Southern California
Imperial Beach Pier - John at Cox Bait & Tackle, says that not too many people are fishing from the pier; it's been too cold and windy for most of the regulars. The few that have gone out report a few barred surfperch but that's about all.
Ocean Beach Pier - No report this month.
Ferry Landing Pier (Coronado) - Rich Reano reports that things are pretty slow, about the only action is on jacksmelt and sand bass. Things should improve with better weather.
Shelter Island Pier - Buddy Hakes, at the Shelter Island Pier Bait & Tackle Shop, says things are real slow, the slowest that he has seen it in quite some time. A few spotted sand bass continue to be pulled in as well as a very few mackerel, but that's about all. No croakers and not even any opaleye. He says part of the problem is a lack of bait. No one seems to have live anchovies and the sardines are too big for the pier fishing. The weather is improving and he hopes the fishing will do the same. He reports that things are even slower over at the Embarcadero Marina Pier; all that is being caught is an occasional sand bass.
Oceanside Pier - Carl, at the Oceanside Pier Bait & Tackle shop, says that the water is a pleasant chocolate-brown color, just right for bottling. Unfortunately, the water is also cold and the fishing has plummeted. A few small barred surfperch do continue to be landed on mussels, and there was a decent run on 4-6 foot long leopard sharks last week, but everything else is slow. Most visitors to the pier are sightseers looking at the big waves. The day before I called the waves were up to the roof of the lifeguard shack on the pier, and frightening the brave souls who were dining out at Ruby's at the end of the pier. Luckily there hasn't been any real damage done to the pier -- knock on wood. Carl said the brown water is caused by mud from the San Luis Rey River which enters into the boat harbor, and shortly thereafter into the ocean, just north of the pier. Carl also said the main road down to the harbor has washed out, a significant event to the people who work at the restaurants and boat landing in the harbor.
San Clemente Pier - Priscila, at the Pier Tackle shop, says the pier is open even if few people are fishing. The pier was closed for several days but apparently only as a precautionary procedure, the only damage was the loss of one piling near the shoreline. Fishermen have reported catching a few croakers (mainly yellowfin and white), jacksmelt, and some barred surfperch but most other action is slow. By the way, the bait shop is only open on the weekend days.
Benjamin Acker reported that he fished the pier between the storms (and sometimes when it was raining) and it was a virtual white croaker festival, so many of the fish were filling buckets.
Aliso Beach Pier - Stacee, at the Aliso Beach Seaside Cafe at the front of the pier, says the pier is locked shut. She wasn't sure when the pier would reopen. Anyone know what the problem is?
Newport Pier - Shawn reported that on his last visit to the pier it was cool and wet but the sculpin were on a heavy bite. He also saw some jacksmelt and tom cod (white croaker) but nothing really too big, although he saw hits from two big fish. One guy got spooled and the other guy broke his 20-pound test line -- so some big critters were around. Said he also saw some gray whales, sea lions, starfish and a big crab (spider?), so sounds like he had a plethora or interesting creatures to keep the day exciting.
Balboa Pier -Benjamin Acker reports says he fished the pier mid-February and was rewarded with several sculpins (Californian scorpionfish) -- but he didn't see much else. Of course sculpin are delicious to eat!!! He also said that the biggest fish he saw this month was the 11-pound largemouth bass his brother caught out at a mining pit near Irwindale.
Huntington Beach Pier - Our reporter Audrey says it is dead city; some days there aren't any fish, even rays or skates. However, she says that if you're in the right spot at the right time you might get some small perch and there are usually some small croakers or tom cod out at the end of the pier. She says the surf is too high and there is too much mud. Hopefully the weather will improve.
Seal Beach Pier - Janie, at Norm's Big Fish Sportfishing Shop at the end of the pier, reports a good run on LARGE jacksmelt, yellowfin croaker and tom cod (white croaker) at the end of the pier. Most of the yellowfins are hitting on bloodworms, ghost shrimp, fresh mussels, or razor clams; the smelt are hitting on worms and pieces of anchovy; the tom cod are hitting on cut anchovies. Inshore, there are a few barred surfperch hitting on bloodworms and mussels. A few shovelnose sharks (guitarfish) and bat rays continue to hit on the bottom but almost all have been on the small side. The pier was closed for one day and there was some damage to the pilings and the boat ramp but things have been repaired. Janie continues to carry a full line of bait and the half day boat City of Sea Beach continues in operation (she limited out on sand bass the day before I called).
