August 2021 Fishing Report, Southern California (#268)
Remember — Lobster season is now closed.
San Diego County Piers
Imperial Beach Pier – We still need a reporter. How To Get There: From I-5 take the Palm Ave. (Hwy. 75) exit and follow it to where Palm Ave. and Hwy. 75 divide. Follow Palm Ave. to Seacoast Dr., turn left and it will take you right to the pier.
Ocean Beach Pier — Jason at the Ocean Beach Pier Bait and Tackle shop on the pier said the pier is seeing a good mackerel bite along with smaller numbers of fish on the bottom—kelp bass, sculpin (scorpionfish), and some leopard sharks. Inshore anglers are picking up some croaker. How To Get There: From the north, take I-5 to the Sea World Dr. exit and follow it until it turns off to Sunset Cliffs Blvd. From the south, take I- 5 to the Nimitz Blvd. exit, then follow that road to Sunset Cliffs Blvd. Follow Sunset Cliffs Blvd. to Newport Ave., turn right and follow the road to the pier parking lot.
Crystal Pier – Pam, at the bait shop on the pier, reports that things have slowed down a bit after the good run of sargo. People are still picking up some mackerel on top and quite a few guitarfish on the bottom but the water temperature has dropped slowing fishing. She also reported the first good-sized halibut seen in a while. How To get There: Take I-5 to Garnet Ave. then take Garnet west to the foot of the pier.
Pepper Park Pier — No report. We need a reporter! How To Get There: From I-5 take the 24th Street off-ramp west to Tidelands Avenue and go left (south) on Tidelands to the end.
Bayside Park Pier — No report. We need a reporter. How To Get There: From I-5 take the J Street off ramp and go west. Take J Street to Tidelands Ave.; turn right. Take Tidelands to Sandpiper Way; turn right. Take Sandpiper to Bayside Parkway, turn left and follow the road to the park.
Embarcadero Marina Pier — No report. We need a reporter! How To Get There: From the I-5 south, take the Front Street exit south to Market (just stay on Front Street, it runs into Market), take Market west to Harbor Dr. Turn left on Harbor Dr. and take it to 8th Ave., turn right onto Convention Way (formerly Harbor St.). Follow it a short block to 5th Ave. and the pier. It seems that with the new Convention Center the city is constantly working on these streets near the pier and renaming them; if you get confused remember that the park and pier are immediately to the southwest of the Convention Center. From I-5 North, approaching from the south, take the J Street exit, then go straight, three blocks up to Market, turn left and take it from there.
Ferry Landing Pier (Coronado) — Need a reporter although bass (kelp, sand and spotted) always seem to be around as well as a mix of sharays (mostly round stingrays and bat rays). How To Get There: From San Diego, take the Coronado Bay Bridge (Highway 75) to Coronado. Once over the bridge you are on Third Street. Simply follow it to B Avenue, turn right, and follow it to the front of The Old Ferry Landing — the intersection of First Street and B Avenue. The pier sits behind the shops in the complex.
Shelter Island Pier — It sounds like the main fish are mackerel. How To Get There: Take I-5 or I-8 to Rosecrans (Hwy. 209) and go west, turn left at Shelter Island Dr. and follow the road until you see the pier and the entrance to the parking lot.
Oceanside Pier — A report from my friend Bill said a tremendous run of sardines earlier in the month (they were everywhere) has been followed by a drop in water temperatures and a drop in fishing. The key words right now are a few, a few croaker, a few bass, a few halibut, etc. Mackerel are missing but a few bonito (5-6 a day) are also caught each day. Everyone is waiting for the water temperatures to go back up. How To Get There: From I-5 take Mission Blvd. west to Pacific, turn left and follow it to the pier.” How To Get There: From I-5 take Mission Blvd. west to Pacific, turn left and follow it to the pier.
Oceanside Harbor Pier — The pier is currently closed for repair. How To Get There: From I-5 take the Harbor Dr. exit off the freeway, follow it and it will wind down to the harbor; where the road splits stay to the right on North Harbor Dr., and follow it to the pier.
