California Pier Report
July 2023 Fishing Report, Southern California (#286)
Lobster season has now ended.
San Diego County Piers
Imperial Beach Pier – No report, need a reporter. A very short visit by myself on June 11, one in which heavy rain forced me off the pier, saw basically nothing except for smelt—6 jacksmelt, 3 topsmelt and one jack mackerel (Spanish mackerel). The same for most of the others although some were also catching queenfish (herring) and a gentleman right up by the gate at the end landed a couple of nice-sized perch. How To Get There: From I-5 take the Palm Ave. (Hwy. 75) exit and follow it to where Palm Ave. and Hwy. 75 divide. Follow Palm Ave. to Seacoast Dr., turn left and it will take you right to the pier.
Ocean Beach Pier — The pier finally reopened on Saturday, July 1 and we are waiting for some reports. How To Get There: From the north, take I-5 to the Sea World Dr. exit and follow it until it turns off to Sunset Cliffs Blvd. From the south, take I- 5 to the Nimitz Blvd. exit, then follow that road to Sunset Cliffs Blvd. Follow Sunset Cliffs Blvd. to Newport Ave., turn right and follow the road to the pier parking lot.
Crystal Pier – Although the pier is supposed to have a new bait & tackle store I have been unable was unable to contact it. Croaker should be hitting as well as possibly a mackerel or two. How To get There: Take I-5 to Garnet Ave. then take Garnet west to the foot of the pier.
Pepper Park Pier — No report. We need a reporter! How To Get There: From I-5 take the 24th Street off-ramp west to Tidelands Avenue and go left (south) on Tidelands to the end.
Bayside Park Pier — No report. We need a reporter. How To Get There: From I-5 take the J Street off ramp and go west. Take J Street to Tidelands Ave.; turn right. Take Tidelands to Sandpiper Way; turn right. Take Sandpiper to Bayside Parkway, turn left and follow the road to the park.
Embarcadero Marina Pier — No report. We need a reporter. A short visit on June 9 saw slow action for me. Nothing but 5 jacksmelt, 5 topsmelt, 2 small sand bass, 1 spotted bay bass, and 1 rock wrasse. However local expert Miguel reported numerous bass and several halibut. How To Get There: From the I-5 south, take the Front Street exit south to Market (just stay on Front Street, it runs into Market), take Market west to Harbor Dr. Turn left on Harbor Dr. and take it to 8th Ave., turn right onto Convention Way (formerly Harbor St.). Follow it a short block to 5th Ave. and the pier. It seems that with the new Convention Center the city is constantly working on these streets near the pier and renaming them; if you get confused remember that the park and pier are immediately to the southwest of the Convention Center. From I-5 North, approaching from the south, take the J Street exit, then go straight, three blocks up to Market, turn left and take it from there.
Ferry Landing Pier (Coronado) — Need a reporter although bass (kelp, sand and spotted) generally seem to be around as well as a mix of sharays (mostly round stingrays and bat rays). A short late afternoon visit by myself on June 9 failed to yield any fish except for one short 16-inch halibut caught on an anchovy. How To Get There: From San Diego, take the Coronado Bay Bridge (Highway 75) to Coronado. Once over the bridge you are on Third Street. Simply follow it to B Avenue, turn right, and follow it to the front of The Old Ferry Landing — the intersection of First Street and B Avenue. The pier sits behind the shops in the complex.
Shelter Island Pier — Marvin, at the Shelter Island Pier Bait & Tackle at the end of the pier, said it’s a mix of fish. Some mackerel are being caught, most on Sabikis baited with strips of squid or shrimp, a few halibut (one legal every two days) caught mainly on live smelt via a Carolina rig, and a mix of bass caught on anchovies/squid/ misc. baits.” How To Get There: Take I-5 or I-8 to Rosecrans (Hwy. 209) and go west, turn left at Shelter Island Dr. and follow the road until you see the pier and the entrance to the parking lot.
Oceanside Pier — Bill Litchfield at the Oceanside Pier said that the action has been pretty decent with good variety. Quite a few croaker (spotfins and yellowfins) and corbina have been landed and a croaker derby is scheduled for July 2 but all the locals are mad because none of the local shops have bloodworms, which lately have been the top bait. [In addition the south side of the pier remains fenced off so a derby is going to be crowded.] Recent spotfins included a 7-pound and 5-pounfd fish. Queenfish (herring) are hitting in good quantities, while some keeper bass and halibut (keepers and shorts) have also been caught. Bill says there are a lot of anchovies around the pier, which may account for the improved fishing. As for sharks and rays, a couple of thresher sharks were landed as well as some big shovelnose. Perch action has primarily been on walleye surfperch although some piling perch are also being landed. Bill did say the “June gloom” has remained with very little sun. We got a PFIC report from Sly tuna who fished the pier on June 20. He said, “Got to the pier around 10:00AM for a quick session today, armed with 1 rod, a 15 Gram slow-fall Jigpara, and a 2” savage gear 3D manic shrimp (Carolina rig). I fished for 3 hours and managed 1 mackerel off of the Jigpara. I saw people catching the occasional queenfish on jig, 3 or 4 mackerel, a baby leopard shark and the guys in the front got a corvina, a massive ~8lb spotfin croaker, and some smaller models. I’m really tired of seeing the croaker and corvina guys with 3-10 rods per person. There was no room to even look over the railing due to the amount of rods everywhere. Didn’t help that one side of the pier is still fenced off. I wish people were courteous enough to fish with only a couple rods each.” How To Get There: From I-5 take Mission Blvd. west to Pacific, turn left and follow it to the pier.
Oceanside Harbor Pier — Bill Litchfield in Oceanside said he’s heard of a few perch being caught by the inshore rocks but not much else. How To Get There: From I-5 take the Harbor Dr. exit off the freeway, follow it and it will wind down to the harbor; where the road splits stay to the right on North Harbor Dr., and follow it to the pier.
Orange County Piers
San Clemente Pier — Kevin at Hogan's Bait and Tackle (34320 Pacific Coast Hwy. says he hasn’t gotten too many reports from the pier. Recent reports have mentioned barred surfperch in the inshore sections (use lugworms or mussel), croaker (yellowfin and spotfin) inshore to mid-pier, and some sharks out at the end including leopard sharks and a soupfin shark. No reports of top action at this time. PFIC got a report from Fishman Fishman who reported on three trips to the pier. On June 15, he caught two large Sargo, one Blackperch and one Bat ray with 25” wingspan. The Sargo and Blackperch were caught with mussel on a Carolina rig. Bat ray caught with anchovy. He said he fished mid-pier. On June 20th, he caught one small Scorpionfish, one Garibaldi, one Salema, three Sandbass (one was 14 inches). The Sandbass was caught with anchovy, other fish with mussels on hi/lo riga. He fished the end of the pier and mid-pier. On June 28th, he caught one White Seaperch and several Topsmelt. The Smelt were used for live bait but no hits. Fish caught with mussel on Sabiki. He Fished mid-pier). A three-hour visit by myself on June 13 saw a catch of 7 jacksmelt, 4 walleye surfperch, 4 topsmelt, 1 white seaperch, 1 salema, 1 yellowfin croaker, 1 spotfin croaker and a shinerperch. Most were caught on bloodworms. How to Get There: From I-5 take any of several exit streets west to El Camino Real, follow it to the center of town, and from there take Del Mar down to the pier.
