Please...

Ken Jones

Administrator
Staff member
#1
give me your thoughts on piers to use when I attend the meeting on the Ocean Beach Pier this Saturday in San Diego. What are the things that you as anglers like to see on piers ans/or what are the things you think could make your experience more enjoyable and productive as an angler?

Restrooms — fish cleaning stations — seating — shade areas — rod holders — bait cutting platforms — electrical outlets for night fishing — bait and tackle shops — restaurants — parking — better security — fewer obstructions under the pier since required to make underhand casts — signs showing pictures of the regular species at the pier and size/number limits — ???

Please provide some thought on these things and if you live in the San Diego area please attend the meeting.

Saturday, June 10, from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m.
Liberty Station Conference Center
2600 Laning Road
San Diego, CA 92106
The presentation will begin at 2 p.m. followed by self-paced interactive workshops

Bring the Kids!
• Free ice cream, while it lasts!
• Free fishing poles for the first 20 kids!
• Ten adult fishing poles will be raffled off!*
 

Brock Norris

Well-Known Member
#2
Hi Ken, pretty much what you said,frequent cleaning of pier restrooms ,cleaning stations signs showing legal size limits ,some shade would be nice ,rod holders ,continue with used fishing line disposal areas to many birds getting wrapped in line sad.security would be good maybe police patrols couple times a day bait shop snack bar is it to much to ask. California is expensive pier fishing is one thing a person can fish with friends and family for a reasonable cost . my thoughts thanks.
 
#3
give me your thoughts on piers to use when I attend the meeting on the Ocean Beach Pier this Saturday in San Diego. What are the things that you as anglers like to see on piers ans/or what are the things you think could make your experience more enjoyable and productive as an angler?

Restrooms — fish cleaning stations — seating — shade areas — rod holders — bait cutting platforms — electrical outlets for night fishing — bait and tackle shops — restaurants — parking — better security — fewer obstructions under the pier since required to make underhand casts — signs showing pictures of the regular species at the pier and size/number limits — ???

Please provide some thought on these things and if you live in the San Diego area please attend the meeting.

Saturday, June 10, from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m.
Liberty Station Conference Center
2600 Laning Road
San Diego, CA 92106
The presentation will begin at 2 p.m. followed by self-paced interactive workshops

Bring the Kids!
• Free ice cream, while it lasts!
• Free fishing poles for the first 20 kids!
• Ten adult fishing poles will be raffled off!*
I agree with your points Ken and for restrooms would like to add that they need to be in a convenient location from pier (either at beginning and/or mid-pier) and open 24 hours with daily cleaning (preferably before each sunrise just like they do at San Clemente pier). Also for fish cleaning station I'd also request both spigot faucets and hose-style water systems that can be moved around (like they have at Malibu pier) since some anglers (like me) rinse their reels/rods after a session.

I would also add to your list:
1) Accessible rail height for wheel-chaired anglers (Venice Beach pier has these)
2) If built on wood, some weather resistant matting that allows folks in wheel chairs to easily get to their fishing spots on the pier (kind of like the ones used in Santa Monica beach to allow wheel chairs to roll onto the sand of the beach)
3) If built on concrete, frequent drainage systems and also regular cleanup of concrete (Venice Beach pier has drainage but concrete smells like urine since it appears that only the trash cans are emptied daily but there's no H20 power-washing to remove the urine from concrete)
4) Regular wipe-down of rails to clean off bird poop (I believe San Clemente pier adopts this practice)

Thanks.
 

TheFrood

Well-Known Member
#4
Restrooms — fish cleaning stations — seating — shade areas — rod holders — bait cutting platforms — electrical outlets for night fishing — bait and tackle shops — restaurants — parking — better security — fewer obstructions under the pier since required to make underhand casts — signs showing pictures of the regular species at the pier and size/number limits — ???
Maybe focus on how you can have a multi-use pier that is useful for a variety of usage types? It seems that in the current political environment focusing solely on the needs of anglers (which is a very small subset of the population and likely usage base) is a great way to get suggestions importance minimized. Focusing on aspects that encourage multi-use, education, outreach, and community seems more likely to garner support... So the restrooms, sanitation (ie fish cleaning) stations, lots of trash cans, shade, multi-use shops that have bait and tackle but a variety of other things, etc. By suggesting these types of facilities it allows the angler to somewhat guide the conversation by proposing the pier traits that anglers want that are also beneficial to other users.

