PFIC Fishing Reports — Malibu Pier
April 1997 — Closed for repairs
April 1999 — The pier remains closed as officials try to figure out where to get the money needed to rebuild the pier.
April 2000 — Closed for repairs.
April 2001 — The pier is partially open (out to the wider end section).
September 2001 — Adam.Cassidy reports “halibut” is the fish of the month at Malibu Pier, lots of shorts, but there have been some legals caught as well. The bait situation has been amazing, with large schools of anchovies mostly near the beginning of the pier. Make sure to jig for the anchovies with a Sabiki rig using hooks no larger than size 12. Use a sliding bait rig with an egg sinker and ‘troll’ the bottom. White seabass have also been frequenting the pier at night, boiling on the anchovies. I landed a 20” a little over a week ago, just before closing, with a firecracker Wham bait, but a fly-lined anchovy would probably be your best bet. The action on croakers and perch has been slow, but the perch bite should pick up as we move into winter. Construction news—the pier is going to be temporarily closed so work can done on the pilings under Alice's Restaurant. The end of the pier will not open until next year according to Hayden Sohm, the ranger in charge of the construction for Malibu Pier.
August 2004 — Ginny at Wylies Bait & Tackle reports that the big news is still the large black sea bass recently taken at the pier (and returned). Lots of corbina are showing up in the inshore waters but they’re hard to catch. Halibut and white seabass are around when the grunion make a showing and quite a few sharks are also making an appearance.
September 2004 — Ginny at Wylies Bait & Tackle reports that the big news lately is a 22 pound, 2 ounce striped bass taken from the beach adjacent to the pier. It was caught on squid. On the pier itself the biggest fish have been several white seabass up to about 28 inches. She says there is a lot of bait in the water—anchovies, smelt, sardines and mackerel—and the larger fish are following the bait in. She says some yellowtail have been spotted fairly close inshore by yakers so there may be a chance some will be taken from the pier. Inshore, there are still good numbers of sand crabs on the beach and that means the corbina are also present. The following report was provided by Phillipe: “this month the white seabass started to really make a showing at different times during the day. There was a 31-inch sea bass caught in the middle of the month, but most of them are under 28 inches. They travel in small schools and are caught in the mid-pier area during low tide. Live perch are best, but whole dead anchovies on a dropper loop will work too. The bait remains the same as smelt, sardines, perch, and white croaker. The smelt hang around most of the day, but the sardines only make a few quick appearances and travel in large schools. Some small (3-4 inches) mackerel are also in the mix chasing the sardines. The halibut fishing has picked up...but most all of them are illegal size with just a few legals thrown in. As for sharks and rays, the action has been bad to OK. Some nice 7-15 pound bat rays have been caught as well as a few big shovelnose and smoothhounds. Some angel sharks have also made an appearance. Afternoon fishing is best. For bait use whole squid, mackerel, or live perch. Fishing for walleye perch and white croaker has been off and on all day. Besides jigging up perch, a quicker and more effective way is to have anchovy tipped Sabikis. Make sure your Sabiki hooks are small as there are lots of palm sized perch.”
October 2004 — Ginny at Wylies Bait & Tackle reports that there is lots of bait around the pier—smelt, mackerel and sardines. The result is lots of short white seabass and halibut, especially for those using live bait. Inshore, anglers continue to pick up barred surfperch and corbina. Dompfa ben reported that “big hammerhead sharks are being reported by the kayak guys… People I have fished with have recently hooked big hammerheads in the 10 to 13 foot range (and, they’re close to the pier.)” ChumBucket reported on a trip on 9/20 — “Threw a Scampi for an hour or so early in the morning when there were only a couple of us out. Worked both sides up and down once, with no fish. While I was playing with plastic, a bait ball came close to the pier, and the cheerful cry of sardines!! went up as one of the regulars, Ed, started jigging up these most prized of bait fish. I put the plastic away, and as I was tying a rig for an eventual sardine, and getting a Sabiki ready, Blythe, Ed's brother, hooked a 3 ft+ leopard on a fresh sardine. He released it. Within five minutes Ed had a larger leopard. 4ft+. He lost it around a piling as the net was on its way down. The bait ball was swimming out of range and coming in only occasionally. I fished a dink perch and then a mack waiting for my elusive sardine. The bait ball came back in, small smelt followed by 5 to 7 inch sardines, followed by mackerel working the edges of the ball. Blythe caught four short white seabass back to back. Sardine in, white seabass up, another sardine in, another white seabass up. The white seabass were hanging just outside the ball, cruising in to attack. By the end of the day, he lost track of his count, but he guessed around 15 total, from 15 to about 21 inches. Finally it was my turn, I hooked a 4 ft+ leopard on my light rig. 8# mono with a 20# fluorocarbon leader, 1/0 circle hook. It was my best fish fight to date!”
