Went to Goleta for the first time on Saturday.
We arrived around 7:30AM and left around 2:30PM.
We mostly fished smaller high low rigs (size 6 and 8 baitholder hooks) baited with a mix of shrimp, live blood worms, and squid. We also had a heavier high low rig (size 1/0 and 3/0 circle hooks) with both squid and shrimp.
I spent most of my time targeting the pipeline reef while my girlfriend focused on the pilings.
I caught 7 small brown rock fish, 5 walleye, 5 smelt, and an octopus. My girlfriend got 2 white perch and 1 walleye perch.
Seemed like a bad day at what is generally considered a good pier. In most other piers on day like this right after a significant rain we may have gotten skunked. The water was silty and murky from the rain, so we were grateful for the fish we were able to catch. Another family that was fishing close to us was also having similar luck with small brown rock fish. I think my impression of the day would have changed if we were able to land one or two good sized fish.
I like the pipeline reef here. There is a kelp umbrella over the reef but the variety of kelp seems much easier to avoid snagging your line. I was casting confidently right into the kelp and only lost one rig all day.
This pier seems like a more wild environment than the other piers I've been to. For example Huntington, San Clemente and even Newport and Balboa seem to me like human environments. Goleta feels like an environment that the animals own and humans are just guests. There were lots of birds and it was difficult to find a part of the railing that was not decorated with fresh bird droppings. The bathroom, however at the beginning of the pier is nice - well kept with modern fixtures.
We spent the rest of the weekend hiking and exploring the grounds of our hotel. We saw the Harbor Seal refuge in Carpinteria and the coastline in that area has a few interesting piers that cannot be fished from because they are either privately own or fishing is prohibited for other reasons.
We arrived around 7:30AM and left around 2:30PM.
We mostly fished smaller high low rigs (size 6 and 8 baitholder hooks) baited with a mix of shrimp, live blood worms, and squid. We also had a heavier high low rig (size 1/0 and 3/0 circle hooks) with both squid and shrimp.
I spent most of my time targeting the pipeline reef while my girlfriend focused on the pilings.
I caught 7 small brown rock fish, 5 walleye, 5 smelt, and an octopus. My girlfriend got 2 white perch and 1 walleye perch.
Seemed like a bad day at what is generally considered a good pier. In most other piers on day like this right after a significant rain we may have gotten skunked. The water was silty and murky from the rain, so we were grateful for the fish we were able to catch. Another family that was fishing close to us was also having similar luck with small brown rock fish. I think my impression of the day would have changed if we were able to land one or two good sized fish.
I like the pipeline reef here. There is a kelp umbrella over the reef but the variety of kelp seems much easier to avoid snagging your line. I was casting confidently right into the kelp and only lost one rig all day.
This pier seems like a more wild environment than the other piers I've been to. For example Huntington, San Clemente and even Newport and Balboa seem to me like human environments. Goleta feels like an environment that the animals own and humans are just guests. There were lots of birds and it was difficult to find a part of the railing that was not decorated with fresh bird droppings. The bathroom, however at the beginning of the pier is nice - well kept with modern fixtures.
We spent the rest of the weekend hiking and exploring the grounds of our hotel. We saw the Harbor Seal refuge in Carpinteria and the coastline in that area has a few interesting piers that cannot be fished from because they are either privately own or fishing is prohibited for other reasons.
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