Sorry this is late but I had many meetings this week and a 60th anniversary to take care of.
San Diego County Piers
Imperial Beach Pier – We still need a regular reporter. With the warmer El Nino water has come improved fishing. The biggest change is the improved fishing for bonito, which is good most days. In addition, a fairly rare visitor from Baja arrived on Sept. 1, a beautiful Pacific sierra (usually called a sierra mackerel). With the bonito present and remaining schools of Pacific mackerel and (hopefully) jack mackerel (aka Spanish mackerel) coming and going, it gives surface casters something to seek out. Inshore on the bottom, find spotfin and yellowfin croakers with some sargo mixed in. Mid-pier might find halibut but sometimes their number seems to go down when bonito are present. It’s usually a good pier for sharays, a variety—round stingrays, thornbacks, shovelnose guitarfish, gray smoothhounds, and leopard sharks with an occasional larger shark mixed in—thresher sharks and blue sharks, but I haven’t seen any recent reports. Regulars who know what they are doing also catch some large perch fishing around the pilings. 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 — The bad news is that the pier is closed. The good news is that the pier, one almost annually damaged by winter storms during the past few years, will eventually be replaced with a new improved pier, one better able to withstand the winter storms (and hopefully last for 75 years). The big question is when! 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 – We need a reporter. The pier has a Bait & Tackle shop but NEVER answers or return calls. Until I get a report I will assume the usual are there, some croakers, corbina, and a possible corvina (use a live bait) inshore along with surfperch. Mid-pier should see a lot of queenfish, some yellowfin croaker, sargo and some sharays—thornbacks, round stingrays, shovelnose sharks, gray smoothhounds, leopard sharks, and an occasional bat ray. Out at the end, hopefully the bonito have joined the mackerel and some good sport is happening on the top water fish. Pretty sure some yellowtail are also there and available and I’d like to know if some are being caught. If you do plan to fish for yellowtail know that fish exceeding 50 pounds have been caught and that you need the appropriate tackle.
I want to add the further warning. I saw the following on San Diego Fishing!!!! It was posted by Davis Wilson on September 1.“Has anyone else seen a guy at crystal pier who’s like always on the top left corner? He’s a total jerk. Yelling at kids for crossing his line, which he has 10 rods all on the left side of the pier set up with total bullshit. Dude has a full live bonito on a bobber 20 feet from the pier. He threatened my friend who’s 16 that he would beat him up. He also yelled and said “no casting at the left side” like he owns the pier or something. Total loser. Also one time I caught a bonito and he without permission came and cut off the head of my bonito before I could even take a picture. He’s always there too.”
There were a lot of negative messages in response and several people calling for a group to visit the pier and, one way or another, to put him in his place. I do not advocate violence but I do advocate stopping this angler if the story is true.
I posted the following to the site because there seemed to be some confusion. “On all public piers you are only allowed to use two appliances — two rods, one rod and a net for crabs/lobsters, or two nets. It is one of the trade-offs for the no license required on a pier. Step off the pier onto the beach and you can have multiple rods but only two on the pier. It's a long standing and pretty clear rule and all the guys who are on the piers using more than two rods (and there are many) are breaking the law. I wish Fish and Wildlife would step in and tag every one of them given it ruins the fishing for many people and especially families with kids. [And this guy sounds even worse than normal, a real bully that will only change when he suffers the consequences of his actions, i.e., a big fine, taking away his equipment, and banning him from piers for a period of time.] It would seem be real easy to ban him from the Crystal Pier. I can't imagine the owner of the pier (who makes a lot of money from those cabins and the people in those cabins who use the pier), would like his pier to be known for such shenanigans. It's a good way to drive off business. If I’m not mistaken, the city is also involved in managing that pier, so maybe they need a call?”