July 2005 — Ginny at Wylies Bait & Tackle reports a 25-pound, 40-inch striped bass was taken by Ed Smith last Saturday on a live herring (queenfish). Other than that it’s tons of sharks (leopards, shovelnose and what may be dogfish) together with numerous bat rays. Perch and queenfish are also available.
August 2005— Ginny at Wylies Bait & Tackle reports that there are tons of bait in the water—herring (queenfish), smelt and anchovies) so larger fish should be around. To date it’s been lots and lots of sharks (leopards, shovelnose, and what may be dogfish) together with huge bat rays. Mackerel are finally beginning to show but most are on the smallish side. There’s also some halibut but again most are small–in the 12-15 inch size. There aren’t too many legal fish. Inshore, a few barred surfperch are available while walleyes are found further out on the pier. I made it down for two hours of fishing mid-month and landed 6 leopard sharks and a dozen or so walleyes; nothing too big but steady action.
September 2005 — Ginny at Wylies Bait & Tackle reports that people are still catching large striped bass next to the pier (including a recent 31” and 32” fish). Tons of bait (anchovies, herring, smelt and small mackerel) is in the water, which undoubtedly accounts for the larger fish. On the pier itself there are numerous mackerel, some good-sized yellowfin croaker (many in the 3-pound class), short white seabass, and big bat rays and leopard sharks. She’s also heard of some big thresher sharks lost to the pilings but at least they’re around. PFIC reports indicate pretty decent action (on some days) as the mackerel come and go. Unusual fish recently included an 8-10 pound striped bass and a legal-size barracuda. More common are the leopard sharks, guitarfish, thornbacks, surfperch and occasional ray. A number of thresher sharks have also been hooked but most have been lost.
December 2005 — Ginny at Wylies Bait & Tackle reports good fishing over the Thanksgiving weekend. Top fish was an eight-foot-long thresher that was caught on a live mackerel. Not knowing the size regulations of the fish, the angler released it back into the water. There were also some nice croakers taken as well as halibut. The flatties were mostly taken by anglers using live walleye perch as bait. She says some big jacksmelt are also around together with a few returning mackerel. She says there is a lot of bait in the water.
May 2006 — Ginny at Wylies Bait and Tackle reports that she’s hearing of good jacksmelt and mackerel action at the pier. She says there are also tons of short halibut but a few bigger fish are starting to show up. She also says four black (giant) sea bass have been hanging around the pier —DO NOT BRING A BLACK SEA BASS UP ONTO THE PIER! IF YOU HOOK ONE, JUST CUT YOUR LINE.
August 2006 — Ginny at Wylies Bait and Tackle says “fishing is great!” She says there are a lot of fish and some great variety. Big croakers, halibut following the grunion inshore, corbina in the surf, lots of small white seabass (although also a few legals), and mackerel in and out. She says kayakers are getting halibut all around the pier and have seen quite a few black seabass while a kid on a surfboard caught a 14-pound “striped bass.” Go figure!
September 2006 — Ginny at Wylies Bait and Tackle says “fishing has been pretty good.” Anglers are catching lots of big sharks from the pier including leopards, angel sharks and shovelnose sharks (guitarfish). She says people are also getting halibut although most are shorts and anglers are also getting “short” striped bass; don’t know what the stripers doing down there. She says anglers are seeing some white seabass and corbina down around the pilings but neither species seems to want to bite. Last but not least, too many lobsters are being taken—and kept—by the anglers. PFIC’er Huntress reported a nice 29-inch halibut on the 27th.
June 2007 – Ginny at Wylies Bait and Tackle says she’s getting reports on red tide moving into the pier area although she says the halibut were also around last week during the grunion runs. Apparently quite a few halibut have been taken recently of Krocodiles.
