California Pier Report
October 2023 Fishing Report, Southern California (#288)
Lobster season is now open: “The 2023-2024 recreational season will start at 6:00 p.m. on Friday Sept. 29, 2023 and will run through Wednesday, March 20, 2024. This start time is 12 hours earlier than prior years.” — California Department of Fish and Wildlife
San Diego County Piers
Imperial Beach Pier – No report, 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 and Tackle said things are pretty interesting right now. Fish have included a lot of mackerel, good numbers of sargo, a lot of queenfish (herring), smelt, perch, walleye surfperch, croakers, and both kelp and sand bass. One 7-foot soupfin shark was also reported while Jose and the sharkers have reported a triggerfish, a big sheephead, scorpionfish, and even some kelpfish. A number of big bat rays have also been caught. Last but not least lobster action looks good to start the season, Shirley said the first Friday night was crazy. 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 – No report from the new tackle shop; never seems to answer her phone. Will call again. 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. I thought I had a new reporter but he hasn’t answered my calls. I’ll keep trying. 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) generally 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 Shelter Island Pier Bait & Tackle at the end of the pier. Waiting on a report. 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 Litchfield at the Oceanside Pier said the fishing has been relatively slow. Some croakers (spotfin and yellowfin) and sargo (including some good-sized fish) are being caught. Add in a few mackerel but no bonito. It seems like slow numbers of everything, a few mackerel, a few herring (queenfish) and a few salema. All are schooling species and usually if present you can catch a lot. Not so today. He says a few halibut are still showing up (mostly under-sized) and a few calico (kelp) bass under the pier. The red tide was surrounding the pier for a couple of weeks, which didn’t help things but surprisingly there was a good bite on sardines during the red tide (very unusual). Bill says the most notable thing this year has been the lack of sunshine, most days have really not been that sunny even in the afternoon, and the water temperature has only exceeded 70 degrees for a few days. The day we talked it was raining once again. Last but not least the south side of the pier remains closed to fishing, which makes the north side far too congested at times. How To Get There: From I-5 take Mission Blvd. west to Pacific, turn left and follow it to the pier.
Oceanside Harbor Pier — Bill Litchfield in Oceanside said things have been relatively dead at the pier. It’s mostly a few croakers, smelt and sharays when casting out from the pier along with a few perch if fishing the inshore 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 — Stephanie at Hogan's Bait and Tackle (34320 Pacific Coast Hwy. Waiting for the report. 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 — Stephanie at Hogan's Bait and Tackle (34320 Pacific Coast Hwy. Waiting for the report. 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, “We are catching halibut now but not keepers. I have gotten a 20 1/2 inch then a 21 inch and then yesterday I got a 21 1/2 inch. At that rate I should get a keeper next week. The bait situation is interesting. It is lizardfish, smelt, a few sardines and a very few herring. Nothing else is biting, but I am sure that will change too. It is amazing how the halibut went for those lizardfish. Fall is supposed to be good. We will see. The weather is nice and the water is okay too.
A story she reported for the September report but that was not reported was the following: “I wanted to tell you about the fishing tournament on Balboa Pier, the Jetty and M street dock last Saturday. Anyway there were 83 people mostly men except for me that entered it. Guess what. I won it with a 20-1/2 inch halibut. It was just. the biggest fish not necessarily legal. The tournament ran between 7 am and 5 pm. I won $100, 3 nice t-shirts, 1/2 day fishing out of Dana Wharf, and a periodical of some sort I have yet to find out about. The manager, David, at Ruby's gave me a hamburger of my choice too. Kind of a nice surprise don't you think? Chris, the guy who has the tournament now calls me "The Halibut Queen. Don't know it those 83 men know that an 87 year old women beat them. I enjoyed it!” Of course I have called her the halibut queen for years! 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 — No report this month but the action is usually similar to Balboa. 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 — We still need a reporter. 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, Waiting for a report. 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 Hwy. Waiting for the report. 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) — No reports. 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) — The normal fish should be available—white croaker, queenfish, perch and perhaps some mackerel. 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 most of his reports concern halibut and bat rays. His regulars are getting quite a few halibut (on Carolina rigs with soft plastics) but unfortunately they are almost all sub-legal size, very few keepers. Some of the bat rays are large but it’s not what the anglers are seeking. No mackerel but some bass (mostly sand bass). Croaker, sargo and perch make up most of the remaining action. 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, sheephead and ocean whitefish. Some bonito and barracuda may also show up. 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 —Hond at the Redondo Beach Tackle on the pier says people are catching mackerel but not much else. 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. Need a reporter. 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. Need a reporter. 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. Need a reporter. How Get There: Highway 1 to Washington St., turn west and follow Washington St. to the pier.