Orange County Piers
San Clemente Pier — Josh at Hogan's Bait and Tackle (34320 Pacific Coast Hwy, said he didn’t have much to report, said everyone is heading out on the local boats to catch tune. He said he has a few reports of spotfin croaker and leopard sharks at the pier, both primarily being taken inshore. Some mackerel should be available at the end. A PFIC report from blfishing on 7/19 who said, “Set up near the surf and fished for spotfins. Caught one and lost another big one busting off. Bait was asian market cooked mussels... Also got 2 sargo (on shrimp). Interesting day, guy next to me caught a lobster and didn't know they existed in CA (he fished 20 years there)?? He released it. Another guy walking up and down the pier with an eel.” How to Get There: From I-5 take any of several exit streets west to El Camino Real, follow it to the center of town, and from there take Del Mar down to the pier.
Dana Harbor Pier —Dana at Hogan's Bait And Tackle (34320 Pacific Coast Hwy, said it’s the usual. Try for halibut using artificial lures such as Lucky Craft and swim baits or spotted bass using swim baits. How To Get There: The pier is located in the Dana Cove Park area of Dana Point Harbor. From the Pacific Coast Highway take Green Lantern Road south to the harbor, turn left on Cove Road, and follow it to the pier.
Balboa Pier — Our long-time reporter Snookie says, Hi Ken, This has been a fast month. The fishing is better with several keeper halibut caught. There are a lot of sand bass and kelp bass being caught and yellowfin croakers plus spotfin croakers. Have seen a few sargo as well. By the way, Sargo are excellent eating as I had some this month. Bait was a problem for us, but we managed with all of us trying for bait just to get what we needed. The Jr. Lifeguards are about finished as of this next week, which is good. Looking forward to the fall fishing.” A PFIC report from EgoNonBaptizo on 8/3 said, “I got to the pier at 5:30 am, and started fishing a 15 gram jigpara for a steady pick on small-medium mackerel. Once the sun came out, the bite slowed somewhat, but scattered schools of medium-sized sardines began aggregating around the pier. At around 9:30, the sardines disappeared, leaving only a slowish mackerel bite. Of note, I saw two very small bonito being caught (sardine sized), which thankfully were released. Additionally, it appears the city has installed two sets of wires high above the railings at the end section of the pier to prevent overhead casting. However, these wires made it difficult to get Sabikis over the railing, and contributed to most of the fish that I had lost today, as fish would often get knocked loose as I tried to maneuver the rod and rig through the limited space.” How To Get There: From the Pacific Coast Highway take Newport Blvd. which will turn into Balboa Blvd., follow it west to Palm Street. Turn right and follow it to the pier and the adjacent parking lot.
Newport Pier — Generally the action mirrors, for the most part, that seen at Balboa although when the fishing is hot the mobs will be bigger and the railing space more limited. How To Get There: From the Pacific Coast Highway take the Newport Blvd. turn off and proceed west watching for signs directing traffic to the pier. The pier sits at the foot of McFadden Place.
Huntington Beach Pier — Still unable to get through to the pier. Croker action should be decent inshore while mackerel should be available mid-pier to the end. Also expect some of the larger sharks and rays at the end. How To Get There: Highway 1 (Pacific Coast Highway) to Huntington Beach and the pier.
