says things have slowed. Lots of walleye surfperch are caught around the pier, some barred surfperch are caught in the surf area, and kingfish (white croaker) are thick -- but that's about it. A few short halibut, some small bat rays, and an occasional leopard shark round out the action.
Santa Cruz Wharf - Andre, at Andy's Bait & Tackle, reports huge 10-15 foot swells and slow fishing. Anglers do continue to pull in lots of jacksmelt, kingfish (white croaker) and smallish perch (walleye?), but not too many quality fish have been seen recently. Still, a few halibut do continue to be reported, mackerel action has been hot at times off the left front corner of the pier, and a good run of bat rays was on for a couple of weeks. But, as said, the rough seas have slowed things down.
Pacifica Pier - Tina, at the Community Bait & Tackle, says a few king salmon and striped bass continue to be caught but the numbers are way down from those seen June-August. Kingfish (white croaker) are common, jacksmelt are plentiful, and small perch are thick but the rough seas and big waves are cutting down the number of anglers. Crabbing has been slow.
San Francisco Bay
San Francisco Shoreline Piers - Hippo, at Hi's Tackle Box in San Francisco, reports that things are still slow: an occasional kingfish (white croaker), shark or ray. It's basically been a bad summer at piers in the bay (which I feel may be due to last winter's torrential storms). There have been some unusual catches of good sized sardines on bait rigs down at the Fort Point Pier and Pier 7, and I heard one report of mackerel being caught at some piers.Berkeley Pier - Scott, at the Berkeley Marina Sports Center, says things have slowed at the pier although there have been reports of several striped bass. One report I saw in a local fish chat room said there have been a lot of sharks and jacksmelt along with a few croakers (white croakers).
Point Pinole Pier - The Angler's Edge reports excellent striped bass fishing at the pier. Stripers to 30 inches are being caught on anchovies while a 40 inch fish was landed from the west shoreline. Jacksmelt, sharks and rays are also being caught in good numbers.
Vallejo Pier - closed for repairs.
Benicia Pier - Mark Grim reports that "fishing is picking up here as many striped bass and salmon are being caught. The striped bass are being caught by using bullheads, bloodworms and anchovies for bait. The stripers have been caught in sizes up to 14 pounds. Lures have been the best bet for hauling in the salmon. Best bets are Mepps No. 5 and the Blue Fox lures. I've heard that 5 to 10 fish per day have been caught here recently."
Martinez Pier - Mark Grim reports that on his last visit to the pier he "was only able to hook four small striped bass by using cut anchovies and grass shrimp for bait. A fisherman a few feet down the pier from me was able to catch and haul onto the pier a 47 inch sturgeon. He was using grass shrimp with a sliding sinker set up. With the fishing action across the water in Benicia, I think that fishing should be picking up here. Sturgeon are always a possibility here. I prefer trying to stake out a spot at either the end of the pier (at the Chevron sign on the east end or next to the storage shack on the west end)."
Pittsburg Pier - Mark Grim says "action at this pier is really heating up. Striped bass and salmon are being caught here. The striped bass are being caught with frozen anchovies and shad. The salmon have been caught by using either anchovies or lures. Salmon are taking the anchovies suspended beneath a bobber. Try either the Blue Fox or Mepps No. 5 lures. Other fishermen have caught catfish by using clams, livers and mackerel for bait. Sturgeon up to 67 pounds have been caught from the shoreline near the pier."
Antioch Bridge Pier - Mark Grim reports that anglers are catching striped bass and largemouth bass. "Using either frozen anchovies or shad during an incoming tide in the morning has been a winning combination for hooking stripers. About 10 per week in the 28 - 30 inch range have been reported. The largemouth bass continue to be taken near the shoreline on the pier. Try live minnows and nightcrawlers for bait. I took my 10 year old son and 7 year old daughter (I haven't started my two year old out yet) and spent most of the time either unhooking undersized stripers or rebaiting the hooks. I'm looking forward to having some larger fish moving into the area as the fall season begins. We were able to catch several stripers in the 14 - 16 inch size but no keepers that time - but we had a great time."
McNear Beach Fishing Pier (San Rafael) - Gary, at Western Boat & Tackle, says that there has been some decent striped bass action recently. Quite a few stripers have been taken at the McNear Beach Pier along with a few migrating king salmon -- and a few fish are also being caught over at the Paradise Beach Pier. Anglers continue to pull in perch at piers along the Sausalito waterfront.
Elephant Rock Pier - closed for repairs.
Northern California
Spud Point Marina Pier (Bodega Bay) - Judy, at Wil's Bait & Tackle, says that anglers continue to pull in perch in the rocky areas and underneath the Spud Point Marina Pier. Anglers fishing near the Lucas Wharf report a few perch, occasional schools of sardines and jacksmelt, and some sharks and rays.Point Arena Pier - Bill Pettigrew, the Harbormaster at the pier, says that things have been slow with the rough seas. Still, anglers are continuing to pull in a few fish and it's a mixed bag: cabezon, sea trout (kelp greenling), an occasional keeper lingcod and a few rockfish. There have been some runs of Pacific herring, jacksmelt and anchovies, but usually the runs have only lasted for a few days. Anglers launching boats from the pier continue to pursue albacore and sportfishermen have landed as many as 70 on a boat. The fish have been fairly close to shore; in fact, one not too intelligent angler even took a rubber inflatable raft out for them. Even he managed to pull in a few of the long fins. Most days however the fish have been 9+ miles offshore.
Del Norte Street Fishing Pier (Eureka) - Greg at Bucksport Tackle says that the normal mix of fish is present. Leading the derby are perch, both pileperch and redtail surfperch, followed by a few halibut and a mixture of mud sharks (smoothhounds) and leopard sharks. As usual, Crabbers continue to pull in buckets of crabs. He says a few starry flounder are also being landed but they really aren't that common.
"B" Street Pier (Crescent City) - Linda at Popeye's Bait & Tackle reports that anglers are continuing to pull in good string of large jacksmelt and mackerel. Since most of the mackerel are running two feet or longer I would imagine that we're talking Spanish mackerel (jack mackerel) here. Anglers are also encountering schools of herring on some days and all three species are falling to Lucky Lura type bait rigs, sometimes sweetened with a piece of tube worm or shrimp. One angler also caught a sea trout (kelp greenling) which is a little unusual at the pier. The water temperature remains warm.
Citizen's Dock (Crescent City) - Jim at Euglund Marine says that anglers are pulling in pogies (redtail surfperch?), some small red snappers (rockfish) and lots of rock crabs. They're also taking some sea trout (kelp greenling) along the shoreline. Most all of the fish are falling to tube worms. Herring and jacksmelt are also cruising by the dock and when they do anglers are able to catch a few with bait rigs.
Thanks for your support and hope you liked the books!
Kevin Atwell, (Loxley, Alabama)
Richard Kenway (Flint, Michigan)
David Thornton (Mobile, Alabama)
Daniel Franks (Sparks, Nevada)
Gordon Holland (Vinita, Oklahoma)
Patrick Whalen (Canoga Park, California)
David Goings (Las Vegas, Nevada)
Joyce Evans (Suisun City, California)
Bud Raridon (Dana Point, California)
Ariel Blason (Walnut Creek, California)
and Scott Strickland (San Jose, California).
If you're a "pier rat," a regular who fishes on one of these piers, knows the ins-and-outs of the pier, and knows what is being caught, send me a message and I'll make you a monthly reporter. You may not make any money, and you may not get much glory, but at least you'll help make this the best pier fishing site in the universe.