Pacifica Perch

#1
Went perch fishing at Rockaway beach today as striper action in the bay has started to slow down. Light fog, mid 50s air temp and medium/low swell - pretty good surf conditions.

There were lots of folks with kayaks dropping crab pots and cooking fresh caught dungies, which made for a festive atmosphere. I fished a standard 2” gulp camo on a Carolina rig and the perch were there! Unfortunately all walleyes, most about hand size... had bites on nearly every cast, quickly lost count on #s, and left them biting after a few hours of fun.

Going to try mussel rock for some redtails next weekend - did not keep any as I was looking for larger specimens!
 

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#3
Update: hit Mussel Rock on Friday late afternoon, total washing machine / no bites. Couldn’t hold bottom with any size weight but did enjoy the hike and scenery.

Started at Rockaway Sat am as there was a 3-5 foot swell report and I thought I could find some calmer water for Carolina rigging on the South side. No dice, as the swell looked even bigger and the beach was packed w/ surfers. Packed up for Linda Mar (thought I could go inside Pedro Pt / South of the Taco Bell) but also wall to wall surfers there.

On a whim I tried Pillar Pt harbor (had not fished it before) but after spending 20 mins looking for parking I found both piers were elbow to elbow with crabbers, and the worst part was that none were catching! From what I heard there was one legal dungie between about 20 people, oof. Made a last ditch try inside the HMB Jetty and found calmer water but no bites after 45 mins. The Jetty was also absolutely jammed with crabbers. One tip for folks who want to try here, I recommend parking in the dirt lot at the Skate Park across the street as the jetty lot itself is very small and likely to be full during the crabbing months.

Had lunch at Gherkins in Montara and took a break for a few hours, then tried Ocean Beach where there was better surf conditions but pea soup fog. Worked my way up the beach from the fire pits for an hour with only a couple short strikes and ended up losing my car in the fog! No joke, it was that heavy... finally made my way back to where I’d parked and decided to give it one more try at China Beach, where I did manage one decent BSP on a gulp plus a few short strikes.

Lots of miles driven yesterday for one perch, if anyone has been having better luck on the Bay Area beaches please PM and let me know! I have heard a few of the Marin Beaches have been better so might move my efforts north in the coming weeks or possibly start to mix in a few rockfish tries at some of the more reliable holes I found last season.
 
#6
On a whim I tried Pillar Pt harbor (had not fished it before) but after spending 20 mins looking for parking I found both piers were elbow to elbow with crabbers
Are there two fishing piers in the HMB harbor now? I've always only fished off the small one off the inner jetty. Did another pier open up?