Seal Beach Pier —Liz at Big Fish Bait & Tackle, 1780-C. Pacific Coast Hwy, said fishing’s been somewhat slow lately, a mix of perch, corbina and croaker, all inshore, while a few mackerel should be out at the end. No reports of halibut. Got a PFIC report on 7/24 from fish-ninja who said, “Fished with a friend during 8am-6pm in the mid pier section mostly. Annual summer camp children swimming around the pier made us busy not to snag big accidental by-catch. There was a capsized boat nearby which was the talk of the day. There were plenty of bait fish but could not find halibut on live baits nor seen anyone else finding one. Some small rays were caught by neighbors on squid. Yellowfin croaker action was constant throughout the day on high-low rig with shrimp or mussel. By-catches on Sabiki rigs were the funniest part of the day for me. Topsmelt, anchovy, and occasional Pacific mackerel were there all day. A school of salema hit the midsection in AM. In PM, a different type of anchovy hit a Sabiki rig. Are these deepbody anchovy (Anchoa Compressa)? Used for halibut bait but they did not stay alive long... [the fish were deepbody anchovy]. Got a PFIC report on 7/8 from fishman fishman who said, “after 40 plus years of pier fishing. Catching and releasing numerous types of rays without incident. It finally happened today at Seal Beach pier. While releasing a small round stingray, I got stung on the outside of my right thumb. The pain lasted for about 3 hours. Numbness, burning, swelling, stinging, throbbing. Pain also traveled to the tip of my index finger. Currently I have no pain, but the sting area feels like a bad burn with numbness. Crazy!” How To Get There: From the Pacific Coast Highway simply take Main St. west and follow it to the pier.
Los Angeles County Piers
Belmont Pier — Liz at Big Fish Bait & Tackle, 1780-C. Pacific Coast Hwy, said fishing’s about the same as at Seal Beach although there are almost always good counts on the mackerel and a few more halibut. Got a PFIC report on 7/15 from fish-ninja who said, “Along with two buddies of mine, I spent a day at Belmont Pier this Monday. It was a slow day but with some interesting by-catch. No macs running at the end/midsection and inshore section was slow as well. With smelt as bait, we landed butterfly ray and short sand bass in mid-section. A two-spot octopus also came on clam on hi-lo rig. Toward the end of the day, we found yellowfin croaker and a short halibut on cut squid. Our neighbors were catching small bat rays in the mid-section.” How To Get There: From the north take I-405 to the Lakewood Boulevard turnoff, and then go south to 7th Street, turn west (right) until you come to Ximeno Ave. and then turn left. Follow it to Livingston Dr. and go west. You will see signs by Ocean Ave. and Termino Ave. indicating the pier. From the south take the Pacific Coast Highway to 2nd. Street (Westminister becomes 2nd. Street when it crosses PCH), go west, follow to Livingston Dr. Follow it to signs by Ocean Ave. and Termino Ave. indicating the pier and parking lot.
Shoreline Aquatic Park Piers — Expect the usual—tomcod (white croaker) and mackerel casting out from the pier, sargo and perch fishing the inshore waters. How to Get There: From downtown Long Beach, take Pine Avenue south to Shoreline Drive. For the northernmost pier #1 follow Shoreline Avenue west and follow it around the lagoon to where the street ends. For the southernmost piers #2-#5 follow Shoreline Drive east to the markings for Shoreline Village, continue past the shopping complex, and follow the road out to near the end of the peninsula. You will see the piers.
Cabrillo Pier (San Pedro) —Tom at the Rusty Hook, 245 N Gaffey St., San Pedro, said people are fishing the pier but he’s not getting many reports. Expect the normal, a few halibut falling to swim baits to the regulars and a mish mash of other species to those just casting out a bait. A few bass and perch should be available against the rocks, a few small sculpin under the pier, and an occasional croaker on the bottom. How To Get There: Take the Harbor Freeway (I-110) south; it will turn into Gaffey St. Follow it to 22nd Street and turn left. Follow 22nd St. to Pacific Ave. and turn right. Follow Pacific Ave. to 36th Street and the entrance to Cabrillo Park.
Green Pleasure Pier (Avalon, Catalina Island) – Expect all the normal species—kelp bass, rock wrasse, senorita, opaleye, halfmoon, and sheephead. How To Get There: The trick here is to get to Catalina. Ships and helicopters make the journey several times a day from the Port of Los Angeles, Long Beach and Newport Beach. Information is available on all of these by calling the Avalon Chamber of Commerce on the Pleasure Pier (213) 510-1520 or the Visitor's Information & Service Center (213) 510-2500. Once in Avalon there should be no problem in finding the pier, which is located at the foot of Catalina Avenue.
