July 2022 Fishing Report, Southern California (#276)
Remember that the lobster season is closed.
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 — Jason at the Ocean Beach Pier Bait and Tackle says most of the action is on mackerel with the occasional halibut (one LARGE halibut was caught), shark or ray. Expect some croakers inshore and also a possible bass or perch if fishing by the piles. 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 – Pam at the Crystal Pier Bait & Tackle says the sargo are going crazy with easy limits the norm. Doesn’t seem to make much difference your skill level, just get some bait—shrimp, worms, mussels, even anchovies down to them. And she says they are nice size. Plug in some yellowfin croaker and a few spotfins to the mix and it’s good action. However, she says it’s pretty much dead on the top although the mackerel make sporadic runs by the pier, usually in the morning. And, she says there are always some rays—round stingrays, thornbacks, shovelnose guitarfish, bat rays, etc.
Unfortunately she’s being force to close her bait shop on July 22 due to an impossible rent increase ($1,000 a month) but she thinks there’s more behind the story. She says local supporters even came up with a check to cover the additional rent for a few months but the Crystal Pier Hotel (her landlord) refused to take it. She thinks the hotel would prefer not to have fisherman or at least not have the pier open to non-hotel guests. It may be over but Pam’s a tough cookie and hasn’t given up the fight to date.
Pam did want to remind people about the Kid’s Derby on Sunday the 30th of July (even though she will be gone). It’s a big derby with many prizes and registration is supposed to take place at the front gate starting at 7 a.m. 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 — No report from the pier authorities but a PFIC report from Ray619 on 6/3 said, “Fished this pier from 6pm till about 8pm yesterday. Tide was ideal for catching but only got 1 nibble. Talked to some regulars and they say a good shark and bay bite happens when it gets dark. One guy mentioned he caught a 4-foot shovelnose the previous night. While there, no mackerel but plenty of smelt being caught. Plenty of upgrades around the pier. An outdoor amphitheater next to the pier. Paid parking from 8am to 8pm. They have a bait and deli store. Here they make awesome burgers...” 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 and bat rays). 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 — No report from the pier authorities but we did receive several reports from Ray619. On June 1 he reported, “Mackerel being caught using glow sticks. Most are small and the bite is slow. They bit the strips of squid. Fished a bottom rig using market shrimp. Caught a small spotted bass and a black croaker. Also caught a small perch but not sure the species. It unhooked itself before I can bring it up to identify it. It was silver in color...might of been a walleye perch.” On 6/10 he said, “Went back last night. Water temps must be rising. A bunch of small sting rays being caught. I ended up with one more Sargo and a yellowfin croaker. All were caught on bloodworms. Nothing bit the market shrimp.” On 6/9 he said, “Fished the pier last few days and I’m finally catching fish...three decent bass and a few tiny ones. Also some mixed rays. Two big Sargo; all caught on fresh or frozen bloodworms. Fun times and sure the summer will be good fishing.” On 6/14 he said, “Fished 6/13/22 from 9pm to about 1130pm. Tide was high. From 9pm to about 10pm I caught 13 Mackerel using a Glowstick and squid for bait, then the mack bite shut down. Then fished towards my favorite spot and caught three short spotted bay bass and one legal bass. Overall the bite has been good for me.” 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 — A report from my friend Bill said the pier’s said he’s seen good improvement the past two weeks and expects a good 4th of July weekend (although it will be too crowded). Out at the end the mackerel are hitting while right where the pier widens will see herring (queenfish) anglers filling their buckets. Mid-pier to the end will see some sardines and small smelt if looking for bait. Inshore (inside the lifeguard station) is seeing increasing numbers of croakers both yellowfin and spotfin; use fresh mussels or lugworms for bait. Mid-pier has seen a few small halibut while one large thresher shark was hooked and lost at the end. Lastly, two bonito were caught on 6/29. He says July 4th is the traditional opening of the bonito season with anglers getting their bonito balls and feathers ready to go. Two being caught means that more are around. How To Get There: From I-5 take Mission Blvd. west to Pacific, turn left and follow it to the pier.” 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 recent reports but expect the occasional croaker and sargo on the bottom, jacksmelt and mackerel in the top waters. Some perch and bass may show up if fishing by the rocks. 