Back in the early 2000s I asked PFIC members if they would be willing to answer the following questions: (`1) Years fishing (2) First Memories of Fishing (3) Favorite Piers (4) Favorite Fish (5) Most Memorable Pier Fishing Trip and 6) Words of Wisdom for Pier Rats. Herein some of the answers and remember these are from 20 years ago so if you see them posting today their years fishing would be what they listed plus 20.
Ben Acker: Pier Rat Name—DompfaBen (Dominating Positive Fishing Attitude Ben)
Favorite Piers: San Clemente Municipal Pier is my favorite pier because it sees lighter tourist traffic than most piers, and the fishing for sharks, halibut, exotics, and lobster can be phenomenal. The Mole in Avalon, the now-defunct Aliso Pier, and Balboa Pier also rank very high for both memories growing up, and great fishing/hooping. Most Memorable Pier Fishing Trips: During the summer of 1983, my family went camping above Avalon. At night, we fished the Mole with light Tady 45’s and live bait for wide open log barracuda, and calicos that likely pushed the ten pound mark. If your iron sank past the barracuda, you’d pull up a huge calico... if you could turn the fish out of the kelp. The bite lasted for the entire three days we were on Catalina. In my early days of fishing, my family would drive from Pasadena down to Aliso Pier (now torn down) in South Laguna to fish for halibut. The water was sometimes so clear, you could often sight-fish the halibut, and drop shiny sinker rigs with live smelt right on their heads. On one occasion, when the fish were not biting, we entertained ourselves with Nintendo and a television. Every light pole on the pier had an uncovered power outlet. For the sake of telling the story later, we took a television and a Nintendo down to the pier, plugged them in, and played video games with our rods out in the water. Cold winter nights were warmed occasionally with a plug-in heater. It went perfectly next to the “sculpin hole,” a consistently good spot in the center opening of the pier (the end was shaped like a diamond) that always produced sculpin... maybe the same fish, as we always released fish there. With Aliso Creek spewing questionably-clean water onto the beach, we came to call the pier “RELEAS-O.” I have many fond memories and fish stories from that pier, and the adjacent rocks north and south. Last I heard, there were no plans to rebuild, and thus, it lives only in memory and photographs.
Ed Burns: Pier Rat Name—Pescare [An early moderator on the site]
Years fishing: Probably around 40. First Fishing Memories: Can’t sort them out, but pier fishing at Santa Cruz and Capitola Wharves and trout fishing at Lake Merced in SF and the San Lorenzo River in the Santa Cruz mountains are the first things I can remember. Did A LOT of all of those as my dad was an avid fisherman and loved to have the kids (3 of us) with him whenever possible. Mom would often come along for the company and sometimes fished, sometimes read, and always helped untangle our lines. We all had identical Zebco outfits and used them for many years before upgrading. Favorite Piers: Got to be Santa Cruz and Capitola. I never go to either expecting anything to speak of but the memories are great, they are both in beautiful spots and my girls love to go to them. They like Santa Cruz better because of the sea lions and because they think it’s cool to have the car right next to us, which I have to admit is very convenient. Beats lugging all of our stuff, and usually our four year old up and down the hill and out onto the wharf at Capitola. Favorite Fish. Stripers. Not easy to catch and quite a fight. I think they just plain look cool too! Memorable Pier Trips: When I was a kid my dad took us to Capitola and the anchovies were running thick. We all had Lucky Tom jigs and filled a big bucket with them. Of course, anchovies aren’t high on the list of desirable fish to catch, but for flat out action it was a great day for three little kids. Believe it or not, we actually cleaned every one of those fish and my mom layered them with salt in a big ceramic crock. Italians do weird things with fish. Another is much more recent. My younger daughter is deaf but received a cochlear implant last year which has enabled her to hear quite well now that she’s learned to process sounds. I'll never forget the first time we went to Santa Cruz after the operation and she heard the sea lions barking for the first time. We hadn’t reached the wells yet but one of them started booming from down below and she got this look on her face like, “What the HECK is that!!?” Words of wisdom: Lets take care of what we've got.