Dana Harbor Pier — Kevin at Hogan's Bait and Tackle (34320 Pacific Coast Hwy. says the main things being mentioned about the harbor are halibut on live bait and artificial lures, sand bass, and croakers by people using Carolina-rigs with lug worms. A short, two-hour visit by myself on June 13 saw the pier yield up 3 white seaperch and an 18-inch corbina on bloodworms. How To Get There: The pier is located in the Dana Cove Park area of Dana Point Harbor. From the Pacific Coast Highway take Green Lantern Road south to the harbor, turn left on Cove Road, and follow it to the pier.
Balboa Pier — Our reporter Snookie says, “Things have picked up. We are getting lots of good bait and sardines too. The morning seems to be the best time for catching or strikes. I have had so many strikes on good bait I can't count them. For some reason I am not hooking them, but it is fun. I know some have been keepers. Got a 15-inch sand bass a few days ago. He was delicious. My friend Lou caught a very large shovelnose yesterday. He ended up going around the piling, but not before we got to really see him. That was on a dead sardine. Tuesday a young thresher was caught off the end. Don’t know the details, but it was landed. Their method was rather crude using a large lure with treble hooks, but it worked. Not going down Tuesday as it is July 4th. I am sure it will be a zoo.” A three-hour visit by myself on the morning of June 14 saw slow fishing— 5 walleye surfperch, 5 topsmelt, 3 bocaccio, 1 lizardfish and 1 speckled sanddab. On June 6 there was also an unconfirmed report of a large Humboldt squid caught at the pier. How To Get There: From the Pacific Coast Highway take Newport Blvd. which will turn into Balboa Blvd., follow it west to Palm Street. Turn right and follow it to the pier and the adjacent parking lot.
Newport Pier — No report this month but the action is usually similar to Balboa. A one-hour, early evening visit by myself on June 13 basically yielded nothing—1 topsmelt. The end of the pier was crowded with anglers catching nothing. How To Get There: From the Pacific Coast Highway take the Newport Blvd. turn off and proceed west watching for signs directing traffic to the pier. The pier sits at the foot of McFadden Place.
Huntington Beach Pier — We still need a reporter. How To Get There: Highway 1 (Pacific Coast Highway) to Huntington Beach and the pier.”
Seal Beach Pier — Bat, at Big Fish Bait & Tackle. 1780-C. Pacific Coast Hwy, said most of the reports he has gotten are on inshore species with good numbers of croakers and corbina showing up in the shallows together with some barred surfperch. He said the hot bait is ghost shrimp! Out in deeper waters he got two separate reports on fish that were too big for the anglers to land. One fish hit on regular shrimp, one of ghost shrimp and they nearly spooled the anglers. Probably big bat rays? He said he hasn’t heard of any action on mackerel. PFIC got a good and detailed report from HookedUp! on a June 20 fishing trip. “After more than 10 months of no fishing (and missing the great Mahi-mahi run this past fall and the entirety of the 2022-2023 Spiny Lobster Season), I was finally able to head out to Seal Beach Pier yesterday for the evening. I had originally planned to fish at Huntington Beach Pier, but on my way to the pier, I noticed the end of the pier is closed for maintenance on the new restaurant that was formerly Ruby's Diner. Although it was a high tide, I did not have any mussels to fish in the inshore area, and the vast crowds of people convinced me to turn around and head for Seal Beach. I considered fishing at Newport or Balboa, but I decided to head north instead to avoid the congestion on the Balboa Peninsula. I thought about going to Belmont, but I was getting hungry and remembered the delicious El Burrito Jr. restaurant that sits at the base of Seal Beach Pier. For convenience, I decided to fish Seal Beach Pier instead, even though I did not see much fish during my recent stroll down the pier. I arrived at about 6:30 PM. After ordering an Asada Burrito, I began my walk down the pier. My setups consisted of two Cajus Baitcasting rod and reel combos, each with 10 lb spectra, and a triple dropper loop rig with a 6 lb fluorocarbon leader and a 2-oz torpedo sinker. One setup had size 10 mosquito hooks, and the other had size 6 baitholder hooks. Each was baited with squid strips. I also brought a PENN Fierce II spinning rod and reel combo with 65 lb spectra and a 25 lb mono top shot. This, I set up with a Carolina rig with a 3-oz egg sinker, a 12 lb fluorocarbon leader, and a 2/O live bait hook. I also brought a Promar non-collapsible lobster hoop net for crabbing and brought a couple of Jacksmelt that I caught at the Huntington Beach Pier in January of 2022, and a couple of Salema from the Dana Point Harbor Pier in October of 2021. I was not fishing alone and could have a maximum of four rods or nets. While I had confidence in my setups, my bait was over a year old, and I did not have any preservatives such as salt to keep it fresh. However, I did want to use up some of my old bait rather than discard it. I walked past the inshore to a high tide. The pier had much more anglers than on Friday. About three groups of fishermen were fishing inshore. The surf fishermen were using mussels on dropper-loop rigs, and I saw one angler land a small Topsmelt on a mussel. I continued my walk down the pier while being blasted by the wind, and remembering why I initially wanted to fish Huntington Pier, as the buildings on the pier provide shelter from the wind. I saw anglers scattered throughout the pier, most of which were using Sabikis or other bait-catching setups baited with either squid strips or cut fish with no success. There were also a couple of kids using small swimbaits (probably Big Hammer brand), casting outwards, but had no luck. The end of the pier was no different, with about 4 groups of anglers using Sabikis with cut bait and no fish. I decided to set up just before the end of the pier on the left side, believing the current of the water and the structure of the pier would create a perfect feeding spot for the fish. It was about 7:00. I tied my rigs and cast out. During this time, an angler at the end of the pier directly facing Catalina Island landed two fish that I could not get close enough to identify, but were some type of pelagic fish (likely either a Jacksmelt or Mackerel), on his Sabiki. After I had rigged up my Fierce, preparing to pin on a whole squid, one of my Cajus rods began to shake and I pulled up a medium-sized Topsmelt (my first fish of the year). Immediately, I collar-hooked the Topsmelt and cast it out. As I was casting on my Fierce, the line constantly became stuck on the knot that connected the braid to the mono top shot, which although did not affect my trip to the pier, will likely pose a problem later on if I go offshore with this setup. After re-baiting my Cajus, I soon landed another fish: a