California Pier Report
August 2025 Fishing Report, Southern California (#304)
Southern California Lobster — Lobster season is now closed! No hooping and no keeping lobsters accidently caught on rod and reel.
San Diego County Piers
Imperial Beach Pier – It sounds like fishing has been pretty good at the pier with a good mix of fish—the usual croakers (yellowfin and spotfin) and corbina inshore, perch, and fair to good numbers of pelagic species (sardines, mackerel and good-sized bonito) out at the end. One barracuda was also reported along with a shortfin corvina out at the end. Sharays too seem in abundance, fish including the very common thornback rays (especially at night), leopard sharks, shovelnose sharks (guitarfish), bat rays, quite a few large thresher sharks, and even a recent blue shark. Lizardfish too seem to be in abundance. We got a report from ghost1234 on July 14 that said, “Slow mackerel fishing, spotty here and there gotta put time at the rail. Sardines ball swimming around being chased by something, the anchovy’s have moved off to the pipe I believe as the cattle boats are loading up on sand bass. Tons of rays running through we had 15+ landed 20-40-lb in the end of the pier on 7/12. 7/13 only 2 landed, all released by net. Surf bite is picking up if you know what your doing, good size fish being caught for those putting in time.” We also had a report from ghost1234 on July 1 that said, “Bite picked up, saw the surf more active, some spotfin, corbina, perch. Lizardfish still present very thick, no mackerel this day I saw of, some smelt a lot of queenfish/white croakers if you picked through the lizardfish. Beautiful weather but the wind came inshore fairly early and stayed strong. Clean water with the low low tide in the AM to a rising tide. also glanced by blacks beach afterwards and saw spotfin caught, few corbina also on sand crabs, some fly fisherman. I’m looking for the mackerel bite to load up on some fresh bait as the bait we slide in IB gets eaten up by the lizardfish after a while.”
The big question here continues to be water quality and if it’s safe to eat the fish and the answers probably no for the bottom species. [Imperial Beach waters were reopened in September ’24 after being closed to swimmers for 1,018 days; a closure caused by sewage flowing into the ocean from the nearby Tijuana River. Apparently readings are improved but still not good.] 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 — The bad news is that the pier is closed. The good news is that the pier, one almost annually damaged by winter storms during the past few years, will eventually be replaced with a new improved pier, one better able to withstand the winter storms (and hopefully last for 75 years). 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 – The pier finally reopened on July 6 after more than $2 million in repairs. Reports show the usual species—perch and croakers inshore to mid pier, pelagic species like mackerel mid-pier to the end, and a mix of sharays (mainly thornbacks, guitarfish, leopard sharks, and gray smoothhounds) mid-pier to the end. I haven’t heard any reports of halibut. 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! Traditionally some kelp bass on the bottom should be available. 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 — We need a reporter. Expect some bass, croaker and sharays (sharks and rays) on the bottom as well as halibut (most caught on soft plastic lures). And, it sounds like a few mackerel are also hitting. 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) — Locals are reporting a mix of bottom fish—halibut (including some legal-size fish), bass (all three varieties) and a variety of sharays—shovelnose guitarfish, butterfly rays, round stingrays, bat rays and smoothhounds. At night add in some shortfin corvina and barracuda. On July 26 Jenny Lee caught a diamond stingray estimated at 150-pounds by the three guys who pulled it up in a net (but it wasn’t weighed). The fish was a pregnant female and very thick. Perhaps not 150 but the picture certainly suggests a fish of 100 or more pounds. The official IGFA (International Game Fish Association) record is for a 102 pound fish caught in Mission Bay in August 1993. Diamond stingrays are not a common catch but I remember a bar in Pacific Beach (many years ago) that had a stingray mounted on the wall that was equally huge (and they reach a length of 6 ½ feet long). On June 22 a 42-inch halibut was reported caught at the pier by Jay. 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 — Need a reporter. On July 21 I saw a picture of a LARGE 12-15 pound sheephead taken at the pier. A report from Ghost on 7/2 said, “Stopped by Shelter Island around 7pm looking for mackerel to catch for bait. Saw fellow OB fisherman Jose there fishing, he showed me his past catches the weeks, BSB, soupfin, leopard, bat rays, some halibuts were caught; few legal in past week. Lots of people fishing for halibut, a local group was 6-7 deep fishing for halibut. I left around 9 pm saw maybe 3-4 mackerel caught but too slow for me so I left. It was a windy and cold night” On 6/29 I received a report that said people using anchovies were getting a mix of mackerel and bass when fishing the evening hours. 