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 — Brett at Hogan's Bait and Tackle (34320 Pacific Coast Hwy. says things are picking up, it’s feeling more like summer time. Inshore, it’s a mix, mainly surfperch and croakers (yellowfins and spotfins) together with lesser numbers of corbina. Live lugworms, fresh mussels and ghost shrimp (if you can get them) are the best baits although a few are also falling to artificial lures. Mid-pier to the end is seeing improved action on the sharays with a mixture of gray smoothhounds, leopard sharks, shovelnose guitarfish and bat ray. Thresher action sounds slow but should be picking up. He says the top-water action is only so so. The bonito haven’t shown yet but a few mackerel are still around as well as jacksmelt. The water’s warming! 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 — Brett at Hogan's Bait and Tackle (34320 Pacific Coast Hwy. says overall action is fairly slow with spotted bay bass and small halibut providing much of the action in the bay. Expect a few croakers and a few perch if you fish the piling area. 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 says, “It's been a much better month of fishing. We have caught a lot of halibut and White Seabass. We have caught four keeper halibut. Yesterday my friend caught a 52-inch shovelnose guitarfish in the surf. It was very hard to net as it wasn't ready to be out of the water. We have had lots of Spanish Mackerel for bait as well as the smelt and a few herring or queenfish. A report from Angler67 on 6/29 said, “I popped in at Balboa on Monday evening about 6pm (27th) to escape the heat and check out water conditions and it was DEAD. A few sardines being caught on Sabikis. No mackerel or anything really and pier was pretty busy. I got 0 bites on jigs, no visible bait in water, not even smelt. One little unattended rod next to me doubled over and started to fly over the rail and I grabbed it mid-air, now with a rod in each hand. Owner ran over from the shade of Ruby's and cranked it in it was a nice little flounder [probable diamond turbot-KJ], pretty rare in my experience. Took a stroll hoping for a swim but water was still pretty cold so strolled the surfline. Endless sand crabs! Solid for the 30 min we walked away toward Newport, variable sizes from tiny to pretty big [Great bait for barred surfperch and cobina in the surf area—KJ]. Escaped the heat for a bit anyway. A report from bifishing on 6/4 said, “Needed bait. Decided to try Balboa. Took me 40 minutes to find parking. Yup, summer is here. Swell is ripping good... no sardines anywhere. Did get non-stop smelt, a few mini macks. Pinned one of them on a c rig and 10 minutes later, I got a 20-inch` butt. Threw him back and went home to watch the fight.” 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. I expect a crowded pier on the July 4 weekend. It’s unclear if the end section has reopened. 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 — A PFIC report from HookedUp! on 6/19 said, “Arrived at Huntington Beach Pier yesterday evening at about 6:30 PM. The tide appeared to be incoming, and the wind was moderately strong. There were lots of anglers in the surf using market shrimp and mussels, but were not successful. I fished at the end on the left side of the former Ruby's Diner to avoid the wind. I saw several families fishing, with most of them using squid or salted anchovies on size #4 hook Sabiki rigs. I only saw one very small fish caught while I was there on a Sabiki baited with squid strips, which I could not tell if it was a Topsmelt, Jacksmelt, or a Pacific Mackerel. I used two triple dropper-loop rigs with size #10 mosquito hooks, 2-oz torpedo sinkers, and squid strips on a 6-lb mono leader, and received some nibbles, but nothing stayed. I also used a Carolina rig with a 2/O live bait hook, a 3-oz egg sinker, and a whole squid on a 15-lb mono leader for sharks or rays, and while I did have the bait stolen, I believe that it was taken by crabs. I had some success with my hoop net, where I caught one Swimmer Crab and two undersized Rock Crabs using Salema that I previously caught at the Dana Point Pier in October as bait. I left at about 9:00 PM. Tips: If the bite is not wide-open, use small hooks instead of a Sabiki. Always bring a hoop net when pier fishing. Crabs provide entertainment to other fishermen and passerby on the pier. Another report, this one from Fishman Fishman on 6/8 said, “Fished a few hours this morning. Caught a variety of fish but not very many. Used Sabiki, sometimes tipped with shrimp. Caught Pacific mackerel, Queenfish, Topsmelt and juvenile Bocaccio (released). Last time I caught a Bocaccio was many moons ago on a party boat.” How To Get There: Highway 1 (Pacific Coast Highway) to Huntington Beach and the pier.”