Jack Mackerel. The poor fish had gotten its tail wrapped around the bottom dropper loop on the setup and had not even been hooked. While I was still untangling the Jack, my Fierce began going Bendo! I sprang for the Fierce and quickly began cranking, initially believing I had a stingray or a small shark. I grabbed my hoop net with my free hand in case I would need it, while the fish, although unable to pull line, swam for my other Cajus setup and got itself tangled. Still, I cranked, not wanting to lose the fish, and as it came near the surface, I saw it was a massive Barred Sand Bass. I did not need the hoop net to land the fish and pulled the bass up and over the rail, much to the spectacle of onlookers. The fish had spit out the hook (which is probably a sign that I should switch to Circle-hooks for pier fishing) but had swallowed the smelt. I grabbed my scale and tape measure, and the bass came out to be 16 inches and 1.16 lbs. I was beyond stoked to catch this bass, after not being able to fish for such a long time, this was an amazing comeback! Unfortunately, the Jack Mackerel was a little too big to cast out live, and I sent my Fierce back out with a frozen smelt. The Fierce did not see any action for the rest of the trip. After untangling my line and re-casting, I loaded the hoop net and dropped it down, pulling at 20-minute intervals. However, the hoop net would see no action. As the sun began to set, and anglers began to leave, I donated my bass and the Jack Mackerel to another group of anglers who were unsuccessful. I felt bad, especially because he had a couple of kids with him and they had been out for far longer than I had been, and I remembered how other anglers often helped me when I was first learning to fish. A few minutes later, my rod began to vibrate and I landed another Topsmelt. Nibblers and bait thieves would be a nuisance for the rest of the trip, as I would watch the rod vibrate, but not bend. Eventually, I landed a Salema, which would be the final fish of the night. The nibblers were scared off by the returning Oil Service Boat, the Nautilus. Curiously, the boat did not even stop at the dock and instead drove in front of the pier, made a U-turn, and immediately steamed away toward Platform Esther. Perhaps something had happened at the platform or something had been forgotten? At about 9:30, I packed up, not wanting to be escorted off the pier at the 10:00 PM curfew. However, I noticed some anglers were beginning to arrive, which puzzled me. I donated my hoop net bait to another group of anglers who were just arriving and saw a Salema landed by one of the Sabiki fishermen. As I was walking back, an angler fishing the surf had hooked up on a small Bat Ray, that had gotten itself tangled around a piling next to the lifeguard tower. I managed to land the ray using my hoop net, although the line had become tangled in the net and I had not actually netted the ray. The angle was using a double-dropper loop setup with two Carolina rigs in place of the drop loops, which, although effective, is probably extremely prone to tangles. I could not tell what bait was used to land the ray. After landing the ray, I noticed it was about 10:05, but nobody was enforcing the curfew. The police were patrolling the beach, but the pier was alive as it had been during the daytime. Perhaps the curfew isn't enforced? The trip was successful and extremely fun. I'm surprised and stoked that I not only catch a decent amount of fish on year-old bait but also land that huge bass. I'm hoping to go out fishing more often now that I have more free time, and I still have lots of bait in my freezer to use up.
Notes:
-Sabikis should only be used in a wide-open bite
-Small hooks will almost always catch fish
-Fluorocarbon line can make a difference when fishing in a highly-pressured spot
-Using techniques from different types of fishing can overlap (such as collar-hooking live bait, which has been successful at catching Calico Bass in the past)
-Fishing in spots sheltered from the current can often yield the best results
-A lot of people mistake Salema for Striped Bass
-Seal Beach Pier doesn't seem to have very good crab fishing, not sure why; In my records of fishing, 6 trips to Seal Beach Pier in the past three years have only produced one Spider Crab
Fish Count (Personal): 2 Topsmelt, 1 Jack Mackerel, 1 Barred Sand Bass, 1 Salema
= 5 Total Fish
Fish Count (For the Pier-excluding myself): ~18 Anglers, 1 Topsmelt, 2 Unidentified Fish, 1 Salema, 1 Bat Ray = 5 Total Fish Observed.
How To Get There: From the Pacific Coast Highway simply take Main St. west and follow it to the pier.
Los Angeles County Piers
Belmont Veterans Memorial Pier — We got a PFIC report from Fishman Fishman on June 8 who said, “Fished a beautiful morning at Belmont Memorial Pier - sunny and calm. This trip I fished at end of pier. From 5:00 - 8:30 steady White Croaker aka Tomcod bite. Using hi/lo rig, fish caught with shrimp, anchovy and squid. A fisherman next to me, looking for Queenfish, caught several Tomcod on strips of Smelt.
I moved to mid-pier, caught and released a nice size Jacksmelt on shrimp. Lost something that was a decent size that hit on a whole squid (small about 3 inches) fished straight down. Fish went into some cover. I am under the impression it was a bass. A few fisherman looking for Mackerel and Queenfish - got skunked. I caught an interesting creature that clung to a piece of squid - a Brittle Star aka Brittle Starfish.” Very interesting marine animal. How To Get There: From the north take I-405 to the Lakewood Boulevard turnoff, and then go south to 7th Street, turn west (right) until you come to Ximeno Ave. and then turn left. Follow it to Livingston Dr. and go west. You will see signs by Ocean Ave. and Termino Ave. indicating the pier. From the south take the Pacific Coast Highway to 2nd. Street (Westminister becomes 2nd. Street when it crosses PCH), go west, follow to Livingston Dr. Follow it to signs by Ocean Ave. and Termino Ave. indicating the pier and parking lot.
Shoreline Aquatic Park Piers (Long Beach) — No reports but I imagine the water is dirty with trash, which can sometimes make it hard to fish. How to Get There: From downtown Long Beach, take Pine Avenue south to Shoreline Drive. For the northernmost pier #1 follow Shoreline Avenue west and follow it around the lagoon to where the street ends. For the southernmost piers #2-#5 follow Shoreline Drive east to the markings for Shoreline Village, continue past the shopping complex, and follow the road out to near the end of the peninsula. You will see the piers.
Pier J Piers (Long Beach) — The normal fish should be available—white croaker, queenfish and perch depending upon the condition of the water. How To Get There: From I-710 follow the signs saying S. Harbor Scenic Drive. From downtown Long Beach follow Queens Way past the Catalina Landing and on to the Queens Way Bridge over the water and take the S. Harbor Scenic Drive.
