December 2020 Fishing Report, SoCal (#261)
Remember — Lobster season is now open. Follow all regulations and make sure you have a lobster card in possession.
San Diego County Piers
Imperial Beach Pier – We 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 Shop & Café, on the pier, said that a lot of mackerel are still being caught mid-pier to the end. Out at the far end the shark anglers are also having success and he mentioned 7-gill sharks and soupfin sharks. He said locals are also catching the small fish around the bait shop (which I think would be queenfish). Sounds like a typical November report. He didn’t mention lobsters but some should still be taken at night. 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 – Hunter, at the bait shop on the pier, reports that things have slowed with about the only steady action being on mackerel, sardines and some jacksmelt. A few corbina still show in the surf area along with some croaker inshore to mid-pier but that’s about all on the bottom excepting the occasional leopard shark. Surprisingly a few lobster continue to be taken, mostly shorts. He said bonito action had remained good until about a week ago; he’s hoping they return. I can’t figure out what’s happened to the halibut at this pier, it used to be (in my opinion) one of the best in the state for the flatties while today few are ever reported. 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 — Waiting for the report. 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). 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 — We still need a reliable reporter. 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 in Oceanside said things have slowed. Mackerel are still available but not in the summertime numbers while more jacksmelt are showing up and queenfish are still found under the pier. No bonies (bonito); they’ve moved on. As for the halibut, a few are being caught, mostly by the locals with know how, but even most of those halibut are shorts. As for the sharays, the rays, mainly bat rays, are still doing their part but the sharks are few and far between. Bill said they had rain mid-month that muddied up the water but it also cooled it and while the water has cleared it is still cold and it’s affected the fishing. Sounds like we’re headed into the winter season. As for lobsters, they are available, but the pier is being closed at 10 p.m. so not too many people are going after them. As for the pier bait and tackle shop, it sounds like it has seen considerably change under the new owner. Much of the fishing equipment and bait is gone while the emphasis now seems to be on touristy trinkets. Unfortunately the prices have also been considerably raised which I imagine doesn’t sit too well with the locals. We will see what develops. 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.
Oceanside Harbor Pier — Awaiting the report. 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 — Skyler at Hogan's Bait And Tackle (34320 Pacific Coast Hwy, said the same kind of thing happened at San Clemente as at Oceanside, fishing remained pretty good, including quite a few bonito, until the mid-month rains and then water temperatures dropped, the bonito moved on, and overall fishing seemed to slow. He says there are still a lot of mackerel mid-pier to the end while perch and croaker (yellowfin and spotfin) action remains decent from the surf area to mid-pier. He says there are also some halibut to be caught but most are showing up in the shallow waters and being taken on lures such as the Lucky Craft lures. Sharay action is mixed with some bat rays still showing and some leopard sharks. He suggests using a whole squid or fresh mackerel for the sharay. Lastly a lot of lobsters are being taken, primarily at night, but an incredible number seem to be ¼ to ½-inch short. Typically the lobster numbers decrease as the season goes on. PFIC received a report from evanluck who said the end section produced mackerel, queenfish and small spotfin croaker (the latter two on the bottom). He said the shark fishermen were there but he was able to fish among them and had no trouble. We also had a report from lucretian, he experienced slower action, a few mackerel and smelt. 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 — Skyler at Hogan's Bait And Tackle (34320 Pacific Coast Hwy, said most of the action has been on croaker, mainly yellowfin but also some spotfin, while a few halibut are also showing up. He says the harbor typically sees a drop off in the number of bass during the winter but sees an uptick in the number of halibut. Sounds like a good time to try to catch some small live bait for halibut or bring the artificial lures. PFIC had a report from lucretian who reported plenty of jacksmelt and some croaker. 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 reporter Snookie said, “It is very slow right now. We have had trouble getting decent sized bait. The smelt are very small. Nothing seems to want them except little grebes. The jacksmelt were here for a week, but they were gone this week. I heard that the mackerel were back again yesterday in the afternoon, but they are small. It has been cold but sunny and if the wind blows it is really cold. The water is clear, and that is not good. I got some lugworms for Tuesday, but they didn't do any good. There were three of us using them. No one got a strike on them. That's bad. It is about time for the gray whales to come by on their way south. At least we have that to look forward to.” PFIC got an early in the month report from josh reporting “the usual folks were killing the macs out by the end” while he reported the catch of (possible) longfin sanddab. But, the mackerel action seems to have slowed. 