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 — Bill Litchfield reports that fishing has been decent but not great. Both mackerel and bonito have shown but it’s not hot action and the bonito just came in for a couple of days. Some thresher sharks have been caught most not too big band usually caught on live mackerel. Herring are also available under the pier but like the mackerel it’s not 3-5 at a time but usually only 1-2. Some halibut have also been taken, both on live bait and soft bait while inshore the regulars continue to land croakers, mainly spotfin, along with some barred surfperch. Unfortunately, most of the croakers and perch are only mid-sized fish, big enough for the frying pan but not the big ones that the pier is known for. He did say that the regulars think that if the end of the pier was open and still not closed from the fire their catch of fish like bonito would be much higher. 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 harbor waters seem to have cleared up but fishing is just so so. Some jacksmelt, an occasional bass, croaker, sargo and maybe, if really lucky, a halibut. No reports of mackerel. 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 —Stephanie at Hogan's Bait and Tackle (34320 Pacific Coast Hwy.), said it’s much of the same. Quite a few croaker inshore (yellowfins and spotfins) along with some corbina (use shrimp, lug worms or Pismo clams). Mid-pier has been seeing some good action on sand bass including some really nice-sized fish. Unfortunately no bonito have shown to date and the mackerel fishing is inconsistent, some days good, some days not so good (but I wonder how it is during the night)? Although this is usually a good pier for sharays—leopard sharks, guitarfish, bat rays and others, she didn’t report any sharks or rays. 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 — Stephanie at Hogan's Bait and Tackle (34320 Pacific Coast Hwy.), said the pier continues to see some croaker and bass action while kids catch small opaleye under the pier. She didn’t report any barracuda but traditionally the summer months yield some of the fish to anglers using Kastmasters and similar shiny lures. Got a report from Fishman Fishman on July 3 that said, Arrived early morning to fish the Dana Point Jetty. Found the jetty closed to fishing, until Saturday July 5th, due to high surf conditions. Moved over to DP Harbor Pier. Fished mussel and anchovy for a few hours without any bites. While I was fishing, another fisherman arrived with eight fishing rods/reels. He began fishing with four active lines in the water. One rod rigged with a Sabiki and hooks tipped with raw beef. A second rod rigged with a Sabiki and hooks tipped with shrimp. The two remaining rods were each set up with dropper rigs baited with cut pieces of Ahi tuna. He definitely put a new meaning to “Surf and Turf”! He didn't catch any fish with the meat or tuna while I was there. He did catch a smelt with the shrimp and transferred the live bait to a dropper rig setup. I decided to leave after fishing for about 2 1/2 hours without any bites. The fisherman quickly moved into my vacated spot and setup his remaining four rods. He mentioned that a buddy of his, recently caught a 26 inch Halibut on frozen anchovy, in the corner I had left. I contacted DFW (888) 334-2258 and reported the multiple fishing rod violation. Dispatcher said a Warden would be notified. I'll be putting my meat and fish on a grill instead of hooks. Happy and safe July 4th to everyone.” 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 — Got a report from Snookie on July 16 that said, “Yesterday was another good day with several halibut and one keeper at 22 inches on a lizardfish in deeper water. Got quite a few strikes. It has been fun lately. I now have six halibut keepers for the year, which has just happened lately. Hope those lizardfish stick around for a while longer. We did have some herring (Queenfish) also with one halibut on one of them. One of my buddies caught a 22-inch halibut too which I netted for him. He had it cooked by a friend and shared it with us. Of course it was delicious. Since the Jr. Lifeguards are not there on Fridays, we are changing one of our days to Friday for a while. We'll see what happens next.” [Typically Snookie and her crew are there Tuesday and Thursday mornings.] Got a report from alagami on July 13 that said. “Arrived at 630 in the morning. Walked to the end only to see no mackerel action. Changed plans based on Snookie’s reports. Caught 5 or 6 perch on shrimp meant for lizardfish. Was able to catch some a little further out. Caught 2 halibut 16 to 20 inches on the lizardfish. Thanks for the heads up Snookie!” Snookie replied, “Good going. If you want more lizardfish, try the number 3 Sabiki and don't put bait on the hooks. Works well. Good luck. Snookie” Got a report from Snookie on July 8 that said, “I had a wonderful day today catching nine halibut again but no keepers. I lost about five. The bait of the day was our favorite, California Lizardfish; The halibut love them. My fishing buddy caught one halibut and a small white sea bass. I just have a knack for finding the halibut lately. We had a West wind all day but it was a nice day all day. No one else caught halibut. It was fun! Snookie.” 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 (which is very expensive).”