If they would be willing to do a 2-tier pier that would let anglers access a lower deck that is a bit closer to the water to make it easier to land fish as well as keep the risk of bystanders getting entangled or hooked by people who insist on overhead casting would be nice, but it's not likely to be feasible economically. But hey, if wishes were fishes everyone would be an angler.

As a tangent, one of the things that I really liked about Dumbarton pier was the little area that was closer (and thus provided easier access) to the water.
 

Ken Jones

Administrator
Staff member
#6
Maybe focus on how you can have a multi-use pier that is useful for a variety of usage types? It seems that in the current political environment focusing solely on the needs of anglers (which is a very small subset of the population and likely usage base) is a great way to get suggestions importance minimized. Focusing on aspects that encourage multi-use, education, outreach, and community seems more likely to garner support... So the restrooms, sanitation (ie fish cleaning) stations, lots of trash cans, shade, multi-use shops that have bait and tackle but a variety of other things, etc. By suggesting these types of facilities it allows the angler to somewhat guide the conversation by proposing the pier traits that anglers want that are also beneficial to other users.

If they would be willing to do a 2-tier pier that would let anglers access a lower deck that is a bit closer to the water to make it easier to land fish as well as keep the risk of bystanders getting entangled or hooked by people who insist on overhead casting would be nice, but it's not likely to be feasible economically. But hey, if wishes were fishes everyone would be an angler.

As a tangent, one of the things that I really liked about Dumbarton pier was the little area that was closer (and thus provided easier access) to the water.
Great ideas and thanks although I would disagree on one point. On most fishing piers anglers make up the majority of day use visitors. On some multi-use piers, i.e., the Ferry Landing Pier (Coronado), Redondo Beach Pier, Santa Monica Pier, Malibu Pier, Stearns Wharf (Santa Barbara), Port San Luis Pier, Monterey Wharf #2, Santa Cruz Wharf and Trinidad Pier, pier anglers make up a lower percentage of the pier's visitors. The same is true for some piers located in high tourist areas, i.e. Crystal Pier (S.D), San Clemente Pier, Huntington Beach Pier, and the Pismo Beach Pier. As for fishing piers, the pier anglers often spent 4-6 hours (or more) at the pier. On multi-use piers it varies for visitors given that often they are visiting restaurants or other facilities, but anglers often again will be there for several hours. On the tourist piers, and I would include Ocean Beach in that category, it is much the same. Many anglers are on the pier for 4 hours or more while most casual visiting tourists take a walk out to the end and return (although perhaps stopping for a meal at the restaurant). I would suggest that the anglers who are spending hours at the piers have different needs than those simply spending minutes at the pier.
 

Ken Jones

Administrator
Staff member
#8
Anyone have a challenge with leaning rods against the pier rails and the rods sliding off when there are high winds?
That’s actually a BIG problem on many piers, especially those with circular aluminum rails. There are devices you can buy to hold your rods in place but that doesn’t help the newbie anglers who may be out there for their first and only time.
 

CatchinKelp

Active Member
#9
EDIT: The pier may already have some of these things below. Silly of me to post this w/o knowing the pier, but these are things I appreciate in any pier:

  • Good 24/7 lighting for safety sake
  • Restrooms at the halfway point so I don't have to abandon my gear for 15 minutes at a time
  • Durable fish cleaning and bait cutting boards so non-anglers don't have to sit in fish guts
  • Regular trash pickup and ample trash and recycling cans
  • Water fountains would be a nice plus
  • Some shaded seating for those that need it
  • Handicap-accessible features
One "DON'T" is plastic covering for the pilings. The Ventura Pier authorities wrapped the wooden pilings some years ago, presumably because they thought that the pier had contracted shipworms (???), and it made it harder for the sessile fauna to alight and thus support the food chain.

Thanks for asking our 2 cents, and good luck.