Cabrillo Beach Pier (San Pedro) — Alex at the Rusty Hook, 245 N Gaffey St., San Pedro, said most of the reports he is getting are about halibut and those with the know-how are getting quite a few of the flatties. Unfortunately most are shorts but some legal-size fish are included in the mix. Lots of stingrays (bat rays?) and a few bass and perch. He said mackerel were hitting but they seem to come and go, in one day and out the next so it’s hard to predict. How To Get There: Take the Harbor Freeway (I-110) south; it will turn into Gaffey St. Follow it to 22nd Street and turn left. Follow 22nd St. to Pacific Ave. and turn right. Follow Pacific Ave. to 36th Street and the entrance to Cabrillo Park.
Green Pleasure Pier (Avalon, Catalina Island) – Expect the normal species—kelp bass, rock wrasse, senorita, opaleye, halfmoon, and sheephead. How To Get There: The trick here is to get to Catalina. Ships and helicopters make the journey several times a day from the Port of Los Angeles, Long Beach, Newport Beach (near the Balboa Pier) and Dana Harbor. Information is available on all of these by calling the Avalon Chamber of Commerce on the Pleasure Pier (213) 510-1520 or the Visitor's Information & Service Center (213) 510-2500. Once in Avalon there should be no problem in finding the pier, which is located at the foot of Catalina Avenue.
Cabrillo Mole (Avalon, Catalina Island) — Expect the normal species—kelp bass, rock wrasse, senorita, opaleye, halfmoon, sheephead and ocean whitefish. Some bonito and barracuda may also show up. How To Get There: The trick here is to get to Catalina. Ships and helicopters make the journey several times a day from the Port of Los Angeles, Long Beach, Newport Beach (near the Balboa Pier) and Dana Harbor. Information is available on all of these by calling the Avalon Chamber of Commerce on the Pleasure Pier (213) 510-1520 or the Visitor's Information & Service Center (213) 510-2500. Once in Avalon when you walk off the ferry onto the landing you are at the Mole.
Redondo Beach Pier —Hond at the Redondo Beach Tackle on the pier says people are catching mackerel but not much else. How To Get There: From the Pacific Coast Highway, take Torrance Blvd. west to the foot of the pier and the parking lot.
Manhattan Beach Pier — No report this month. Need a reporter. How To Get There: From Sepulveda Boulevard, turn west on Manhattan Beach Drive and follow it to the pier.
Hermosa Beach Pier — No report this month. Need a reporter. How To Get There: Take the Pacific Coast Highway (Hwy 1) to Pier Avenue and follow Pier Avenue west to the pier.
Venice Pier — No report this month. How Get There: Highway 1 to Washington St., turn west and follow Washington St. to the pier.
Santa Monica Pier — No report this month. Need a reporter. How to Get There: From I-405 take Santa Monica Blvd. west to Ocean Ave. Turn left, go to Colorado Ave., and turn right onto the pier.
Malibu Pier — She’s back! After more than a six-month absence due to falling and breaking her hip, followed by her ceiling caving in from the winter rains, Ginny is finally ready to open the shop (Wylie’s Bait & Tackle (18757 Pacific Coast Hwy, Malibu) on July 1. She been slowly fixing everything from the ceiling to the cash register but finally is talking to people and seems as cheerful as ever. She does report that anglers said fish are being taken at the pier. Anglers report a decent number of halibut along with some perch and bass. Boyd at Hyun’s Tackle, 3695 E Harbor Blvd., Ventura said he’s been fishing Malibu lately and has seen quite a few halibut, a couple of thresher sharks, and some really big white seabass (as in 20-30 pounders) but most of the seabass have been lost on the pilings. How To Get There: The pier fronts on the Pacific Coast Highway (Hwy 1) so just drive until you see it.
Paradise Cove Pier — No report. How To Get There: Take Highway 1 to Paradise Cove Dr., turn west, and follow the road back into the parking lot. It’s very expensive unless you buy a meal at the restaurant and then you are allowed to fish for, I think, three hours.
Ventura & Santa Barbara County Piers
Port Hueneme Pier — Boyd at Hyun’s Tackle, 3695 E Harbor Blvd., Ventura, said the pier is producing a LOT of halibut, mainly on live bait but also on lures. Perch and smelt action is also good but the halibut action is dominating the news. Some mackerel are also showing up as are a lot of crabs. How To Get There: From Highway 1 take Hueneme Rd. west until it turns into Port. At Ventura Rd turn left and follow it to Surfside Dr. Turn left again and follow it to the park.
Ventura Pier — Boyd at Hyun's Tackle, 3695 E Harbor Blvd., Ventura, said the pier is still closed due to damage from the winter storms and may be closed until the end of the year. How To Get There: From Highway 101 take the Seaward Drive exit west to Harbor Drive, turn right and follow it to the pier.
Stearns Wharf (Santa Barbara) — Ben at Hook Line & Sinker, 4010-5 Calle Real, Santa Barbara, said a variety of fish have been showing up (even though he said it’s still only fair to good fishing). He said much of the attention has been on mackerel, both green backed (Pacific) mackerel, and Spanish mackerel (jack mackerel), and he says the best time is morning and evening. Probably in response to the plentiful mackerel in the area, three thresher sharks (at least) were hooked this week at the pier. Perch are available by the pilings but he hasn’t heard reports of halibut. He did say one guy jigged up some squid a few nights ago and we both wondered why he didn’t use the live squid to go after white seabass. He said a run of grunion is expected starting Monday and wouldn’t be surprised if fishing for halibut, bat rays and white seabass improved. As always, crab are still available. Boyd at Hyun's Tackle, 3695 E Harbor Blvd., Ventura said some halibut are being caught and that there is also an afternoon mackerel bite, both Pacific mackerel and jack mackerel (Spanish mackerel). He says there are also a LOT of crabs. To Get There: From Highway 101 take Castillo St. or State St. west to the beach and follow signs to the pier.
Goleta Pier — Ben at Hook Line & Sinker, 4010-5 Calle Real, Santa Barbara, reports that the fishing has been pretty decent. The only problem was that the pier was closed for a few days. They reopened it Friday before the July 4 weekend but it may reclose for a few days after the holiday. He says there’s been a smattering of everything—halibut, angel sharks, leopard sharks, skates and rays. He said bass have also shown up—kelp bass, sand bass and even a few spotted bay bass. The pipe reef is producing most of the bass along with a few rockfish, mostly brown rockfish. Mackerel, both Pacific mackerel and jack mackerel are making appearance in the morning and early evening hours. He also says shark fishermen are heading out to the pier at night but overall results have been slow. How To Get There: From Highway 101 take the Hwy. 217/Airport exit. Follow it to Sandspit Rd. and the Goleta Beach Park turnoff. Follow this to the park and the pier.
Gaviota Pier — The pier has now been closed for somewhere around eight years and the rumors of repair and reopening continue month after month. Don’t hold your breath. How To Get There: From Highway 101 simply take the Gaviota State Park turnoff down to the beach and pier.