Newport Pier — No report; need a reporter although action typically is about the same as at Balboa. We did get a report from alagami on July 24 who said, “Fished from 1130 to 2 p.m. with little action. 1 kelp fish, 1 blue perch and 1 smelt for halibut bait. Couldn't make any lizardfish for bait - did they leave the area? Guys were catching a few bonito at the end, but they were extremely small. They were biting Sabiki rigs. Didn't bother to fish for them they were so small. Quite a few snaggers here compared to Balboa. Always wondered if this is a legal method of taking fish? Had to fish here because it looked like a lifeguard event going on at Balboa.” How To Get There: From the Pacific Coast Highway take the Newport Blvd. turn off and precede west watching for signs directing traffic to the pier. The pier sits at the foot of McFadden Place. Metered parking is available but all the lots fill early and are full much of the day. Basically you almost have to wait until someone else leaves and there’s an empty spot.
Huntington Beach Pier — No report; need a reporter. Given reports from similar piers I would expect surfperch and croakers to still be available inshore while top action (on mackerel and sardines) probably remains hit and miss. How To Get There: Highway 1 (Pacific Coast Highway) to Huntington Beach and the pier.” How To Get There: Highway 1 (Pacific Coast Highway) to Huntington Beach and the pier.”
Seal Beach Pier — Nan, at Big Fish Bait & Tackle. 1780-C. Pacific Coast Hwy. said the pier is basically seeing the same as last month. Inshore anglers are getting yellowfin and spotfin croaker along with a few perch. Further out they are getting mackerel in the top waters and herring (queenfish) under the pier. A few sharays—leopard sharks and bat rays—but no halibut reported. No reports on sharays or halibut. 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 Veterans Memorial Pier — Nan, at Big Fish Bait & Tackle. 1780-C. Pacific Coast Hwy. said anglers are getting croakers and corbina inshore , some mackerel further out, and a few small sharks and rays. 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 (Long Beach) — The normal fish should be available—white croaker casting out from the pier and some sargo and perch when fishing the inshore waters. Mackerel seem to come and go. There’s also always a chance on a small shark or ray. 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.
Pier J Piers (Long Beach) — The normal fish should be available—white croaker, queenfish, small perch and other rock-frequenting species. Got a report from K1n on July 8 that said, “Went out for a quick trip to pier J to see how things are going on Sunday. Got out there at 630 and fished until 11 about. Honestly didn't see too much going on. I was throwing small 3.5” plastics and got a few small sculpin, 1 lizardfish and a small sand bass to show for it. Didn’t see much else come up honestly. Everyone else was fishing bait and trying their luck for nothing to show. Good weather with a lot of small baitfish in the water at least.” How To Get There: From I-710 follow the signs saying S. Harbor Scenic Drive. From downtown Long Beach follow Queens Way past the Catalina Landing and on to the Queens Way Bridge over the water and take the S. Harbor Scenic Drive.
