November 2020 Fishing Report, SoCal (#260)
Remember — Lobster season is now soon 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 — Shirley at the Ocean Beach Pier Bait Shop & Café, on the pier said the mackerel are still showing along with some sharks out at the end of the pier. There’s still a lot of anchovies around the pier so bonito are in and out but most of the bottom action has slowed. Lobsters are still available at night with a mix of small illegal lobsters and a few keeper-size lobsters. 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 Crystal Pier Bay & Tackle said action remains fairly decent with a mix of mackerel and bonito showing most days along with yellowfin croaker. The macs and boneheads are hitting artificial lures while the yellowfins are inshore and hitting fresh mussels and worms. Lobsters are also showing up, both during the day and at night. 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 — Richard, at “Burgers, Bait & Beer” (at the foot of the pier), reports that anglers continue to pull in good numbers of mackerel along with some spotted bay bass and rays (stingrays and bat rays). He says the typical baits (anchovies and squid) will take the fish but most of the spotted bay bass are hitting on “Hookup Baits” which are made in San Diego (and which he sells). Halibut too are showing up but not in any great numbers. 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 — Michael, at Angler’s Choice, 1910 Rosecrans St., said there really haven’t been any reports but sand bass and mackerel are almost always 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 at the Oceanside Pier Bait and Tackle shop on the pier, said there’s a ton of bait around the pier, small mackerel and sardines, so some fish are still hitting—including a few bonito. Some nice thresher sharks have been taken, all keeper-size fish with one going around 100 pounds. Surprising has been the number of shortfin corvina, almost all in excess of two feet in length that have been caught inshore. Along with the corvina have been quite a few white seabass, most also around 24 inches (which is illegal for them). The spotfin croakers have slowed although Bill said he did get a small bonefish. Halibut have also slowed as have most other bottom fish. 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. 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 — Dane at Hogan's Bait And Tackle (34320 Pacific Coast Hwy, said the bite remains real good on mackerel and bonito, mid-pier to the end, while the inshore action on croaker, yellowfin and spotfin, has just been so so. Some sharays, sharks and rays, continue to hit out toward the end while the nocturnal hours see people pulling in fair numbers of lobster (it will slow down later in the season). We also had a PFIC report from Vince who was new to the pier but managed to catch a nice variety of fish including croaker, smelt, mackerel, and some fish that he couldn’t identify. 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 the mackerel and bonito are also hitting at this small pier along with some spotfin croaker and quite a few bass—kelp bass, sand bass, and spotted bay bass. We also got a PFIC report from lucretian who managed to catch some spotfin croaker, multiple smelt, some baby rays, kelp bass and a salema. 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, “We have had a lot of bonito this month, some big and some small. I got two at different times. One was 18 inches and the other was a little smaller. We have had lots of sardines again this week but the halibut evidently are full. I caught a 16 incher this week, but that was all. Saw one other that size caught, but that was all. There are lots of mackerel, but they are about the sizes of the sardines. Nothing much going on. The water got cold and I don't think the fish liked it. At least it is great just to be out there.” We also had PFIC reports from Rusty who caught a nice-sized bonito. Another PFIC report, from Amgler67, reported bonito on a variety of lures. 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. How To Get There: From the Pacific Coast Highway take the Newport Blvd. turnoff and proceed west watching for signs directing traffic to the pier. The pier sits at the foot of McFadden Place.
Huntington Beach Pier — Josh at Let's Go Fishing (on the pier) says there are still tons of anchovies, sardines and mackerel around the pier but that action has actually slowed. There are a few threshers and a few bonito but not many. Inshore there are some yellowfin croaker and lots of sting rays but he hasn’t seen any halibut recently. So I guess it’s basically fair to middli’. We also had two PFIC reports from evanluchk. In one, he reported a nice catch of yellowfin croaker, some small sharks, and both smelt and sardines on a Sabiki rig. In the second report he managed a halibut and small yellowfin croaker. How To Get There: Highway 1 (Pacific Coast Highway) to Huntington Beach and the pier.
