Date: June 15, 2003
To: PFIC Message Board
From: Rock Hopper
Subject: Berkeley Pier 6-13, 6-14 (long)
Took the day off of work on Friday and shot down to B.P. for my first fishing “ironman” competition with myself... lol. I fished live anchovies on one float rig and one three-way live bait rig out near the end of the pier. I had the liveliest anchovies I’ve ever had, and they served their duty to the end, but all I managed was one good strike on the three way and that was it. Wind was howling from 10:00AM ‘til about 9:00PM. Around 8:00PM I released the 10 or so anchovies I still had and switched to squid on sliding sinker rigs. From the first piece of squid the bite was on. Sneaky little sharks out the whole time I was there, very hard to hook. Ended up landing 10 of the little sharks, one 42” bat ray, one 28” bat ray, and another big ray that snapped me off after almost spooling me. The big ray was fun on a little Ugly Stick - I had the rod bent in half like you always see in the pictures, and I managed to get it back after it ran a couple of dozen yards under the pier. All fish caught on whole squid, all released. It was absolutely beautiful on Friday night, the wind died down around 10:00PM and the full moon was awesome. Once again almost every piece of squid got bit by a fish, not too much crab thievery. It got to a point where I only fished one pole because two poles was a little too hectic. I left at about midnight.
Last night was pretty much the same only it was a little bit more windy. Fished from 8:30PM till 3:30AM. Landed 7 little smoothounds, and one 36” range bat ray that broke my Daiwa Jupiter reel. I got this one out from under the pier also and fought it for the last 5 or so minutes with the reel broken. First real fish the reel had seen and it failed miserably. Also hooked another ray that I chased up and down the pier but it snapped me off. Bites were pretty consistent throughout the incoming then died down big time at the turn, from around midnight ‘till 2:00AM. Started getting a lot of hits after that, but started getting tired so I packed it up. Talked with Patrick333 for a while and met bloto (think I spelled it right). Nice to meet you!
Röc´K HòppéR – Thë J?††? Jùnk‡
Name: patrick333
Got to Berkeley Pier last night at 8:30pm. After thrown out one pole with squid, I went to work with my cast net again. Got couple shiners and some smelt at 4” to 5” in the net, so I tried a shiner on a sliding rig close to the pier, hoping for a striper or a hungry hali. But nothing touched it for 4 hours!
Went on to play more with my cast net, landed a 9” walleye perch and whole bunch of babies. Also caught 8 smelts on one of my cast. Plus a 10” king fish, 8” sand shark, 3 live anchovies and more smelt. I think the ‘chovies are the ones that were released by the anglers after their fishing. Left the pier around 3:15am.
Total fish count: 8 sand sharks from 18” to 23.” 5 of them were caught on the same half piece of squid within half an hour at one time.15 bigger smelts, plus a bunch of small one that were released at the end. 4 shiners, which were used for bait by me and a party of guys next to me. 1 29” ray, and one that snapped my leader during the hook set.
It was a fun night out nevertheless, even though the bites dies down dramatically once the tide top out. Nice talking to Rock Hopper and blotO and his girlfriend. It was even more fun watching them battle the big rays that gave them a ride up and down the pier.
Name: crazyguy
How’d you get the bigger smelt Patrick? Did they hit the rigs intended for sharks or did you use a bobber rig? Thanks.
Name: Salty Nick
Now that's what I call a fishing marathon. Salty.
Name: cougar
I like your style rock hopper...
Name: frozendog
Marathon Man in Berkeley — that’s a lot of fishing for one weekend. Sounds like your anchovies were so lively the sharks couldn’t catch them. Also it sounds like you knew when you are getting tired and to save some energy for the drive home. Good fishing. As usual, an eloquent report.
To: PFIC Message Board
From: Rock Hopper
Subject: Berkeley Pier 6-13, 6-14 (long)
Took the day off of work on Friday and shot down to B.P. for my first fishing “ironman” competition with myself... lol. I fished live anchovies on one float rig and one three-way live bait rig out near the end of the pier. I had the liveliest anchovies I’ve ever had, and they served their duty to the end, but all I managed was one good strike on the three way and that was it. Wind was howling from 10:00AM ‘til about 9:00PM. Around 8:00PM I released the 10 or so anchovies I still had and switched to squid on sliding sinker rigs. From the first piece of squid the bite was on. Sneaky little sharks out the whole time I was there, very hard to hook. Ended up landing 10 of the little sharks, one 42” bat ray, one 28” bat ray, and another big ray that snapped me off after almost spooling me. The big ray was fun on a little Ugly Stick - I had the rod bent in half like you always see in the pictures, and I managed to get it back after it ran a couple of dozen yards under the pier. All fish caught on whole squid, all released. It was absolutely beautiful on Friday night, the wind died down around 10:00PM and the full moon was awesome. Once again almost every piece of squid got bit by a fish, not too much crab thievery. It got to a point where I only fished one pole because two poles was a little too hectic. I left at about midnight.
Last night was pretty much the same only it was a little bit more windy. Fished from 8:30PM till 3:30AM. Landed 7 little smoothounds, and one 36” range bat ray that broke my Daiwa Jupiter reel. I got this one out from under the pier also and fought it for the last 5 or so minutes with the reel broken. First real fish the reel had seen and it failed miserably. Also hooked another ray that I chased up and down the pier but it snapped me off. Bites were pretty consistent throughout the incoming then died down big time at the turn, from around midnight ‘till 2:00AM. Started getting a lot of hits after that, but started getting tired so I packed it up. Talked with Patrick333 for a while and met bloto (think I spelled it right). Nice to meet you!
Röc´K HòppéR – Thë J?††? Jùnk‡
Name: patrick333
Got to Berkeley Pier last night at 8:30pm. After thrown out one pole with squid, I went to work with my cast net again. Got couple shiners and some smelt at 4” to 5” in the net, so I tried a shiner on a sliding rig close to the pier, hoping for a striper or a hungry hali. But nothing touched it for 4 hours!
Went on to play more with my cast net, landed a 9” walleye perch and whole bunch of babies. Also caught 8 smelts on one of my cast. Plus a 10” king fish, 8” sand shark, 3 live anchovies and more smelt. I think the ‘chovies are the ones that were released by the anglers after their fishing. Left the pier around 3:15am.
Total fish count: 8 sand sharks from 18” to 23.” 5 of them were caught on the same half piece of squid within half an hour at one time.15 bigger smelts, plus a bunch of small one that were released at the end. 4 shiners, which were used for bait by me and a party of guys next to me. 1 29” ray, and one that snapped my leader during the hook set.
It was a fun night out nevertheless, even though the bites dies down dramatically once the tide top out. Nice talking to Rock Hopper and blotO and his girlfriend. It was even more fun watching them battle the big rays that gave them a ride up and down the pier.
Name: crazyguy
How’d you get the bigger smelt Patrick? Did they hit the rigs intended for sharks or did you use a bobber rig? Thanks.
Name: Salty Nick
Now that's what I call a fishing marathon. Salty.
Name: cougar
I like your style rock hopper...
Name: frozendog
Marathon Man in Berkeley — that’s a lot of fishing for one weekend. Sounds like your anchovies were so lively the sharks couldn’t catch them. Also it sounds like you knew when you are getting tired and to save some energy for the drive home. Good fishing. As usual, an eloquent report.