Cabrillo Mole (Avalon, Catalina Island) — Recent reports indicate that all the regular species are showing up—kelp bass, rock wrasse, senorita, opaleye, halfmoon and sheephead but bonito still are largely missing. How To Get There: The trick is to get to Catalina. Ships and helicopters make the journey several times a day from the Port of Los Angeles, Long Beach and Newport Beach. Information is available on all of these by calling the Avalon Chamber of Commerce on the Pleasure Pier (213) 510-1520 or the Visitor's Information & Service Center (213) 510-2500. Once in Avalon there should be no problem in finding the mole that sits right where most boats disembark.
Redondo Beach Pier — Joanna at Redondo Beach Tackle on the pier said most of the action continues to be on mackerel. How To Get There: From the Pacific Coast Highway, take Torrance Blvd. west to the foot of the pier and the parking lot.
Manhattan Beach Pier – Best bet mackerel in the morning and evening hours. How To Get There: From Sepulveda Boulevard, turn west on Manhattan Beach Drive and follow it to the pier.
Hermosa Beach Pier — Best bet mackerel in the morning and evening hours. How To Get There: Take the Pacific Coast Highway (Hwy 1) to Pier Avenue and follow Pier Avenue west to the pier.
Venice Pier — Is it open? Need a reporter. How To Get There: Highway 1 to Washington St., turn west and follow Washington St. to the pier.
Santa Monica Pier — Unable to get through for a report. How to Get There: From I-405 take Santa Monica Blvd. west to Ocean Ave. Turn left, go to Colorado Ave., and turn right onto the pier.
Malibu Pier — Ginny at Wylie’s Bait & Tackle (18757 Pacific Coast Hwy Malibu) said she’s been getting some good reports. She said people are seeing big numbers of corbina inshore, while some bass are showing around the pilings. A few small halibut have been taken (usually on snagged live bait) along with a few leopard sharks. She also said the kids are getting a lot of thresher sharks at the end. Most are small ones but one measured 8-feet in length and two were reportedly 10-feet in length. When the grunion are running, expect some halibut and bat rays. How To Get There: The pier fronts on the Pacific Coast Highway (Hwy 1) so just drive until you see it.
Paradise Cove Pier — 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. How To Get There: Take Highway 1 to Paradise Cove Dr., turn west, and follow the road back into the parking lot. It’s very expensive unless you buy a meal at the restaurant and then you are allowed to fish for, I think, three hours.
Ventura & Santa Barbara County Piers
Port Hueneme Pier — No report this month. How To Get There: From Highway 1 take Hueneme Rd. west until it turns into Port. At Ventura Rd turn left and follow it to Surfside Dr. Turn left again and follow it to the park.
Ventura Pier — Ludia at Hyun’s Tackle, 3695 E Harbor Blvd., says the usual mix of fish is available, primarily perch, corbina and croaker showing up inshore. A few halibut enter the mix mid-pier and good numbers of thresher shark are also being taken. She says the mackerel fishing has been hard lately, they’re in and out and hard to catch. How To Get There: From Highway 101 take the Seaward Drive exit west to Harbor Drive, turn right and follow it to the pier.
Stearns Wharf — Still no answer—is the bait shop open? How To Get There: From Highway 101 take Castillo St. or State St. west to the beach and follow signs to the pier.
Goleta Pier — Shawn at Hook Line & Sinker at 4010-5 Calle Real, Santa Barbara said fishing has been very slow both at the pier and the beaches. He’s not sure why. Usually you can expect some small brown rockfish, a few Johnny bass (olive rockfish) and calico (kelp) bass from the pipe reef on the right side of the pier and some mackerel at the end (and sharks at night). How To Get There: From Highway 101 take the Hwy. 217/Airport exit. Follow it to Sandspit Rd. and the Goleta Beach Park turnoff. Follow this to the park and the pier.
Gaviota Pier — The pier has now been closed for eight years—and counting. So much for state government and the California Parks Dept.! Ridiculous! How To Get There: From Highway 101 simply take the Gaviota State Park turnoff down to the beach and pier.