So if you go there be aware there may be people on the pier making it hard to fish. 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! Traditionally some kelp bass and spotted bay bass are available on the bottom. Both mackerel and bonito may make a showing. 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 — we need a reporter. However, anglers should expect a few bass, croaker and sharays (sharks and rays) on the bottom as well as possibly a halibut (most caught on soft plastic lures). In addition you might find jacksmelt visiting the pier and a few needlefish. At night you might luck into a shortfin corvina if using live bait or lures. Lastly, bonito now be showing up and it can be a good pier for them. 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) —Some fish should be available—bass (all three varieties) and a variety of sharays—shovelnose guitarfish, round stingrays, bat rays and smoothhounds. At night add in the possibility of some shortfin corvina and possibly a small barracuda. Some days may see mackerel — and now bonito. 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 — Need a reporter. An assortment of bottom fish should be available (including some bass and halibut) and (perhaps) some good-sized sharays (especially at night). On top expect some jacksmelt, mackerel and possibly/probably bonito. It’s also a pier that sometimes sees a few shortfin corvina. 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 said that fishing has been pretty good lately with the bonito showing up. He said the bonito are not huge, mainly up to about 20 inches, but there’s quite a lot with most people catching them on ball and feather. He said there are also a lot of sardines and some mackerel but he said the mackerel come and go. He said a lot of bass, mainly kelp (calico) are also showing but most are under the 14-inch legal size. Inshore on the bottom, good numbers of croakers, mainly spotfins but also some yellowfins, are showing up along with some corbina and quite a few good-sized sargo. Ditto a few barred surfperch in the surf area. Not a lot of sharays are being taken, mostly it’s the usual thornbacks, round stingrays, shovelnose guitarfish, gray smoothhounds, leopard sharks and bat rays. Guys are fishing for thresher sharks but with little luck. Bill says quite a few yellowtail have been seen under the pier, and some hooked, but none have been landed. Good news is that the city is finally putting out the bids to fix the end of the pier and they hope work will start by next April. However, they are also going to change the entrance to the pier making it one wide single lane. 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 said fishing is so so with continued catches of some croakers, sargo, jacksmelt, an occasional bass and now some bonito. 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 —Skyler at Hogan's Bait and Tackle (34320 Pacific Coast Hwy.), said they are getting some reports of fishing. It’s the regular croakers, both yellowfin and spotfin, hitting inshore, along with some surfperch. The spotfin in particular are making a real nice showing, all sizes from small to big. Further out on the pier a lot of smaller-sized barracuda are showing up while some good-sized bonito are also showing. He says most of the bonito are being taken on lures like Dart Jigs or on 2-hook Sabikis (which is a little different). Not a lot of sharks being reported from the pier. However, given its history, I imagine both sharks and bat rays are being taken at night even if not reported. 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 — Trevor at Hogan's Bait and Tackle (34320 Pacific Coast Hwy.), says some good croakers and perch have been taken from the pier—and some bass. the action in the harbor remains about the same—mainly a few bass along with some perch and croakers. There should be some barracuda available at night. 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 fishing at the pier has been fantastic. Unfortunately that news does not include stories of big halibut, her daily goal. In fact, she’s only gotten a few halibut lately, all small ones. She said she’s not surprised. She says traditionally when there has been good fishing for bonito the halibut fishing has slowed. She thinks the halibut decide to just lie there on the bottom only grabbing a close by bait when it comes by. And, the bonito are plentiful, being caught on a wide range of lures (including green and white Krocodile spoons) and even Sabikis. She says there have also been runs of the bullet tuna/mackerel (or some say frigate tuna/mackerel). She says she needs to take some home and really look at the ID books but I told her they are almost impossible to tell apart (could be either). Anyway, there are bonito, occasional runs of the smaller tuna/mackerel, some jack mackerel (aka Spanish mackerel), and even some regular Pacific mackerel although they have dropped off in number. As far as other fish, she’s been watching. She says a 6-pound yellowtail was taken on her last trip to the pier and a previous trip saw three dorado swimming by the pier (but not hooked). Given that a dorado was taken inside the Newport Bay maybe they will be caught from the pier?
As for the normal species, croakers, sargo, etc., they’re still there but not as many are fishing for them. Ditto with the sharays, sharks and rays, and most of them are taken at night. She also mentioned that the water temperature seems to be holding at 77 degrees and that while she always gets live smelt for her halibut fishing she’s noticed during the past week that she’s gotten more grunion than smelt (maybe the full moon?).
Unfortunately the main problem at the pier continues to be the ridiculous parking rates—$4.50 an hour. Newport is one more town that just figures it will sock it to the visitors (who must have a lot of money if they’re visiting Newport). Geese. But it’s also simple supply and demand given the demand for parking at both the Newport and Balboa Piers. 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 (which is very expensive).”
Newport Pier —Rick Ketcham from Ketchum Tackle at 103 E. 17th St., Costa Mesa, said there’s a good bonito bite and even some bullet mackerel. (I think he said a few barracuda are also showing up.) Naturally there is also the normal other species—spotfin croaker, yellowfin croakers and surfperch inshore, a few halibut mid-pier, and the sharays, sharks and rays (especially at night). Just be aware it can be crowded. Rick says he has all the normal frozen baits as well as live tubeworms. Jacob at Melton Tackle (419 Old Newport Blvd) said he doesn’t get too many pier reports but he’s heard that the mackerel, sardines, and bonito continue to hit at the pier. He’s also heard of some nice-sized bat rays. Sounds like he mainly has frozen baits. A visit by myself last month saw a few croakers inshore, mainly small yellowfin croaker, a few sargo, and a couple of thornback rays. How To Get There: From the Pacific Coast Highway take the Newport Blvd. turn off and precede west watching for signs directing traffic to the pier. The pier sits at the foot of McFadden Place. Metered parking is available but very expensive and all the lots fill early and are full much of the day. Basically you almost have to wait until someone else leaves and there’s an empty spot. It’s the biggest problem at the pier.