Cabrillo Pier - Tom Ran visited the pier at the end of the month and reported that the mackerel are still biting. He said most are being caught in the morning by fishing down deep, and the best areas were mid-pier to the end of the pier. White croaker are also hitting along with some large jacksmelt. The small smelt, which are excellent for live bait, are nowhere to be seen. He also mentioned that the beach which was on the ocean side of the jetty is gone -- the sand was washed away by the recent storms.
Redondo Sportfishing Pier - Kevin, at Redondo Sportfishing, says that there is a nice run on large, 2-3+ pound sargo, and that good numbers of buttermouth perch (blackperch), rubberlip seaperch, and opaleye perch are also being landed on the right bait. The right bait is live ghost shrimp and it's available at the shop. Most other species are slow although a few sand bass are also entering into the mix. The wintertime run on bonito has not materialized this year and they're beginning to wonder if the boneheads will even show up.
Hermosa Beach Pier - Don, at Just Fishing by Pete (near the front of the pier), says the pier is still open but the weather and the fishing remains bad. There are lots of good looking holes in the surf area for barred surfperch, but the perch simply haven't moved into the area. Further out on the pier an occasional flurry of mackerel, jacksmelt and sardines provides excitement but they're few and far between. The same with halibut -- it's too early for the flatties. It looks like the city is going to leave the pier open through the winter which means it probably will not be closed until next fall; however, they continue to lock the pier at dusk so forget about the sharks and lobsters.
Venice Pier - Anyone have a report from the rebuilt and newly opened pier?
Santa Monica Pier - Mannie, at the Santa Monica Pier Bait & Tackle Company, reports that there isn't much variety but there is a pretty good run of sargo with some of the fish hitting the 3-pound mark. Most of them are falling to fresh mussels. When the water has been rough there has also been good catches of yellowfin croaker and tom cod (white croaker); when the water flattens out the croakers move farther out into the ocean. There have also been an occasional bat ray and some leopard sharks but most have been on the small side. No mackerel, no opaleye, but a few sand bass; good quality fish but not much quantity. The pier did suffer some damage to its lower deck but mostly it was to signs and things like Mannie's bait pump.
Malibu Pier - closed for repairs.
Port Hueneme Pier - Andy, at the Hueneme Bait and Tackle Shop at the foot of the pier, reports that most of the action has been on jacksmelt and sardines out toward the end of the newly shortened pier; both are being caught on the locally-sold Filipino Jigs. A few shovelnose sharks (guitarfish) and banjo sharks (thornback rays) continue to be caught on squid fished on the bottom but the action isn't hot. Some pileperch do fall to fresh mussels fished around the pilings, small walleyes hit on pieces of anchovy, and opaleye are being caught by anglers who use green peas and moss under a pencil bobber. The biggest fish recently, and unfortunately they didn't make the February Report (so it really isn't recent), were three yellowtail caught during the first week of January. An unusual (rare) local catch, although out on the boats, was a 14-pound spotted cabrilla which had journeyed a long way from its Mexican home. Why is the pier newly shortened? Glad you asked. Killer storms a few weeks ago washed out the end of the pier, the end which gave the pier a L-shaped appearance. There was a time when the pier had a T-shaped end but part of that end was lost to storms creating the L-shape; now it's I shaped. I asked if the city is going to rebuild the end of the pier and Andy says the city is considering a new circular shaped end that would add additional fishing space. I hope it happens!
Santa Barbara Wharf - Mike Katz, at Mikes Bait & Tackle on the wharf says that he has been out of business since the first of February. The pier lost about 50 pilings and 150 deck boards as well as the NOA shack at the end and the fog horn. His shop wasn't damaged but everything holding the pier together underneath was damaged. Mike said he "was out there the day after the big one on Feb. 2nd and it looked like a scene from "Jaws." The deck boards were sticking up in the air with their long spikes sticking out like shark's teeth." Repairs are underway and were supposed to be finished by now but obviously work is still continuing. Good luck Mike.
Goleta Pier - Boyd Grant reports that it's been too wet to fish. He also said that "the entire beach at the west side of the Goleta pier is gone and half the lawn area as well -- now there is just a 4-foot cliff in front of the palm trees! " Well that's certainly not going to help the surfperch and corbina fishing!!!
Gaviota Pier - Boyd Grant says he hasn't fished the pier this month but he drove down to check out the pier. He said the staff at Gaviota is now parking outside the park for fear the creek will flood the parking lot like it did in "83 (?)." Great, here we go again!!!
Central California
Pismo Beach Pier - Troy, from Sheldon's Clam Stand, reports that the rain and wind are keeping the fisherman away although there are still some barred surfperch and jacksmelt showing up at the pier. No damage to the pier but lots of sand on the beach has been washed away.