July 2023 Fishing Report, Southern California (#286)
Lobster season has now ended.
San Diego County Piers
Imperial Beach Pier – No report, need a reporter. A very short visit by myself on June 11, one in which heavy rain forced me off the pier, saw basically nothing except for smelt—6 jacksmelt, 3 topsmelt and one jack mackerel (Spanish mackerel). The same for most of the others although some were also catching queenfish (herring) and a gentleman right up by the gate at the end landed a couple of nice-sized perch. How To Get There: From I-5 take the Palm Ave. (Hwy. 75) exit and follow it to where Palm Ave. and Hwy. 75 divide. Follow Palm Ave. to Seacoast Dr., turn left and it will take you right to the pier.
Ocean Beach Pier — The pier finally reopened on Saturday, July 1 and we are waiting for some reports. How To Get There: From the north, take I-5 to the Sea World Dr. exit and follow it until it turns off to Sunset Cliffs Blvd. From the south, take I- 5 to the Nimitz Blvd. exit, then follow that road to Sunset Cliffs Blvd. Follow Sunset Cliffs Blvd. to Newport Ave., turn right and follow the road to the pier parking lot.
Crystal Pier – Although the pier is supposed to have a new bait & tackle store I have been unable was unable to contact it. Croaker should be hitting as well as possibly a mackerel or two. How To get There: Take I-5 to Garnet Ave. then take Garnet west to the foot of the pier.
Pepper Park Pier — No report. We need a reporter! How To Get There: From I-5 take the 24th Street off-ramp west to Tidelands Avenue and go left (south) on Tidelands to the end.
Bayside Park Pier — No report. We need a reporter. How To Get There: From I-5 take the J Street off ramp and go west. Take J Street to Tidelands Ave.; turn right. Take Tidelands to Sandpiper Way; turn right. Take Sandpiper to Bayside Parkway, turn left and follow the road to the park.
Embarcadero Marina Pier — No report. We need a reporter. A short visit on June 9 saw slow action for me. Nothing but 5 jacksmelt, 5 topsmelt, 2 small sand bass, 1 spotted bay bass, and 1 rock wrasse. However local expert Miguel reported numerous bass and several halibut. How To Get There: From the I-5 south, take the Front Street exit south to Market (just stay on Front Street, it runs into Market), take Market west to Harbor Dr. Turn left on Harbor Dr. and take it to 8th Ave., turn right onto Convention Way (formerly Harbor St.). Follow it a short block to 5th Ave. and the pier. It seems that with the new Convention Center the city is constantly working on these streets near the pier and renaming them; if you get confused remember that the park and pier are immediately to the southwest of the Convention Center. From I-5 North, approaching from the south, take the J Street exit, then go straight, three blocks up to Market, turn left and take it from there.
Ferry Landing Pier (Coronado) — Need a reporter although bass (kelp, sand and spotted) generally seem to be around as well as a mix of sharays (mostly round stingrays and bat rays). A short late afternoon visit by myself on June 9 failed to yield any fish except for one short 16-inch halibut caught on an anchovy. How To Get There: From San Diego, take the Coronado Bay Bridge (Highway 75) to Coronado. Once over the bridge you are on Third Street. Simply follow it to B Avenue, turn right, and follow it to the front of The Old Ferry Landing — the intersection of First Street and B Avenue. The pier sits behind the shops in the complex.
Shelter Island Pier — Marvin, at the Shelter Island Pier Bait & Tackle at the end of the pier, said it’s a mix of fish. Some mackerel are being caught, most on Sabikis baited with strips of squid or shrimp, a few halibut (one legal every two days) caught mainly on live smelt via a Carolina rig, and a mix of bass caught on anchovies/squid/ misc. baits.” How To Get There: Take I-5 or I-8 to Rosecrans (Hwy. 209) and go west, turn left at Shelter Island Dr. and follow the road until you see the pier and the entrance to the parking lot.
Oceanside Pier — Bill Litchfield at the Oceanside Pier said that the action has been pretty decent with good variety. Quite a few croaker (spotfins and yellowfins) and corbina have been landed and a croaker derby is scheduled for July 2 but all the locals are mad because none of the local shops have bloodworms, which lately have been the top bait. [In addition the south side of the pier remains fenced off so a derby is going to be crowded.] Recent spotfins included a 7-pound and 5-pounfd fish. Queenfish (herring) are hitting in good quantities, while some keeper bass and halibut (keepers and shorts) have also been caught. Bill says there are a lot of anchovies around the pier, which may account for the improved fishing. As for sharks and rays, a couple of thresher sharks were landed as well as some big shovelnose. Perch action has primarily been on walleye surfperch although some piling perch are also being landed. Bill did say the “June gloom” has remained with very little sun. We got a PFIC report from Sly tuna who fished the pier on June 20. He said, “Got to the pier around 10:00AM for a quick session today, armed with 1 rod, a 15 Gram slow-fall Jigpara, and a 2” savage gear 3D manic shrimp (Carolina rig). I fished for 3 hours and managed 1 mackerel off of the Jigpara. I saw people catching the occasional queenfish on jig, 3 or 4 mackerel, a baby leopard shark and the guys in the front got a corvina, a massive ~8lb spotfin croaker, and some smaller models. I’m really tired of seeing the croaker and corvina guys with 3-10 rods per person. There was no room to even look over the railing due to the amount of rods everywhere. Didn’t help that one side of the pier is still fenced off. I wish people were courteous enough to fish with only a couple rods each.” How To Get There: From I-5 take Mission Blvd. west to Pacific, turn left and follow it to the pier.
Oceanside Harbor Pier — Bill Litchfield in Oceanside said he’s heard of a few perch being caught by the inshore rocks but not much else. How To Get There: From I-5 take the Harbor Dr. exit off the freeway, follow it and it will wind down to the harbor; where the road splits stay to the right on North Harbor Dr., and follow it to the pier.
Orange County Piers
San Clemente Pier — Kevin at Hogan's Bait and Tackle (34320 Pacific Coast Hwy. says he hasn’t gotten too many reports from the pier. Recent reports have mentioned barred surfperch in the inshore sections (use lugworms or mussel), croaker (yellowfin and spotfin) inshore to mid-pier, and some sharks out at the end including leopard sharks and a soupfin shark. No reports of top action at this time. PFIC got a report from Fishman Fishman who reported on three trips to the pier. On June 15, he caught two large Sargo, one Blackperch and one Bat ray with 25” wingspan. The Sargo and Blackperch were caught with mussel on a Carolina rig. Bat ray caught with anchovy. He said he fished mid-pier. On June 20th, he caught one small Scorpionfish, one Garibaldi, one Salema, three Sandbass (one was 14 inches). The Sandbass was caught with anchovy, other fish with mussels on hi/lo riga. He fished the end of the pier and mid-pier. On June 28th, he caught one White Seaperch and several Topsmelt. The Smelt were used for live bait but no hits. Fish caught with mussel on Sabiki. He Fished mid-pier). A three-hour visit by myself on June 13 saw a catch of 7 jacksmelt, 4 walleye surfperch, 4 topsmelt, 1 white seaperch, 1 salema, 1 yellowfin croaker, 1 spotfin croaker and a shinerperch. Most were caught on bloodworms. How to Get There: From I-5 take any of several exit streets west to El Camino Real, follow it to the center of town, and from there take Del Mar down to the pier.