July 2007 — Ginny at Wylies Bait and Tackle says the fishing is great in the area including the pier. She said there’s a tremendous amount of bait around the pier and as a result the fish are showing up. On 6/30 there was a report of a keeper barracuda to go along with the bass and mackerel that have been hitting. She says the grunion are also bunched up which is bringing in the halibut along with big numbers of juvenile white seabass in the 15-18” range. Biggest news was the world record white seabass brought in by regular Bill Ernst, a free diver. The big fish weighed 93 pounds, 4 ounces. Another diver brought in a white seabass weighing 64 pounds. Now those are some fish. Ginny says she thinks it’s going to be a great year once it really starts.
September 2007 — Ginny at Wylies Bait and Tackle says anglers are getting tons of halibut although most are 15-16 inches. Still, a few are legal size. She says anglers are also pulling in quite a few good-sized sargo from the pier, a species she says is really not that common for the pier. Two black (giant) sea bass were also taken (and released) this month. Last but not least, the mackerel action remains strong.
October 2007 — Ginny at Wylies Bait and Tackle says anglers are getting non-stop action on mackerel as well as some keeper halibut. She says the small perch hanging around the pier are the bait to use for the flatties. She says an eight-foot-long thresher was landed last week.
January 2008 — Ginny at Wylies Bait and Tackle says there’s been a lot of wind and rain during the month that produced rough, dirty water, conditions that put a damper on fishing. Nevertheless she’s still getting reports of some mackerel at the pier along with jacksmelt and a few halibut, mostly small sub-legal fish, but a few in the 26-28 inch range. Use live bait if you can get it (mostly small walleye surfperch at this time).
April 2008 — Ginny at Wylies Bait and Tackle says she’s getting reports of halibut moving in following the recent grunion runs but so far there haven’t been a lot of keepers taken. Some surfperch are also around the pier as well as the nearby beaches; she reports weighing a 3-pound, 6-ounce barred surfperch two weeks ago (and that’s a biggie). She’s also heard of quite a few leopard sharks.
July 2008 — Ginny at Wylies Bait and Tackle reports some great fishing lately. A lot of bait is around the pier, including mackerel, and the shark action, in particular has been very good. Included have been some really big shovelnose sharks, leopard sharks, bat rays, and a number of threshers up to 8-feet in length. Inshore anglers are taking large yellowfin croakers and even a few corbina.
October 2008 — Ginny at Wylies Bait and Tackle reports that quite a few halibut continue to be taken up to the 24-26” range aong with some sargo inshore. Shark and ray action also remains strong with big bat rays, shovelnose and leopard sharks along with some small thresher sharks (on live mackerel).
April 2009 — Ginny at Wylies Bait and Tackle reports that some anglers are reporting that things are dead, dead, dead while at the same time she’s had other people report small halibut and a number of baby, 4-5-foot-long thresher sharks. She also reports a 38” white seabass being taken last week from the Paradise Cove Pier.
September 2009 — Ginny at Wylies Bait and Tackle reports Malibu slowed but fishing improved the first day after the grunion runs resumed. Halibut were reported as well as some large leopard sharks. There also continues to be a lot of BIG bat rays taken.
October 2009 — Ginny at Wylies Bait and Tackle reports that anglers continue to take a few threshers out at the end of the pier including a 10-foot fish (including the tail). There’s also a few perch and fewer halibut (mostly shorts).
March 2010 — Ginny at Wylies Bait and Tackle said she had gotten reports the day I called (2/28) saying everyone on the pier was catching perch, decent-sized barred surfperch in the one-pound class. They were also getting lots of walleye surfperch although little on the top. Local shore anglers were reporting good numbers of cabezon and white seabass so I would imagine a few of them might also be available around the pier to people who know what they’re doing.
May 2010 — Ginny at Wylies Bait and Tackle said anglers continue to report good perch action along with a few mackerel and some big bat rays including a 120-pound fish that was “taken home to eat.”
June 2010 — Ginny at Wylies Bait and Tackle said that sargo are starting to show, as well as a few yellowfin croakers, but mackerel action has slowed. Thresher shark seekers are once again lining the end of the pier (although more bat rays than threshers are being hooked and too many are simply being kept and killed. Keep them if you are going to eat them but let them go if you aren’t going to eat them). Too many small speckled sanddab and immature bocaccio show on the bottom.
