Ken Good morning... Got some questions for you.. Gonna head to Half moon Bay for some respite, and I want to surf fish for the first time. I also want to fish off that little pier they have there... and maybe try my hand at crabbing. I have my SW tacklebox ready to go with spiked beach sinkers and all but I am not sure on the bait. Sardines are hard to hook. There is talk about white croakers being hated.. They are boney, but if I catch some big ones to filet and beer fry, I think they'll be delicious to eat. Any advice on the jigs, bait, lures? The hotel said if there is room in the freezer, they will hold my catch. If not, I'll pack the catch in my ice chest with ice. I am not sure how/where to clean fish when caught on the beach. I want to dispatch them quickly to save flavor. Thoughts on any of this?
Half moon Bay... tips?
- Thread starter Aram
- Start date
For the small pier it's as the article says, bait such as pileworms or mussels on the inside by the rocks, anchovies, cut sardine, squid, etc. when casting out into deeper water from the pier. Never had luck on artificial lures at that pier. If surf casting it depends on the species. For perch it's tough to beat pileworms and mussels but cut anchovies and sardines will also get a few fish. As for artificals, grubs are hard to beat for the perch. That area can also see stripers so cut sardines can work for those and almost any striper lure may attract them. Don't know what direction you're coming from but the Coastside Bait and Tackle in Pacifica would have the latest info on striper action and best lures.
For the jetty if you are crabbing I'd recommend snares instead of nets. From the beaches you can grub for perch, catch some sand crabs to bait and wait, lots of options. Just FYI I think that the Dungeness crab season is closed in that area now so only keep rock crabs that are of legal size to avoid
a nasty ticket. The jetty there also makes for some nice poke-poling if that's your thing, but I hope you are part mountain goat if you plan on
climbing out over the rocks. You can also catch an assortment of rockfish from the jetty by casting close to the base, but it gets sandy fast the
further out you are. I've had better luck from the jetty than the pier in the harbor though.
** I would like to note that I haven't lived up there since 2015 so things may have changed significantly in the intervening years.
a nasty ticket. The jetty there also makes for some nice poke-poling if that's your thing, but I hope you are part mountain goat if you plan on
climbing out over the rocks. You can also catch an assortment of rockfish from the jetty by casting close to the base, but it gets sandy fast the
further out you are. I've had better luck from the jetty than the pier in the harbor though.
** I would like to note that I haven't lived up there since 2015 so things may have changed significantly in the intervening years.