Santa Monica Pier — No report this month. Need a reporter. 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) says she’s getting really good reports on sargo, many that are good size. There are also a lot of good-size yellowfin croaker showing up but the sargo are the main fish. Mix in some halibut and the usual sharks and rays and things are decent but not great. She says one day everyone is catching fish, the next day it’s dead. It’s hard to predict. As for lobster, she says there are a lot in the area and the poachers continue to try to get her to sell them BIG treble hooks but she refuses; however there are few reports of the bugs from 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 she’s gotten some reports of some decent halibut and bat rays being caught. 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 — Ludia at Hyun’s Tackle, 3695 E Harbor Blvd., Ventura. Waiting for the 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 — The folks at Hyun's Tackle, 3695 E Harbor Blvd., Ventura said the pier is still closed due to damage from the winter storms and may be closed until the end of the year. 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 (Santa Barbara) — Kai at Hook Line & Sinker, 4010-5 Calle Real, Santa Barbara, said there’s been a lot of bait around the pier—mackerel and anchovies, and while they weren’t yet legal, quite a few lobsters were pulled up on fishing rigs so they should also be available to hoopsters now that the season is in effect. As always, crabs are plentiful. 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 — Kai at Hook Line & Sinker, 4010-5 Calle Real, Santa Barbara, said action has been good. Quite a few halibut have been caught and the good news is that many if not most were legal size fish. She said quite a few calico (kelp) bass, sand bass, and sheephead have also been landed both from the pipe-reef and from the end of the pier. She said a lot of mackerel have been available but she thinks the numbers are starting to drop. Not seeing a drop are the large number of shovelnose sharks (guitarfish). Things sound productive. 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 — Ongoing report—The pier has now been closed for somewhere around eight years and the rumors of repair and reopening continue. There are all kind of reports on the Internet but don’t hold your breath. How To Get There: From Highway 101 simply take the Gaviota State Park turnoff down to the beach and pier.
October 2023 Fishing Report, Southern California (#288)
Lobster season is now open: “The 2023-2024 recreational season will start at 6:00 p.m. on Friday Sept. 29, 2023 and will run through Wednesday, March 20, 2024. This start time is 12 hours earlier than prior years.” — California Department of Fish and Wildlife
San Diego County Piers
Imperial Beach Pier – No report, 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 and Tackle said things are pretty interesting right now. Fish have included a lot of mackerel, good numbers of sargo, a lot of queenfish (herring), smelt, perch, walleye surfperch, croakers, and both kelp and sand bass. One 7-foot soupfin shark was also reported while Jose and the sharkers have reported a triggerfish, a big sheephead, scorpionfish, and even some kelpfish. A number of big bat rays have also been caught. Last but not least lobster action looks good to start the season, Shirley said the first Friday night was crazy. 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 – No report from the new tackle shop; never seems to answer her phone. Will call again. 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. I thought I had a new reporter but he hasn’t answered my calls. I’ll keep trying. 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) generally 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 Shelter Island Pier Bait & Tackle at the end of the pier. Waiting on a report. 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 Litchfield at the Oceanside Pier said the fishing has been relatively slow. Some croakers (spotfin and yellowfin) and sargo (including some good-sized fish) are being caught. Add in a few mackerel but no bonito. It seems like slow numbers of everything, a few mackerel, a few herring (queenfish) and a few salema. All are schooling species and usually if present you can catch a lot. Not so today. He says a few halibut are still showing up (mostly under-sized) and a few calico (kelp) bass under the pier. The red tide was surrounding the pier for a couple of weeks, which didn’t help things but surprisingly there was a good bite on sardines during the red tide (very unusual). Bill says the most notable thing this year has been the lack of sunshine, most days have really not been that sunny even in the afternoon, and the water temperature has only exceeded 70 degrees for a few days. The day we talked it was raining once again. Last but not least the south side of the pier remains closed to fishing, which makes the north side far too congested at times. How To Get There: From I-5 take Mission Blvd. west to Pacific, turn left and follow it to the pier.