Cabrillo Beach Pier (San Pedro) — With the closure of the Rusty Hook bait and tackle in San Pedro we now need a new reporter. Hopefully a few croakers, sand bass, perch and an occasional halibut will show up. 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 the usual senorita, garibaldi, sheephead, and rock wrasse while some days will also produce ocean whitefish, mackerel and perhaps even opaleye (which most years were very common). 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, Newport Beach (near the Balboa Pier) and Dana Harbor. 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) — No reports this month but expect the usual—halfmoon, sheephead, kelp bass, garibaldi, blacksmith, and rock wrasse. Mackerel can move in and out anytime while usually a few bonito are available at dawn and sundown. 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, Newport Beach (near the Balboa Pier) and Dana Harbor. 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 when you walk off the ferry onto the landing you are at the Mole.
Redondo Beach Pier — Not really a report but when I called they said there weren't too many fishermen which at that pier usually means things are slow. We still need a reporter. 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 — Reports indicated a pretty good bonito bite taking place. How To Get There: From Sepulveda Boulevard, turn west on Manhattan Beach Drive and follow it to the pier.
Hermosa Beach Pier — No report, need a reporter. How To Get There: Take the Pacific Coast Highway (Hwy 1) to Pier Avenue and follow Pier Avenue west to the pier.
Venice Pier — No report this month. Need a reporter. How Get There: Highway 1 to Washington St., turn west and follow Washington St. to the pier.
Santa Monica Pier — No report this month. Need a reporter. 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 — With the loss of long time reporter Ginny Wylie due to the Palisades fire (which burned down Wylies Bait and Tackle), we are now looking for a new reporter. Any reports from the area would be appreciated. However, I did call the shop at the pier itself and got some information (but no fish report). They said the entire end of the pier is closed to fishing (perhaps due to the store and restaurant?) and they suggested we call the state. Last time I was there I noticed various closures at the end, which of course didn’t make me too happy. How To Get There: The pier fronts on the Pacific Coast Highway (Hwy 1) so just drive until you see it.
Paradise Cove Pier — No report this month. Need a reporter How To Get There: Take Highway 1 to Paradise Cove Dr., turn west, and follow the road back into the parking lot. Parking is very expensive unless you buy an expensive meal at the restaurant and then you are allowed to fish for, I think, three hours.
Ventura & Santa Barbara County Piers
Port Hueneme Pier — Ludia at Hyun’s Tackle, 3695 E Harbor Blvd., Ventura said things are about the same. There are quite a few perch inshore but most are small while some croaker also make an appearance. She did say there’s been a good mackerel bite so that should keep people happy. No reports on sharks/rays. 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., Ventura reported that some halibut were caught recently during the grunion runs while perch are plentiful inshore. Decent but somewhat slower is the inshore croaker action. She says the big news is the number of striped bass that have been taken along the beach and on the pier. Evidently action on the top is somewhat slow, some mackerel but not big numbers. 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 (Santa Barbara) — Kai at Hook Line & Sinker, 2259 Las Positas Road, Santa Barbara, says that the crabs continue to make it hard to fish on the bottom basically grabbing every bait. Given the absence of pelagic species like mackerel it translates to poor fishing. No reports on sharks. As usual, if you want crabs this is the place to go. There’s almost a guarantee on a limit of red or rock crabs if that’s your goal. 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 — Kai at Hook Line & Sinker, 2259 Las Positas Road, Santa Barbara, said that the fishing has been slow. There have been some mackerel in the afternoon and evening but bottom fishing has been tough because a lot of crabs have moved in (sounds like Stearns). She says there were some halibut caught at night during the grunion runs and a number of large leopard sharks also caught during those grunion runs. As always, some fish continue to show up from the pipe reef, usually it’s small brown rockfish or bass. 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 — Same report as the last few months—Still counting the days— Government efficiency seems to be a true oxymoronic word in California. The pier, managed by the State Department of Parks (State Parks), has been closed since a winter storm in 2014 (yes, more than a decade ago). Reports over the years have given hope for repair but funding as well as division and disagreement between various groups including the State Parks and the Coastal Commission, have slowed down the needed repairs. There seems to finally be room for optimism but it’s a story we’ve heard before, we will wait and hope (with fingers crossed). How To Get There: From Highway 101 simply take the Gaviota State Park turnoff down to the beach and pier.
