July 1997
Southern California
Imperial Beach Pier - John Munoz, at Cox Bait & Tackle, says anglers are picking up a little of everything: sharks, bass, mackerel, halibut and a few corbina. Inshore species are falling to bloodworms while fish out at the end are hitting mostly on cut anchovies and squid. (I fished the pier during the afternoon of the 20th. Two hours produced 5 white croaker, 4 queenfish, 2 jacksmelt and 2 staghorn sculpin. I did see a few mackerel and a couple of walleye surfperch. I saw no noteworthy fish during the visit but I did talk to a bow fisherman who was intently watching the shoreline area. He had been getting corbina almost daily as well as a few leopard sharks. This is the only California pier where I have seen bow fishermen. Are there others?)Ocean Beach Pier - Vicente, at the Ocean Beach Bait Shop, says that anglers are catching a mix of fish. Quite a few sharks have been caught including leopard, gray smoothhound, sand (guitarfish) and soupfin sharks. Most hit throughout the day but almost all the leopards have been caught at night. Vicente says that the mackerel have slowed but anglers continue to pull in buckets of white croaker along with fewer numbers of spotfin croaker, yellowfin croaker, sand bass, calico bass (kelp bass), and sculpin (California scorpionfish). (I fished the pier for two hours on the morning of the 19th. The results were an unimpressive 7 salema, 6 Pacific mackerel, 5 queenfish and one strange deepbody anchovy (I think) that struck a piece of mackerel. Most anglers were catching mackerel but I did spot one angler with a kelp bass that must have approached 5-pounds in size.)
Crystal Pier - Benjamin Szu, our new reporter, says that he has seen a lot of mackerel, yellowfin croaker, smelt, and under sized sea bass at the pier. Anglers are also getting some rays and are landing a few lobster (which are illegal at this time).
Bayshore Park Pier (by the Chula Vista Marina) - John Lopez reports that a normal mix of southern California bay species were hitting at the pier at the start of the month. Included in the mixture were bass (spotted sand bass, barred sand bass, and kelp bass), yellowfin croakers, bat rays, gray smoothhound sharks, round stingrays, lots of topsmelt, a few needlefish, small halibut, and octopus. Why do I use the past tense were? John had to stop his visits and things may have changed! Why did he have to stop his visits? A gang moved into the area and one day John tried to stop a fight between a guy and his girlfriend. A noble gesture but now it isn't safe for John at the pier. Is it safe for you to visit the pier? I think so, but use your best judgment.
Ferry Landing Pier (Coronado) - I fished the pier late in the afternoon of the 20th. One hour produced 3 jacksmelt. Just as I was leaving, anglers began to catch mackerel on strips of squid. Anglers also reported that the action on sharks had been good lately; mostly gray smoothhounds but also a few guitarfish and bat rays.
Shelter Island Pier - Dean at the Shelter Island Pier Bait & Tackle reports that fishing is only fair at the present time. Anglers are mainly getting mackerel (on strips of squid or pieces of anchovy and mackerel) while bottom fishermen continue to pull in sargo, yellowfin croaker and sub-legal size sand bass and kelp bass. Best bait for the sargo and croakers appears to be ghost shrimp. Shark fishing has also slowed with only three shovelnose reported during the past week. The bonito run appears to be over. (I fished the pier for two hours on the morning of the 20th - net result 5 mackerel. A nearby angler, one of the regulars, was using ghost shrimp and pulling in yellowfin croaker one after another, as well as a few sand bass. Pieces of anchovies and cut mackerel on the bottom produced seaweed but no fish.)
Oceanside Pier - Charley at the Oceanside Pier Bait & Tackle shop reports one of the best runs of bonito in years, both as to numbers and to size of fish. Most of the boneheads are falling to bonito feathers. There's still a lot of medium size mackerel at the end of the pier and quite a few spotfin croaker, some approaching 5 pounds in size, falling to anglers fishing the shoreline. He says there's also been a good run of sargo inshore. The spotfin are falling to bloodworms and fresh mussels, the sargo to mussels. Only a few halibut lately as well as some shovelnose guitarfish and bat rays. He says he's seen 3 bat rays in the last week that averaged 60-70 pounds each.
San Clemente Pier - I fished the pier for just over a hour on the morning of the 18th. My total was 14 jacksmelt and 3 salema; all small fish, and all caught on a bait rig. Not too impressive!!! Not too many other anglers were present and they weren't catching much that morning. However, there were some fairly impressive pictures by the bait shop, and some were of recent date, so it appears people have been getting fish. Included in the pictures were halibut, bass, spotfin croakers and quite a few large sharks.