Seal Beach Pier — Rada at Big Fish Bait & Tackle, 1780-C. Pacific Coast Hwy, said fishing’s picking up. Inshore expect some yellowfin and spotfin croaker along with some corbina (ghost shrimp or worms for all). Mid-pier to the end expect some herring (queenfish) under the pier at mid-water depth along with some mackerel and, at times, a few sardines in the top waters. As for the sharays, sharks and rays, most of the recent action has been on leopard sharks and bat rays, both good fighters. FishmanFishman gave a report on 6/28, “Fished SB pier this morning. Beautiful day, little to no wind. Fished low and high tides. Steady bite of Pacific Mackerel on various cut baits. Also, hooked three short White Seabass, landed one. Released a short Sand bass and Thornback Ray. Caught Salema and Topsmelt. Another fisherman caught and released a legal-size Sand bass. Queenfish and Walleye Perch caught on Sabiki rigs at midpoint of pier. A starfish enjoyed my anchovy. Left only the head and spine! Overall a good day to be on the pier.” 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 Veterans Memorial Pier — Rada at Big Fish Bait & Tackle, 1780-C. Pacific Coast said he hasn’t gotten many reports from the pier lately but expect some croakers inshore, halibut mid-pier (by the portable bathrooms), and sharks (mostly small sharks) and rays out at the end. 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 (Long Beach) — Expect the usual when casting straight out from the pier, some white croaker on the bottom and some mackerel on top. Casting parallel to the shoreline rocks should produce a few croakers, some sargo and a possible perch using mussels, lugworms, or shrimp. 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.
Pier J Piers (Long Beach) — White croaker are available most days as are a variety of fish, mackerel on top and rock frequenting species along the rocks. How To Get There: From I-710 follow the signs saying S. Harbor Scenic Drive. From downtown Long Beach follow Queens Way past the Catalina Landing and on to the Queens Way Bridge over the water and take the S. Harbor Scenic Drive.
Cabrillo Beach Pier (San Pedro) —Alex at the Rusty Hook, 245 N Gaffey St., San Pedro, said the grunion runs produced some improved halibut fishing, mostly smalls, but also some legal fish. Apparently they may also have attracted the bat rays in (which is normal) since he had some reports of some BIG bat rays. He says the usual white croaker are there along with some sand bass and lesser numbers of kelp bass and perch (if you fish the right area). He said a lot of barracuda were also being caught, mostly shorts but he says the water tuned over and the barrie actions seems to have slowed. No bonito to date and not a lot of mackerel in the top water sections. But things seem to be improving. 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 species—kelp bass, rock wrasse, senorita, opaleye, halfmoon, and sheephead. 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, Newport Beach (near the Balboa Pier) and Dana Harbor. 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) — Expect the normal species—kelp bass, rock wrasse, senorita, opaleye, halfmoon, and sheephead and ocean whitefish but recent reports (Hashem was there on 6/28) have shown things slowing down. 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, Newport Beach (near the Balboa Pier) and Dana Harbor. 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 when you walk off the ferry onto the landing you are at the Mole.
Redondo Beach Pier — No report this month but I expect the mackerel are still hitting. 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 — No report this month Get There: Highway 1 to Washington St., turn west and follow Washington St. to the pier.