July 2010 — Ginny at Wylies Bait and Tackle reports sargo falling to anglers using fresh mussels down by the pilings. Inshore a few corbina and yellowfin croakers are being seen. Out at the end the mackerel seem to have slowed but lizardfish continue to be caught as well as some legal-size halibut. The pier is probably the hot pier for now for thresher sharks. Quite a few are being landed but unfortunately most of them are small threshers, which should be, but aren’t, returned to fight another day. Most are taken home to be cooked. Also expect fair numbers of leopard sharks and shovelnose sharks (guitarfish).
August 2010 — Ginny at Wylies Bait and Tackle reports that the pier continues to yield thresher sharks out at the end along with a mix of sargo, smaller croakers, and an occasional halibut inshore to mid-pier. Most of the threshers are mere babies and should be returned to the water (but of course they aren’t.) As for the halibut, most are shorts but they have been caught to 26”. Four giant (black) sea bass have also been reported and all were supposedly returned to the water unharmed.
November 2010 — Ginny at Wylies Bait and Tackle reports that some mackerel and jacksmelt are showing on top while anchovies are also thick around the pier. Some halibut are showing on the bottom and small white seabass, 23-26” long, are showing in the area. Anglers continue to pull in a few thresher sharks out at the end while leopard sharks and at least one angel shark have contributed to the sharay mix. Lobster action has been slow.
December 2010 — Ginny at Wylies Bait and Tackle reports that some mackerel and jacksmelt are showing on top but most of the action on the bottom seems to have slowed. A few perch will be found inshore. An interesting 12-foot-long oarfish washed up on the beach not too far from the pier AND that would be an interesting catch from a pier.
May 2011 — Ginny at Wylies Bait and Tackle says she’s getting some excellent reports from the pier. A few halibut are being reported as well as lots of perch, smelt and mackerel. A few threshers have been also taken out at the end of the pier including one measuring (including the tail) nearly 11-feet in length. Ginny says the surf area is thick with sand crabs and corbina are also being seen although only a couple have been hooked.
September 2011 — Ginny at Wylies Bait and Tackle says he main news probably is the numbers of threshers being taken from the end of the pier. Fish are being caught pretty much everyday and some have been fairly large with one reported at 120 pounds (of course some pups are mixed in there too). It’s also been an unusually good year for corbina inshore and she measured one at 3 pounds 12 ounces (big for that area). Finally, there are quite a few perch and good numbers of mackerel but it’s slow on the halibut.
June 2012 — Ginny at Wylie’s Bait and Tackle says the mackerel fishing is terrific around most of the pier while inshore a few corbina and croakers are showing. Out at the end the threshers have begun to show (small ones). There’s also a few small halibut and during the grunion runs a few small white seabass were making an appearance. But the main action continues to be the mackerel.
August 2012 — Ginny at Wylie’s Bait and Tackle says sargo continue to be caught by those with the know-how while a few short halibut are also being taken. She says there is also a smattering of leopard sharks but thresher action has been dead. She also mentioned that the Sportfishing boats are currently not running from the pier; apparently there’s a problem with the boarding ladders.
June 2013 — Ginny at Wylie’s Bait and Tackle says things are beginning to pick up with quite a few halibut (try Lucky Craft lures) being landed as well as some BIG sargo (on squid strips) and tons of lizardfish (good halibut bait). She says there are lots of weeds in the water and that both mackerel and thresh sharks have been no shows lately.
August 2013 — Ginny at Wylie’s Bait and Tackle says things are picking up at the pier although most of the action is still on the smaller species. There has been a decent number of sargo showing up with some reaching several pounds; try mussels or lugworms or shrimp. The same bait and shallow areas may also produce some yellowfin croaker. A few mackerel are showing along with a few halibut but most are shorts. Walleye surfperch and shinerperch are showing in good numbers along with a few barred surfperch. Lizardfish remain too numerous while a few big bat rays are also making an appearance.
September 2013 — Ginny at Wylie’s Bait and Tackle says it’s been a mixed bag this month. Anglers have reported yellowfin croaker, some big bat rays, less but larger lizardfish, and quite a few short halibut (along with a keeper 27” fish). She’s also heard reports of corbina in the surf. Her regulars tell her the key to the halibut is to use Lucky Craft lures for the halibut (and we’ve heard this before). Ginny believes the top model is the Flash Minnow 110 and the top colors are Metallic Sardine, MS Anchovy, and the Ghost Minnow. [I might add that some anglers who use these lures tell me they are great BUT that the hooks will often bend with large fish. Many people remove the original hooks and replace them with something stronger, i.e., Gamakatzu hooks. It seems a $20 lure should come with strong hooks.] She also says the end of the pier is closed once again due to fire worries and damage. Both restaurants on the pier have closed and the Sportfishing operation is not running a boat this season. She says they also need to replace 17 pilings which is somewhat amazing considering the multi-million dollar rebuild not too many years ago. It’s not sounding good.