Aliso Beach Pier - Barbara at the Seaside Cafe on the foot of the pier reports continued good mackerel fishing and adds that anglers have caught a couple of good size bat rays this past week. Most other species appear slow at this time. She says people did enjoy seeing a few whales and dolphin recently. (I fished the pier for one and a half mid-day hours during the 17th. Sum total was 28 mackerel, 2 jacksmelt and 1 sardine; and there seemed to be a quadrillion mackerel. All of the fish were caught on a bait rig and none went over a pound in size. Most anglers were fishing on the bottom and going fishless in Aliso.)
Huntington Beach Pier - I visited the pier mid-morning on the 17th. The only fish I saw were mackerel and most of them were small. Anglers reported that yellowfin croaker are hitting in the inshore area during the early evening hours. I did have an excellent breakfast at the Ruby's Restaurant at the end of the pier - give it a try.
Redondo Beach Sportfishing Pier (King Harbor) - Chris at Redondo Beach Sportfishing says that things have slowed at the pier. The bonito have moved out of the harbor and although there are still lots of mackerel around they're all about 3-4 inches long. Good for bait but lousy to catch. A few fish continue to be caught on the bottom including calico bass (kelp bass) and opaleye but even those have slowed. People do continue to pull in a lot of spider crabs, especially out at the deep water end of the pier.
Hermosa Beach Pier - Pete at Just Fishing by Pete says that things would break loose if the anglers would just try the right methods. He says he is sure some yellowtail would be caught if anglers would use small, live mackerel on a sliding leader. But so far no one seems to want to do it. Lots of mackerel continue to be caught, on both Lucky Lura riggings and on strips of squid, while halibut offer sporadic action. He says he's only heard of two keeper halibut during the past week. Inshore, people continue to snag corbina (and he can't get them to stop) while night anglers continue to pull in sharks on squid.
Venice Pier - closed for repairs.
Burton Chace Park Fishing Dock (Marina Del Ray) - I fished the dock for a hour and a half during the evening of the 16th. I landed 2 salema, 1 large yellowfin croaker, one round stingray and one jacksmelt and lost one other yellowfin croaker. I caught the yellowfin on pile worms. I've had pretty fair action at this tiny dock over the years.
(I visited the pier on the 16th, a day after the pier Bait & Tackle shop had finished their 3rd Annual Father's Day Fishing Contest. About sixty anglers signed up for the contest that featured various categories (Game Fish, Sharks, Catch & Release) and prizes. Points were awarded for weight but different species were awarded different points per weight. A number of different species were caught including mackerel, opaleye, spotfin croaker, yellowfin croaker, halibut and sharks, but the top prize went to an angler who caught a 3 pound, 4 ounce sargo. The top catch and release fish was a shovelnose guitarfish. A good time was held by all and the shop plans to duplicate the effort again next year. More contests of this nature are needed!!! By the way, I had a chance to also hear about the shop's halibut tagging effort. Whenever an undersized halibut is caught, they try to get to it before it is returned to the water. A tag is inserted and then the fish is lowered back to safety. They've been doing it for about three years now and have tagged literally hundreds of fish. It's part of the larger Santa Monica Bay Fishing Derby which is sponsored by the Bourget Brothers.)
Malibu Pier - closed for repairs.
Port Hueneme Pier - Pete at the Hueneme Pier Bait and Tackle Shop reports that anglers continue to pull in a lot of Pacific mackerel and surfperch on the locally made Filipino jigs. There were also a quite a few halibut caught early in the month with several flatties measuring between 30-31 inches. All of the halibut were caught on live bait that had been snagged by anglers but the schools of bait appear to have vanished and less halibut are now being caught. Shark fishermen continue to land a few fish, mostly shovelnose guitarfish, but one angler landed a 5-foot thresher last week.
Ventura Pier - I fished the pier for an hour and a half on the evening of the 15th and caught 5 fish, none of which were worth keeping (white croakers, staghorn sculpins, thornback ray); I did lose one more thornback ray and a good sized spider crab that let go of the line about half way up to the pier. Anglers fishing with fresh mussels near the surf area were catching quite a few yellowfin croaker. By the way, I stayed the night at The Country Inn at Ventura. Just inside the entryway, high up on the wall, is the mounted carcass of the world record Pacific Blue Marlin, a 1,319 pound fish, 15'3" long with a 6'11" girth. It was caught in 1980 in Hawaii and is a truly awesome sight. Just think if a fish like that were to latch onto a lowly pier fishermen's bait - Yahoo!