Seal Beach Pier — Jimmy at “Big Fish Bait and Tackle in Seal Beach” reports good fishing for mackerel and bonito out at the end of the pier while good numbers of yellowfin croaker along with a few good-sized spotfin croaker are hitting inshore. Some sharay action—small sharks, some guitarfish, and some bat rays, add to the mix. 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 —Jimmy at “Big Fish Bait and Tackle in Seal Beach” reports quite a few bonito are being taken mid-pier to the end along with quite a few mackerel He says there are also corbina and yellowfin croaker inshore and shovelnose sharks (guitarfish) out at the end. Halibut action has slowed. We also got a PFIC report from Fishman who caught a small butterfly ray from the pier. 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 bonito 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, 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 people continue to catch bonito that come and go; mackerel seems to have slowed. Apparently there’s also not much action on bottom species. A PFIC report sounded pretty much the same as Sulla reported a two-hour visit that saw bonito but no mackerel. A PFIC report from Rusty mentioned catching mackerel and sardines but no luck on lobsters.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. A PFIC report from toejamb (a long time member) saw him catching sardines to use for live bait, which produced a legal-size halibut. 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 — John at the Santa Monica Pier Bait & Tackle shop towards the end of the pier reports fairly slow fishing. A few mackerel and bonito show at the end while a few yellowfin croaker continue to show up inshore. Lobster season is now open so expect people out at night getting the bugs, some legal and some not legal. 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 the fishing has slowed but they are still getting a few threshers. Halibut are also being reported, one a 30-inch fish. Mackerel also continue to hit pretty good. How To Get There: The pier fronts on the Pacific Coast Highway (Hwy 1) so just drive until you see it.
Paradise Cove Pier — No report. 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. 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. Need a reporter. 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 pier is surrounded by sardines and the sardines are keeping the thresher sharks biting, as many as 5-10 per day during some weeks. Unfortunately the threshers are small, baby-size threshers mostly 3-4 feet long. Mackerel and Spanish mackerel are also in abundance but not so with the bonito which are few and far between. He has seen some good halibut caught including fish that were 29, 30 and 34 inches in length. 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 — It sounds like the fishing has been decent. The pipe-reef continues to yield small rockfish and a smattering of other species while mackerel come and go and the usual sharay species continue to show, mostly at night. 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 soon 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 — Shirley at the Ocean Beach Pier Bait Shop & Café, on the pier said the mackerel are still showing along with some sharks out at the end of the pier. There’s still a lot of anchovies around the pier so bonito are in and out but most of the bottom action has slowed. Lobsters are still available at night with a mix of small illegal lobsters and a few keeper-size lobsters. 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 Crystal Pier Bay & Tackle said action remains fairly decent with a mix of mackerel and bonito showing most days along with yellowfin croaker. The macs and boneheads are hitting artificial lures while the yellowfins are inshore and hitting fresh mussels and worms. Lobsters are also showing up, both during the day and at night. 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 — Richard, at “Burgers, Bait & Beer” (at the foot of the pier), reports that anglers continue to pull in good numbers of mackerel along with some spotted bay bass and rays (stingrays and bat rays). He says the typical baits (anchovies and squid) will take the fish but most of the spotted bay bass are hitting on “Hookup Baits” which are made in San Diego (and which he sells). Halibut too are showing up but not in any great numbers. 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 — Michael, at Angler’s Choice, 1910 Rosecrans St., said there really haven’t been any reports but sand bass and mackerel are almost always 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 at the Oceanside Pier Bait and Tackle shop on the pier, said there’s a ton of bait around the pier, small mackerel and sardines, so some fish are still hitting—including a few bonito. Some nice thresher sharks have been taken, all keeper-size fish with one going around 100 pounds. Surprising has been the number of shortfin corvina, almost all in excess of two feet in length that have been caught inshore. Along with the corvina have been quite a few white seabass, most also around 24 inches (which is illegal for them). The spotfin croakers have slowed although Bill said he did get a small bonefish. Halibut have also slowed as have most other bottom fish. 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. 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 — Dane at Hogan's Bait And Tackle (34320 Pacific Coast Hwy, said the bite remains real good on mackerel and bonito, mid-pier to the end, while the inshore action on croaker, yellowfin and spotfin, has just been so so. Some sharays, sharks and rays, continue to hit out toward the end while the nocturnal hours see people pulling in fair numbers of lobster (it will slow down later in the season). We also had a PFIC report from Vince who was new to the pier but managed to catch a nice variety of fish including croaker, smelt, mackerel, and some fish that he couldn’t identify. 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 the mackerel and bonito are also hitting at this small pier along with some spotfin croaker and quite a few bass—kelp bass, sand bass, and spotted bay bass. We also got a PFIC report from lucretian who managed to catch some spotfin croaker, multiple smelt, some baby rays, kelp bass and a salema. 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, “We have had a lot of bonito this month, some big and some small. I got two at different times. One was 18 inches and the other was a little smaller. We have had lots of sardines again this week but the halibut evidently are full. I caught a 16 incher this week, but that was all. Saw one other that size caught, but that was all. There are lots of mackerel, but they are about the sizes of the sardines. Nothing much going on. The water got cold and I don't think the fish liked it. At least it is great just to be out there.” We also had PFIC reports from Rusty who caught a nice-sized bonito. Another PFIC report, from Amgler67, reported bonito on a variety of lures. 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. How To Get There: From the Pacific Coast Highway take the Newport Blvd. turnoff and proceed west watching for signs directing traffic to the pier. The pier sits at the foot of McFadden Place.