Santa Monica Pier — Unable to get through for a report. 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 it’s summertime, the kids are out of school, and the fishing for the thresher sharks is in full swing. She’s seeing pictures of many, many threshers and many are huge, up to about 11-feet when counting the tail. The bait is live mackerel when they can Sabiki them up, frozen mackerel or sardine when they can’t get the live bait. She says there are usually a mackerel at the pier along with good numbers or bass with lesser catches of halibut. However, a grunion run is about to start and that always means increased numbers of halibut (on live smelt) and increased numbers of bat rays. She says there are also a lot of corbina around the pier but difficult, as always, to catch. Sounds like a good time to visit the pier. 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 anglers are still reporting a good variety of fish including white seabass, and halibut. Mackerel are around as well as the sharays, especially some LARE bat rays. She says due to the high cost of parking most anglers are walking in from the street. It used to be free but she’s heard they are now charging $5 to walk in. How To Get There: Take Highway 1 to Paradise Cove Dr., turn west, and follow the road back into the parking lot. It’s very expensive unless you buy a meal at the restaurant and then you are allowed to fish for, I think, three hours.
Ventura & Santa Barbara County Piers
Port Hueneme Pier — Waiting for the report but jacksmelt, mackerel and small perch should be available. 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 — Boyd Larson at Hyun’s Tackle, 3695 E Harbor Blvd., says the halibut are going crazy and even those with limited knowledge should be able to catch one. They’re mainly in the surf area out to perhaps the mid-pier and all you need are live anchovies, which are thick at the pier, or even thawed frozen anchovies. Try a Carolina rigging. Inshore also sees corbina including some BIG ones (his friend got a three footer) and good fishing for yellowfin croaker. Queenfish and white croaker are found all along the pier. He says every afternoon a mass of baitfish move in around the pier—Pacific mackerel, Spanish mackerel (jack mackerel), sardines and anchovies, so if you want some good fishing or simply need some baitfish it’s the place to go. The end is also seeing Pacific butterfish (pompano); he suggests using a Sabiki baited with small pieces of shrimp. As for the sharays, a variety are being taken. A lot of bat rays have been taken along with a sizeable number of angel sharks. Thresher sharks are also available with the sharks running up to 11 feet in length. Use a live mackerel (or frozen mackerel) with a float rig. 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 — Boyd Larson at Hyun’s Tackle, 3695 E Harbor Blvd., says Stearns is also seeing the baitfish—Pacific mackerel, Spanish mackerel, sardines, and anchovies and is also producing good numbers of fish. Expect some kelp (calico) bass all along the pier as well as barred sand bass. Expect some halibut on the bottom. And expect to see shark fishermen and possibly a thresher shark or two since they’ve been hitting (eight in one day). By the way he says the Pacific mackerel are big which makes for fun angling. Kai at Hook Line & Sinker, 4010-5 Calle Real, Santa Barbara, feels that things have slowed down a bit with the exception of the thresher shark fishing that’s been going up. The bait for the sharks? Live mackerel, frozen mackerel or sardines. She hasn’t had many other reports with the exception of a variety of sharays on the bottom. Crabbing has seemed to slow a bit. 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 —Goleta Pier — Kai at Hook Line & Sinker, 4010-5 Calle Real, Santa Barbara, reports that some good-sized corbina have shown inshore and that halibut and white seabass are also being caught. She’s also hearing good reports on the thresher shark fishing. The one area that has seemed to slow strangely is the normally productive pipe reef that isn’t kicking out its usual mix of rockfish and assorted rocky shore species. Don’t know why, just reporting it. Boyd Larson at Hyun’s Tackle, 3695 E Harbor Blvd., says the halibut are poppin’ at the pier due in part to the same bait situation as at Stearns and Ventura (although he says some grunion are also being caught). He says barred surfperch are showing inshore while out on the pier (I always try around the boat launch) a number of perch—blackperch, rainbow seaperch and pileperch are showing up. Use tubeworms or fresh mussels. He says a lot of angel sharks are showing (three in one day up to 40 pounds) as are some thresher sharks although not as many as Ventura. He too says the pipe reef has slowed. Just wish I could be down there. 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 somewhere around eight years but I have been told that the state has now allocated money to rebuild the pier. My fingers are crossed. How To Get There: From Highway 101 simply take the Gaviota State Park turnoff down to the beach and pier.