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 — Scott, at Let's Go Fishing on the pier, says there is still good variety. Inshore, surfperch and corbina are being caught on lugworms and fresh mussels. There’s an occasional yellowfin croaker, and some spotfin croaker when the waves are big, but both species have slowed. Mid-pier is seeing a few halibut, including a few keeper-size fish, but you need to use live bait, i.e., a small smelt. Mackerel are still available at the end but action is just so so during much of the day. They typically show up for a good early morning bite and then really show up after dark when the pier lights are turned on. It’s at those times when anglers using Sabiki rigs with glow sticks catch big numbers of mackerel. The pier has been open until midnight but with the recently announced 10 p.m. curfew he is not sure when the pier will be actually closed. He says not much else is hitting at night with the exception of some big bat rays. He says a great white shark was hooked out at the end but as soon as the angler saw what he had hooked the line was cut (per instructions). As for lobster, the pier has never been noted for its lobster and apparently it’s still true. He’s only heard of a few of the bugs being taken. However, he has heard of increasing numbers of legal-size rock crabs and spider crabs showing up. How To Get There: Highway 1 (Pacific Coast Highway) to Huntington Beach and the pier.
Seal Beach Pier — Waiting for the report. 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 — Waiting for the report. 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 — No report this month but expect some perch, sargo and croaker while fishing the inshore shallower waters. Mackerel and tomcod (white croaker) should be available with a cast out from the pier. 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) — Alex at the Rusty Hook (245 N Gaffey St., San Pedro) says the pier continues to be closed. His Lordship, the mayor of Los Angeles, a somewhat tiny tyrant, continues to keep the Los Angeles piers under his jurisdiction—Venice and Cabrillo Beach, closed. Last two piers in the entire state as far as I know. 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 normal mix of fish—small kelp bass, opaleye, halfmoon, rock wrasse, senorita, sheephead, etc. 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) — The Mole continues to be closed for repair and the reopening date remains unclear. 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 the Redondo Pier Tackle (on the pier), said the action has been really slow — even 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 – No report this month. How To Get There: From Sepulveda Boulevard, turn west on Manhattan Beach Drive and follow it to the pier.
Hermosa Beach Pier — No report this month. How To Get There: Take the Pacific Coast Highway (Hwy 1) to Pier Avenue and follow Pier Avenue west to the pier.
Venice Pier — His Lordship the mayor of Los Angeles continues to keep the Los Angeles piers under his jurisdiction—Venice and Cabrillo Beach, closed. Only piers I think that are closed in the state. How To Get There: Highway 1 to Washington St., turn west and follow Washington St. to the pier.
Santa Monica Pier —Mike at the Santa Monica Pier Bait & Tackle shop (towards the end of the pier) reports the mackerel are showing in fair numbers in the top waters while sargo continue to show up inshore and under the pier. Ditto some calico (kelp) bass (including some big ones). Halibut too are being caught but few are legal size; he said only two legal-size flatties have been taken in the past week. Apparently a few under-sized white seabass have also made an appearance. Shark angling continues fair for leopard sharks while thresher shark anglers are using live mackerel and getting an occasional fish. Lastly, good numbers of both lobsters and rock crabs are being caught (and I imagine many poachers are out). Mike is worried that the pier may once again be closed down due to fears of Covid. A meeting is scheduled for the Monday following Thanksgiving weekend. 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 anglers are still getting mackerel and that the shark anglers are using the live mackerel to get thresher sharks (although the numbers have slowed). Leopard sharks still appear to be in good numbers while some perch are showing by the pilings and inshore (but most are small). A PFIC report from lucretian said there were too many mackerel when he visited the pier. He said, “there's so many it almost took the fun out of fishing when you can watch them bite your bait. We caught over 30 mackerel in less than an hour and it wasn't slowing down even as we were leaving.” 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 she’s still getting reports of some good-sized bat rays being taken from the pier. Surf anglers report good numbers of perch and a few white seabass. She mentioned a 9-pound spot fin croaker taken by an angler fishing on a nearby beach. How To Get There: Take Highway 1 to Paradise Cove Dr., turn west, and follow the road back into the parking lot.