Port San Luis Pier - Don, at Avila Beach Sportfishing on the pier, says that the storms have been damaging and that no one is really fishing from the pier. The landing ramp for their boat was destroyed by the waves and their boat, the Diablo, was nearly lost, but repairs are in progress. There was no damage to the main part of the pier itself.
Morro Bay Wharf - No report this month. I did hear the former 20-foot-deep channel into the bay has been reduced to a 6-foot-deep channel and that no boats are going in or out. Can anyone confirm that fact?
Cayucos Pier - Lorna, at the Tidepool (near the front of the pier), reports that the pier has been closed most days due to the winter storms. There really hasn't been much damage to the pier, but it has been closed as a safety precaution. It's too bad because the run on barred surfperch was very, very good. Some people are still fishing from the shore but she says they just about have to stand on Highway 1 since the waves are so large. Enjoy a nice wintertime fire in your fireplace, memorize every word of Pier Fishing in California, and mentally visualize the big fish you're going to catch next summer.
San Simeon Pier - Virg's Landing, near the front of the pier, is closed for the winter season so there isn't a report.
Monterey Wharf #2 - Frank, at the Compass at the front of the wharf, says there has been a lot of wind and rain but the past week has seen a fairly good run on jacksmelt and Pacific herring. He says local anglers are catching the herring and freezing them to use for salmon bait later in the year. Both species are hitting on Pescador bait rigs. There have also been some barred surfperch landed in the inshore areas and some rubberlip perch down around the pilings. One angler also landed a small giant squid one night (a couple of feet long) and one washed up on the shore. Evidently boats are getting the large and tasty beasts when they can get out.
Capitola Wharf - The pier reopened on February 27th after being closed since the 3rd. Ed, at Capitola Boat and Bait on the wharf, said damage from the winter storm included the loss of water lines, the lower landing, and one piling. They're hoping the landing will be repaired by the start of salmon season but the city decided it wanted to do the job -- which can be good or bad from my viewpoint. The city may have some funds available but who knows how long it will take them to finish the various paperwork and permits. As for fishing, Ed reported that anglers were catching some sand sharks and dog sharks on cut anchovies the morning I called (the 28th). He said there should also be lots of kingfish around but only three fisherman were fishing when I called -- and evidently they were fishing for sharks.
Santa Cruz Wharf - Andre, at Andy's Bait and Tackle, at the end of the wharf, says fishing was terrible until a few days ago. He feels that the tremendous amount of freshwater which came down the nearby San Lorenzo River may have diluted the water around the pier to the detriment of fishing. However, once the rain ended, there was an upturn in the fishing for perch and kingfish. He's also seen a few stingrays (bat rays) -- so things may be returning to normal. As for actual damage to the pier from the winter storms, 60 pilings were knocked out and a section of railing was lost one night. Still, considering the fact that the nearly half-mile-long pier has 4,700 pilings, it wasn't the major damage some had feared.
Piller Point Pier - Matt Shockney reports that about all that's available are lots of kingfish and some perch -- on a slow to medium basis.
Pacifica Pier - Joe, at the Community Bait & Tackle, said the pier was closed on the day I called; the waves had been hammering the pier and making fishing nearly impossible -- at least on some days. When calm, anglers were pulling in surfperch and kingfish (white croaker) as well as crabs.
San Francisco Bay
San Francisco Shoreline Piers - Hippo at Hi's Tackle Box in San Francisco says that the weather has been so bad that the waves are heading into the bay through the Golden Gate and the swells are affecting local piers. Most anglers seem to be moving down to the San Francisco Municipal Pier or to Pier 7; both piers are experiencing good runs of kingfish (white croaker). The little croakers will hit a variety of baits but cut anchovies are probably as good as any bait.
Matt Shockney visited the Municipal Pier toward the end of the month and manage to squeeze in 90 minutes of fishing between the storms. His message said he landed" kingfish, perch, sanddabs (a whole carpet of them) and this weird slimy pink fish" that he couldn't identify. Any guesses?
South San Francisco Bay Piers -Mark, at Sun Valley Bait & Tackle in San Mateo, reports that action is centering on sturgeon and kingfish (white croaker). Anglers at the Dumbarton Pier are catching sturgeon on mud shrimp, grass shrimp and herring. Things are slow at the Oyster Point Pier, mainly just a few kingfish and some jacksmelt. A few sturgeon are reported at the Candlestick Point Pier (but most of the diamondbacks are being caught in the deeper waters available only to anglers fishing from boats). A few barred surfperch are being landed on grass shrimp and pile worms while an occasional starry flounder may also show at the pier. The Brisbane Pier on Sierra Point is mainly seeing a few jacksmelt. Action on sharks and rays is SLOW.