Remember that the lobster season is closed.
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 — Jason at the Ocean Beach Pier Bait and Tackle says most of the action is on mackerel with the occasional halibut (one LARGE halibut was caught), shark or ray. Expect some croakers inshore and also a possible bass or perch if fishing by the piles. 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 – Pam at the Crystal Pier Bait & Tackle says the sargo are going crazy with easy limits the norm. Doesn’t seem to make much difference your skill level, just get some bait—shrimp, worms, mussels, even anchovies down to them. And she says they are nice size. Plug in some yellowfin croaker and a few spotfins to the mix and it’s good action. However, she says it’s pretty much dead on the top although the mackerel make sporadic runs by the pier, usually in the morning. And, she says there are always some rays—round stingrays, thornbacks, shovelnose guitarfish, bat rays, etc.
Unfortunately she’s being force to close her bait shop on July 22 due to an impossible rent increase ($1,000 a month) but she thinks there’s more behind the story. She says local supporters even came up with a check to cover the additional rent for a few months but the Crystal Pier Hotel (her landlord) refused to take it. She thinks the hotel would prefer not to have fisherman or at least not have the pier open to non-hotel guests. It may be over but Pam’s a tough cookie and hasn’t given up the fight to date.
Pam did want to remind people about the Kid’s Derby on Sunday the 30th of July (even though she will be gone). It’s a big derby with many prizes and registration is supposed to take place at the front gate starting at 7 a.m. 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 — No report from the pier authorities but a PFIC report from Ray619 on 6/3 said, “Fished this pier from 6pm till about 8pm yesterday. Tide was ideal for catching but only got 1 nibble. Talked to some regulars and they say a good shark and bay bite happens when it gets dark. One guy mentioned he caught a 4-foot shovelnose the previous night. While there, no mackerel but plenty of smelt being caught. Plenty of upgrades around the pier. An outdoor amphitheater next to the pier. Paid parking from 8am to 8pm. They have a bait and deli store. Here they make awesome burgers...” 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 and bat rays). 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 — No report from the pier authorities but we did receive several reports from Ray619. On June 1 he reported, “Mackerel being caught using glow sticks. Most are small and the bite is slow. They bit the strips of squid. Fished a bottom rig using market shrimp. Caught a small spotted bass and a black croaker. Also caught a small perch but not sure the species. It unhooked itself before I can bring it up to identify it. It was silver in color...might of been a walleye perch.” On 6/10 he said, “Went back last night. Water temps must be rising. A bunch of small sting rays being caught. I ended up with one more Sargo and a yellowfin croaker. All were caught on bloodworms. Nothing bit the market shrimp.” On 6/9 he said, “Fished the pier last few days and I’m finally catching fish...three decent bass and a few tiny ones. Also some mixed rays. Two big Sargo; all caught on fresh or frozen bloodworms. Fun times and sure the summer will be good fishing.” On 6/14 he said, “Fished 6/13/22 from 9pm to about 1130pm. Tide was high. From 9pm to about 10pm I caught 13 Mackerel using a Glowstick and squid for bait, then the mack bite shut down. Then fished towards my favorite spot and caught three short spotted bay bass and one legal bass. Overall the bite has been good for me.” 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 — A report from my friend Bill said the pier’s said he’s seen good improvement the past two weeks and expects a good 4th of July weekend (although it will be too crowded). Out at the end the mackerel are hitting while right where the pier widens will see herring (queenfish) anglers filling their buckets. Mid-pier to the end will see some sardines and small smelt if looking for bait. Inshore (inside the lifeguard station) is seeing increasing numbers of croakers both yellowfin and spotfin; use fresh mussels or lugworms for bait. Mid-pier has seen a few small halibut while one large thresher shark was hooked and lost at the end. Lastly, two bonito were caught on 6/29. He says July 4th is the traditional opening of the bonito season with anglers getting their bonito balls and feathers ready to go. Two being caught means that more are around. How To Get There: From I-5 take Mission Blvd. west to Pacific, turn left and follow it to the pier.” 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 recent reports but expect the occasional croaker and sargo on the bottom, jacksmelt and mackerel in the top waters. Some perch and bass may show up if fishing by the rocks. 