Huntington Beach Pier — Aaron Jeffries at Reel Addiction Tackle, 16612 Beach Blvd., Huntington Beach is our new reporter for the pier (and amazingly Aaron was connected to Pier Fishing in California twenty years ago). He said there’s a good bite on bonito and that a couple of small yellowtail were caught by the regulars a couple of days ago. Inshore there’s some BIG spotfin croaker as well as the smaller yellowfin croaker and surfperch but not too many corbina. He says the thresher shark fishing is also good with threshers being caught at the end of the pier every day. The pier should also be seeing some other sharays, i.e., shovelnose guitarfish, thornbacks, leopard sharks, etc. How To Get There: Highway 1 (Pacific Coast Highway) to Huntington Beach and the pier.” How To Get There: Highway 1 (Pacific Coast Highway) to Huntington Beach and I asked about what bait he had and he said he has all the frozen baits—anchovies, sardines, salted anchovies, mussels, clams and premium sized shrimp. He also has live lug worms so give the shop a try. How To Get There: From the Pacific Coast Highway simply take Main St. west and follow it to the pier.
Seal Beach Pier —Matthew at Big Fish Bait & Tackle. 1780-C. Pacific Coast Hwy, Seal Beach, said the fishing has been real good. The big news continues to be the number of bonito being caught (a LOT). However the mackerel have slowed and no bullet tuna reported her. He says there is also very good fishing for kelp bass for those who drop bait straight down next to the mussel-encrusted pilings. Inshore there’s still the surfperch and croakers including some good-sized spotfin croakers. Lastly sees a few thresher sharks being taken along with the usual supply of thornbacks and bat rays. 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 —Matthew at Big Fish Bait & Tackle. 1780-C. Pacific Coast Hwy, Seal Beach, said the bonito are also hitting at Belmont, good numbers, and that a couple of yellowtail had also been taken. Halibut though are slow; the water is hot and muddy. The big news is a LOT of thresher sharks are being caught out at the end of the pier along with the normal smaller species—shovelnose guitarfish, thornbacks, gray smoothhounds, and leopard sharks. I’m not sure, but I think a Pacific sierra (commonly called a sierra mackerel) was also taken from the pier. 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) —
I need a reporter but the usual fish should be available—white croaker, queenfish, bass, sargo, perch, and possibly a halibut, all on the bottom. Some jacksmelt and mackerel should be available on top along with (now) bonito. There’s also always a chance on a small shark or ray. 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) —
Pretty much the same fish as at the aquatic park piers although I think more bonito should be available. The usual fish should be available—white croaker, queenfish, bass, sargo, perch, and possibly a halibut, all on the bottom. Some jacksmelt and mackerel should be available on top along with (now) bonito. There’s also always a chance on a small shark or ray. 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) — No report — We need a reporter. However, a couple of locals told me mackerel are showing some days, some bass, and now it appears a lot of bonito are in the mix. 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 usual: senorita, garibaldi, sheephead, and rock wrasse while some days will also produce ocean whitefish, mackerel, jack mackerel (Spanish mackerel), and perhaps even opaleye (which some years are very common). 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) — Quite a few large bonito are being taken along with the normal resident species—kelp bass, sheephead, rock wrasse, opaleye, halfmoon, etc. 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 — Our reporter Raul Sarmiento's report for the Redondo Beach Pier — I took a short break for the first two weekends of August because the catch was dead in the morning hours and even the afternoon and evening time. Can’t blame El Nino because Hermosa and Belmont piers were blowing up with bonito. Perhaps it was the work done to add boulders on the jetty. Whatever the reason, the pier was virtually empty other than fishermen and fisherwomen catching Sargo on the wood side facing south and the concrete tables. I showed up mid-month one Thursday morning at 4:30 am to find only 3 people on the entire pier. My HI/LO got no bites and I caught no fish, no one did that day. However, there were Facebook posts showing bonito being caught in large numbers in the late afternoon and into sunset, but nothing was caught in the middle of the night or at sunrise.
That all changed the last weekend of August, on Thursday the 27th, the bonito hit at 5:55am and in large number, same was true for Friday at 6:10am with a little more bonito but Saturday at 6:15am was the highlight. Sunday was less but I still caught 2 bonito on 2oz bubbles. The bubble feather combo was good BUT I caught a 21” bonito on Saturday with a Sabiki setup. Yellowtail was also getting caught along the wood side and close to the pier using old stinky bait, flylining.
There was a specific crew with the goal to catch sharks and they were quite successful.
During the month PFIC had many reports of fish being caught on the pier....