Dana Harbor Pier — Kevin at Hogan's Bait and Tackle (34320 Pacific Coast Hwy. says the main things being mentioned about the harbor are halibut on live bait and artificial lures, sand bass, and croakers by people using Carolina-rigs with lug worms. A short, two-hour visit by myself on June 13 saw the pier yield up 3 white seaperch and an 18-inch corbina on bloodworms. How To Get There: The pier is located in the Dana Cove Park area of Dana Point Harbor. From the Pacific Coast Highway take Green Lantern Road south to the harbor, turn left on Cove Road, and follow it to the pier.
Balboa Pier — Our reporter Snookie says, “Things have picked up. We are getting lots of good bait and sardines too. The morning seems to be the best time for catching or strikes. I have had so many strikes on good bait I can't count them. For some reason I am not hooking them, but it is fun. I know some have been keepers. Got a 15-inch sand bass a few days ago. He was delicious. My friend Lou caught a very large shovelnose yesterday. He ended up going around the piling, but not before we got to really see him. That was on a dead sardine. Tuesday a young thresher was caught off the end. Don’t know the details, but it was landed. Their method was rather crude using a large lure with treble hooks, but it worked. Not going down Tuesday as it is July 4th. I am sure it will be a zoo.” A three-hour visit by myself on the morning of June 14 saw slow fishing— 5 walleye surfperch, 5 topsmelt, 3 bocaccio, 1 lizardfish and 1 speckled sanddab. On June 6 there was also an unconfirmed report of a large Humboldt squid caught at the pier. How To Get There: From the Pacific Coast Highway take Newport Blvd. which will turn into Balboa Blvd., follow it west to Palm Street. Turn right and follow it to the pier and the adjacent parking lot.
Newport Pier — No report this month but the action is usually similar to Balboa. A one-hour, early evening visit by myself on June 13 basically yielded nothing—1 topsmelt. The end of the pier was crowded with anglers catching nothing. How To Get There: From the Pacific Coast Highway take the Newport Blvd. turn off and proceed west watching for signs directing traffic to the pier. The pier sits at the foot of McFadden Place.
Huntington Beach Pier — We still need a reporter. How To Get There: Highway 1 (Pacific Coast Highway) to Huntington Beach and the pier.”
Seal Beach Pier — Bat, at Big Fish Bait & Tackle. 1780-C. Pacific Coast Hwy, said most of the reports he has gotten are on inshore species with good numbers of croakers and corbina showing up in the shallows together with some barred surfperch. He said the hot bait is ghost shrimp! Out in deeper waters he got two separate reports on fish that were too big for the anglers to land. One fish hit on regular shrimp, one of ghost shrimp and they nearly spooled the anglers. Probably big bat rays? He said he hasn’t heard of any action on mackerel. PFIC got a good and detailed report from HookedUp! on a June 20 fishing trip. “After more than 10 months of no fishing (and missing the great Mahi-mahi run this past fall and the entirety of the 2022-2023 Spiny Lobster Season), I was finally able to head out to Seal Beach Pier yesterday for the evening. I had originally planned to fish at Huntington Beach Pier, but on my way to the pier, I noticed the end of the pier is closed for maintenance on the new restaurant that was formerly Ruby's Diner. Although it was a high tide, I did not have any mussels to fish in the inshore area, and the vast crowds of people convinced me to turn around and head for Seal Beach. I considered fishing at Newport or Balboa, but I decided to head north instead to avoid the congestion on the Balboa Peninsula. I thought about going to Belmont, but I was getting hungry and remembered the delicious El Burrito Jr. restaurant that sits at the base of Seal Beach Pier. For convenience, I decided to fish Seal Beach Pier instead, even though I did not see much fish during my recent stroll down the pier. I arrived at about 6:30 PM. After ordering an Asada Burrito, I began my walk down the pier. My setups consisted of two Cajus Baitcasting rod and reel combos, each with 10 lb spectra, and a triple dropper loop rig with a 6 lb fluorocarbon leader and a 2-oz torpedo sinker. One setup had size 10 mosquito hooks, and the other had size 6 baitholder hooks. Each was baited with squid strips. I also brought a PENN Fierce II spinning rod and reel combo with 65 lb spectra and a 25 lb mono top shot. This, I set up with a Carolina rig with a 3-oz egg sinker, a 12 lb fluorocarbon leader, and a 2/O live bait hook. I also brought a Promar non-collapsible lobster hoop net for crabbing and brought a couple of Jacksmelt that I caught at the Huntington Beach Pier in January of 2022, and a couple of Salema from the Dana Point Harbor Pier in October of 2021. I was not fishing alone and could have a maximum of four rods or nets. While I had confidence in my setups, my bait was over a year old, and I did not have any preservatives such as salt to keep it fresh. However, I did want to use up some of my old bait rather than discard it. I walked past the inshore to a high tide. The pier had much more anglers than on Friday. About three groups of fishermen were fishing inshore. The surf fishermen were using mussels on dropper-loop rigs, and I saw one angler land a small Topsmelt on a mussel. I continued my walk down the pier while being blasted by the wind, and remembering why I initially wanted to fish Huntington Pier, as the buildings on the pier provide shelter from the wind. I saw anglers scattered throughout the pier, most of which were using Sabikis or other bait-catching setups baited with either squid strips or cut fish with no success. There were also a couple of kids using small swimbaits (probably Big Hammer brand), casting outwards, but had no luck. The end of the pier was no different, with about 4 groups of anglers using Sabikis with cut bait and no fish. I decided to set up just before the end of the pier on the left side, believing the current of the water and the structure of the pier would create a perfect feeding spot for the fish. It was about 7:00. I tied my rigs and cast out. During this time, an angler at the end of the pier directly facing Catalina Island landed two fish that I could not get close enough to identify, but were some type of pelagic fish (likely either a Jacksmelt or Mackerel), on his Sabiki. After I had rigged up my Fierce, preparing to pin on a whole squid, one of my Cajus rods began to shake and I pulled up a medium-sized Topsmelt (my first fish of the year). Immediately, I collar-hooked the Topsmelt and cast it out. As I was casting on my Fierce, the line constantly became stuck on the knot that connected the braid to the mono top shot, which although did not affect my trip to the pier, will likely pose a problem later on if I go offshore with this setup. After re-baiting my Cajus, I soon landed another fish: a