Goleta Pier - What's going on this month with the illegal activity? A Fish and Game officer, in plain clothes, apparently did a little sting operation at Goleta last week. First he watched the action for a while. Then he put his badge on the front of his shirt and approached an angler. How had he done? No fish was the reply. The officer then asked to see inside the man's backpack and lo and behold there were three undersized calico bass (kelp bass) and one undersized halibut. The officer wrote out a ticket which the man then proceeded to rip up and throw into the water. He followed that up with a few choice words which I cannot print in this G-rated site. Ten seconds later the man was handcuffed to a pole, the sheriff was called, and shortly thereafter he was issued tickets for four illegal fish, pollution, and resisting arrest. DUMB, TRULY DUMB!
Central California
Pismo Beach Pier - Troy from Sheldon's Clam Stand reports that fishing continues to be slow although anglers are still catching a lot of small perch (barred surfperch, walleye surfperch and silver surfperch) as well as quite a few jacksmelt. And, the "regular" shark anglers continue to nab a few threshers a night. Troy says there is a lot of bait in the water, as evidenced by the number of pelicans and shearwater, but fishing still hasn't broken loose. (I fished the pier for one hour on the morning of the 15th. I caught no fish, had no bites, and didn't see anyone else catch a fish. However, the surfers seemed to be having a good time.)Avila Pier - I fished the pier for two hours during the evening of the 14th. Net total was 14 fish, all of which were small (white croaker, walleye surfperch and staghorn sculpin) with the exception of one nice sized barred surfperch. All of the fish hit on pile worms that I had brought down from the Bay Area. Anglers on the pier reported 6-10 halibut being caught daily of which 2-3 were keepers. All of the halibut were being caught on live bait which anglers had purchased from the nearby Port San Luis Pier (less than a mile away) and almost all the halibut were being caught between 10 a.m. and noon. My most unusual catch of the night was a whelk, a sea snail that decided to nibble on a worm. Unfortunately, I hadn't purchased any garlic or wine while passing through Gilroy. I've never had escargot out at the end of a pier (actually I've never had escargot at all although my daughter has weird tastes and likes the slimy creatures).
Port San Luis Pier - Dave from Avila Beach Sportfishing on the pier reports improved fishing. Anglers are catching Pacific mackerel on artificial jigs while barred surfperch are falling to anglers using bloodworms and peas (what do they think they are, opaleye?). Anglers have started catching a few halibut during high tides with almost all being caught on the live anchovies which are available at the pier 24 hours a day. Cut anchovies are also providing action on tomcod (white croaker) and people continue to pull in a quite a few crabs. (I visited the pier on the 14th but saw only a few anglers, and a few fish - none that were noteworthy. I did talk to Rob at the shop and to Dustin, a deckhand on one of the rockcod boats. Dustin's story was one of the most interesting of the month. The previous day he had decided to drop a 4-ounce Fryberger metal jig (scrambled egg pattern) down to the bottom in 140 feet of water. Imagine his surprise when a 3-pound rubberlip seaperch struck the jig at the bottom. I've heard stories of the perch being caught at such depths by commercial fishermen but it is a pretty rare occurrence for a sportfishermen, and especially on a hard metal jig!)
Morro Bay Wharf - I'm not sure who I talked to at Virg's Sportfishing, but they reported anglers are getting a few barred surfperch off the wharf using bloodworms, as well as a few jacksmelt on Lucky Lura jigs. Mackerel are still scarce.
Cayucos Pier - Glenda at The Tidepool in Cayucos says that most regulars are concentrating on halibut or on sharks. More and more halibut are being landed on live bait while those with the know how continue to pull in various types of sharks and rays at night. There continues to be a few king fish (white croaker) caught, and smallish walleye and silver surfperch, but the action is still somewhat slow.
San Simeon Pier - I couldn't reach Ann at Virg's Landing, San Simeon, but her backup reported that action continues slow; a few barred surfperch and starfish providing most of the action.
Monterey Wharf #2 - Frank Guarrera, at The Compass Boat and Fishing Supplies, says that anglers are finally starting to catch mackerel. Two hours before high tide to one hour after high tide is good but best is when high tide happens near dusk, then the mackerel go crazy. The fish are about half Spanish mackerel (jack mackerel) and blue mackerel (Pacific mackerel) and almost all are falling to bait rigs like the Pescador riggings. Only one halibut was landed recently but anglers are getting a few rubberlip seaperch, and are catching stingrays (bat rays) when fishing at night with squid.