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 — Brett at Hogan's Bait and Tackle (34320 Pacific Coast Hwy. says things are picking up, it’s feeling more like summer time. Inshore, it’s a mix, mainly surfperch and croakers (yellowfins and spotfins) together with lesser numbers of corbina. Live lugworms, fresh mussels and ghost shrimp (if you can get them) are the best baits although a few are also falling to artificial lures. Mid-pier to the end is seeing improved action on the sharays with a mixture of gray smoothhounds, leopard sharks, shovelnose guitarfish and bat ray. Thresher action sounds slow but should be picking up. He says the top-water action is only so so. The bonito haven’t shown yet but a few mackerel are still around as well as jacksmelt. The water’s warming! 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 — Brett at Hogan's Bait and Tackle (34320 Pacific Coast Hwy. says overall action is fairly slow with spotted bay bass and small halibut providing much of the action in the bay. Expect a few croakers and a few perch if you fish the piling area. 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 says, “It's been a much better month of fishing. We have caught a lot of halibut and White Seabass. We have caught four keeper halibut. Yesterday my friend caught a 52-inch shovelnose guitarfish in the surf. It was very hard to net as it wasn't ready to be out of the water. We have had lots of Spanish Mackerel for bait as well as the smelt and a few herring or queenfish. A report from Angler67 on 6/29 said, “I popped in at Balboa on Monday evening about 6pm (27th) to escape the heat and check out water conditions and it was DEAD. A few sardines being caught on Sabikis. No mackerel or anything really and pier was pretty busy. I got 0 bites on jigs, no visible bait in water, not even smelt. One little unattended rod next to me doubled over and started to fly over the rail and I grabbed it mid-air, now with a rod in each hand. Owner ran over from the shade of Ruby's and cranked it in it was a nice little flounder [probable diamond turbot-KJ], pretty rare in my experience. Took a stroll hoping for a swim but water was still pretty cold so strolled the surfline. Endless sand crabs! Solid for the 30 min we walked away toward Newport, variable sizes from tiny to pretty big [Great bait for barred surfperch and cobina in the surf area—KJ]. Escaped the heat for a bit anyway. A report from bifishing on 6/4 said, “Needed bait. Decided to try Balboa. Took me 40 minutes to find parking. Yup, summer is here. Swell is ripping good... no sardines anywhere. Did get non-stop smelt, a few mini macks. Pinned one of them on a c rig and 10 minutes later, I got a 20-inch` butt. Threw him back and went home to watch the fight.” 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. I expect a crowded pier on the July 4 weekend. It’s unclear if the end section has reopened. 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 — A PFIC report from HookedUp! on 6/19 said, “Arrived at Huntington Beach Pier yesterday evening at about 6:30 PM. The tide appeared to be incoming, and the wind was moderately strong. There were lots of anglers in the surf using market shrimp and mussels, but were not successful. I fished at the end on the left side of the former Ruby's Diner to avoid the wind. I saw several families fishing, with most of them using squid or salted anchovies on size #4 hook Sabiki rigs. I only saw one very small fish caught while I was there on a Sabiki baited with squid strips, which I could not tell if it was a Topsmelt, Jacksmelt, or a Pacific Mackerel. I used two triple dropper-loop rigs with size #10 mosquito hooks, 2-oz torpedo sinkers, and squid strips on a 6-lb mono leader, and received some nibbles, but nothing stayed. I also used a Carolina rig with a 2/O live bait hook, a 3-oz egg sinker, and a whole squid on a 15-lb mono leader for sharks or rays, and while I did have the bait stolen, I believe that it was taken by crabs. I had some success with my hoop net, where I caught one Swimmer Crab and two undersized Rock Crabs using Salema that I previously caught at the Dana Point Pier in October as bait. I left at about 9:00 PM. Tips: If the bite is not wide-open, use small hooks instead of a Sabiki. Always bring a hoop net when pier fishing. Crabs provide entertainment to other fishermen and passerby on the pier. Another report, this one from Fishman Fishman on 6/8 said, “Fished a few hours this morning. Caught a variety of fish but not very many. Used Sabiki, sometimes tipped with shrimp. Caught Pacific mackerel, Queenfish, Topsmelt and juvenile Bocaccio (released). Last time I caught a Bocaccio was many moons ago on a party boat.” How To Get There: Highway 1 (Pacific Coast Highway) to Huntington Beach and the pier.”
