October 2019 Fishing Report, Southern California (252)

Ken Jones

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Staff member
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California Pier Report, October 2019 (#252)
Southern California, October 2019 Fishing Report, SoCal (#252)


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 – A mid-month report from Mav said fishing was slow with only a catch of a sand bass and some mackerel. He said though there had been some bonito and a friend had gotten his limit. 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 — Michelle at the Ocean Beach Pier Bait Shop & Café, on the pier said a lot of fish were being caught but she didn’t have much knowledge as to what they were. She mentioned a lot of mackerel, spotted bass (?) and sharks out at the end late at night, but that’s about all she knew. We’ll wait for some reports. 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 Bay & Tackle said action has been fair, nothing spectacular but quite a few mackerel along with an occasional bonito. One more yellowtail was caught, a 25-pound fish, and several others were seeen and/or hooked. She said a few croaker continue to show up but hasn’t seen a halibut. But, she reports, a lot of lobster are being taken by those staying in the cabins overnight. 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 although there should be a few mackerel and bass. 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 although some croakers and sharays should be available. 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 although mackerel and bass (kelp, sand and spotted) should be hitting along with some sharays. We still need a reporter! 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 (a variety) 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 — Minh, at Angler’s Choice (1910 Rosecrans St.), says he’s not getting many reports but the mackerel bite has been good most days and various bass—spotted bay bass, kelp bass and sand bass should be available on the bottom. He says the shark anglers are also seeing good action with a mix of sharays — bat rays, shovelnose soupfin (at night) and others. 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 — I talked to Ed and Bill at the Oceanside Pier Bait and Tackle shop on the pier. Ed said things have really been slow although the mackerel started showing up again just a few days before I called (they had been missing for much of the month). He says a few BIG spotfin are being taken inshore along with some big sargo but not much else. Apparently another great white shark was hook, fought for about an hour, and then when close enough to the pier someone climbed down a ladder and removed the hook (risky business). Bill mentioned that a few bonito showed up (but just a few) while some BIG opaleye had been taken down by the pilings in the mid-pier area. He said a few corbina were also showing in the surf and that a couple of fair-sized corvina had also been taken. 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 —Wally at Pacific Coast Bait & Tackle (2110 S. Coast Highway), said things are still slow in the harbor. Mainly it’s croaker, bass (kelp bass and spotted), and a very few halibut. 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 — Josh at Hogan's Bait And Tackle (34320 Pacific Coast Hwy, Dana Point) said the action has been picking up with good results inshore on both barred surfperch and yellowfin croaker (use fresh mussels or lug worms). No halibut have been reported but a couple of good-sized kelp bass were caught. Shark and ray action also remains good, primarily on bat rays and leopard sharks, but most are on the smallish size. He says there are also rogue schools of bonito that come and go — no mackerel. 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 — Josh at Hogan's Bait And Tackle (34320 Pacific Coast Hwy, said the fishing has been excellent for both perch and croaker; one lady reported a fish on every cast. 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, “the fishing this month has been good and bad. I got my fourth keeper a week ago. My buddy got a 29-inch halibut also. Still getting some White Sea bass, small of course. Saw a couple turtles. There have been a few threshers caught, and of course the mackerel have been numerous. Also getting a few bonito. Most have been small, but some bigger ones have been caught. Maybe some yellowtail will show up with this warm water this month. Time will tell.” 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. A report from Reel Newbie reported some small mackerel at the pier but slow action. He said there were a lot of small smelt, small jack mackerel and the usual snaggers in the surf area. He also noted a striped bass in someone’s bucket, a short (but dead) halibut, and a decent-sized bat ray. 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 — No report — is the shop still open? 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 that anglers are still seeing some croaker inshore —yellowfin and spotfin, while mid-pier to the end is producing a few small halibut and decent numbers of mackerel and sardine. 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 a slow down in action (with the slow down in anglers). A few corbina and croakers inshore, a few halibut mid-pier, and a few 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 — No report this month but expect some perch, sargo and croaker while fishing the inshore shallower waters while mackerel, white croaker, sharks and rays 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) said the main news lately has been mackerel that have showed up in pretty good numbers (and he’s selling a lot of Sabiki rigs). A nice addition! Halibut are also still around although it’s pretty much the locals with know how who are getting them. The key with the regulars continues to be the use of a pearl white-colored Zoom Flukes (or white-colored Berkely Gulp Jerk Shads) with a drop shot rig. Alex says a few sharks and rays have also shown up. 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) – EgoNonBaptizo reported on a visit on Sept.19: “Once I got to the island, I went straight for the GPP, as my hotel check in time was 2 pm. Conditions looked good, as there was a lot of perfect bait-sized smelt in the water. I fished a float rig on one rod and a live smelt on the other. I got a lot of short strikes on the smelt (probably small calico), an octopus and innumerable shorts on the float rig, with a couple opaleye mixed in... At around 5 pm, I walked back to the GPP. I fished a 3-way rig with squid on one outfit and a float rig on the other. I caught mostly short calico, but had three serious runs on the big rod, all of which busted me off in the moorings. I managed to land a smallish shovelnose and one of the largest horn sharks I have ever seen. I called it quits at around 9:30 and went back to my hotel room. The next morning... At around 11 pm, I made the move to the GPP at around 12, and began fishing for opaleye. There were not very many around, but I managed two after picking through dozens of short calico. I also caught an amberstripe scad, the first that I had seen in several months. Around 3 pm, the bite for all fish slowed substantially, and I decided to try somewhere else.” Typically it’s the resident normal mix of fish — rock wrasse, senorita, opaleye, sheephead, jacksmelt, and kelp bass. Use sea-worms, frozen peas, mussels, and market shrimp.” 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 is closed although no one knows exactly for how long. 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 — Sunny, at the Redondo Pier Tackle (on the pier), said it’s the usual — mackerel, especially at night. How To Get There: From the Pacific Coast Highway, take Torrance Blvd. west to the foot of the pier and the parking lot.

