Avalon Skiff Trip 8/26

HookedUp!

Active Member
#1
I didn't have time to post this earlier, but I was at Avalon for a skiff fishing trip this past Monday and was able to check out both the Cabrillo Mole and the Green Pleasure Pier. Nobody was fishing at either pier.

I arrived at the Green Pleasure Pier at about 7:30 AM at a low tide. I was surprised by the water clarity, where I could see the bottom for the entire length of the pier. I saw a few short Calico Bass inshore, a Halfmoon, and a short Halibut. Mid-pier, I saw about a dozen Garabaldi congregating around the rental skiff docks. At the end of the pier, I saw a school of Topsmelt on the surface, along with lots of small Blacksmith that looked too small to even use as live bait. I was surprised at how, despite so many basses in the harbor, nothing chased the Topsmelt. Do Calico Bass not like to eat Topsmelt, or were the bass simply not hungry today? I left at about 8:00 AM.

I also explored the Cabrillo Mole in the afternoon at about 3:30 PM at a high tide. Lots of spectators were on the pier examining the wildlife, but nobody was trying to catch anything. The water was, just like at the Green Pleasure Pier, crystal clear, although the shadow of the Mole made it a bit more difficult to see into the water. The water seemed almost clogged with Garibaldi for the entire duration of the pier, with a few small Calico Bass hiding just beneath the Garibaldi. There were also some Topsmelt just under the surface, that for some reason, were being left alone by the Calico Bass. I noticed some large Opaleye and an Ocean Whitefish towards the center of the Mole, but catching them would have been very difficult, as it looked like the Garibaldi would swarm anything that was tossed out. Were Garibaldi protected because of declining populations, like the Giant Sea Bass and the Coho Salmon, or were they just protected for their symbolism to the State of California? It seemed like Garibaldi overshadowed every other fish on the island, including Topsmelt, and some kind of population control should be placed on them.

As for the skiff fishing, I left Avalon Harbor on Joe's Rent-a-Boat at about 8:00 AM, and set sail for Banning's Beach. The water was very calm, with the only current coming from other boats. Just past the Green Pleasure Pier, there were schools of Topsmelt and Blacksmith that dotted the water almost as if they were salt and pepper. The Blacksmith appeared far too small to produce any meat but could have made decent live bait. I decided to head outside of the harbor, in hopes of finding either live bait or boiling fish. I drove to a location halfway between Hamilton Beach and Gallagher Beach, anchoring about 200 ft offshore after seeing a private boat chumming the water with live bait. I used a PENN Squall reel and an Okuma PCH rod, with 65 lb spectra mainline and a 25 lb mono leader, with a 5-oz torpedo sinker with size 8 live bait hooks and squid strips on a double dropper loop on the bottom. I also used a PENN Fierce II spinning rod and reel combo with 65 lb spectra mainline, a 25 lb fluorocarbon leader, and a Big Hammer smelt-colored 4" swimbait for surface action.

After about an hour, the only action I had was a few nibbles on my bottom set up by a school of tiny Blacksmith. I saw the other boat catch what was either a small Pacific Bonito or a large Pacific Chub Mackerel. I looked around for any signs of bass or pelagics but did not see any surface action or boils in the water. I was puzzled by this, as I heard many reports of recent pelagic action at Catalina by local party boats.

At about 10:30 AM, I decided to just go bottom fishing instead of continuing my search for trophies and traveled further offshore to the mouth of Gallagher Beach Cove, in water far too deep for the anchor that came with the skiff. I dropped my bottom setup, down into the solid blue water unsure of how deep I would be fishing. When I hit the bottom, I estimated my depth to be at least 150 ft. To my surprise, I had a near-instant hookup. I cranked my reel, with the fish feeling very heavy due to my depth, and caught a large Jack Mackerel. After unhooking the fish, I dropped my line down again and received another near-instant hookup, which ended up being the largest California Lizardfish I had ever seen, being nearly a foot long. For the next half hour, I enjoyed a wide-open bite of Pacific Sanddabs, catching nearly a dozen. At about 11:30, the bite began to die down, as the skiff drifted closer to shore. At about 11:50, I was hit hard by something that I can say with absolute certainty was not a Sanddab. The fish came off, but I quickly cast down again. Immediately afterward, I had an Ocean Whitefish on the boat. I understood why this fish is called the "poor man's yellowtail", as the fight I got from the fish was the most intense of the day.