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 — Our reporter Raul Sarmiento's report for the Hermosa Beach Pier — I've been fishing every weekend at Hermosa Beach Pier, 1-2 times per weekend from 5am-8am. Arriving at 5am when the trash is picked up or the pier is power washed, even though the hours are 6 a.m.–10 p.m. My favorite spots faced west or north, but the best spot was the northwest corner at the end of. The pier. The catch was mostly bonito and a lot of small mackerel at the corner. The bonito run started at 5:40am and sometimes at 6:10am, sometime a ton of bonito sometime just 1-4 bonito. Many times the mackerel hit hard; people using 18-hook Sabiki rigs caught 14-16 at one time. I gave away all my mackerel and kept limits of bonito. I used a 4-hook and 5-hook Sabiki rig with green and white feathers. I tried 2oz bubbles but didn't catch anything—others were far more successful. I also caught under-sized calico bass while fishing under the pier using store-bought mussels on a HI/LO rig. I saw sargo caught from the mid-pier to the base of the end of the pier.
Note: During the summer, there are many events such as the pier-to-pier swim, the triathlon, and other distractions that cause us to pause or stop fishing until they are finished.
How To Get There: Take the Pacific Coast Highway (Hwy 1) to Pier Avenue and follow Pier Avenue west to the pier.
Manhattan Beach Pier — No report —need a reporter. How To Get There: From Sepulveda Boulevard, turn west on Manhattan Beach Drive and follow it to the pier.
Venice Pier — No report —need a reporter. How Get There: Highway 1 to Washington St., turn west and follow Washington St. to the pier. Be aware that the parking fee is $9 on weekdays and evidently higher on the weekend.
Santa Monica Pier — We need a reporter. I fished the pier at the end of last month and managed 3 yellowfin croaker, 2 sand bass, 1 opaleye, and 1 sargo in a four hour visit. The yellowfin were caught casting away from the pier (and fellow anglers were also catching quite a few yellowfins). The sand bass, opaleye and sargo were caught fishing near the pilings under the pier. The only problem was the $20 parking fee since the day I was there you could not get on the pier to park on the hourly parking lot. Also a little crowded as always. 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 — With the loss of long time reporter Ginny Wylie due to the Palisades fire (which burned down Wylies Bait and Tackle), we are now looking for a new reporter. Any reports from the area would be appreciated. It is however, still a little difficult to get to the pier if coming from the south. Road are blocked part of the time. How To Get There: The pier fronts on the Pacific Coast Highway (Hwy 1) so just drive until you see it.
Paradise Cove Pier — The pier is currently closed. Cove Dr., turn west, and follow the road back into the parking lot. Parking is very expensive unless you buy an expensive 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 said anglers inshore are continuing to get quite a few perch but most are small. Croakers too continue to show up, a mix of yellowfin and spotfin. Mid-way out to the end sees a mix of mackerel and bonito in the top waters with most people using Sabiki rigs for the fish. Meanwhile, those fishing around the pilings are picking up a few kelp bass. Far fewer sharks and rays show at Hueneme than at Ventura or Goleta but a few are still showing up. 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 — Ludia at Hyun’s Tackle, 3695 E Harbor Blvd., Ventura said a quite a few bonito are showing up in the top waters while mackerel continue to show but in lower numbers. Inshore there are good number of croakers, both spotfins and yellowfins, while surfperch also are common but most are small. She did say quite a few sharks are showing up led by good numbers of thresher sharks. Expect a few of the other sharay species to also make an appearance—thornbacks, shovelnose, leopards and bat rays. 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) —Jairo at Hook Line & Sinker, 2259 Las Positas Road, Santa Barbara, said the fishing at Stearns Wharf is OK, not great. Mackerel are still being taken but apparently no bonito while some halibut are being taken on the fingers but not too much at the end. Not a lot of reports although the rock and spider crabs are still apparently in good numbers. 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 —Jairo at Hook Line & Sinker, 2259 Las Positas Road, Santa Barbara, said the fishing has been outstanding. The main news has been the great bonito bite, some days all day, some days more in the morning, but every day almost everybody at the end is pulling in good numbers of bonito. Meanwhile, the pipe reef is yielding up its normal number of brown rockfish but also a LOT of legal-size kelp bass on bait (that they’re calling El Niño calicos ). Do expect to lose a few rigs to the kelp on the reef. The good white seabass run of last month has slowed but a few small fish are still showing and an occasional halibut. He said the sharay action is mixed. Thresher shark action was good but seems to have slowed (sounds like some have moved to Pismo Beach) but a few are still being taken along with the other sharays—bat ray, thornbacks, and small sharks. He hasn’t heard of any makos or great whites lately although some have been seen nearby. 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 — Same report as the last few YEARS—Still counting the days— Government efficiency seems to be a true oxymoronic word in California. The pier, managed by the State Department of Parks (State Parks), has been closed since a winter storm in 2014 (yes, more than a decade ago). Reports over the years have given hope for repair but funding as well as division and disagreement between various groups including the State Parks and the Coastal Commission, have slowed down the needed repairs. MAYBE SOME DAY. We can only pray. How To Get There: From Highway 101 simply take the Gaviota State Park turnoff down to the beach and pier.