Huntington Beach Pier — Josh at Let's Go Fishing (on the pier) says there are still tons of anchovies, sardines and mackerel around the pier but that action has actually slowed. There are a few threshers and a few bonito but not many. Inshore there are some yellowfin croaker and lots of sting rays but he hasn’t seen any halibut recently. So I guess it’s basically fair to middli’. We also had two PFIC reports from evanluchk. In one, he reported a nice catch of yellowfin croaker, some small sharks, and both smelt and sardines on a Sabiki rig. In the second report he managed a halibut and small yellowfin croaker. How To Get There: Highway 1 (Pacific Coast Highway) to Huntington Beach and the pier.
Seal Beach Pier — Jimmy at “Big Fish Bait and Tackle in Seal Beach” reports good fishing for mackerel and bonito out at the end of the pier while good numbers of yellowfin croaker along with a few good-sized spotfin croaker are hitting inshore. Some sharay action—small sharks, some guitarfish, and some bat rays, add to the mix. 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 —Jimmy at “Big Fish Bait and Tackle in Seal Beach” reports quite a few bonito are being taken mid-pier to the end along with quite a few mackerel He says there are also corbina and yellowfin croaker inshore and shovelnose sharks (guitarfish) out at the end. Halibut action has slowed. We also got a PFIC report from Fishman who caught a small butterfly ray from the pier. 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 bonito 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, 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 people continue to catch bonito that come and go; mackerel seems to have slowed. Apparently there’s also not much action on bottom species. A PFIC report sounded pretty much the same as Sulla reported a two-hour visit that saw bonito but no mackerel. A PFIC report from Rusty mentioned catching mackerel and sardines but no luck on lobsters.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. A PFIC report from toejamb (a long time member) saw him catching sardines to use for live bait, which produced a legal-size halibut. 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 — John at the Santa Monica Pier Bait & Tackle shop towards the end of the pier reports fairly slow fishing. A few mackerel and bonito show at the end while a few yellowfin croaker continue to show up inshore. Lobster season is now open so expect people out at night getting the bugs, some legal and some not legal. 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 the fishing has slowed but they are still getting a few threshers. Halibut are also being reported, one a 30-inch fish. Mackerel also continue to hit pretty good. How To Get There: The pier fronts on the Pacific Coast Highway (Hwy 1) so just drive until you see it.
Paradise Cove Pier — No report. 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. 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. Need a reporter. 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 pier is surrounded by sardines and the sardines are keeping the thresher sharks biting, as many as 5-10 per day during some weeks. Unfortunately the threshers are small, baby-size threshers mostly 3-4 feet long. Mackerel and Spanish mackerel are also in abundance but not so with the bonito which are few and far between. He has seen some good halibut caught including fish that were 29, 30 and 34 inches in length. 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 — It sounds like the fishing has been decent. The pipe-reef continues to yield small rockfish and a smattering of other species while mackerel come and go and the usual sharay species continue to show, mostly at night. 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.