Seal Beach Pier — Rada at Big Fish Bait & Tackle, 1780-C. Pacific Coast Hwy, said fishing’s picking up. Inshore expect some yellowfin and spotfin croaker along with some corbina (ghost shrimp or worms for all). Mid-pier to the end expect some herring (queenfish) under the pier at mid-water depth along with some mackerel and, at times, a few sardines in the top waters. As for the sharays, sharks and rays, most of the recent action has been on leopard sharks and bat rays, both good fighters. FishmanFishman gave a report on 6/28, “Fished SB pier this morning. Beautiful day, little to no wind. Fished low and high tides. Steady bite of Pacific Mackerel on various cut baits. Also, hooked three short White Seabass, landed one. Released a short Sand bass and Thornback Ray. Caught Salema and Topsmelt. Another fisherman caught and released a legal-size Sand bass. Queenfish and Walleye Perch caught on Sabiki rigs at midpoint of pier. A starfish enjoyed my anchovy. Left only the head and spine! Overall a good day to be on the pier.” 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 Veterans Memorial Pier — Rada at Big Fish Bait & Tackle, 1780-C. Pacific Coast said he hasn’t gotten many reports from the pier lately but expect some croakers inshore, halibut mid-pier (by the portable bathrooms), and sharks (mostly small sharks) and rays out at the end. 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 (Long Beach) — Expect the usual when casting straight out from the pier, some white croaker on the bottom and some mackerel on top. Casting parallel to the shoreline rocks should produce a few croakers, some sargo and a possible perch using mussels, lugworms, or shrimp. 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.
Pier J Piers (Long Beach) — White croaker are available most days as are a variety of fish, mackerel on top and rock frequenting species along the rocks. How To Get There: From I-710 follow the signs saying S. Harbor Scenic Drive. From downtown Long Beach follow Queens Way past the Catalina Landing and on to the Queens Way Bridge over the water and take the S. Harbor Scenic Drive.
Cabrillo Beach Pier (San Pedro) —Alex at the Rusty Hook, 245 N Gaffey St., San Pedro, said the grunion runs produced some improved halibut fishing, mostly smalls, but also some legal fish. Apparently they may also have attracted the bat rays in (which is normal) since he had some reports of some BIG bat rays. He says the usual white croaker are there along with some sand bass and lesser numbers of kelp bass and perch (if you fish the right area). He said a lot of barracuda were also being caught, mostly shorts but he says the water tuned over and the barrie actions seems to have slowed. No bonito to date and not a lot of mackerel in the top water sections. But things seem to be improving. 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 species—kelp bass, rock wrasse, senorita, opaleye, halfmoon, and sheephead. 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, Newport Beach (near the Balboa Pier) and Dana Harbor. 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) — Expect the normal species—kelp bass, rock wrasse, senorita, opaleye, halfmoon, and sheephead and ocean whitefish but recent reports (Hashem was there on 6/28) have shown things slowing down. 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, Newport Beach (near the Balboa Pier) and Dana Harbor. 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 when you walk off the ferry onto the landing you are at the Mole.
Redondo Beach Pier — No report this month but I expect the mackerel are still hitting. 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 — No report this month Get There: Highway 1 to Washington St., turn west and follow Washington St. to the pier.