California Pier Report — September 2026
September 2026 Fishing Report, Southern California (#310)
Remember that the lobster season is closed. If you catch one on your line release it. (1) It is illegal if caught on a fishing line. (2) It is illegal because it is out of season. Don’t risk the huge fine.
San Diego County Piers
Imperial Beach Pier – We still need a regular reporter. With the warmer El Nino water has come improved fishing. The biggest change is the improved fishing for bonito, which is good most days. In addition, a fairly rare visitor from Baja arrived on Sept. 1, a beautiful Pacific sierra (usually called a sierra mackerel). With the bonito present and remaining schools of Pacific mackerel and (hopefully) jack mackerel (aka Spanish mackerel) coming and going, it gives surface casters something to seek out. Inshore on the bottom, find spotfin and yellowfin croakers with some sargo mixed in. Mid-pier might find halibut but sometimes their number seems to go down when bonito are present. It’s usually a good pier for sharays, a variety—round stingrays, thornbacks, shovelnose guitarfish, gray smoothhounds, and leopard sharks with an occasional larger shark mixed in—thresher sharks and blue sharks, but I haven’t seen any recent reports. Regulars who know what they are doing also catch some large perch fishing around the pilings. 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 — The bad news is that the pier is closed. The good news is that the pier, one almost annually damaged by winter storms during the past few years, will eventually be replaced with a new improved pier, one better able to withstand the winter storms (and hopefully last for 75 years). The big question is when! 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 – We need a reporter. The pier has a Bait & Tackle shop but NEVER answers or return calls. Until I get a report I will assume the usual are there, some croakers, corbina, and a possible corvina (use a live bait) inshore along with surfperch. Mid-pier should see a lot of queenfish, some yellowfin croaker, sargo and some sharays—thornbacks, round stingrays, shovelnose sharks, gray smoothhounds, leopard sharks, and an occasional bat ray. Out at the end, hopefully the bonito have joined the mackerel and some good sport is happening on the top water fish. Pretty sure some yellowtail are also there and available and I’d like to know if some are being caught. If you do plan to fish for yellowtail know that fish exceeding 50 pounds have been caught and that you need the appropriate tackle.
I want to add the further warning. I saw the following on San Diego Fishing!!!! It was posted by Davis Wilson on September 1.“Has anyone else seen a guy at crystal pier who’s like always on the top left corner? He’s a total jerk. Yelling at kids for crossing his line, which he has 10 rods all on the left side of the pier set up with total bullshit. Dude has a full live bonito on a bobber 20 feet from the pier. He threatened my friend who’s 16 that he would beat him up. He also yelled and said “no casting at the left side” like he owns the pier or something. Total loser. Also one time I caught a bonito and he without permission came and cut off the head of my bonito before I could even take a picture. He’s always there too.”
There were a lot of negative messages in response and several people calling for a group to visit the pier and, one way or another, to put him in his place. I do not advocate violence but I do advocate stopping this angler if the story is true.
I posted the following to the site because there seemed to be some confusion. “On all public piers you are only allowed to use two appliances — two rods, one rod and a net for crabs/lobsters, or two nets. It is one of the trade-offs for the no license required on a pier. Step off the pier onto the beach and you can have multiple rods but only two on the pier. It's a long standing and pretty clear rule and all the guys who are on the piers using more than two rods (and there are many) are breaking the law. I wish Fish and Wildlife would step in and tag every one of them given it ruins the fishing for many people and especially families with kids. [And this guy sounds even worse than normal, a real bully that will only change when he suffers the consequences of his actions, i.e., a big fine, taking away his equipment, and banning him from piers for a period of time.] It would seem be real easy to ban him from the Crystal Pier. I can't imagine the owner of the pier (who makes a lot of money from those cabins and the people in those cabins who use the pier), would like his pier to be known for such shenanigans. It's a good way to drive off business. If I’m not mistaken, the city is also involved in managing that pier, so maybe they need a call?”