Capitola Wharf - Rob at the Capitola Boat and Bait Shop says it is kind of slow, lots of kingfish (white croaker) and jacksmelt but not as many of the larger species. The pier is seeing a few halibut each week and a striped bass now and then but it isn't steady. Anglers still are getting a lot of perch, mainly smaller surfperch (walleye) using bait rigs, but also a few of the larger splittail perch (white seaperch or pileperch). Mackerel action has been slow, perhaps due to a swell that has been running for a few days.
Pacifica Pier - Tina at the Community Bait & Tackle says that fishing is picking up. King salmon have finally appeared and anglers are getting a few every day. The fish are hitting on whole anchovies fished under a float and are running 5-20 pounds in weight. Striped bass are also beginning to show and most have been caught on anchovies or Hair Raiser lures. Lots of kingfish (white croakers), jacksmelt, and a few rockfish although most of them are smaller pan-sized fish. Tina hasn't seen any halibut but has seen some starry flounder. Anglers at night continue to pull in a few sharks but they're mostly babies. It's picking up but still has a way to go.
San Francisco Bay
San Francisco Shoreline Piers - Hippo at Hi's Tackle Box in San Francisco says that things are dead, at least for the pier fishermen. Although there appears to be a LOT of bait around local piers, especially Pier 7, nothing much seems to be attracted by it. Shark action is slow as is the fishing for king fish (white croaker) and for perch. What gives? There was some muddy water and extreme tides but that should have cleared by now. I plan to fish quite a few of the Bay Area piers this next month so I hope things improve.Emeryville Marina Pier - Our new reporter, Mark Empey, reports good action on bat rays at the pier for anglers using squid as bait. He and a buddy recently hooked five of the hefty creatures in a couple of hours of fishing.
Berkeley Pier - Scott at the Berkeley Marina Sports Center says that the halibut bite continues unabated, 10-12 fish are being caught each day off the end of the pier on live shinerperch. Anglers are also catching a few striped bass (on anchovies and pile worms) and one 17-pound king salmon was taken this week. Kingfish action has slowed but anglers are continuing to take a lot of jacksmelt on pile worms and rubberlip seaperch on grass shrimp. Shark action has been slow although he has seen a number of LARGE bat rays caught recently.
Point Pinole Pier - It sounds like summertime type action according to The Anglers' Edge. Kingfish (white croaker), sharks, and rays together with an occasional striped bass or starry flounder. Anglers may even catch a jacksmelt or two when schools swing around the point.
Dowrelio Pier (Crockett ) - A visit during the month by Mark Grim, our new reporter for the area, produced only one 15-inch striped bass although there were a lot of bites and nibbles (he suspected from small stripers and bullheads (staghorn sculpin). Evidently the end of the pier is now closed off due to damage but Mark says there still appears to be a lot of moveable water and fish activity in the open area of the pier.
Martinez Pier - Mark Grim reports that action has slowed; although he's caught a few small striped bass recently he hasn't seen any sturgeon. He recommends fishing the west end of the pier and using cut anchovies for stripers, grass shrimp for sturgeon (and he's caught some big ones at this pier). He says that youngsters can catch a lot of small stripers by fishing on the marina side of the pier using cut anchovies and a bobber. He also mentioned that his kids get a kick out of the display of Joe DiMaggio's fishing boat which is located between the bait shop and the boat launch. A sign tells how the boat was a gift to the Martinez native from the "Yankee Fans in 1949." Check it out!
City of Benicia Fishing Pier - Mark Grim visited the pier in June but really didn't have any luck. The winds and currents were both strong. However, he has heard of a lot of striped bass being caught from the pier.
Antioch Marina Fishing Piers - ark Grim reports that although the two small piers here are close to deep water, and both produce a lot of sturgeon, it is also almost impossible to keep your rigging from snagging on the bottom. He is continuing to work on a floating type of rigging which might eliminate the snags.
City of Antioch Fishing Pier - Mark Grim reports that a lot of small striped bass continue to be caught at this pier although sturgeon action continues slow at this time. Most of the stripers are hitting on cut anchovies while the sturgeon prefer live grass, ghost or mud shrimp.
Antioch Bridge Fishing Pier - Mark Grim reports continued good action at the pier. His most recent trip saw 35 undersized stripers in an hour and a half of fishing. He said that throwing out a high-low leader, with two 2/0 hooks baited with cut anchovies, normally resulted in strikes before the sinker got to the bottom. Fish were also hitting on frozen shad and grass shrimp. Several legal sized bass in excess of 30 inches have been reported from the pier recently as well as a few largemouth bass hitting on live minnows.
Vallejo Pier - closed for repairs.