April 2014 — Ginny at Wylie’s Bait and Tackle says the main fish being taken are small walleye surfperch and jacksmelt. Mackerel were available until about a week ago but they’ve moved on. During the grunion run she was also getting reports of some nice keeper-size halibut. Thornback rays and shovelnose sharks (guitarfish) are also a regular catch. I was down there a few weeks ago and managed to catch the following fish in just over five hours of fishing spread over two days—white seaperch, blackperch, walleye surfperch, shinerperch, Pacific mackerel, jack mackerel, jacksmelt, topsmelt, lizardfish, thornback ray, speckled sanddab and a fantail sole.
September 2014 — Ginny at Wylie’s Bait and Tackle says that the fishing is “good.” Apparently there are a lot of mackerel, a few bonito, and an occasional halibut. However, the pier has also been closed at times.
October 2014 — Ginny at Wylie’s Bait and Tackle says the water’s been rough and the pier was closed for a couple of days but normalcy has returned. She says there’s a lot of mackerel, a few bass (unusual for the pier), some jacksmelt, lizardfish, and small perch, probably walleyes. She says a few yellowfin croakers have been taken inshore and she has heard reports of spotfin croaker (which are rarely seen along that stretch of beach).
November 2014 — Ginny at Wylie’s Bait and Tackle says the fishing has been really good. Baitfish have been around the pier and as a result both mackerel and bonito have been caught in good numbers as well as some halibut (including some legal-size fish). It sounds like perch are also available as well as a few sargo.
January 2015 — Ginny at Wylie’s Bait and Tackle says she’s getting reports of lots of small perch, probably walleyes, and people are catching mackerel and BONITO. The latter have been uncommon at the pier. People are also catching small halibut (and hopefully releasing them). It’s been cold but supposed to start warming up.
April 2015 — Ginny at Wylie’s Bait and Tackle says fishing has been really good due to the grunion runs. Quite a few halibut have been taken at the pier along with some croakers, sargo, barred surfperch, jacksmelt and black perch (buttermouth). Ginny says another grunion run is coming next week and she’s predicting a repeat of the good action.
August 2015 — Ginny at Wylie’s Bait and Tackle says fishing has been good. A lot of kelp bass (most illegal 11-13-inch fish) are being taken as well as numerous sharks, including thresher sharks. Mackerel are also biting (which probably accounts for the sharks). No bonito have been reported but yellowtail are being seen off the end of the pier.
November 2015 — Ginny at Wylie’s Bait and Tackle says fishing continues to be pretty decent. She says anglers are reporting lots of bonito, ditto on the mackerel, and numerous “short” bass. One angler brought in a 42-inch butterfly ray and two threshers were reported from the end of the pier. Inshore, a surf angler brought in a nearly 4-pound corbina to be weighed that he had taken on fresh mussels.
April 2016 — Ginny at Wylie’s Bait and Tackle says the fishing has been really good—if you like mackerel and (huge) jacksmelt. But, that’s not all. The grunion have been running and halibut apparently followed the baitfish into the pier’s water. Quite a few halibut were landed, mostly shorts, but a 36-inch fish was also recorded. Use live bait, especially small smelt, to get the flatties. Apparently some sharks and small rays also followed the grunion into the inshore waters since good numbers of those were also taken. Not much else although a few perch and occasional small croaker do show up.
June 2017 — Ginny at Wylie’s Bait and Tackle says there are a variety of fish showing locally including some calico bass, opaleye and lots of small halibut but since the end of the pier is closed (for renovation) it makes it tough on fishermen. There are also reporting a lot of sharks, mainly leopard sharks and shovelnose sharks (guitarfish). She also reported one very large barred surfperch from the pier but didn’t have a weight.