Jack Mackerel. The poor fish had gotten its tail wrapped around the bottom dropper loop on the setup and had not even been hooked. While I was still untangling the Jack, my Fierce began going Bendo! I sprang for the Fierce and quickly began cranking, initially believing I had a stingray or a small shark. I grabbed my hoop net with my free hand in case I would need it, while the fish, although unable to pull line, swam for my other Cajus setup and got itself tangled. Still, I cranked, not wanting to lose the fish, and as it came near the surface, I saw it was a massive Barred Sand Bass. I did not need the hoop net to land the fish and pulled the bass up and over the rail, much to the spectacle of onlookers. The fish had spit out the hook (which is probably a sign that I should switch to Circle-hooks for pier fishing) but had swallowed the smelt. I grabbed my scale and tape measure, and the bass came out to be 16 inches and 1.16 lbs. I was beyond stoked to catch this bass, after not being able to fish for such a long time, this was an amazing comeback! Unfortunately, the Jack Mackerel was a little too big to cast out live, and I sent my Fierce back out with a frozen smelt. The Fierce did not see any action for the rest of the trip. After untangling my line and re-casting, I loaded the hoop net and dropped it down, pulling at 20-minute intervals. However, the hoop net would see no action. As the sun began to set, and anglers began to leave, I donated my bass and the Jack Mackerel to another group of anglers who were unsuccessful. I felt bad, especially because he had a couple of kids with him and they had been out for far longer than I had been, and I remembered how other anglers often helped me when I was first learning to fish. A few minutes later, my rod began to vibrate and I landed another Topsmelt. Nibblers and bait thieves would be a nuisance for the rest of the trip, as I would watch the rod vibrate, but not bend. Eventually, I landed a Salema, which would be the final fish of the night. The nibblers were scared off by the returning Oil Service Boat, the Nautilus. Curiously, the boat did not even stop at the dock and instead drove in front of the pier, made a U-turn, and immediately steamed away toward Platform Esther. Perhaps something had happened at the platform or something had been forgotten? At about 9:30, I packed up, not wanting to be escorted off the pier at the 10:00 PM curfew. However, I noticed some anglers were beginning to arrive, which puzzled me. I donated my hoop net bait to another group of anglers who were just arriving and saw a Salema landed by one of the Sabiki fishermen. As I was walking back, an angler fishing the surf had hooked up on a small Bat Ray, that had gotten itself tangled around a piling next to the lifeguard tower. I managed to land the ray using my hoop net, although the line had become tangled in the net and I had not actually netted the ray. The angle was using a double-dropper loop setup with two Carolina rigs in place of the drop loops, which, although effective, is probably extremely prone to tangles. I could not tell what bait was used to land the ray. After landing the ray, I noticed it was about 10:05, but nobody was enforcing the curfew. The police were patrolling the beach, but the pier was alive as it had been during the daytime. Perhaps the curfew isn't enforced? The trip was successful and extremely fun. I'm surprised and stoked that I not only catch a decent amount of fish on year-old bait but also land that huge bass. I'm hoping to go out fishing more often now that I have more free time, and I still have lots of bait in my freezer to use up.
Notes:
-Sabikis should only be used in a wide-open bite
-Small hooks will almost always catch fish
-Fluorocarbon line can make a difference when fishing in a highly-pressured spot
-Using techniques from different types of fishing can overlap (such as collar-hooking live bait, which has been successful at catching Calico Bass in the past)
-Fishing in spots sheltered from the current can often yield the best results
-A lot of people mistake Salema for Striped Bass
-Seal Beach Pier doesn't seem to have very good crab fishing, not sure why; In my records of fishing, 6 trips to Seal Beach Pier in the past three years have only produced one Spider Crab
Fish Count (Personal): 2 Topsmelt, 1 Jack Mackerel, 1 Barred Sand Bass, 1 Salema
= 5 Total Fish
Fish Count (For the Pier-excluding myself): ~18 Anglers, 1 Topsmelt, 2 Unidentified Fish, 1 Salema, 1 Bat Ray = 5 Total Fish Observed.
How To Get There: From the Pacific Coast Highway simply take Main St. west and follow it to the pier.
Los Angeles County Piers
Belmont Veterans Memorial Pier — We got a PFIC report from Fishman Fishman on June 8 who said, “Fished a beautiful morning at Belmont Memorial Pier - sunny and calm. This trip I fished at end of pier. From 5:00 - 8:30 steady White Croaker aka Tomcod bite. Using hi/lo rig, fish caught with shrimp, anchovy and squid. A fisherman next to me, looking for Queenfish, caught several Tomcod on strips of Smelt.
I moved to mid-pier, caught and released a nice size Jacksmelt on shrimp. Lost something that was a decent size that hit on a whole squid (small about 3 inches) fished straight down. Fish went into some cover. I am under the impression it was a bass. A few fisherman looking for Mackerel and Queenfish - got skunked. I caught an interesting creature that clung to a piece of squid - a Brittle Star aka Brittle Starfish.” Very interesting marine animal. How To Get There: From the north take I-405 to the Lakewood Boulevard turnoff, and then go south to 7th Street, turn west (right) until you come to Ximeno Ave. and then turn left. Follow it to Livingston Dr. and go west. You will see signs by Ocean Ave. and Termino Ave. indicating the pier. From the south take the Pacific Coast Highway to 2nd. Street (Westminister becomes 2nd. Street when it crosses PCH), go west, follow to Livingston Dr. Follow it to signs by Ocean Ave. and Termino Ave. indicating the pier and parking lot.
Shoreline Aquatic Park Piers (Long Beach) — No reports but I imagine the water is dirty with trash, which can sometimes make it hard to fish. How to Get There: From downtown Long Beach, take Pine Avenue south to Shoreline Drive. For the northernmost pier #1 follow Shoreline Avenue west and follow it around the lagoon to where the street ends. For the southernmost piers #2-#5 follow Shoreline Drive east to the markings for Shoreline Village, continue past the shopping complex, and follow the road out to near the end of the peninsula. You will see the piers.
Pier J Piers (Long Beach) — The normal fish should be available—white croaker, queenfish and perch depending upon the condition of the water. How To Get There: From I-710 follow the signs saying S. Harbor Scenic Drive. From downtown Long Beach follow Queens Way past the Catalina Landing and on to the Queens Way Bridge over the water and take the S. Harbor Scenic Drive.