Adam Cassidy: Pier Rat Name: Baitfish
Years Fishing: I started fishing when I was around 5-6 years old with my dad, and have fished from Oregon to Mexico and New York to Florida, both fresh and saltwater. My first memories of fishing are mostly of fishing Malibu Pier and the jetty in Oxnard with my dad. We would fish the end of Malibu Pier for mackerel and croaker while dad watched the halibut fisherman—and shook his head not knowing how to catch one of those huge flatties. Unfortunately he was a little too stubborn to be humble enough to ask them. But to a kid a mackerel is like a tuna; too much fun! Favorite Piers: Malibu Pier, Stearns Wharf, and The Green Pleasure Pier in Catalina. Malibu Pier, because that is where I started saltwater fishing and I have had some of my most memorable trips from that pier. Stearns Wharf because of its beauty, location, and some of the best halibut fishing. The Green Pleasure Pier in Avalon because of its variety and it’s one of the greatest locations for a pier. Most Memorable Pier Fishing Trips: Wow, now this is a hard one. The first Pier Fishing In California Get Together in Catalina was my favorite memory for a couple of days fishing. For a single trip, I would have to say THE most memorable is almost a tie, but each has it’s own reasons. In no particular order, the PFIC Get Together at Malibu Pier was definitely at the top. I was finally able to put a face to all the names on the board, and this was all pre-picture posting ability. After we met up and people started to leave due to the rain, I kept on fishing trying to land a nice halibut through 10-20 mph winds and rain. I stayed at the end of the pier with a fellow pier rat who had dragged out a bunch of live bait from MDR. We were pushed on by the fact that he had a fishing watch with built in Maori Charts that said fishing would be good around 2:30. We waited and waited and got wetter and colder. After four hours in the rain and wind with no umbrella we left at 2:33 after catching four perch all day. It may not seem like it, but it was a great day! The second most memorable trip was also at Malibu Pier about a year and a half ago. The ongoing construction left the last half of the pier closed so the waters at the end of the pier had been nearly untouched for about six years. We got to the pier close to sunset and it was already closed, which we had pretty much expected and were just going to fish the surf right next to the pier. So we started to walk around the fence when I saw one of the security guards and started talking with him. Sure enough, he was friends with one of the other guards and I was saying how I knew him and he asked if we would like to fish the end of the pier as long as we were quiet and did not say anything. I leaped at the chance! I thanked him and my wife and I headed out to the end of the pier, up and over construction equipment and loose boards all the way out to the end where I would fish as a little kid and had not seen in at least 8-9 years. I stated setting up our rods mostly with Sabiki rigs with cherrystone clams and mussels, and set up my large Ugly Stick spinning rod, my Daiwa Jupiter Z 3500 reel, a sliding rig with a 2-ounce pyramid sinker, and whole squid on a #1 Owner Octopus hook. Immediately the three smaller rods went off like Christmas bells—a couple of 2-3-pound sargo, then some 2-pound yellowfins, and lots of perch, mostly walleyes. But then the loose drag on my spinning rod goes off and the rod is bouncing around. My wife reeled in the other rods and I set the hook. It immediately started head shaking and peeling off line. I fought it for about 10 minutes when I finally got it to the surface. It was the largest shovelnose I had ever seen in person! Quick get the pier net… CRAP! I don't have it because we were going surf fishing... Well only one thing to do, haul it up by hand. I had 17-pound Trilene line on the reel, so I figured I could do it. I tried with bare hands at first, but the line started sinking into my skin. So my wife puts a couple of rags on my hands and I try again, this was working until I got it up about halfway up the pier and it came unbuttoned causing the hook and sinker to shoot straight at me, missing me by inches and then dropping down again!!!! After close inspection of the hook, it had almost bent straight! After that I was hooked on shovelnose and maintained my love for Malibu Pier. Words of Wisdom: Ask questions and stay curious. Fish as often as you can and enjoy all aspects of it, including just being in nature and doing something you love. Respect the piers, the people and the fish.