Ventura & Santa Barbara County Piers
Port Hueneme Pier — Ginny at Wylie’s Bait & Tackle (18757 Pacific Coast Hwy Malibu) said she’s gotten some reports of good-sized perch being taken from the pier. 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 — Austin at Hyuns Tackle (3695 E Harbor Blvd.) says anglers are getting good numbers of surf perch inshore while the shark anglers continue to pull in a few leopard sharks. As for halibut, it’s just a few. 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 —Mike at the Stearns Wharf Bait Shop, on the wharf, says the water temp has dropped to 58 degrees and there has been a corresponding drop in the fishing. What’s still there? Early morning hours and nighttime hours (until the pier closes at ten) see a good bite on sardines and small to medium-size mackerel, both Pacific mackerel and Jack Mackerel. That’s about it on top-water action. Down around the pilings, anglers pull up potato-size perch, mainly shinerperch and some walleye surfperch, along with small, 10-inch size or so, calico (kelp) bass. Little is showing on the bottom with the exception of an occasional halibut and small to medium-size sharays (bat rays, thornbacks, leopard sharks, etc.). What is showing up in fairly good numbers are spider crabs, which have been low in numbers the past couple of years. Mike says he is also seeing more and more rock crabs and thinks the winter months are going to be good for both species. What it sounds like is that some fish are still present but it’s going to be the anglers who know what they are doing that are going to be taking those fish. Newbies are going to have a tougher time. 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 — Tiffany, at Hook, Line & Sinker, (4010-5 CalleReal, Santa Barbara) says the fishing at the pier has been phenomenal. [Only pier where I’ve gotten such a report.] She says it’s the usual small rockfish from the pipe reef, a few calico (kelp) bass around the pilings and by the reef, as well as pileperch down around the pilings. Inshore, on the backside of the waves, anglers are picking up barred surfperch. Shark fishing has slowed somewhat but she says they are still catching a variety of sharays. She says a few white seabass have also been taken. Last but not least, she says the mackerel are still making a good showing. 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 — Don’t hold your breath waiting for the state to fix and reopen the pier (or you’ll be dead). It’s now been closed for six years. 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 open. Follow all regulations and make sure you have a lobster card in possession.
San Diego County Piers
Imperial Beach Pier – We 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 Shop & Café, on the pier, said that a lot of mackerel are still being caught mid-pier to the end. Out at the far end the shark anglers are also having success and he mentioned 7-gill sharks and soupfin sharks. He said locals are also catching the small fish around the bait shop (which I think would be queenfish). Sounds like a typical November report. He didn’t mention lobsters but some should still be taken at night. 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 – Hunter, at the bait shop on the pier, reports that things have slowed with about the only steady action being on mackerel, sardines and some jacksmelt. A few corbina still show in the surf area along with some croaker inshore to mid-pier but that’s about all on the bottom excepting the occasional leopard shark. Surprisingly a few lobster continue to be taken, mostly shorts. He said bonito action had remained good until about a week ago; he’s hoping they return. I can’t figure out what’s happened to the halibut at this pier, it used to be (in my opinion) one of the best in the state for the flatties while today few are ever reported. 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 — Waiting for the report. 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). 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 — We still need a reliable reporter. 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 in Oceanside said things have slowed. Mackerel are still available but not in the summertime numbers while more jacksmelt are showing up and queenfish are still found under the pier. No bonies (bonito); they’ve moved on. As for the halibut, a few are being caught, mostly by the locals with know how, but even most of those halibut are shorts. As for the sharays, the rays, mainly bat rays, are still doing their part but the sharks are few and far between. Bill said they had rain mid-month that muddied up the water but it also cooled it and while the water has cleared it is still cold and it’s affected the fishing. Sounds like we’re headed into the winter season. As for lobsters, they are available, but the pier is being closed at 10 p.m. so not too many people are going after them. As for the pier bait and tackle shop, it sounds like it has seen considerably change under the new owner. Much of the fishing equipment and bait is gone while the emphasis now seems to be on touristy trinkets. Unfortunately the prices have also been considerably raised which I imagine doesn’t sit too well with the locals. We will see what develops. 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.