So if you go there be aware there may be people on the pier making it hard to fish. 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! Traditionally some kelp bass and spotted bay bass are available on the bottom. Both mackerel and bonito may make a showing. 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 — we need a reporter. However, anglers should expect a few bass, croaker and sharays (sharks and rays) on the bottom as well as possibly a halibut (most caught on soft plastic lures). In addition you might find jacksmelt visiting the pier and a few needlefish. At night you might luck into a shortfin corvina if using live bait or lures. Lastly, bonito now be showing up and it can be a good pier for them. 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) —Some fish should be available—bass (all three varieties) and a variety of sharays—shovelnose guitarfish, round stingrays, bat rays and smoothhounds. At night add in the possibility of some shortfin corvina and possibly a small barracuda. Some days may see mackerel — and now bonito. 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 — Need a reporter. An assortment of bottom fish should be available (including some bass and halibut) and (perhaps) some good-sized sharays (especially at night). On top expect some jacksmelt, mackerel and possibly/probably bonito. It’s also a pier that sometimes sees a few shortfin corvina. 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 said that fishing has been pretty good lately with the bonito showing up. He said the bonito are not huge, mainly up to about 20 inches, but there’s quite a lot with most people catching them on ball and feather. He said there are also a lot of sardines and some mackerel but he said the mackerel come and go. He said a lot of bass, mainly kelp (calico) are also showing but most are under the 14-inch legal size. Inshore on the bottom, good numbers of croakers, mainly spotfins but also some yellowfins, are showing up along with some corbina and quite a few good-sized sargo. Ditto a few barred surfperch in the surf area. Not a lot of sharays are being taken, mostly it’s the usual thornbacks, round stingrays, shovelnose guitarfish, gray smoothhounds, leopard sharks and bat rays. Guys are fishing for thresher sharks but with little luck. Bill says quite a few yellowtail have been seen under the pier, and some hooked, but none have been landed. Good news is that the city is finally putting out the bids to fix the end of the pier and they hope work will start by next April. However, they are also going to change the entrance to the pier making it one wide single lane. 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 said fishing is so so with continued catches of some croakers, sargo, jacksmelt, an occasional bass and now some bonito. 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 —Skyler at Hogan's Bait and Tackle (34320 Pacific Coast Hwy.), said they are getting some reports of fishing. It’s the regular croakers, both yellowfin and spotfin, hitting inshore, along with some surfperch. The spotfin in particular are making a real nice showing, all sizes from small to big. Further out on the pier a lot of smaller-sized barracuda are showing up while some good-sized bonito are also showing. He says most of the bonito are being taken on lures like Dart Jigs or on 2-hook Sabikis (which is a little different). Not a lot of sharks being reported from the pier. However, given its history, I imagine both sharks and bat rays are being taken at night even if not reported. 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 — Trevor at Hogan's Bait and Tackle (34320 Pacific Coast Hwy.), says some good croakers and perch have been taken from the pier—and some bass. the action in the harbor remains about the same—mainly a few bass along with some perch and croakers. There should be some barracuda available at night. 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 fishing at the pier has been fantastic. Unfortunately that news does not include stories of big halibut, her daily goal. In fact, she’s only gotten a few halibut lately, all small ones. She said she’s not surprised. She says traditionally when there has been good fishing for bonito the halibut fishing has slowed. She thinks the halibut decide to just lie there on the bottom only grabbing a close by bait when it comes by. And, the bonito are plentiful, being caught on a wide range of lures (including green and white Krocodile spoons) and even Sabikis. She says there have also been runs of the bullet tuna/mackerel (or some say frigate tuna/mackerel). She says she needs to take some home and really look at the ID books but I told her they are almost impossible to tell apart (could be either). Anyway, there are bonito, occasional runs of the smaller tuna/mackerel, some jack mackerel (aka Spanish mackerel), and even some regular Pacific mackerel although they have dropped off in number. As far as other fish, she’s been watching. She says a 6-pound yellowtail was taken on her last trip to the pier and a previous trip saw three dorado swimming by the pier (but not hooked). Given that a dorado was taken inside the Newport Bay maybe they will be caught from the pier?
As for the normal species, croakers, sargo, etc., they’re still there but not as many are fishing for them. Ditto with the sharays, sharks and rays, and most of them are taken at night. She also mentioned that the water temperature seems to be holding at 77 degrees and that while she always gets live smelt for her halibut fishing she’s noticed during the past week that she’s gotten more grunion than smelt (maybe the full moon?).
Unfortunately the main problem at the pier continues to be the ridiculous parking rates—$4.50 an hour. Newport is one more town that just figures it will sock it to the visitors (who must have a lot of money if they’re visiting Newport). Geese. But it’s also simple supply and demand given the demand for parking at both the Newport and Balboa Piers. 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 (which is very expensive).”
Newport Pier —Rick Ketcham from Ketchum Tackle at 103 E. 17th St., Costa Mesa, said there’s a good bonito bite and even some bullet mackerel. (I think he said a few barracuda are also showing up.) Naturally there is also the normal other species—spotfin croaker, yellowfin croakers and surfperch inshore, a few halibut mid-pier, and the sharays, sharks and rays (especially at night). Just be aware it can be crowded. Rick says he has all the normal frozen baits as well as live tubeworms. Jacob at Melton Tackle (419 Old Newport Blvd) said he doesn’t get too many pier reports but he’s heard that the mackerel, sardines, and bonito continue to hit at the pier. He’s also heard of some nice-sized bat rays. Sounds like he mainly has frozen baits. A visit by myself last month saw a few croakers inshore, mainly small yellowfin croaker, a few sargo, and a couple of thornback rays. How To Get There: From the Pacific Coast Highway take the Newport Blvd. turn off and precede west watching for signs directing traffic to the pier. The pier sits at the foot of McFadden Place. Metered parking is available but very expensive and all the lots fill early and are full much of the day. Basically you almost have to wait until someone else leaves and there’s an empty spot. It’s the biggest problem at the pier.