McNear Beach Fishing Pier (San Rafael) - The good folks at Western Boat & Tackle says that things are slow on local piers. The winds have been strong, the water has been muddy, and it just hasn't been good fishing. They have heard a few reports of halibut, and even a misplaced salmon, but overall things are slow. Perhaps a few kingfish (white croaker) at the McNear Beach Pier and Paradise Beach Pier, and some perch up towards the Sausalito piers.
Elephant Rock Pier - closed for repairs.
Fort Baker Pier - Dwight Hwang, our new reporter for the Fort Baker Pier, says that fishing for the smaller fish around the pier remains good. Lots of walleye surfperch and silver surfperch (or white seaperch) are being caught on pile worms or bloodworms. However, most action centers on jacksmelt and schools are swinging very close to the pier. He says he heard of one angler landing a halibut last week but salmon fishermen continue to go home empty handed. He also saw one undersized lingcod but reports huge schools of anchovies swimming around the pier...and says the ocean simply glitters.
Northern California
Spud Point Marina Pier (Bodega Bay) - Kevin at Wil's Bait & Tackle says that the perch have started to hit again after a short vacation. They're hitting around most rocky points of the bay and that includes the pier out at the Spud Point Marina. Most of the perch are striped seaperch but mixed in are a few pileperch, rubberlip seaperch, blackperch and rainbow seaperch - a nice variety, and most are falling for pile worms. He says there are also some big schools of large sardine (to about 12") in the bay just waiting for anglers who want to jig for them. Finally, he's heard of a few halibut being caught as well as lots of rock fish out by the jetty.Point Arena Pier - Bill Pettigrew, the Harbormaster reports a mixed bag. Most of the fish continue to be striped seaperch and sea trout (kelp greenling) but this month has also seen quite a few cabezon. Adding spice has been a few China cod, some lingcod and several octopus. No salmon have been reported to date (off the wharf) but summer to fall is normally the best time for those fish. (Most years will see these species caught every month but summer months should also yield some walleye surfperch, silver surfperch and an occasional calico surfperch. Some years also see schools of true tom cod invade the cove but they've been absent the last couple of years. As usual, best bait for most species is pieces of shrimp or whole live crabs and ghost shrimp - which you'll have to catch yourself.)
Del Norte Street Fishing Pier (Eureka) - The good folks at Bucksport Sporting Goods report that action is improving although it still isn't hot at the local piers. Anglers are catching jacksmelt using tube worms or shrimp jigs, while redtail surfperch have finally moved into the bay in good numbers. The perch will hit on tube worms and shrimp jigs but also fall to pieces of clams and cut shrimp. A few smallish halibut have been reported as have sharks at night. The sharks are a combination of leopards, brown smoothhound and spiny dogfish. Bat rays also offer some action and most of these are falling to squid baits.
Trinidad Pier - Glenda at Bob's Boat Basin (at the foot of the pier) says that not too many people are fishing from the wharf. Those that do continue to pull in a few perch (striped seaperch), sea trout (kelp greenling), and an occasional snapper (rockfish) and cabezon. Several people have been crabbing and continue to pull in quite a few crabs. The weather has been good but most afternoons do see the wind coming up.
"B" Street Pier (Crescent City) - The weather has been decent most days and anglers have begun to pick up more redtail surfperch at the B Street Pier. Anglers at the Citizen's Dock also pull in a few redtail perch but also catch striped seaperch, greenling and an occasional cabezon.
I would like to thank the following people who have bought books and thus help to keep this site alive: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
I need reporters for the following piers:
Coronado Ferry Landing Pier, L.M. Pepper Park Pier, Embarcadero Marina Park Pier, Oceanside Small Craft Harbor Pier, Dana Point Harbor Pier, Balboa Pier, Cabrillo Pier, Green Pleasure Pier at Avalon, Redondo Beach Pier, Manhattan Beach Pier, Burton Chace Park Pier, Paradise Cove Pier, Ventura Pier, Goleta Pier, Gaviota Pier, Avila Beach Pier, Morro Bay Piers, Seacliff State Beach Pier, Pillar Point Harbor Pier, Fort Point Pier, Fort Mason Piers, San Francisco Municipal Pier, Pier 7, Agua Vista Park Pier, Candlestick Point Pier, Brisbane Pier, Oyster Point Pier, San Mateo Pier, Ravenswood Pier, Dumbarton Pier, San Leandro Marina Pier, Fruitvale Bridge Pier, San Antonio Pier, Franklin D. Roosevelt Pier, Port View Park Pier, Point Pinole Pier, Angel Island Pier, Sausalito Public Pier, Lawson's Landing, Citizen's Dock and the "B" Street Pier in Crescent City.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.