Eckley Pier — Crockett/Port Costa

Posted by anadromous

Cool. Keep the Eckley reports coming! I used to fish there a lot before I started fishing the shoreline areas of the Strait.

Posted by shoreangler

Sturgeon Addition. About 1:00 a guy caught and released a 39 1/2: sturgey. Bob

Posted by carlos

What were you using?

Posted by shoreangler

Cut anchovy on a surf leader. Bob

Date: September 7, 2008; To: PFIC Message Board; From: MCB; Subject: Eckley Pier 09/07/08        

Hey guys, just wanted to give everyone a report on what went on today out there. Well, there were about 15 people total on the pier and only one group was hitting something. They caught a 47-inch leopard shark and a 15-inch striper, which they threw back. I believe they were using anchovies. I was out there at 1pm to around 5pm and got a few nibbles, but nothing worth it. The bait I was using was anchovies.

Date: November 21, 2018; To: PFIC Message Board; From: Redfish; Subject: Sturgeon

Headed out today about 3pm because the conditions looked right, rain. Left right before 3 hitting a little traffic and was fishing by 3:30. Fished about an hour and got a 52” inch, fork-length white sturgeon. One guy exclaims, “You’ve been here 30 minutes.” I thought about Brian Linebarger as I baited up lamprey eel on a 9/0 diamond cut Owner (bought at Kmart $3/3hooks) and hurled an eight ounce pyramid into the depths. I remember when we fished there on a derby and he said, “ It’s already deep. You don’t have to cast far!” So, I cast out my trusty Penn 525 with 300 yards of 50# Power Pro and set my Shimano Trevala jig rod in the holder with a red bell on it. I just went on about cutting some bait, conversing with some other guys and setting up a shrimp trap. I mentioned to one familiar guy that “If you get a sturgeon, you can have sturgeon for Thanksgiving!” jokingly.

Not too long after 3 or 4 guys say, “Hey your rod is bending over in the corner!” as I then hear it and hurry over. I picked it up, still pumping, and give a decent upward tug and feel tension. I crank down the 6:1 with HT-100 and pursue battle. A little slack is felt and the fish breaks the surface 40 yards out will a tail dance to shake the hook. I thought maybe she was successful but she wasn’t? A 20 minute battle followed and I left the star drag right where it was not adjusting an inch. I let the fish run out when it wanted and took in line when I could until it finally acquiesced! A slot fish at 52” which I quickly attached tag 01 for 2018!

 

 

White sturgeon caught by Robert Gardner (Redfish) in November 2018

Date: November 23, 2018; To: PFIC Message Board; From: Redfish; Subject: Sturgeon/striper

Still good tides. A PFICer, Alex Poon, wanted to fish today after he saw the success I had two days ago. We fished 2:30-5:30p. The striper I hooked on his rod and handed it to him to reel in. The 41” sturgeon came on my same rod as before with the 525. Tag002 burnt. Eel/herring-striper/ Sturgeon-straight eel threaded on

White sturgeon and striped bass caught by Redfish in November 2018

Potpourri — Possibly More Than You Want To Know About The Eckley Pier

<*}}}}}}}}}>< — An interesting article by the dean of Bay Area Outdoor Writers — Tom Stienstra

The Perfect Place To Catch Sturgeon

THERE’S A new place in the Bay Area where the extraordinary can occur – even if you show up just to watch. It’s called Eckley Pier, it just opened last week, and already, fish measuring 5 and 6 feet long have been caught here – a spectacle for both fishermen and those curious at what Bay waters might bring. It is located at Carquinez Strait Regional Shoreline, about a mile east of Crockett…

About 12 percent of California residents fish – that is, about 4 million, including children. Of those 12 percent, less than 1 percent (340,000) have ever caught the Bay’s biggest fish, sturgeon. Because sturgeon can reach tremendous sizes and because they can be elusive monsters, catching them can be like a puzzle. Just to see one of these giants is something you will never forget, whether you fish or not. The world record was caught near here just off Benicia’s shore, 468 pounds and measuring 9-1/4 feet; the biggest-ever caught from shore, 194 pounds, was caught near Vallejo near the mouth of the Napa River. Bigger ones, perhaps even 11, 12 or 15 feet long, have reputedly been paced off on the bottom by scuba divers laying pipeline in Carquinez Strait. So with each cast, you don’t know whether your next nibble might be a little bait-robbing crab – or a 10-foot sturgeon.

The reason Eckley Pier is perfectly situated for such an adventure is because it extends 280 feet into Carquinez Strait. That is long enough to reach the deep-water channel, where sturgeon migrate up and down between the Delta and the Bay, typically right along the edge of the channel, providing anglers with a rare opportunity to intercept one of these monster-sized fish passing through…

There is no parking fee, no access charge, and not even a fishing license is required, as long as you stay on the pier (the moment you cast a line from shore, however, a license is required). The parking area will handle about 40 cars, by my estimate, and is open each day at 8 a.m. A free map /brochure of the park is available in a box here. The entrance is gated and is locked at dark. However, if you are fighting one of those giant sturgeon, it’s likely the ranger would forget all about locking the gate, and come out and join the crowd and watch the excitement like everybody else.