August 2025 Fishing Report, Southern California (#304)
Southern California Lobster — Lobster season is now closed! No hooping and no keeping lobsters accidently caught on rod and reel.
San Diego County Piers
Imperial Beach Pier – It sounds like fishing has been pretty good at the pier with a good mix of fish—the usual croakers (yellowfin and spotfin) and corbina inshore, perch, and fair to good numbers of pelagic species (sardines, mackerel and good-sized bonito) out at the end. One barracuda was also reported along with a shortfin corvina out at the end. Sharays too seem in abundance, fish including the very common thornback rays (especially at night), leopard sharks, shovelnose sharks (guitarfish), bat rays, quite a few large thresher sharks, and even a recent blue shark. Lizardfish too seem to be in abundance. We got a report from ghost1234 on July 14 that said, “Slow mackerel fishing, spotty here and there gotta put time at the rail. Sardines ball swimming around being chased by something, the anchovy’s have moved off to the pipe I believe as the cattle boats are loading up on sand bass. Tons of rays running through we had 15+ landed 20-40-lb in the end of the pier on 7/12. 7/13 only 2 landed, all released by net. Surf bite is picking up if you know what your doing, good size fish being caught for those putting in time.” We also had a report from ghost1234 on July 1 that said, “Bite picked up, saw the surf more active, some spotfin, corbina, perch. Lizardfish still present very thick, no mackerel this day I saw of, some smelt a lot of queenfish/white croakers if you picked through the lizardfish. Beautiful weather but the wind came inshore fairly early and stayed strong. Clean water with the low low tide in the AM to a rising tide. also glanced by blacks beach afterwards and saw spotfin caught, few corbina also on sand crabs, some fly fisherman. I’m looking for the mackerel bite to load up on some fresh bait as the bait we slide in IB gets eaten up by the lizardfish after a while.”
The big question here continues to be water quality and if it’s safe to eat the fish and the answers probably no for the bottom species. [Imperial Beach waters were reopened in September ’24 after being closed to swimmers for 1,018 days; a closure caused by sewage flowing into the ocean from the nearby Tijuana River. Apparently readings are improved but still not good.] 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 — The bad news is that the pier is closed. The good news is that the pier, one almost annually damaged by winter storms during the past few years, will eventually be replaced with a new improved pier, one better able to withstand the winter storms (and hopefully last for 75 years). 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 – The pier finally reopened on July 6 after more than $2 million in repairs. Reports show the usual species—perch and croakers inshore to mid pier, pelagic species like mackerel mid-pier to the end, and a mix of sharays (mainly thornbacks, guitarfish, leopard sharks, and gray smoothhounds) mid-pier to the end. I haven’t heard any reports of halibut. 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! Traditionally some kelp bass on the bottom should be available. 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 — We need a reporter. Expect some bass, croaker and sharays (sharks and rays) on the bottom as well as halibut (most caught on soft plastic lures). And, it sounds like a few mackerel are also hitting. 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) — Locals are reporting a mix of bottom fish—halibut (including some legal-size fish), bass (all three varieties) and a variety of sharays—shovelnose guitarfish, butterfly rays, round stingrays, bat rays and smoothhounds. At night add in some shortfin corvina and barracuda. On July 26 Jenny Lee caught a diamond stingray estimated at 150-pounds by the three guys who pulled it up in a net (but it wasn’t weighed). The fish was a pregnant female and very thick. Perhaps not 150 but the picture certainly suggests a fish of 100 or more pounds. The official IGFA (International Game Fish Association) record is for a 102 pound fish caught in Mission Bay in August 1993. Diamond stingrays are not a common catch but I remember a bar in Pacific Beach (many years ago) that had a stingray mounted on the wall that was equally huge (and they reach a length of 6 ½ feet long). On June 22 a 42-inch halibut was reported caught at the pier by Jay. 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 — Need a reporter. On July 21 I saw a picture of a LARGE 12-15 pound sheephead taken at the pier. A report from Ghost on 7/2 said, “Stopped by Shelter Island around 7pm looking for mackerel to catch for bait. Saw fellow OB fisherman Jose there fishing, he showed me his past catches the weeks, BSB, soupfin, leopard, bat rays, some halibuts were caught; few legal in past week. Lots of people fishing for halibut, a local group was 6-7 deep fishing for halibut. I left around 9 pm saw maybe 3-4 mackerel caught but too slow for me so I left. It was a windy and cold night” On 6/29 I received a report that said people using anchovies were getting a mix of mackerel and bass when fishing the evening hours. 