January 2021 Fishing Report, Southern California (262)

Ken Jones

Administrator
Staff member
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January 2021 Fishing Report, SoCal (#262)

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 still 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 — Stacey at the Ocean Beach Pier Bait Shop & Café, on the pier, said that a lot of mackerel are still being caught but that’s about all he knew except for sharks at the end that are being caught most days. On December 22, a 9 ½ foot-long 7-gill shark was reported, one of if not the largest 7-gill taken from a California pier. 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 are slow although mackerel are still pretty steady and some croakers are showing up. Tides have been high at the end of the month and some days it’s just plain hard to fish with the rough water yielding nothing but tons of seaweed. A few lobsters continue to show up but in limited numbers. 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. Mackerel should be available. 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. It’s been a little cold at times, they’ve had some rain, the rain has produced runoff (which usually slows fishing), and the big wintertime “King Tides” have made fishing a little hard lately (especially due to all of the red seaweed). Inshore fishing due to the tides and current has been difficult so most anglers are fishing out past the bait shop. Nevertheless a good variety of fish are being taken. Small mackerel, 9-12 inches in size are plentiful on top as are Spanish mackerel (jack mackerel). On the bottom, around the fish sinks, some sargo and yellowfin croaker are bring taken as well as a mix of perch and perch-like fish including rubberlip seaperch, blue perch (halfmoon), and opaleye. Mid-pier toward the end, down by the pilings, some bass are also showing, both kelp bass (calicos) and sand bass, but most are 9-12 inch fish that are illegal to keep. As usual this time of the year some jacksmelt are also showing and some are good-sized. No sharks are being taken. It sounds like a fairly typical winter report. How To Get There: From I-5 take Mission Blvd. west to Pacific, turn left and follow it to the pier.

Oceanside Harbor Pier — No report this month. 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 — We have had several reports this month on PFIC from evanluck who's been catching a really nice variety of fish out at the end of the pier—yellowfin croaker, spotfin croaker, queenfish, blackperch, white seaperch, calico (kelp) bass, walleye surfperch, sculpin (scorpionfish), jacksmelt and good numbers of mackerel. He's had less luck fishing the inshore area of the pier. Dane at Hogan's Bait and Tackle (34320 Pacific Coast Hwy, simply said things have slowed due to the cooling water and time of the year. 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 — Dane at Hogan's Bait And Tackle (34320 Pacific Coast Hwy, said most of the action has been on the usual fish—spotfin croaker, small bass, bat rays and small leopard sharks. 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, “Hi Ken, Did not go fishing today just because of the possibility of wind and rugged water after that great storm yesterday. Plan to go Thursday. My buddies chose not to go today also. The fishing hasn't been good at all. Been a number of days that we couldn't even get live bait. When we finally had lots of bait there were no fish that wanted them. Have seen some jacksmelt caught and some mackerel. It is just a very slow time. No whales as yet, but there will be. Looking forward to a better year and a healthier year. Two of my fishing buddies, a husband and wife team, have the Covid now, but they are doing better. NO, they didn't get it at the pier. That is a healthy place so far. Take care Ken. 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.

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, said the last few days (I called on the 30th) had been pretty good with some halibut being caught on live sardines and quite a few big spotfin croaker. He says when the big swells hit the pier the spotfin bite seems to pick up with most of the fish hitting on the north side of the pier from the bait shop into the beach. He said the spotfins are hitting on fresh mussels (the best), lugworms and shrimp. He’s also seeing some yellowfin croaker, big jacksmelt (it’s that time of the year) and small mackerel. The shark bite on the other hand is dead. If you like spotfins this sound like a good time to go but also be prepared for the waves. How To Get There: Highway 1 (Pacific Coast Highway) to Huntington Beach and the pier.

Seal Beach Pier — Elizabeth at Big Fish Bait & Tackle, 1780-C. Pacific Coast Hwy, said things are fairly slow. Anglers are still pulling in some surfperch, croakers and corbina inshore but not much is happening on top. Halibut action and shark action is fairly dead. It’s the time of the year. 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 — Elizabeth at Big Fish Bait & Tackle, 1780-C. Pacific Coast Hwy, said things are pretty similar to Seal Beach with some perch, croakers and corbina showing. Mackerel though are still showing in decent numbers on top. 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) — The pier has been closed since March and since it’s a Los Angeles pier it appears it may stay shuttered for some time. It is the only pier in the state to be closed all this time. 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 repairs. 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 most of the action has been 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 — Currently closed while undergoing repairs and renovation. Scheduled to reopen in the spring of 2021. 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 that not much is going on. Some mackerel are still showing out at the end while sargo continue to be caught under the pier by the walkways. An occasional halibut is also being reported but all recently have been under-sized; no keepers. That’s about all. 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 people using Sabikis are getting small perch (probably walleye) but not too much else is biting. She did get a report of fish that sounded like sargo but didn’t see any pictures. Sounds like it’s winter time (and the jacksmelt should be showing up). 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. Kayakers report halibut around the pier. 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 — No report this month but there should be a lot of jcksmelt around. 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 — No report but surfperch should be increasingly available inshore along with good numbers of jacksmelt from inshore to mid-pier. 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 is down and it’s been really dead. Many of the shops on the wharf are closed and only two restaurants are open. As for the fishing, it’s almost all bottom action, a few small sharays and small bass while there are good numbers of crabs, both rock crabs and spider crabs. About the only action on the top is smelt, both small smelt for bait and large jacksmelt to 20-inches or so, but there are hardly any mackerel. At night some shovelnose sharks and leopard sharks are showing. Unfortunately Mike got Covid-19 as did most of hos family but he’s better and back at work. 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 — No report this month. Surfperch should be available inshore, seaperch should be available around the pilings (especially by the crane), and the usual species (brown rockfish and bass) should be available out at the pipe-reef. 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 — The pier has now been closed for six years — and counting. So much for the California Parks Dept. Ridiculous! How To Get There: From Highway 101 simply take the Gaviota State Park turnoff down to the beach and pier.