July 2017 — Ginny at Wylie’s Bait and Tackle says the big news is the number of kelp bass being taken at the pier. While the majority are under 14-inches, and thus illegal, quite a few legal-size fish are included in the mix. Mackerel are still available as well as jacksmelt, and small perch and a few opaleye (down by the piling). During the grunion runs a couple of corbina were taken; not sure what they eating. Add in a few small sharks and rays. Supposedly the end of the pier will be opened for the thresher shark fisherman on July 1.
August 2017 — Ginny at Wylie’s Bait and Tackle says the fishing at the pier has been good lately. Quite a few big yellowfin croakers and corbina are being taken inshore while the mid-pier area is seeing some halibut, including a 25-inch fish last week. Mackerel are showing on top along with a few jacksmelt but no bonito to date. Unusual has been the number of kelp bass and white seabass showing up, most are too small to keep, but a lot are being caught. As for the sharks and rays they tend to always be available.
September 2017 — Ginny at Wylie’s Bait and Tackle says the fishing at the pier has been really good lately. She say’s there are a LOT of mackerel along with some bass and too many lizardfish. There’s also been a lot of sharks including nice-sized leopard sharks and shovelnose sharks (guitarfish) along the sides of the pier, while some threshers have been taken at the end of the pier. A few croakers have been taken inshore. As for the mackerel, she says the kids all swear by the 1-oz. Deception lures she sells although some people continue to use Sabiki bait-rigs. The one bad news was that a youngster had his rod and expensive Avet reel stolen so keep an eye on your equipment.
October 2017 — Ginny at Wylie’s Bait and Tackle says the anglers are really happy. Lots and lots of mackerel as well as quite a few bass, perch and sharks, a combination of leopard sharks and shovelnose sharks (guitarfish). As for the mackerel, she says it is a toss up between Sabiki-rigs and the 1-oz. Deception lures (for those who like to catch them one at a time and enjoy the fight). Then again, fresh-cut mackerel makes good bait for other mackerel and the sharks.
August 2018 — Ginny at Wylie’s Bait and Tackle says everyone is discussing the great mackerel action at the pier, tons and tons of mackerel from mid-pier to the end. She says the grunion are running so some halibut are also showing up (on live bait), from just outside the surf area to almost the end. Lastly, she’s gotten some reports of thresher sharks being taken at the end.
September 2018 — Ginny at Wylie’s Bait and Tackle says it’s been a real good summer as far as fishing. The pier is getting quite a few yellowfin croaker, corbina and perch in the surf area as well as quite a few leopard sharks. Mid-pier some halibut are showing along with some sargo. Mid-pier to the end sees some small kelp bass and mackerel that are in and out. As for then sharkers, a few threshers are showing at the end along with] quite a few big bat rays. As said, pretty good fishing.
December 2018 — Ginny at Wylie’s Bait and Tackle says she’s finally back into the shop after having been kept away during the fires and road closures. She says people are again fishing the pier and she’s getting reports of lots of mackerel and increasing numbers of jacksmelt. The only reports she has had on bottom fish were some small perch and a few rays and sharks. She says it has been windy and that’s also put a damper on the fishing.
September 2019 — Ginny at Wylie’s Bait & Tackle (18757 Pacific Coast Hwy Malibu) said the biggest news continues to be on the number of thresher sharks being taken at the end of the pier. She continues to sell the wire leaders and the big hooks that are used for the threshers. She said she got a report and saw the picture of a striped bass taken at the pier, a fairly good-sized striper upwards of 20 pounds. She also got a report on one horn shark. Apparently the mackerel have slowed a little but the kids continue to take good numbers of small perch (mainly walleyes) using Sabikis, while inshore anglers continue to see good numbers of corbina and continue to complain about how hard they are to hook. She said the beaches are packed.
January 2020 — Ginny at Wylie’s Bait & Tackle (18757 Pacific Coast Hwy Malibu) said things are slow. People still report decent numbers of mackerel but not much else. But then again, not too many people are even fishing. She says customers have been few since before Christmas and the gale-like winds aren’t helping. She also reports continued anger at the management on the Malibu Pier that has not been able to reestablish the Sportfishing operations on the pier.
February 2020 — Ginny at Wylie’s Bait & Tackle (18757 Pacific Coast Hwy Malibu) said things are fairly slow due in part to few fishermen. Apparently quite a few mackerel and jacksmelt are available along with an occasional small halibut. The biggest surprise was a large, several-pound cabezon caught down around the pilings. The other species showing up are sharks, mainly leopard sharks.