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 — Bill Litchfield reports that fishing has been decent but not great. Both mackerel and bonito have shown but it’s not hot action and the bonito just came in for a couple of days. Some thresher sharks have been caught most not too big band usually caught on live mackerel. Herring are also available under the pier but like the mackerel it’s not 3-5 at a time but usually only 1-2. Some halibut have also been taken, both on live bait and soft bait while inshore the regulars continue to land croakers, mainly spotfin, along with some barred surfperch. Unfortunately, most of the croakers and perch are only mid-sized fish, big enough for the frying pan but not the big ones that the pier is known for. He did say that the regulars think that if the end of the pier was open and still not closed from the fire their catch of fish like bonito would be much higher. 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 harbor waters seem to have cleared up but fishing is just so so. Some jacksmelt, an occasional bass, croaker, sargo and maybe, if really lucky, a halibut. No reports of mackerel. 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 —Stephanie at Hogan's Bait and Tackle (34320 Pacific Coast Hwy.), said it’s much of the same. Quite a few croaker inshore (yellowfins and spotfins) along with some corbina (use shrimp, lug worms or Pismo clams). Mid-pier has been seeing some good action on sand bass including some really nice-sized fish. Unfortunately no bonito have shown to date and the mackerel fishing is inconsistent, some days good, some days not so good (but I wonder how it is during the night)? Although this is usually a good pier for sharays—leopard sharks, guitarfish, bat rays and others, she didn’t report any sharks or rays. 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 — Stephanie at Hogan's Bait and Tackle (34320 Pacific Coast Hwy.), said the pier continues to see some croaker and bass action while kids catch small opaleye under the pier. She didn’t report any barracuda but traditionally the summer months yield some of the fish to anglers using Kastmasters and similar shiny lures. Got a report from Fishman Fishman on July 3 that said, Arrived early morning to fish the Dana Point Jetty. Found the jetty closed to fishing, until Saturday July 5th, due to high surf conditions. Moved over to DP Harbor Pier. Fished mussel and anchovy for a few hours without any bites. While I was fishing, another fisherman arrived with eight fishing rods/reels. He began fishing with four active lines in the water. One rod rigged with a Sabiki and hooks tipped with raw beef. A second rod rigged with a Sabiki and hooks tipped with shrimp. The two remaining rods were each set up with dropper rigs baited with cut pieces of Ahi tuna. He definitely put a new meaning to “Surf and Turf”! He didn't catch any fish with the meat or tuna while I was there. He did catch a smelt with the shrimp and transferred the live bait to a dropper rig setup. I decided to leave after fishing for about 2 1/2 hours without any bites. The fisherman quickly moved into my vacated spot and setup his remaining four rods. He mentioned that a buddy of his, recently caught a 26 inch Halibut on frozen anchovy, in the corner I had left. I contacted DFW (888) 334-2258 and reported the multiple fishing rod violation. Dispatcher said a Warden would be notified. I'll be putting my meat and fish on a grill instead of hooks. Happy and safe July 4th to everyone.” 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 — Got a report from Snookie on July 16 that said, “Yesterday was another good day with several halibut and one keeper at 22 inches on a lizardfish in deeper water. Got quite a few strikes. It has been fun lately. I now have six halibut keepers for the year, which has just happened lately. Hope those lizardfish stick around for a while longer. We did have some herring (Queenfish) also with one halibut on one of them. One of my buddies caught a 22-inch halibut too which I netted for him. He had it cooked by a friend and shared it with us. Of course it was delicious. Since the Jr. Lifeguards are not there on Fridays, we are changing one of our days to Friday for a while. We'll see what happens next.” [Typically Snookie and her crew are there Tuesday and Thursday mornings.] Got a report from alagami on July 13 that said. “Arrived at 630 in the morning. Walked to the end only to see no mackerel action. Changed plans based on Snookie’s reports. Caught 5 or 6 perch on shrimp meant for lizardfish. Was able to catch some a little further out. Caught 2 halibut 16 to 20 inches on the lizardfish. Thanks for the heads up Snookie!” Snookie replied, “Good going. If you want more lizardfish, try the number 3 Sabiki and don't put bait on the hooks. Works well. Good luck. Snookie” Got a report from Snookie on July 8 that said, “I had a wonderful day today catching nine halibut again but no keepers. I lost about five. The bait of the day was our favorite, California Lizardfish; The halibut love them. My fishing buddy caught one halibut and a small white sea bass. I just have a knack for finding the halibut lately. We had a West wind all day but it was a nice day all day. No one else caught halibut. It was fun! Snookie.” 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 (which is very expensive).”