Cabrillo Beach Pier (San Pedro) — Alex at the Rusty Hook, 245 N Gaffey St., San Pedro, said most of the reports he is getting are about halibut and those with the know-how are getting quite a few of the flatties. Unfortunately most are shorts but some legal-size fish are included in the mix. Lots of stingrays (bat rays?) and a few bass and perch. He said mackerel were hitting but they seem to come and go, in one day and out the next so it’s hard to predict. How To Get There: Take the Harbor Freeway (I-110) south; it will turn into Gaffey St. Follow it to 22nd Street and turn left. Follow 22nd St. to Pacific Ave. and turn right. Follow Pacific Ave. to 36th Street and the entrance to Cabrillo Park.
Green Pleasure Pier (Avalon, Catalina Island) – Expect the normal species—kelp bass, rock wrasse, senorita, opaleye, halfmoon, and sheephead. How To Get There: The trick here is to get to Catalina. Ships and helicopters make the journey several times a day from the Port of Los Angeles, Long Beach, Newport Beach (near the Balboa Pier) and Dana Harbor. Information is available on all of these by calling the Avalon Chamber of Commerce on the Pleasure Pier (213) 510-1520 or the Visitor's Information & Service Center (213) 510-2500. Once in Avalon there should be no problem in finding the pier, which is located at the foot of Catalina Avenue.
Cabrillo Mole (Avalon, Catalina Island) — Expect the normal species—kelp bass, rock wrasse, senorita, opaleye, halfmoon, sheephead and ocean whitefish. Some bonito and barracuda may also show up. How To Get There: The trick here is to get to Catalina. Ships and helicopters make the journey several times a day from the Port of Los Angeles, Long Beach, Newport Beach (near the Balboa Pier) and Dana Harbor. Information is available on all of these by calling the Avalon Chamber of Commerce on the Pleasure Pier (213) 510-1520 or the Visitor's Information & Service Center (213) 510-2500. Once in Avalon when you walk off the ferry onto the landing you are at the Mole.
Redondo Beach Pier —Hond at the Redondo Beach Tackle on the pier says people are catching mackerel but not much else. How To Get There: From the Pacific Coast Highway, take Torrance Blvd. west to the foot of the pier and the parking lot.
Manhattan Beach Pier — No report this month. Need a reporter. How To Get There: From Sepulveda Boulevard, turn west on Manhattan Beach Drive and follow it to the pier.
Hermosa Beach Pier — No report this month. Need a reporter. How To Get There: Take the Pacific Coast Highway (Hwy 1) to Pier Avenue and follow Pier Avenue west to the pier.
Venice Pier — No report this month. How Get There: Highway 1 to Washington St., turn west and follow Washington St. to the pier.
Santa Monica Pier — No report this month. Need a reporter. How to Get There: From I-405 take Santa Monica Blvd. west to Ocean Ave. Turn left, go to Colorado Ave., and turn right onto the pier.
Malibu Pier — She’s back! After more than a six-month absence due to falling and breaking her hip, followed by her ceiling caving in from the winter rains, Ginny is finally ready to open the shop (Wylie’s Bait & Tackle (18757 Pacific Coast Hwy, Malibu) on July 1. She been slowly fixing everything from the ceiling to the cash register but finally is talking to people and seems as cheerful as ever. She does report that anglers said fish are being taken at the pier. Anglers report a decent number of halibut along with some perch and bass. Boyd at Hyun’s Tackle, 3695 E Harbor Blvd., Ventura said he’s been fishing Malibu lately and has seen quite a few halibut, a couple of thresher sharks, and some really big white seabass (as in 20-30 pounders) but most of the seabass have been lost on the pilings. How To Get There: The pier fronts on the Pacific Coast Highway (Hwy 1) so just drive until you see it.
Paradise Cove Pier — No report. How To Get There: Take Highway 1 to Paradise Cove Dr., turn west, and follow the road back into the parking lot. It’s very expensive unless you buy a meal at the restaurant and then you are allowed to fish for, I think, three hours.
Ventura & Santa Barbara County Piers
Port Hueneme Pier — Boyd at Hyun’s Tackle, 3695 E Harbor Blvd., Ventura, said the pier is producing a LOT of halibut, mainly on live bait but also on lures. Perch and smelt action is also good but the halibut action is dominating the news. Some mackerel are also showing up as are a lot of crabs. How To Get There: From Highway 1 take Hueneme Rd. west until it turns into Port. At Ventura Rd turn left and follow it to Surfside Dr. Turn left again and follow it to the park.
Ventura Pier — Boyd at Hyun's Tackle, 3695 E Harbor Blvd., Ventura, said the pier is still closed due to damage from the winter storms and may be closed until the end of the year. How To Get There: From Highway 101 take the Seaward Drive exit west to Harbor Drive, turn right and follow it to the pier.
Stearns Wharf (Santa Barbara) — Ben at Hook Line & Sinker, 4010-5 Calle Real, Santa Barbara, said a variety of fish have been showing up (even though he said it’s still only fair to good fishing). He said much of the attention has been on mackerel, both green backed (Pacific) mackerel, and Spanish mackerel (jack mackerel), and he says the best time is morning and evening. Probably in response to the plentiful mackerel in the area, three thresher sharks (at least) were hooked this week at the pier. Perch are available by the pilings but he hasn’t heard reports of halibut. He did say one guy jigged up some squid a few nights ago and we both wondered why he didn’t use the live squid to go after white seabass. He said a run of grunion is expected starting Monday and wouldn’t be surprised if fishing for halibut, bat rays and white seabass improved. As always, crab are still available. Boyd at Hyun's Tackle, 3695 E Harbor Blvd., Ventura said some halibut are being caught and that there is also an afternoon mackerel bite, both Pacific mackerel and jack mackerel (Spanish mackerel). He says there are also a LOT of crabs. To Get There: From Highway 101 take Castillo St. or State St. west to the beach and follow signs to the pier.
Goleta Pier — Ben at Hook Line & Sinker, 4010-5 Calle Real, Santa Barbara, reports that the fishing has been pretty decent. The only problem was that the pier was closed for a few days. They reopened it Friday before the July 4 weekend but it may reclose for a few days after the holiday. He says there’s been a smattering of everything—halibut, angel sharks, leopard sharks, skates and rays. He said bass have also shown up—kelp bass, sand bass and even a few spotted bay bass. The pipe reef is producing most of the bass along with a few rockfish, mostly brown rockfish. Mackerel, both Pacific mackerel and jack mackerel are making appearance in the morning and early evening hours. He also says shark fishermen are heading out to the pier at night but overall results have been slow. How To Get There: From Highway 101 take the Hwy. 217/Airport exit. Follow it to Sandspit Rd. and the Goleta Beach Park turnoff. Follow this to the park and the pier.
Gaviota Pier — The pier has now been closed for somewhere around eight years and the rumors of repair and reopening continue month after month. Don’t hold your breath. How To Get There: From Highway 101 simply take the Gaviota State Park turnoff down to the beach and pier.