Matt Shockney visited the Oyster Point Pier on the 22nd. Fishing was very slow, in fact he got skunked as did just about everyone else on the pier (one angler caught a smelt). He said he felt the rain may have put a damper on the fishing although regulars reported that the previous day had seen some 7-gill sharks and sturgeon landed at the pier. He says the water throughout the bay is very muddy.
San Mateo Pier - Closed until November.
Ravenswood Pier - Closed and may not reopen.
Berkeley Pier - Jeff Green reports that he has visited the pier a couple of times recently and has seen lots and lots of kingfish (and bullheads). He asked if they might be spawning in the local waters and I said you bet -- November to April is the time for the kingfish (white croaker) to spawn. That probably explains why they seem to be hitting so heavy up and down the coast -- and in the parts of San Francisco Bay that haven't been turned into a freshwater lake by the water coming down the Sacramento River. By the way, Jeff said that cut anchovies are the best bait with a few hitting on squid.
Point Pinole Pier - The Angler's Edge reported that anglers were continuing to pull in some kingfish (white croakers), sharks and rays.
Vallejo Pier - It no longer exists -- will it be rebuilt?
Antioch Bridge Pier - Our local regular, expert, and certified "pier rat" Mark Grim reports the following: "Fishing here has been very slow lately. I haven't seen very many fishermen catching anything. The water has turned a muddy brown color and lots of driftwood and other debris can be seen floating along with the current. Bad news about the old Bales Bait shop near the Antioch Bridge Pier. The store closed up for good on Feb. 15 and will be replaced by a new AM/PM mini market and gas station. Bale's had been a good source of live and frozen bait. They carried a full line of snacks and fishing tackle and also had a lot of Polaroids of recent local catches for customers to look at. This means that Antioch fishermen will not have a local bait shop that carries live bait -- they'll have to settle for grocery stores and convenience stores for frozen bait or travel out of town."
McNear Beach Fishing Pier (San Rafael) - John, at Western Boat & Tackle, says that a couple of anglers every day are hooking into white sturgeon at the McNear Pier but most are not landed. The people simply don't know how to bring the 30-70 pound sturgeons up to the pier (and remember you have to use a net). Many sturgeon are being landed on boats anchored just out from the pier. Some anglers are moving down to the Paradise Beach Pier to avoid the winds (since it is more protected) but unfortunately most of the sturgeon are out a little further at that spot. Also, since the North Bay is almost a freshwater lake now due to the winter time runoff, most of the saltwater species have moved more toward the Golden Gate or out past it. Evidently it's even affected the perch fishing at Sausalito which was fairly decent before the January-February monsoons.
Elephant Rock Pier - closed for repairs.
Northern California
Spud Point Marina Pier (Bodega Bay) - Laura Lee, at Wil's Bait & Tackle, says that most of the local shore and pier action has been on perch, especially striped seaperch. However not too many people are braving the stormy weather. She reports one young lad did pull in a decent sized sturgeon which is fairly rare for Bodega Bay.
Point Arena Pier - Fishing has been almost zilch lately with the rain, high winds and super-high waves. No damage to date but people simply aren't fishing from the pier. Perch are still there however -- really, I'm positive.
Del Norte Street Fishing Pier (Eureka) - No report this month.
"B" Street Pier (Crescent City) - No report this month.
Citizen's Dock (Crescent City) - Crescent City - Jim, at Englund Marine, says the wind, rain and rough water has put a crimp on any fishing in the harbor although a few die hards are still going down to the dock for crabs. It's been so rough the commercial boats haven't even been able to get out of the harbor. I also asked about the normal wintertime herring run but so far the little fish haven't shown up.
I would like to thank the following people who have bought books and thus help to keep this site alive:
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),
Robert Galvin Jr. (Boulder Creek, California),
Bud Raridon (Dana Point, California),
Ariel Blason (Walnut Creek, California),
Scott Strickland (San Jose, California),
Henry Chi (Los Angeles, California),
Jeff Green (Oakland, California),
Gil Sperry (San Clemente, California),
Joe Malat ( Nags Head, North Carolina),
Elizabeth Shockney (Montara, California),
Janet Fram (Rupert, Vermont),
Richard Brewer Jr. (Santa Maria, California),
Cal Mock (Vacaville, California),
Mark Spangler (Quartz Hill, California),
Barb Storms (Edmonton, Alberta, Canada),
Mary Silver (Santa Cruz, California)
Cristina Pelina (San Francisco, California).
Thanks for your support and hope you liked the books!
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.