Newport Pier — No report; need a reporter although action typically is about the same as at Balboa. We did get a report from alagami on July 24 who said, “Fished from 1130 to 2 p.m. with little action. 1 kelp fish, 1 blue perch and 1 smelt for halibut bait. Couldn't make any lizardfish for bait - did they leave the area? Guys were catching a few bonito at the end, but they were extremely small. They were biting Sabiki rigs. Didn't bother to fish for them they were so small. Quite a few snaggers here compared to Balboa. Always wondered if this is a legal method of taking fish? Had to fish here because it looked like a lifeguard event going on at Balboa.” How To Get There: From the Pacific Coast Highway take the Newport Blvd. turn off and precede west watching for signs directing traffic to the pier. The pier sits at the foot of McFadden Place. Metered parking is available but all the lots fill early and are full much of the day. Basically you almost have to wait until someone else leaves and there’s an empty spot.
Huntington Beach Pier — No report; need a reporter. Given reports from similar piers I would expect surfperch and croakers to still be available inshore while top action (on mackerel and sardines) probably remains hit and miss. How To Get There: Highway 1 (Pacific Coast Highway) to Huntington Beach and the pier.” How To Get There: Highway 1 (Pacific Coast Highway) to Huntington Beach and the pier.”
Seal Beach Pier — Nan, at Big Fish Bait & Tackle. 1780-C. Pacific Coast Hwy. said the pier is basically seeing the same as last month. Inshore anglers are getting yellowfin and spotfin croaker along with a few perch. Further out they are getting mackerel in the top waters and herring (queenfish) under the pier. A few sharays—leopard sharks and bat rays—but no halibut reported. No reports on sharays or halibut. 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 Veterans Memorial Pier — Nan, at Big Fish Bait & Tackle. 1780-C. Pacific Coast Hwy. said anglers are getting croakers and corbina inshore , some mackerel further out, and a few small sharks and rays. 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 (Long Beach) — The normal fish should be available—white croaker casting out from the pier and some sargo and perch when fishing the inshore waters. Mackerel seem to come and go. There’s also always a chance on a small shark or ray. 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.
Pier J Piers (Long Beach) — The normal fish should be available—white croaker, queenfish, small perch and other rock-frequenting species. Got a report from K1n on July 8 that said, “Went out for a quick trip to pier J to see how things are going on Sunday. Got out there at 630 and fished until 11 about. Honestly didn't see too much going on. I was throwing small 3.5” plastics and got a few small sculpin, 1 lizardfish and a small sand bass to show for it. Didn’t see much else come up honestly. Everyone else was fishing bait and trying their luck for nothing to show. Good weather with a lot of small baitfish in the water at least.” How To Get There: From I-710 follow the signs saying S. Harbor Scenic Drive. From downtown Long Beach follow Queens Way past the Catalina Landing and on to the Queens Way Bridge over the water and take the S. Harbor Scenic Drive.
