Pier Fishing in California - The Complete Coast and Bay Guide to Shore-Based Fishing

Pacific Glasseye

Phylum: Chordata — Class: Actinopterygii (ray-finned fish)— Order: Perciformes (perch like)— Family: Priacanthidae (bigeyes or catalufas)— Genus: Heteropriacanthus (Fitch and Crooke, 1984) Species: Heteropriacanthus carolinus (Cuvier, 1829); from the Greek heteros (different), prion (saw), and akantha (thorn) and the Latin carolinus (in reference to geographic…

Largemouth Blenny

Phylum: Chordata — Class: Actinopterygii (ray-finned fish) — Order: Perciformes (perch like)— Family: Labrisomidae (blennies) — Genus: Labrisomus Species: Labrisomus xanti (T. N. Gill, 1860); from the Greek words labrax (a fish) and soma (body), and xanti meaning yellow. Alternate Names: Rock Blenny. Commonly found…

Redondo Beach Pier

Public Pier — No Fishing License Required The Redondo Beach Pier seems far more than just a pier, it’s part of a huge complex that contains shops, restaurants, fresh fish markets, amusement games, a large underground parking lot, areas reserved for viewing, and our favorite…

Seal Beach Pier

Public Pier — No Fishing License Required I’ve known several people over the years that considered themselves experts at everything. In common vernacular they were know-it-alls. Rarely did their knowledge match their egos. However, I have also known a couple of people whose knowledge and…

Cabrillo Pier — San Pedro

Public Pier — No Fishing License Required Late that night the steamer got to San Pedro, and you may be sure Tom and Retta were up early the next morning. As they came off the boat, there was a crowd of people on the wharf…

Seacliff State Beach Pier — Aptos

Public Pier — No Fishing License Required [End of pier is closed — article needs revision] Only a few piers have truly unique features and this pier is one of them. The end of this wooden 500-foot-long pier connects to the old cement ship Palo…

Green Pleasure Pier — Avalon, Catalina Island

Public Pier — No Fishing License Required If anyone could be called the “father” of an island, it might be Frederick Holder who wrote numerous books and articles about California and the fishing to be found in its waters. The offshore islands, specifically Catalina Island,…

Capitola Wharf

Public Pier — No Fishing License Required While some piers along the coast (such as Seacliff) have characteristics that help define and give identity to the pier, here it is the area itself that makes the pier special. Supposedly the oldest seaside resort along the…

San Clemente Pier

Public Pier — No Fishing License Required Sit back and imagine, if you will, the following scenes: Scene One — The hooking of a giant (black) sea bass was not that unusual given that the San Clemente Pier is one of the main piers that…

Johnson Pier — Pillar Point Harbor — Half Moon Bay

Public Pier — No Fishing License Required There are two public piers in the Half Moon Bay/Princeton area and both are located in Pillar Point Harbor. For many years the larger pier, the Johnson Pier, was open to fisherman and heavily used. Then, with the…