After the Whitefish, the bite lulled again, and I decided to move to Long Point. After a quick 5-minute drive, I was at the point, fishing in even deeper water than before. I once again enjoyed a consistent Sanddab bite, with fish biting less often, but being larger in size. However, I could only stay for about 20 minutes due to the price of the boat rental per hour getting too expensive. I sailed back to Avalon, with a bucket full of fish and arrived at about 12:45 PM. Upon arriving at the Green Pleasure Pier, I did not see any new changes, except for the slightly higher tide. The Garibaldi were still congregating beneath the rental boat stand, and short Calico Bass lurked beneath them. I bade farewell to the boat stand operator and ordered a Buffalo Burger from Eric's on the Pier (which tasted better than most burgers I have eaten). While waiting for the Catalina Express, I talked to an angler who had fished from shore at Pebbly Beach, who caught a few fish, although he did not specify what species or how many. I departed the island at about 3:30 for Long Beach.

Upon returning to Long Beach Harbor, I saw anglers fishing off of Long Beach Shoreline Aquatic Park Piers #4 and 5. There were approximately a half-dozen anglers at both piers, using Sabiki Rigs baited with what appeared to be squid strips, although I am unsure if they were successful.

Overall, it was a beautiful day and a fun day of fishing. While I was disappointed by the price of the skiff rental ($90 per hour), as I was hoping it would be cheaper than a party boat, and I was a bit saddened by the lack of bass or pelagic action, I still had a fun time catching the Sanddabs and other miscellaneous bottom fish.

Notes:
-Lots of tiny Blacksmith were roaming around in the open, away from structure. Perhaps they believe that they will not be targeted due to their natural role as "cleaner fish"?
-The Green Pleasure Pier looked a bit crowded due to all the buildings on the pier (Eric's, Joe's, etc.). It was much more cramped than any other pier I have been to.
-Apparently, most of the bass and pelagic action occurred at the Southeast Santa Catalina ASBS State Water Quality Protection Area, which is where most party boats fished that day and was out-of-bounds for the rental skiffs.

Questions:
-There was nobody fishing from either the Green Pleasure Pier or Cabrillo Mole. Do these piers not see much fishing pressure?
-The Cabrillo Mole was packed with Garibaldi. Is it always this way, or is this just seasonal and correlates with the end of summer?
-(More boat-fishing than pier or shore fishing related, but) How can I tell if I am fishing over structure without a fishfinder? I was just looking at the water color and approximate distance from shore and points/reefs, and happened to blindly stumble upon the Sanddabs, but how can I reliably find fish without fancy and expensive electronic devices?
-I saw lots of Calico Bass and Topsmelt swimming together by the Green Pleasure Pier. The Calico Bass made no move to target the Topsmelt. Were the bass just not hungry, or do they not like to eat Topsmelt?

Fish Count:
-12 Pacific Sanddabs
-1 Jack Mackerel
-1 California Lizardfish
-1 Ocean Whitefish
15 Total Fish

Fish Count (Observed):
-3 Anglers
-1 Unidentified Pelagic Fish (either a Pacific Bonito or a Pacific Chub Mackerel)
-At least 2 Unspecified Fish
At least 3 Total Fish
 

Ken Jones

Administrator
Staff member
#2
Both piers see considerable fishing from them although it does decrease somewhat after Labor Day. Take a look at the reports on the Pier Forum and you will see several reports on fishing from the Mole and Green Pleasure Pier.
 

josh

New member
#3
Interesting. I was there on the 17th out on the back side chasing the yellowtail that were supposedly in town. None to be seen but a lot of calicos about. Did stop by the Green Pier to pick up lunch on the way back, didn't see anybody fishing but it was overrun with tourists. Seabass sandwich on the trip back was great though.