Huntington Beach Pier — Aaron Jeffries at Reel Addiction Tackle, 16612 Beach Blvd., Huntington Beach is our new reporter for the pier (and amazingly Aaron was connected to Pier Fishing in California twenty years ago). He said there’s a good bite on bonito and that a couple of small yellowtail were caught by the regulars a couple of days ago. Inshore there’s some BIG spotfin croaker as well as the smaller yellowfin croaker and surfperch but not too many corbina. He says the thresher shark fishing is also good with threshers being caught at the end of the pier every day. The pier should also be seeing some other sharays, i.e., shovelnose guitarfish, thornbacks, leopard sharks, etc. How To Get There: Highway 1 (Pacific Coast Highway) to Huntington Beach and the pier.” How To Get There: Highway 1 (Pacific Coast Highway) to Huntington Beach and I asked about what bait he had and he said he has all the frozen baits—anchovies, sardines, salted anchovies, mussels, clams and premium sized shrimp. He also has live lug worms so give the shop a try. How To Get There: From the Pacific Coast Highway simply take Main St. west and follow it to the pier.
Seal Beach Pier —Matthew at Big Fish Bait & Tackle. 1780-C. Pacific Coast Hwy, Seal Beach, said the fishing has been real good. The big news continues to be the number of bonito being caught (a LOT). However the mackerel have slowed and no bullet tuna reported her. He says there is also very good fishing for kelp bass for those who drop bait straight down next to the mussel-encrusted pilings. Inshore there’s still the surfperch and croakers including some good-sized spotfin croakers. Lastly sees a few thresher sharks being taken along with the usual supply of thornbacks and bat rays. 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 —Matthew at Big Fish Bait & Tackle. 1780-C. Pacific Coast Hwy, Seal Beach, said the bonito are also hitting at Belmont, good numbers, and that a couple of yellowtail had also been taken. Halibut though are slow; the water is hot and muddy. The big news is a LOT of thresher sharks are being caught out at the end of the pier along with the normal smaller species—shovelnose guitarfish, thornbacks, gray smoothhounds, and leopard sharks. I’m not sure, but I think a Pacific sierra (commonly called a sierra mackerel) was also taken from the pier. 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) —
I need a reporter but the usual fish should be available—white croaker, queenfish, bass, sargo, perch, and possibly a halibut, all on the bottom. Some jacksmelt and mackerel should be available on top along with (now) bonito. There’s also always a chance on a small shark or ray. 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) —
Pretty much the same fish as at the aquatic park piers although I think more bonito should be available. The usual fish should be available—white croaker, queenfish, bass, sargo, perch, and possibly a halibut, all on the bottom. Some jacksmelt and mackerel should be available on top along with (now) bonito. There’s also always a chance on a small shark or ray. 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) — No report — We need a reporter. However, a couple of locals told me mackerel are showing some days, some bass, and now it appears a lot of bonito are in the mix. 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 usual: senorita, garibaldi, sheephead, and rock wrasse while some days will also produce ocean whitefish, mackerel, jack mackerel (Spanish mackerel), and perhaps even opaleye (which some years are very common). 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) — Quite a few large bonito are being taken along with the normal resident species—kelp bass, sheephead, rock wrasse, opaleye, halfmoon, etc. 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 — Our reporter Raul Sarmiento's report for the Redondo Beach Pier — I took a short break for the first two weekends of August because the catch was dead in the morning hours and even the afternoon and evening time. Can’t blame El Nino because Hermosa and Belmont piers were blowing up with bonito. Perhaps it was the work done to add boulders on the jetty. Whatever the reason, the pier was virtually empty other than fishermen and fisherwomen catching Sargo on the wood side facing south and the concrete tables. I showed up mid-month one Thursday morning at 4:30 am to find only 3 people on the entire pier. My HI/LO got no bites and I caught no fish, no one did that day. However, there were Facebook posts showing bonito being caught in large numbers in the late afternoon and into sunset, but nothing was caught in the middle of the night or at sunrise.
That all changed the last weekend of August, on Thursday the 27th, the bonito hit at 5:55am and in large number, same was true for Friday at 6:10am with a little more bonito but Saturday at 6:15am was the highlight. Sunday was less but I still caught 2 bonito on 2oz bubbles. The bubble feather combo was good BUT I caught a 21” bonito on Saturday with a Sabiki setup. Yellowtail was also getting caught along the wood side and close to the pier using old stinky bait, flylining.
There was a specific crew with the goal to catch sharks and they were quite successful.
During the month PFIC had many reports of fish being caught on the pier....