Santa Monica Pier — Unable to get through for a report. 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 it’s summertime, the kids are out of school, and the fishing for the thresher sharks is in full swing. She’s seeing pictures of many, many threshers and many are huge, up to about 11-feet when counting the tail. The bait is live mackerel when they can Sabiki them up, frozen mackerel or sardine when they can’t get the live bait. She says there are usually a mackerel at the pier along with good numbers or bass with lesser catches of halibut. However, a grunion run is about to start and that always means increased numbers of halibut (on live smelt) and increased numbers of bat rays. She says there are also a lot of corbina around the pier but difficult, as always, to catch. Sounds like a good time to visit the pier. 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 anglers are still reporting a good variety of fish including white seabass, and halibut. Mackerel are around as well as the sharays, especially some LARE bat rays. She says due to the high cost of parking most anglers are walking in from the street. It used to be free but she’s heard they are now charging $5 to walk in. How To Get There: Take Highway 1 to Paradise Cove Dr., turn west, and follow the road back into the parking lot. It’s very expensive unless you buy a meal at the restaurant and then you are allowed to fish for, I think, three hours.
Ventura & Santa Barbara County Piers
Port Hueneme Pier — Waiting for the report but jacksmelt, mackerel and small perch should be available. 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 — Boyd Larson at Hyun’s Tackle, 3695 E Harbor Blvd., says the halibut are going crazy and even those with limited knowledge should be able to catch one. They’re mainly in the surf area out to perhaps the mid-pier and all you need are live anchovies, which are thick at the pier, or even thawed frozen anchovies. Try a Carolina rigging. Inshore also sees corbina including some BIG ones (his friend got a three footer) and good fishing for yellowfin croaker. Queenfish and white croaker are found all along the pier. He says every afternoon a mass of baitfish move in around the pier—Pacific mackerel, Spanish mackerel (jack mackerel), sardines and anchovies, so if you want some good fishing or simply need some baitfish it’s the place to go. The end is also seeing Pacific butterfish (pompano); he suggests using a Sabiki baited with small pieces of shrimp. As for the sharays, a variety are being taken. A lot of bat rays have been taken along with a sizeable number of angel sharks. Thresher sharks are also available with the sharks running up to 11 feet in length. Use a live mackerel (or frozen mackerel) with a float rig. 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 — Boyd Larson at Hyun’s Tackle, 3695 E Harbor Blvd., says Stearns is also seeing the baitfish—Pacific mackerel, Spanish mackerel, sardines, and anchovies and is also producing good numbers of fish. Expect some kelp (calico) bass all along the pier as well as barred sand bass. Expect some halibut on the bottom. And expect to see shark fishermen and possibly a thresher shark or two since they’ve been hitting (eight in one day). By the way he says the Pacific mackerel are big which makes for fun angling. Kai at Hook Line & Sinker, 4010-5 Calle Real, Santa Barbara, feels that things have slowed down a bit with the exception of the thresher shark fishing that’s been going up. The bait for the sharks? Live mackerel, frozen mackerel or sardines. She hasn’t had many other reports with the exception of a variety of sharays on the bottom. Crabbing has seemed to slow a bit. 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 —Goleta Pier — Kai at Hook Line & Sinker, 4010-5 Calle Real, Santa Barbara, reports that some good-sized corbina have shown inshore and that halibut and white seabass are also being caught. She’s also hearing good reports on the thresher shark fishing. The one area that has seemed to slow strangely is the normally productive pipe reef that isn’t kicking out its usual mix of rockfish and assorted rocky shore species. Don’t know why, just reporting it. Boyd Larson at Hyun’s Tackle, 3695 E Harbor Blvd., says the halibut are poppin’ at the pier due in part to the same bait situation as at Stearns and Ventura (although he says some grunion are also being caught). He says barred surfperch are showing inshore while out on the pier (I always try around the boat launch) a number of perch—blackperch, rainbow seaperch and pileperch are showing up. Use tubeworms or fresh mussels. He says a lot of angel sharks are showing (three in one day up to 40 pounds) as are some thresher sharks although not as many as Ventura. He too says the pipe reef has slowed. Just wish I could be down there. 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 somewhere around eight years but I have been told that the state has now allocated money to rebuild the pier. My fingers are crossed. How To Get There: From Highway 101 simply take the Gaviota State Park turnoff down to the beach and pier.