Remember — Lobster season is now closed.
San Diego County Piers
Imperial Beach Pier – We still need a reporter. How To Get There: From I-5 take the Palm Ave. (Hwy. 75) exit and follow it to where Palm Ave. and Hwy. 75 divide. Follow Palm Ave. to Seacoast Dr., turn left and it will take you right to the pier.
Ocean Beach Pier — Jason at the Ocean Beach Pier Bait and Tackle shop on the pier said the pier is seeing a good mackerel bite along with smaller numbers of fish on the bottom—kelp bass, sculpin (scorpionfish), and some leopard sharks. Inshore anglers are picking up some croaker. How To Get There: From the north, take I-5 to the Sea World Dr. exit and follow it until it turns off to Sunset Cliffs Blvd. From the south, take I- 5 to the Nimitz Blvd. exit, then follow that road to Sunset Cliffs Blvd. Follow Sunset Cliffs Blvd. to Newport Ave., turn right and follow the road to the pier parking lot.
Crystal Pier – Pam, at the bait shop on the pier, reports that things have slowed down a bit after the good run of sargo. People are still picking up some mackerel on top and quite a few guitarfish on the bottom but the water temperature has dropped slowing fishing. She also reported the first good-sized halibut seen in a while. How To get There: Take I-5 to Garnet Ave. then take Garnet west to the foot of the pier.
Pepper Park Pier — No report. We need a reporter! How To Get There: From I-5 take the 24th Street off-ramp west to Tidelands Avenue and go left (south) on Tidelands to the end.
Bayside Park Pier — No report. We need a reporter. How To Get There: From I-5 take the J Street off ramp and go west. Take J Street to Tidelands Ave.; turn right. Take Tidelands to Sandpiper Way; turn right. Take Sandpiper to Bayside Parkway, turn left and follow the road to the park.
Embarcadero Marina Pier — No report. We need a reporter! How To Get There: From the I-5 south, take the Front Street exit south to Market (just stay on Front Street, it runs into Market), take Market west to Harbor Dr. Turn left on Harbor Dr. and take it to 8th Ave., turn right onto Convention Way (formerly Harbor St.). Follow it a short block to 5th Ave. and the pier. It seems that with the new Convention Center the city is constantly working on these streets near the pier and renaming them; if you get confused remember that the park and pier are immediately to the southwest of the Convention Center. From I-5 North, approaching from the south, take the J Street exit, then go straight, three blocks up to Market, turn left and take it from there.
Ferry Landing Pier (Coronado) — Need a reporter although bass (kelp, sand and spotted) always seem to be around as well as a mix of sharays (mostly round stingrays and bat rays). How To Get There: From San Diego, take the Coronado Bay Bridge (Highway 75) to Coronado. Once over the bridge you are on Third Street. Simply follow it to B Avenue, turn right, and follow it to the front of The Old Ferry Landing — the intersection of First Street and B Avenue. The pier sits behind the shops in the complex.
Shelter Island Pier — It sounds like the main fish are mackerel. How To Get There: Take I-5 or I-8 to Rosecrans (Hwy. 209) and go west, turn left at Shelter Island Dr. and follow the road until you see the pier and the entrance to the parking lot.
Oceanside Pier — A report from my friend Bill said a tremendous run of sardines earlier in the month (they were everywhere) has been followed by a drop in water temperatures and a drop in fishing. The key words right now are a few, a few croaker, a few bass, a few halibut, etc. Mackerel are missing but a few bonito (5-6 a day) are also caught each day. Everyone is waiting for the water temperatures to go back up. How To Get There: From I-5 take Mission Blvd. west to Pacific, turn left and follow it to the pier.” How To Get There: From I-5 take Mission Blvd. west to Pacific, turn left and follow it to the pier.
Oceanside Harbor Pier — The pier is currently closed for repair. How To Get There: From I-5 take the Harbor Dr. exit off the freeway, follow it and it will wind down to the harbor; where the road splits stay to the right on North Harbor Dr., and follow it to the pier.
