Date: December 1, 2000
To: Pier Fishing In California Message Board
From: shorepounder
Subject: King Harbor salmon?
When I went to check out the conditions on the [Redondo] breakwall yesterday I saw two salmon swimming around in front of the yacht club. I watched them for an hour before leaving. The bigger one was dark in color, while the smaller one was a little lighter with spots on it's back. The lower jaw also had a white look to it. Wondering if anyone knows what type of salmon we have around here in SoCal. Tried to I.D. them in one of my fishing books but, can't be sure what they were. Maybe Mola Joe or someone else has heard of salmon being in King Harbor before.
Also I changed my user name from barbless to shorepounder.
Posted by fisherdude
Tight lines! <"))){ I would guess Silver salmon or Kings from up north. There have been many caught in the Redondo Canyon and Santa Monica Bay especially on local rock-cod trips. The Redondo barge always caught a few every year when it was around. Redondo Harbor has seen many interesting fish including dorado, sm. tuna, and big yellowtail and white seabass, both up to 40-lbs., at the bubble-hole. Good-Fishing!
Posted by Mola Joe
Fisherdude has it right, silvers are caught once in a while, most coming from the canyon right outside the entrance. Some years larger schools hold up in the colder water in the canyon, and fishing actually gets pretty good from time to time. Even in those years, catching one inside the harbor is not that common, but a few always seem to show up. For some reason, people like to start rumors about big fish and sharks caught out of this harbor, and just last year a guy was trying to tell me someone caught a 10-foot great white in the back of the harbor, and a few years ago, another story was about a big hammerhead. Yellowtail, skipjack, striped bass, white seabass, broomtail grouper, black seabass, a baby swordfish, and bluefin tuna have all been seen or caught inside the harbor. Stripers seem to be showing up more and more, with some big fish being spotted along the beach, so who knows, maybe more Northern Cal fish are slowly moving South.
Posted by Ken Jones
Salmon do show up at southern California piers, not a lot but enough to keep it interesting. Most of the salmon I have seen or heard of being caught in southern California were silver (coho) salmon. Quite a few seem to hang out in the Newport Beach area. Last year I saw one caught by a guy fishing next to me at Balboa Pier that was using a Sabiki for mackerel. Didn’t think that was legal. In 1996, I happened to stop by Stearns Wharf in Santa Barbara shortly after “Sittin’ Bill” caught a silver salmon. It was still the talk of the pier when I got there.
February 15, 2026
To: PFIC Message Board
From: Ken Jones
Subject: SoCal pier salmon
Update: Snookie at the Balboa Pier caught a 29-inch, 10-pound salmon on Sept. 28, 2001.
Salmon have been reported at the following Southern California piers:
Silver salmon: Imperial Beach, Newport Pier, Balboa Pier, Huntington Beach Pier, Redondo Beach Pier, Manhattan Beach Pier. Port Hueneme, Ventura Pier, Stearns Wharf (Santa Barbara)
King salmon: Newport Pier, Balboa Pier, Hermosa Beach Pier, Santa Monica Pier
Salmon (unknown variety): Ocean Beach Pier, San Clemente Pier, Goleta Pier
To: Pier Fishing In California Message Board
From: shorepounder
Subject: King Harbor salmon?
When I went to check out the conditions on the [Redondo] breakwall yesterday I saw two salmon swimming around in front of the yacht club. I watched them for an hour before leaving. The bigger one was dark in color, while the smaller one was a little lighter with spots on it's back. The lower jaw also had a white look to it. Wondering if anyone knows what type of salmon we have around here in SoCal. Tried to I.D. them in one of my fishing books but, can't be sure what they were. Maybe Mola Joe or someone else has heard of salmon being in King Harbor before.
Also I changed my user name from barbless to shorepounder.
Posted by fisherdude
Tight lines! <"))){ I would guess Silver salmon or Kings from up north. There have been many caught in the Redondo Canyon and Santa Monica Bay especially on local rock-cod trips. The Redondo barge always caught a few every year when it was around. Redondo Harbor has seen many interesting fish including dorado, sm. tuna, and big yellowtail and white seabass, both up to 40-lbs., at the bubble-hole. Good-Fishing!
Posted by Mola Joe
Fisherdude has it right, silvers are caught once in a while, most coming from the canyon right outside the entrance. Some years larger schools hold up in the colder water in the canyon, and fishing actually gets pretty good from time to time. Even in those years, catching one inside the harbor is not that common, but a few always seem to show up. For some reason, people like to start rumors about big fish and sharks caught out of this harbor, and just last year a guy was trying to tell me someone caught a 10-foot great white in the back of the harbor, and a few years ago, another story was about a big hammerhead. Yellowtail, skipjack, striped bass, white seabass, broomtail grouper, black seabass, a baby swordfish, and bluefin tuna have all been seen or caught inside the harbor. Stripers seem to be showing up more and more, with some big fish being spotted along the beach, so who knows, maybe more Northern Cal fish are slowly moving South.
Posted by Ken Jones
Salmon do show up at southern California piers, not a lot but enough to keep it interesting. Most of the salmon I have seen or heard of being caught in southern California were silver (coho) salmon. Quite a few seem to hang out in the Newport Beach area. Last year I saw one caught by a guy fishing next to me at Balboa Pier that was using a Sabiki for mackerel. Didn’t think that was legal. In 1996, I happened to stop by Stearns Wharf in Santa Barbara shortly after “Sittin’ Bill” caught a silver salmon. It was still the talk of the pier when I got there.
February 15, 2026
To: PFIC Message Board
From: Ken Jones
Subject: SoCal pier salmon
Update: Snookie at the Balboa Pier caught a 29-inch, 10-pound salmon on Sept. 28, 2001.
Salmon have been reported at the following Southern California piers:
Silver salmon: Imperial Beach, Newport Pier, Balboa Pier, Huntington Beach Pier, Redondo Beach Pier, Manhattan Beach Pier. Port Hueneme, Ventura Pier, Stearns Wharf (Santa Barbara)
King salmon: Newport Pier, Balboa Pier, Hermosa Beach Pier, Santa Monica Pier
Salmon (unknown variety): Ocean Beach Pier, San Clemente Pier, Goleta Pier