Oceanside Harbor Pier — Bill Litchfield in Oceanside said things have been relatively dead at the pier. It’s mostly a few croakers, smelt and sharays when casting out from the pier along with a few perch if fishing the inshore 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 — Stephanie at Hogan's Bait and Tackle (34320 Pacific Coast Hwy. Waiting for the report. 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 — Stephanie at Hogan's Bait and Tackle (34320 Pacific Coast Hwy. Waiting for the report. 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, “We are catching halibut now but not keepers. I have gotten a 20 1/2 inch then a 21 inch and then yesterday I got a 21 1/2 inch. At that rate I should get a keeper next week. The bait situation is interesting. It is lizardfish, smelt, a few sardines and a very few herring. Nothing else is biting, but I am sure that will change too. It is amazing how the halibut went for those lizardfish. Fall is supposed to be good. We will see. The weather is nice and the water is okay too.
A story she reported for the September report but that was not reported was the following: “I wanted to tell you about the fishing tournament on Balboa Pier, the Jetty and M street dock last Saturday. Anyway there were 83 people mostly men except for me that entered it. Guess what. I won it with a 20-1/2 inch halibut. It was just. the biggest fish not necessarily legal. The tournament ran between 7 am and 5 pm. I won $100, 3 nice t-shirts, 1/2 day fishing out of Dana Wharf, and a periodical of some sort I have yet to find out about. The manager, David, at Ruby's gave me a hamburger of my choice too. Kind of a nice surprise don't you think? Chris, the guy who has the tournament now calls me "The Halibut Queen. Don't know it those 83 men know that an 87 year old women beat them. I enjoyed it!” Of course I have called her the halibut queen for years! 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 — No report this month but the action is usually similar to Balboa. 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 — We still need a reporter. 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, Waiting for a report. 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 Hwy. Waiting for the report. 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) — No reports. 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) — The normal fish should be available—white croaker, queenfish, perch and perhaps some mackerel. 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 most of his reports concern halibut and bat rays. His regulars are getting quite a few halibut (on Carolina rigs with soft plastics) but unfortunately they are almost all sub-legal size, very few keepers. Some of the bat rays are large but it’s not what the anglers are seeking. No mackerel but some bass (mostly sand bass). Croaker, sargo and perch make up most of the remaining action. 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, sheephead and ocean whitefish. Some bonito and barracuda may also show up. 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 —Hond at the Redondo Beach Tackle on the pier says people are catching mackerel but not much else. 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. Need a reporter. 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. Need a reporter. 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. Need a reporter. How Get There: Highway 1 to Washington St., turn west and follow Washington St. to the pier.
Santa Monica Pier — No report this month. Need a reporter. 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) says she’s getting really good reports on sargo, many that are good size. There are also a lot of good-size yellowfin croaker showing up but the sargo are the main fish. Mix in some halibut and the usual sharks and rays and things are decent but not great. She says one day everyone is catching fish, the next day it’s dead. It’s hard to predict. As for lobster, she says there are a lot in the area and the poachers continue to try to get her to sell them BIG treble hooks but she refuses; however there are few reports of the bugs from 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 she’s gotten some reports of some decent halibut and bat rays being caught. 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 — Ludia at Hyun’s Tackle, 3695 E Harbor Blvd., Ventura. Waiting for the 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 — The folks at Hyun's Tackle, 3695 E Harbor Blvd., Ventura said the pier is still closed due to damage from the winter storms and may be closed until the end of the year. 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 (Santa Barbara) — Kai at Hook Line & Sinker, 4010-5 Calle Real, Santa Barbara, said there’s been a lot of bait around the pier—mackerel and anchovies, and while they weren’t yet legal, quite a few lobsters were pulled up on fishing rigs so they should also be available to hoopsters now that the season is in effect. As always, crabs are plentiful. 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 — Kai at Hook Line & Sinker, 4010-5 Calle Real, Santa Barbara, said action has been good. Quite a few halibut have been caught and the good news is that many if not most were legal size fish. She said quite a few calico (kelp) bass, sand bass, and sheephead have also been landed both from the pipe-reef and from the end of the pier. She said a lot of mackerel have been available but she thinks the numbers are starting to drop. Not seeing a drop are the large number of shovelnose sharks (guitarfish). Things sound productive. 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 — Ongoing report—The pier has now been closed for somewhere around eight years and the rumors of repair and reopening continue. There are all kind of reports on the Internet but don’t hold your breath. How To Get There: From Highway 101 simply take the Gaviota State Park turnoff down to the beach and pier.