Orange County Piers
San Clemente Pier — Josh at Hogan's Bait and Tackle (34320 Pacific Coast Hwy, said he didn’t have much to report, said everyone is heading out on the local boats to catch tune. He said he has a few reports of spotfin croaker and leopard sharks at the pier, both primarily being taken inshore. Some mackerel should be available at the end. A PFIC report from blfishing on 7/19 who said, “Set up near the surf and fished for spotfins. Caught one and lost another big one busting off. Bait was asian market cooked mussels... Also got 2 sargo (on shrimp). Interesting day, guy next to me caught a lobster and didn't know they existed in CA (he fished 20 years there)?? He released it. Another guy walking up and down the pier with an eel.” How to Get There: From I-5 take any of several exit streets west to El Camino Real, follow it to the center of town, and from there take Del Mar down to the pier.
Dana Harbor Pier —Dana at Hogan's Bait And Tackle (34320 Pacific Coast Hwy, said it’s the usual. Try for halibut using artificial lures such as Lucky Craft and swim baits or spotted bass using swim baits. How To Get There: The pier is located in the Dana Cove Park area of Dana Point Harbor. From the Pacific Coast Highway take Green Lantern Road south to the harbor, turn left on Cove Road, and follow it to the pier.
Balboa Pier — Our long-time reporter Snookie says, Hi Ken, This has been a fast month. The fishing is better with several keeper halibut caught. There are a lot of sand bass and kelp bass being caught and yellowfin croakers plus spotfin croakers. Have seen a few sargo as well. By the way, Sargo are excellent eating as I had some this month. Bait was a problem for us, but we managed with all of us trying for bait just to get what we needed. The Jr. Lifeguards are about finished as of this next week, which is good. Looking forward to the fall fishing.” A PFIC report from EgoNonBaptizo on 8/3 said, “I got to the pier at 5:30 am, and started fishing a 15 gram jigpara for a steady pick on small-medium mackerel. Once the sun came out, the bite slowed somewhat, but scattered schools of medium-sized sardines began aggregating around the pier. At around 9:30, the sardines disappeared, leaving only a slowish mackerel bite. Of note, I saw two very small bonito being caught (sardine sized), which thankfully were released. Additionally, it appears the city has installed two sets of wires high above the railings at the end section of the pier to prevent overhead casting. However, these wires made it difficult to get Sabikis over the railing, and contributed to most of the fish that I had lost today, as fish would often get knocked loose as I tried to maneuver the rod and rig through the limited space.” How To Get There: From the Pacific Coast Highway take Newport Blvd. which will turn into Balboa Blvd., follow it west to Palm Street. Turn right and follow it to the pier and the adjacent parking lot.
Newport Pier — Generally the action mirrors, for the most part, that seen at Balboa although when the fishing is hot the mobs will be bigger and the railing space more limited. How To Get There: From the Pacific Coast Highway take the Newport Blvd. turn off and proceed west watching for signs directing traffic to the pier. The pier sits at the foot of McFadden Place.
Huntington Beach Pier — Still unable to get through to the pier. Croker action should be decent inshore while mackerel should be available mid-pier to the end. Also expect some of the larger sharks and rays at the end. How To Get There: Highway 1 (Pacific Coast Highway) to Huntington Beach and the pier.
