Southern California Archives - Pier Fishing in California

Pine Avenue Pier #2 — Long Beach — Gone But Not Forgotten

As the first Pine Avenue Pier neared its end, it was clear that Long Beach, a now popular seaside resort and quickly growing town, would need a new pier. A committee was formed to look at the latest methods of construction. It proposed a structure…

Pine Avenue Pier #1 — Long Beach — Gone But Not Forgotten

With the loss of the Magnolia Avenue Pier, a new pier in Long Beach was needed. In response, Long Beach would build the original Pine Avenue Pier, the first municipally owned pier on the Pacific Coast. The pier was also the first purchase made by…

Magnolia Avenue Pier — Long Beach — Gone But Not Forgotten

In the 1870s, 4,000 acres of the local Rancho Los Cerritos (mainly used to raise sheep) was sold to William E. Willmore, who subdivided the land in hopes of forming a new community, one he would name after himself—Willmore City. Unfortunately for him, the real…

Rainbow Pier — Long Beach — Gone But Not Forgotten

Every March sees the Fred Hall Show in Long Beach, a huge event filled with a plethora of booths and vendors offering merchandise and dreams that should be able to fill the cravings of every visiting angler. The sheer size of the show can be…

Capistrano Beach Pier — Gone But Not Forgotten

For many years a large pier was located on the sandy seashore between Dana Point and San Clemente. It was the Capistrano Beach Pier, a pier built in 1929 by Edward (Ned) Doheny Jr. and the Capistrano Beach Company. The wooden pier was 1,180 foot…

Ellen Browning Scripps Memorial Pier — San Diego — No Fishing Allowed

Frustration thy name is the Ellen Browning Memorial Pier. One of my long-time goals has been to fish from every California piers (or at least as many as possible) so a visit on 2009 to the pier was both great and frustrating. Hashem, a friend…

Hotel del Coronado Pier — Gone But Not Forgotten

Although piers and wharves have lined Coronado’s bayside shoreline over the years, the most famous pier at Coronado was the oceanfront pier that sat adjacent to the iconic Hotel del Coronado for over a third of a century. Hotel guests and people who stayed at…

Redondo Wharf No. 1 (Santa Fe Wharf), 1888-1915 — Gone But Not Forgotten

An Angler’s history of Redondo’s Wharf #1 The story of Redondo and its early wharves is one that is far more complex than that seen at the typical California seaside towns that sprang up in the late 1800s. The plan by the Redondo Beach Company…

Del Mar Pier — Gone But Not Forgotten

Although today’s Oceanside Pier is the first pier to be encountered north of San Diego, that hasn’t always been the case. The north county area saw several wharves and “pleasure piers” come and go over the years, piers at Del Mar, Carlsbad and Cardiff by…

Point Mugu Pier — Gone But Not Forgotten

Although the history of California’s coastline includes many piers that are today just traces of history, few lasted as long, or saw as many challenges and changes, as the pier at Point Mugu. It is also less known than some piers even though it was…