Cabrillo Beach Pier (San Pedro) — With the closure of the Rusty Hook bait and tackle in San Pedro we now need a new reporter. Hopefully a few croakers, sand bass, perch and an occasional halibut will show up. 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 the usual senorita, garibaldi, sheephead, and rock wrasse while some days will also produce ocean whitefish, mackerel and perhaps even opaleye (which most years were very common). 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, Newport Beach (near the Balboa Pier) and Dana Harbor. 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) — No reports this month but expect the usual—halfmoon, sheephead, kelp bass, garibaldi, blacksmith, and rock wrasse. Mackerel can move in and out anytime while usually a few bonito are available at dawn and sundown. 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, Newport Beach (near the Balboa Pier) and Dana Harbor. 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 when you walk off the ferry onto the landing you are at the Mole.
Redondo Beach Pier — Not really a report but when I called they said there weren't too many fishermen which at that pier usually means things are slow. We still need a reporter. 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 — Reports indicated a pretty good bonito bite taking place. How To Get There: From Sepulveda Boulevard, turn west on Manhattan Beach Drive and follow it to the pier.
Hermosa Beach Pier — No report, need a reporter. How To Get There: Take the Pacific Coast Highway (Hwy 1) to Pier Avenue and follow Pier Avenue west to the pier.
Venice Pier — No report this month. Need a reporter. How Get There: Highway 1 to Washington St., turn west and follow Washington St. to the pier.
Santa Monica Pier — No report this month. Need a reporter. 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 — With the loss of long time reporter Ginny Wylie due to the Palisades fire (which burned down Wylies Bait and Tackle), we are now looking for a new reporter. Any reports from the area would be appreciated. However, I did call the shop at the pier itself and got some information (but no fish report). They said the entire end of the pier is closed to fishing (perhaps due to the store and restaurant?) and they suggested we call the state. Last time I was there I noticed various closures at the end, which of course didn’t make me too happy. How To Get There: The pier fronts on the Pacific Coast Highway (Hwy 1) so just drive until you see it.
Paradise Cove Pier — No report this month. Need a reporter How To Get There: Take Highway 1 to Paradise Cove Dr., turn west, and follow the road back into the parking lot. Parking is very expensive unless you buy an expensive meal at the restaurant and then you are allowed to fish for, I think, three hours.
Ventura & Santa Barbara County Piers
Port Hueneme Pier — Ludia at Hyun’s Tackle, 3695 E Harbor Blvd., Ventura said things are about the same. There are quite a few perch inshore but most are small while some croaker also make an appearance. She did say there’s been a good mackerel bite so that should keep people happy. No reports on sharks/rays. 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., Ventura reported that some halibut were caught recently during the grunion runs while perch are plentiful inshore. Decent but somewhat slower is the inshore croaker action. She says the big news is the number of striped bass that have been taken along the beach and on the pier. Evidently action on the top is somewhat slow, some mackerel but not big numbers. 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 (Santa Barbara) — Kai at Hook Line & Sinker, 2259 Las Positas Road, Santa Barbara, says that the crabs continue to make it hard to fish on the bottom basically grabbing every bait. Given the absence of pelagic species like mackerel it translates to poor fishing. No reports on sharks. As usual, if you want crabs this is the place to go. There’s almost a guarantee on a limit of red or rock crabs if that’s your goal. 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 — Kai at Hook Line & Sinker, 2259 Las Positas Road, Santa Barbara, said that the fishing has been slow. There have been some mackerel in the afternoon and evening but bottom fishing has been tough because a lot of crabs have moved in (sounds like Stearns). She says there were some halibut caught at night during the grunion runs and a number of large leopard sharks also caught during those grunion runs. As always, some fish continue to show up from the pipe reef, usually it’s small brown rockfish or bass. 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 — Same report as the last few months—Still counting the days— Government efficiency seems to be a true oxymoronic word in California. The pier, managed by the State Department of Parks (State Parks), has been closed since a winter storm in 2014 (yes, more than a decade ago). Reports over the years have given hope for repair but funding as well as division and disagreement between various groups including the State Parks and the Coastal Commission, have slowed down the needed repairs. There seems to finally be room for optimism but it’s a story we’ve heard before, we will wait and hope (with fingers crossed). How To Get There: From Highway 101 simply take the Gaviota State Park turnoff down to the beach and pier.