Seal Beach Pier —Liz at Big Fish Bait & Tackle, 1780-C. Pacific Coast Hwy, said fishing’s been somewhat slow lately, a mix of perch, corbina and croaker, all inshore, while a few mackerel should be out at the end. No reports of halibut. Got a PFIC report on 7/24 from fish-ninja who said, “Fished with a friend during 8am-6pm in the mid pier section mostly. Annual summer camp children swimming around the pier made us busy not to snag big accidental by-catch. There was a capsized boat nearby which was the talk of the day. There were plenty of bait fish but could not find halibut on live baits nor seen anyone else finding one. Some small rays were caught by neighbors on squid. Yellowfin croaker action was constant throughout the day on high-low rig with shrimp or mussel. By-catches on Sabiki rigs were the funniest part of the day for me. Topsmelt, anchovy, and occasional Pacific mackerel were there all day. A school of salema hit the midsection in AM. In PM, a different type of anchovy hit a Sabiki rig. Are these deepbody anchovy (Anchoa Compressa)? Used for halibut bait but they did not stay alive long... [the fish were deepbody anchovy]. Got a PFIC report on 7/8 from fishman fishman who said, “after 40 plus years of pier fishing. Catching and releasing numerous types of rays without incident. It finally happened today at Seal Beach pier. While releasing a small round stingray, I got stung on the outside of my right thumb. The pain lasted for about 3 hours. Numbness, burning, swelling, stinging, throbbing. Pain also traveled to the tip of my index finger. Currently I have no pain, but the sting area feels like a bad burn with numbness. Crazy!” How To Get There: From the Pacific Coast Highway simply take Main St. west and follow it to the pier.
Los Angeles County Piers
Belmont Pier — Liz at Big Fish Bait & Tackle, 1780-C. Pacific Coast Hwy, said fishing’s about the same as at Seal Beach although there are almost always good counts on the mackerel and a few more halibut. Got a PFIC report on 7/15 from fish-ninja who said, “Along with two buddies of mine, I spent a day at Belmont Pier this Monday. It was a slow day but with some interesting by-catch. No macs running at the end/midsection and inshore section was slow as well. With smelt as bait, we landed butterfly ray and short sand bass in mid-section. A two-spot octopus also came on clam on hi-lo rig. Toward the end of the day, we found yellowfin croaker and a short halibut on cut squid. Our neighbors were catching small bat rays in the mid-section.” How To Get There: From the north take I-405 to the Lakewood Boulevard turnoff, and then go south to 7th Street, turn west (right) until you come to Ximeno Ave. and then turn left. Follow it to Livingston Dr. and go west. You will see signs by Ocean Ave. and Termino Ave. indicating the pier. From the south take the Pacific Coast Highway to 2nd. Street (Westminister becomes 2nd. Street when it crosses PCH), go west, follow to Livingston Dr. Follow it to signs by Ocean Ave. and Termino Ave. indicating the pier and parking lot.
Shoreline Aquatic Park Piers — Expect the usual—tomcod (white croaker) and mackerel casting out from the pier, sargo and perch fishing the inshore waters. How to Get There: From downtown Long Beach, take Pine Avenue south to Shoreline Drive. For the northernmost pier #1 follow Shoreline Avenue west and follow it around the lagoon to where the street ends. For the southernmost piers #2-#5 follow Shoreline Drive east to the markings for Shoreline Village, continue past the shopping complex, and follow the road out to near the end of the peninsula. You will see the piers.
Cabrillo Pier (San Pedro) —Tom at the Rusty Hook, 245 N Gaffey St., San Pedro, said people are fishing the pier but he’s not getting many reports. Expect the normal, a few halibut falling to swim baits to the regulars and a mish mash of other species to those just casting out a bait. A few bass and perch should be available against the rocks, a few small sculpin under the pier, and an occasional croaker on the bottom. How To Get There: Take the Harbor Freeway (I-110) south; it will turn into Gaffey St. Follow it to 22nd Street and turn left. Follow 22nd St. to Pacific Ave. and turn right. Follow Pacific Ave. to 36th Street and the entrance to Cabrillo Park.
Green Pleasure Pier (Avalon, Catalina Island) – Expect all the normal species—kelp bass, rock wrasse, senorita, opaleye, halfmoon, and sheephead. How To Get There: The trick here is to get to Catalina. Ships and helicopters make the journey several times a day from the Port of Los Angeles, Long Beach and Newport Beach. Information is available on all of these by calling the Avalon Chamber of Commerce on the Pleasure Pier (213) 510-1520 or the Visitor's Information & Service Center (213) 510-2500. Once in Avalon there should be no problem in finding the pier, which is located at the foot of Catalina Avenue.