Sturgeon are not the big, lumbering, log-like creatures some believe them to be, but are capable of tremendous power runs of 150 to 300 yards without stopping, as well as tremendous jumps with gill-rattling landings and giant splashes. All it takes is to experience this even once, and you will suddenly understand what inspires the wise few to wait so long for a nibble from this oft-elusive denizen. Outgoing tides are the prime time, and you’ll want to cast out grass shrimp or mud shrimp for bait. Note that there is a slot limit on sturgeon. The minimum size limit is 46 inches and the maximum 72 inches (6 feet), hence there is a slot of 46 to 72 inches of legal keeper size… (The slot limit today is between 40 and 60 inches (fork length). 

—Tom Stienstra, San Francisco Chronicle, February 12, 1999

<*}}}}}}}}}>< — Apparently there was an older “Eckley Pier” on the site — perhaps dating from the ’30s when a sport fishing business was located at Eckley Cove.

Walt Wilson reports fishing fair with lots of shakers at Eckley. But he did come up with the sad tale of the week. “Fellow worked more than 15 minutes to drag a nice sturgeon up on the pier. It only stretched out to 43 inches. Made a nice splash going back in,” he said. Andy Morgensen, On The Line, Oakland Tribune, December 8, 1961

Eckley Pier is starting to offer fair fishing for stripers and flounders. A nine pound striper is tops. Andy Morgensen, On The Line, Oakland Tribune, December 14, 1961

Then there’s Walter Harrison of Richmond who just had to get ‘out and try his new Christmas rod and reel. He hauled up a 13 pound striper at Eckley Pier. Here’s a believer, Santa Claus. Andy Morgensen, On The Line, Oakland Tribune, December 29, 1961

Eckley Pier shows a few small stripers. Oaklander James Pettijohn took the best. A five-pounder. Tom Greg of San Jose landed a 42-inch sturgeon. Andy Morgensen, On The Line, Oakland Tribune, April 23, 1963

San Franciscan Ralph Munsee hauled up a 32-pound sturgeon from Eckley Pier. Andy Morgensen, On The Line, Oakland Tribune, May 21, 1963

Virginia Cline of Walnut Creek paled males with a 14 ½ pound sturgeon Sunday at Eckley. Andy Morgensen, On The Line, Oakland Tribune, June 11, 1963

Eckley Pier above Crockett has been slow on stripers but steady on sturgeon. Two were landed over the weekend and yesterday Mike O’Connell of Crockett hauled up a 54-inch, 38-pound diamondback. It had grabbed a sardine, a fatal error. Andy Morgensen, On The Line, Oakland Tribune, June 26, 1963

Cold weather has curbed angler interest, but a few stripers are still being hauled up on Eckley Pier. An 11-pounder was landed Tuesday. Andy Morgensen, On The Line, Oakland Tribune, January 9, 1964

Oaklander Al Winters nailed a 40-pound sturgeon while fishing off Eckley Pier. Andy Morgensen, On The Line, Oakland Tribune, June 30, 1964

History Note. The park sits on land that once was the tribal territory of Karkin who claimed most of Contra Costa County. The present site was sold to John Eckley in 1870. Bull Valley itself is the name of the canyon that contains the former settlement. Along the water’s edge are the house, office and grain warehouse built by Granger’s Business Association between the 1880-1889. North of the railroad tracks are charred wooden pilings which supported the building that stuck out into the Carquinez Strait.

Nearshore are the burnt remains of the 243-foot-long ferry “Garden City.” Built for the Southern Pacific Railroad in 1879, it was a double-ended side-wheel ferry that carried freight cars and passengers between San Francisco and Alameda; later between Vallejo and Vallejo Junction. It was retired to the Eckley Cove in 1929 and in 1934 was deliberately sunk and remodeled as an entertainment center and office for a sport fishing business. It burned in 1983.

Today the land is part of the 2,795-acre Carquinez Strait Regional Park.

Eckley Pier Facts

Hours: Open 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. (However, check at the park entrance. During part of the year the front gate is closed at 5 p.m. which means a long and steep walk down to the pier and back to your car.)

Facilities: A fish cleaning station on the pier as well as two wind shelters, five benches, and lights. A portable potty is found near the base of the pier while restrooms are found in the nearby park and picnic area.

Handicapped Facilities: Cement surface and handicapped parking.

How To Get There: From I80, take the Crockett exit, turn east on Pomona Dr. which becomes Carquinez Scenic Dr., travel 1.5 miles to the Bull Valley Staging area entrance to the park. It is .3 miles down a fairly steep road from the park entrance to the parking lot near the pier. From I680 take Hwy 4 to McEwen Road (toward Port Costa). The road will run into Carquinez Scenic Dr. just before you get to Port Costa. Turn left and the entrance to the park is less than a mile up the road.

Management: East Bay Regional Park District.