Oceanside Harbor Pier — Awaiting the report. 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 — Skyler at Hogan's Bait And Tackle (34320 Pacific Coast Hwy, said the same kind of thing happened at San Clemente as at Oceanside, fishing remained pretty good, including quite a few bonito, until the mid-month rains and then water temperatures dropped, the bonito moved on, and overall fishing seemed to slow. He says there are still a lot of mackerel mid-pier to the end while perch and croaker (yellowfin and spotfin) action remains decent from the surf area to mid-pier. He says there are also some halibut to be caught but most are showing up in the shallow waters and being taken on lures such as the Lucky Craft lures. Sharay action is mixed with some bat rays still showing and some leopard sharks. He suggests using a whole squid or fresh mackerel for the sharay. Lastly a lot of lobsters are being taken, primarily at night, but an incredible number seem to be ¼ to ½-inch short. Typically the lobster numbers decrease as the season goes on. PFIC received a report from evanluck who said the end section produced mackerel, queenfish and small spotfin croaker (the latter two on the bottom). He said the shark fishermen were there but he was able to fish among them and had no trouble. We also had a report from lucretian, he experienced slower action, a few mackerel and smelt. 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 — Skyler at Hogan's Bait And Tackle (34320 Pacific Coast Hwy, said most of the action has been on croaker, mainly yellowfin but also some spotfin, while a few halibut are also showing up. He says the harbor typically sees a drop off in the number of bass during the winter but sees an uptick in the number of halibut. Sounds like a good time to try to catch some small live bait for halibut or bring the artificial lures. PFIC had a report from lucretian who reported plenty of jacksmelt and some croaker. 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 reporter Snookie said, “It is very slow right now. We have had trouble getting decent sized bait. The smelt are very small. Nothing seems to want them except little grebes. The jacksmelt were here for a week, but they were gone this week. I heard that the mackerel were back again yesterday in the afternoon, but they are small. It has been cold but sunny and if the wind blows it is really cold. The water is clear, and that is not good. I got some lugworms for Tuesday, but they didn't do any good. There were three of us using them. No one got a strike on them. That's bad. It is about time for the gray whales to come by on their way south. At least we have that to look forward to.” PFIC got an early in the month report from josh reporting “the usual folks were killing the macs out by the end” while he reported the catch of (possible) longfin sanddab. But, the mackerel action seems to have slowed. 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 — Scott, at Let's Go Fishing on the pier, says there is still good variety. Inshore, surfperch and corbina are being caught on lugworms and fresh mussels. There’s an occasional yellowfin croaker, and some spotfin croaker when the waves are big, but both species have slowed. Mid-pier is seeing a few halibut, including a few keeper-size fish, but you need to use live bait, i.e., a small smelt. Mackerel are still available at the end but action is just so so during much of the day. They typically show up for a good early morning bite and then really show up after dark when the pier lights are turned on. It’s at those times when anglers using Sabiki rigs with glow sticks catch big numbers of mackerel. The pier has been open until midnight but with the recently announced 10 p.m. curfew he is not sure when the pier will be actually closed. He says not much else is hitting at night with the exception of some big bat rays. He says a great white shark was hooked out at the end but as soon as the angler saw what he had hooked the line was cut (per instructions). As for lobster, the pier has never been noted for its lobster and apparently it’s still true. He’s only heard of a few of the bugs being taken. However, he has heard of increasing numbers of legal-size rock crabs and spider crabs showing up. How To Get There: Highway 1 (Pacific Coast Highway) to Huntington Beach and the pier.
Seal Beach Pier — Waiting for the report. 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 — Waiting for the report. 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 — No report this month but expect some perch, sargo and croaker while fishing the inshore shallower waters. Mackerel and tomcod (white croaker) should be available with a cast out from the pier. 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) — Alex at the Rusty Hook (245 N Gaffey St., San Pedro) says the pier continues to be closed. His Lordship, the mayor of Los Angeles, a somewhat tiny tyrant, continues to keep the Los Angeles piers under his jurisdiction—Venice and Cabrillo Beach, closed. Last two piers in the entire state as far as I know. 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 normal mix of fish—small kelp bass, opaleye, halfmoon, rock wrasse, senorita, sheephead, etc. 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) — The Mole continues to be closed for repair and the reopening date remains unclear. 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 the Redondo Pier Tackle (on the pier), said the action has been really slow — even 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 – No report this month. How To Get There: From Sepulveda Boulevard, turn west on Manhattan Beach Drive and follow it to the pier.