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 — Our reporter Raul Sarmiento's report for the Hermosa Beach Pier — I've been fishing every weekend at Hermosa Beach Pier, 1-2 times per weekend from 5am-8am. Arriving at 5am when the trash is picked up or the pier is power washed, even though the hours are 6 a.m.–10 p.m. My favorite spots faced west or north, but the best spot was the northwest corner at the end of. The pier. The catch was mostly bonito and a lot of small mackerel at the corner. The bonito run started at 5:40am and sometimes at 6:10am, sometime a ton of bonito sometime just 1-4 bonito. Many times the mackerel hit hard; people using 18-hook Sabiki rigs caught 14-16 at one time. I gave away all my mackerel and kept limits of bonito. I used a 4-hook and 5-hook Sabiki rig with green and white feathers. I tried 2oz bubbles but didn't catch anything—others were far more successful. I also caught under-sized calico bass while fishing under the pier using store-bought mussels on a HI/LO rig. I saw sargo caught from the mid-pier to the base of the end of the pier.
Note: During the summer, there are many events such as the pier-to-pier swim, the triathlon, and other distractions that cause us to pause or stop fishing until they are finished.
How To Get There: Take the Pacific Coast Highway (Hwy 1) to Pier Avenue and follow Pier Avenue west to the pier.
Manhattan Beach Pier — No report —need a reporter. How To Get There: From Sepulveda Boulevard, turn west on Manhattan Beach Drive and follow it to the pier.
Venice Pier — No report —need a reporter. How Get There: Highway 1 to Washington St., turn west and follow Washington St. to the pier. Be aware that the parking fee is $9 on weekdays and evidently higher on the weekend.
Santa Monica Pier — We need a reporter. I fished the pier at the end of last month and managed 3 yellowfin croaker, 2 sand bass, 1 opaleye, and 1 sargo in a four hour visit. The yellowfin were caught casting away from the pier (and fellow anglers were also catching quite a few yellowfins). The sand bass, opaleye and sargo were caught fishing near the pilings under the pier. The only problem was the $20 parking fee since the day I was there you could not get on the pier to park on the hourly parking lot. Also a little crowded as always. 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 — With the loss of long time reporter Ginny Wylie due to the Palisades fire (which burned down Wylies Bait and Tackle), we are now looking for a new reporter. Any reports from the area would be appreciated. It is however, still a little difficult to get to the pier if coming from the south. Road are blocked part of the time. How To Get There: The pier fronts on the Pacific Coast Highway (Hwy 1) so just drive until you see it.
Paradise Cove Pier — The pier is currently closed. Cove Dr., turn west, and follow the road back into the parking lot. Parking is very expensive unless you buy an expensive 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 said anglers inshore are continuing to get quite a few perch but most are small. Croakers too continue to show up, a mix of yellowfin and spotfin. Mid-way out to the end sees a mix of mackerel and bonito in the top waters with most people using Sabiki rigs for the fish. Meanwhile, those fishing around the pilings are picking up a few kelp bass. Far fewer sharks and rays show at Hueneme than at Ventura or Goleta but a few are still showing up. 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 — Ludia at Hyun’s Tackle, 3695 E Harbor Blvd., Ventura said a quite a few bonito are showing up in the top waters while mackerel continue to show but in lower numbers. Inshore there are good number of croakers, both spotfins and yellowfins, while surfperch also are common but most are small. She did say quite a few sharks are showing up led by good numbers of thresher sharks. Expect a few of the other sharay species to also make an appearance—thornbacks, shovelnose, leopards and bat rays. 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) —Jairo at Hook Line & Sinker, 2259 Las Positas Road, Santa Barbara, said the fishing at Stearns Wharf is OK, not great. Mackerel are still being taken but apparently no bonito while some halibut are being taken on the fingers but not too much at the end. Not a lot of reports although the rock and spider crabs are still apparently in good numbers. 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 —Jairo at Hook Line & Sinker, 2259 Las Positas Road, Santa Barbara, said the fishing has been outstanding. The main news has been the great bonito bite, some days all day, some days more in the morning, but every day almost everybody at the end is pulling in good numbers of bonito. Meanwhile, the pipe reef is yielding up its normal number of brown rockfish but also a LOT of legal-size kelp bass on bait (that they’re calling El Niño calicos ). Do expect to lose a few rigs to the kelp on the reef. The good white seabass run of last month has slowed but a few small fish are still showing and an occasional halibut. He said the sharay action is mixed. Thresher shark action was good but seems to have slowed (sounds like some have moved to Pismo Beach) but a few are still being taken along with the other sharays—bat ray, thornbacks, and small sharks. He hasn’t heard of any makos or great whites lately although some have been seen nearby. 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 — Same report as the last few YEARS—Still counting the days— Government efficiency seems to be a true oxymoronic word in California. The pier, managed by the State Department of Parks (State Parks), has been closed since a winter storm in 2014 (yes, more than a decade ago). Reports over the years have given hope for repair but funding as well as division and disagreement between various groups including the State Parks and the Coastal Commission, have slowed down the needed repairs. MAYBE SOME DAY. We can only pray. How To Get There: From Highway 101 simply take the Gaviota State Park turnoff down to the beach and pier.