March 2020 — Ginny at Wylie’s Bait & Tackle (18757 Pacific Coast Hwy Malibu) said it was blowing like a hurricane the day I called but the fishing has remained fairly good at the pier. Most of the action is on mackerel and surfperch (barred surfperch and small walleye surfperch) but a surprising number of short halibut and even some short white seabass have been showing up. Ditto on fair numbers of calico (kelp) bass. Not much sharay (shark and ray) action.
Closed — Covid-19
September 2020 — Ginny at Wylie’s Bait & Tackle (18757 Pacific Coast Hwy Malibu) said the fishing has been good, especially for the thresher shark fishermen at the end that have brought in a number of big threshers. She says there are a lot mackerel and there numbers are supplemented by some calico (kelp) bass, a few halibut, and perch.
November 2020 — Ginny at Wylie’s Bait & Tackle (18757 Pacific Coast Hwy Malibu) said the fishing has slowed but there are still good numbers of mackerel and anglers are still getting a few threshers. Halibut are also being reported, one a 30-inch fish.
December 2020 — Ginny at Wylie’s Bait & Tackle (18757 Pacific Coast Hwy Malibu) said anglers are still getting mackerel and that the shark anglers are using the live mackerel to get thresher sharks (although the numbers have slowed). Leopard sharks still appear to be in good numbers while some perch are showing by the pilings and inshore (but most are small). A PFIC report from lucretian said there were too many mackerel when he visited the pier. He said, “there's so many it almost took the fun out of fishing when you can watch them bite your bait. We caught over 30 mackerel in less than an hour and it wasn't slowing down even as we were leaving.” Sounds like he hit a “mac attack.”
June 2021 — Ginny at Wylie’s Bait & Tackle (18757 Pacific Coast Hwy Malibu) said things are sort of hit and miss with some anglers at the pier reporting good catches with others reporting zilch. For those who know what they are doing, mackerel seem available mid-pier to the end while inshore should sees some yellowfin croaker. Apparently there are also a lot of halibut around but almost all are shorts, 15-18-inches long. The grunion have been running so some bat rays show up in the surf area. A lot of corbina are also being seen in the surf but very few actual hook-ups are reported.
August 2021 — Ginny at Wylie’s Bait & Tackle (18757 Pacific Coast Hwy Malibu) said anglers continue to report good numbers of BIG bat rays but the real news are the reports that say several 7-gill sharks have been caught. Most unusual for such a short, shallow-water pier.
September 2021 — Ginny at Wylie’s Bait & Tackle (18757 Pacific Coast Hwy Malibu) said she’s been getting some good reports. She said people are seeing good numbers of mackerel mid-pier to the end while shallow waters are seeing small perch, yellowfin croaker and sargo (including some big ones). Out at the end of the pier anglers using live mackerel continue to catch some thresher sharks, some of decent size.
April 2022 — Ginny at Wylie’s Bait & Tackle (18757 Pacific Coast Hwy Malibu) said it’s been windy and cold so not too many people are fishing. But, the weather is improving. Anglers say there is a lot of bait in the water—anchovies, mackerel and small perch (walleyes?). In turn they are using the bait to catch some halibut but almost all have been shorts. No thresher sharks have shown but apparently good numbers of leopard sharks are showing. Not much else.
June 2022 — Ginny at Wylie’s Bait & Tackle (18757 Pacific Coast Hwy Malibu) said the pier is seeing some good fishing. The water is saturated with bait and one result is lots of mackerel along with a surprising number of bass, both kelp (calico) bass and sand bass. Meanwhile the grunion runs have produced good numbers of halibut (as usual). Lastly is the uptick is shark and ray fishing including thresher sharks out at the end of the pier.
July 2022 — Ginny at Wylie’s Bait & Tackle (18757 Pacific Coast Hwy Malibu) said it’s summertime, the kids are out of school, and the fishing for the thresher sharks is in full swing. She’s seeing pictures of many, many threshers and many are huge, up to about 11-feet when counting the tail. The bait is live mackerel when they can Sabiki them up, frozen mackerel or sardine when they can’t get the live bait. She says there are usually mackerel at the pier along with good numbers or bass with lesser catches of halibut. However, a grunion run is about to start and that always means increased numbers of halibut (on live smelt) and increased numbers of bat rays. She says there are also a lot of corbina around the pier but difficult, as always, to catch. Sounds like a good time to visit the pier.