Cabrillo Mole (Avalon, Catalina Island) — Recent reports indicate that all the regular species are showing up—kelp bass, rock wrasse, senorita, opaleye, halfmoon and sheephead but bonito still are largely missing. How To Get There: The trick is to get to Catalina. Ships and helicopters make the journey several times a day from the Port of Los Angeles, Long Beach and Newport Beach. Information is available on all of these by calling the Avalon Chamber of Commerce on the Pleasure Pier (213) 510-1520 or the Visitor's Information & Service Center (213) 510-2500. Once in Avalon there should be no problem in finding the mole that sits right where most boats disembark.
Redondo Beach Pier — Joanna at Redondo Beach Tackle on the pier said most of the action continues to be on mackerel. How To Get There: From the Pacific Coast Highway, take Torrance Blvd. west to the foot of the pier and the parking lot.
Manhattan Beach Pier – Best bet mackerel in the morning and evening hours. How To Get There: From Sepulveda Boulevard, turn west on Manhattan Beach Drive and follow it to the pier.
Hermosa Beach Pier — Best bet mackerel in the morning and evening hours. How To Get There: Take the Pacific Coast Highway (Hwy 1) to Pier Avenue and follow Pier Avenue west to the pier.
Venice Pier — Is it open? Need a reporter. How To Get There: Highway 1 to Washington St., turn west and follow Washington St. to the pier.
Santa Monica Pier — Unable to get through for a report. How to Get There: From I-405 take Santa Monica Blvd. west to Ocean Ave. Turn left, go to Colorado Ave., and turn right onto the pier.
Malibu Pier — Ginny at Wylie’s Bait & Tackle (18757 Pacific Coast Hwy Malibu) said she’s been getting some good reports. She said people are seeing big numbers of corbina inshore, while some bass are showing around the pilings. A few small halibut have been taken (usually on snagged live bait) along with a few leopard sharks. She also said the kids are getting a lot of thresher sharks at the end. Most are small ones but one measured 8-feet in length and two were reportedly 10-feet in length. When the grunion are running, expect some halibut and bat rays. How To Get There: The pier fronts on the Pacific Coast Highway (Hwy 1) so just drive until you see it.
Paradise Cove Pier — 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. How To Get There: Take Highway 1 to Paradise Cove Dr., turn west, and follow the road back into the parking lot. It’s very expensive unless you buy a meal at the restaurant and then you are allowed to fish for, I think, three hours.
Ventura & Santa Barbara County Piers
Port Hueneme Pier — No report this month. How To Get There: From Highway 1 take Hueneme Rd. west until it turns into Port. At Ventura Rd turn left and follow it to Surfside Dr. Turn left again and follow it to the park.
Ventura Pier — Ludia at Hyun’s Tackle, 3695 E Harbor Blvd., says the usual mix of fish is available, primarily perch, corbina and croaker showing up inshore. A few halibut enter the mix mid-pier and good numbers of thresher shark are also being taken. She says the mackerel fishing has been hard lately, they’re in and out and hard to catch. How To Get There: From Highway 101 take the Seaward Drive exit west to Harbor Drive, turn right and follow it to the pier.
Stearns Wharf — Still no answer—is the bait shop open? How To Get There: From Highway 101 take Castillo St. or State St. west to the beach and follow signs to the pier.
Goleta Pier — Shawn at Hook Line & Sinker at 4010-5 Calle Real, Santa Barbara said fishing has been very slow both at the pier and the beaches. He’s not sure why. Usually you can expect some small brown rockfish, a few Johnny bass (olive rockfish) and calico (kelp) bass from the pipe reef on the right side of the pier and some mackerel at the end (and sharks at night). How To Get There: From Highway 101 take the Hwy. 217/Airport exit. Follow it to Sandspit Rd. and the Goleta Beach Park turnoff. Follow this to the park and the pier.
Gaviota Pier — The pier has now been closed for eight years—and counting. So much for state government and the California Parks Dept.! Ridiculous! How To Get There: From Highway 101 simply take the Gaviota State Park turnoff down to the beach and pier.