Hermosa Beach Pier — No report this month. How To Get There: Take the Pacific Coast Highway (Hwy 1) to Pier Avenue and follow Pier Avenue west to the pier.
Venice Pier — His Lordship the mayor of Los Angeles continues to keep the Los Angeles piers under his jurisdiction—Venice and Cabrillo Beach, closed. Only piers I think that are closed in the state. How To Get There: Highway 1 to Washington St., turn west and follow Washington St. to the pier.
Santa Monica Pier —Mike at the Santa Monica Pier Bait & Tackle shop (towards the end of the pier) reports the mackerel are showing in fair numbers in the top waters while sargo continue to show up inshore and under the pier. Ditto some calico (kelp) bass (including some big ones). Halibut too are being caught but few are legal size; he said only two legal-size flatties have been taken in the past week. Apparently a few under-sized white seabass have also made an appearance. Shark angling continues fair for leopard sharks while thresher shark anglers are using live mackerel and getting an occasional fish. Lastly, good numbers of both lobsters and rock crabs are being caught (and I imagine many poachers are out). Mike is worried that the pier may once again be closed down due to fears of Covid. A meeting is scheduled for the Monday following Thanksgiving weekend. 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 anglers are still getting mackerel and that the shark anglers are using the live mackerel to get thresher sharks (although the numbers have slowed). Leopard sharks still appear to be in good numbers while some perch are showing by the pilings and inshore (but most are small). A PFIC report from lucretian said there were too many mackerel when he visited the pier. He said, “there's so many it almost took the fun out of fishing when you can watch them bite your bait. We caught over 30 mackerel in less than an hour and it wasn't slowing down even as we were leaving.” 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 she’s still getting reports of some good-sized bat rays being taken from the pier. Surf anglers report good numbers of perch and a few white seabass. She mentioned a 9-pound spot fin croaker taken by an angler fishing on a nearby beach. How To Get There: Take Highway 1 to Paradise Cove Dr., turn west, and follow the road back into the parking lot.
Ventura & Santa Barbara County Piers
Port Hueneme Pier — Ginny at Wylie’s Bait & Tackle (18757 Pacific Coast Hwy Malibu) said she’s gotten some reports of good-sized perch being taken from the pier. 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 — Austin at Hyuns Tackle (3695 E Harbor Blvd.) says anglers are getting good numbers of surf perch inshore while the shark anglers continue to pull in a few leopard sharks. As for halibut, it’s just a few. 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 —Mike at the Stearns Wharf Bait Shop, on the wharf, says the water temp has dropped to 58 degrees and there has been a corresponding drop in the fishing. What’s still there? Early morning hours and nighttime hours (until the pier closes at ten) see a good bite on sardines and small to medium-size mackerel, both Pacific mackerel and Jack Mackerel. That’s about it on top-water action. Down around the pilings, anglers pull up potato-size perch, mainly shinerperch and some walleye surfperch, along with small, 10-inch size or so, calico (kelp) bass. Little is showing on the bottom with the exception of an occasional halibut and small to medium-size sharays (bat rays, thornbacks, leopard sharks, etc.). What is showing up in fairly good numbers are spider crabs, which have been low in numbers the past couple of years. Mike says he is also seeing more and more rock crabs and thinks the winter months are going to be good for both species. What it sounds like is that some fish are still present but it’s going to be the anglers who know what they are doing that are going to be taking those fish. Newbies are going to have a tougher time. 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 — Tiffany, at Hook, Line & Sinker, (4010-5 CalleReal, Santa Barbara) says the fishing at the pier has been phenomenal. [Only pier where I’ve gotten such a report.] She says it’s the usual small rockfish from the pipe reef, a few calico (kelp) bass around the pilings and by the reef, as well as pileperch down around the pilings. Inshore, on the backside of the waves, anglers are picking up barred surfperch. Shark fishing has slowed somewhat but she says they are still catching a variety of sharays. She says a few white seabass have also been taken. Last but not least, she says the mackerel are still making a good showing. 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 — Don’t hold your breath waiting for the state to fix and reopen the pier (or you’ll be dead). It’s now been closed for six years. Ridiculous! How To Get There: From Highway 101 simply take the Gaviota State Park turnoff down to the beach and pier.