Hermosa Beach Pier — No report this month although the mackerel should be around as well as some croakers inshore, small sharks and rays, and some flatfish in the mid-pier area. 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 although mackerel should be found mid-pier to the end as well as some croakers and small sharks and rays. How To Get There: Highway 1 to Washington St., turn west and follow Washington St. to the pier.

Santa Monica Pier — John at the bait shop towards the end of the pier reports that things are much the same — a few leopard sharks at the end, some corbina and yellowfin in the surf area, and a few perch under the pier. Lobster season has started but for the poachers at the pier lobster season never ends. Unfortunately, the CA Dept. of Fish and Wildlife chooses to ignore the problem. 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 things are slowing but she’s still getting reports of good fishing for mackerel, good numbers of small perch, a few halibut, and BIG bat rays. She even heard of a few sargo, which are not seen all that often at 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 the only thing she continues to hear are reports of good-sized bat rays. 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 — Awaiting the report. 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 Bait Shop (on the pier) said things have slowed down to a degree although part of it is simply less anglers. The mackerel has really slowed although there are tons of small smelt in the waters so lots of bait for halibut and some continue to be taken; he say’s 50% on bait and 50% on lures. The threshers are apparently still around but most are being lost, he says 40-50 have been lost in the past few weeks. As for lobster — slow to date although crabs are available. 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 — Mike at the Bait Shop (on Stearns Wharf) said the fishing at Goleta has been similar to that at Stearns although with far fewer threshers. Expect some rays and sharks at the end at night, a few halibut inshore to about a third of the way out on the pier, and the usual mix of fish from the pipe-reef on the west side of the pier—brown rockfish, bass, perch and an occasional sheephead. 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 remains closed while the state continues to show why no one should have any confidence in it actually being able to solve problems. How To Get There: From Highway 101 simply take the Gaviota State Park turnoff down to the beach and pier.