Tim Durham: Pier Rat Name—Sinker
Years Fishing: 45 plus years. There have been breaks in between and have gone from salt to fresh and back due to location. Now I am fortunate to be able to fish both. First Memories of Fishing: On a pier in Concord, California (not sure which one), my father took the whole family out to fish. My younger brother caught the biggest fish I had ever seen (at that time), I was hooked from then on, No If's, AND’s, OR BUT’s about it. I think it was a Striped Bass but am not sure. We made my dad clean it and my mom cooked it for dinner. All five of us kids thought that that was just TOO COOL. Favorite Pier: The Point Mugu Naval Air Station Pier that, unfortunately, no longer exists. The pier was taken out by the El Nino storms. The pier was incredible—halibut, croaker, bonito, smelt, queenfish, bass, rockfish, perch, sharks, rays, crabs, and lobsters. You name it and that pier had it. That pier is where I learned the most about fishing—technique, presentation, knots, fish identification, proper and safe handling of fish (for myself and them), how to clean a fish, and how to keep my area clean and safe. All of this from my FATHER. We spent countless days and nights on that pier where he taught me what I now know and shared the secrets of life, listened to my problems and helped me make them better.” Favorite Fish: So many, I guess like this: LOOKS—garibaldi; TO EAT—halibut; TO BATTLE—bat rays.” Most Memorable Pier Fishing Trip: It was on a freshwater dock in Lake George, NY Took my young nephews who came out to visit fishing. We got into a mess of Smallmouth Bass that fought outstandingly. Seeing the smiles and looks on their faces will be with me forever. Then they asked me something, “Can you clean them so we can eat them when we get home.” Sounds familiar huh, just like with my dad. My one nephew was instantly hooked as well, he now fishes Largemouth Bass Tournaments on the Pro Am tours. Words of Wisdom for Pier Rats: I fish because it is fun. I fish because I enjoy the freedom I feel from being exposed to the elements, and the vulnerability to the danger that is intrinsic with nature’s forces and the creatures she possess.
Verona Kay Fath: Pier Rat Name—Snookie [Our Balboa Pier reporter since 1998]
Years Fishing: I have fished the Newport and Balboa piers for 56 years now. I actually started fishing 62 years ago. First Memories of Fishing: My first memories were at the Newport Jetty in1939 using a bamboo pole with linen line attached to the end and one hook with razor clams. I caught lots of opaleye most of which were kid’s size but oh, so much fun. Favorite Piers: My favorite piers are Newport and Balboa piers. Newport was where I started pier fishing. I got to know everyone, and the fishing was very good. In the winter we would go to Balboa pier and fish for the bigger halibut, which seemed to be there. Of course Balboa pier is my favorite today. It seems to have a nicer bunch of people most of the time, and the fishing is still quite good. This is the pier all my Newport buddies have moved to. They also like the atmosphere better at Balboa than Newport. Favorite Fish: My favorite fish is the halibut. They seem to be more of a challenge to catch. Most Memorable Pier Fishing Trip: Without a doubt I can say that my most memorable fishing trip was August 8, 1982. It was a busy day on the pier, and my mother and 18-year-old daughter, Vee, were with me. There were lots of people and lots of fish including halibut, barracuda, bonitos, and a few white seabass. In the middle of the day we thought a large bucket of water had been tossed in, but it turned out that a large man had fallen from sitting on the railing. He had hit his head on the beam sticking out and was now unconscious face down in the water. By the time we saw that no one was going to rescue him my daughter who is an excellent swimmer and had just taken a life saving course ran and jumped in with all her clothes and shoes on. She did what was necessary to revive him. That was a scary moment for me because I could see that the man was considerable larger than she was. I hoped he knew how to swim and would not panic. As it was he did not regain consciousness until they got him to the hospital. It took what seemed an awful long time to get the lifeguards out there to her. They brought the boats and took the man back to Newport Pier that had a ramp. He did recuperate at Hoag Hospital. If she had not rescued him when she did, he would have died before the boats got to him. He was lucky. Vee swam back to shore to rejoin us on the pier because she didn’t want to miss the great fishing we were having that day. My daughter, Vee, got every award possible that year for her actions, but I think the best one was the Medal of Honor from the Boy Scouts of America. She was an Orange County Sheriff’s Explorer which made her a Boy Scout. She also got the Red Cross Award with the ceremonies that went with it. Yes, that was my most memorable fishing trip. That was the day I as a mother was so proud of my daughter. I saw her give everything she could to save another human being. Words of Wisdom for Pier Rats: You'll never know everything about fishing or the ocean. You’ll just have fun learning.
Robert Gardner: Pier Rat Name—Red Fish. Personal Information and Occupation: I started on this PFIC board as FISH HEAD but then decided that I didn't want to be labeled as being a dead head (literally, not a Grateful Dead fan) lol! The name Red Fish fits me in many ways. They used to call my mom's dad “Red” and he was one of the best golfers in New Orleans (pre-Tiger Woods) in the 40’s, and 50’s competing in many tournaments. Redfish is a popular game fish from the Gulf of New Mexico and its tributaries [also the area of New Orleans, Louisiana the home of my kin-folk]. And, my oldest brother once owned a boat named the “Redfish.” First name “Red,” last name “Fish.”} O.K., let's see, born! Ha! Born in Berkeley, Ca. in the year the civil rights act was passed. Years Fishing: 35. First Memories Of Fishing: I grew up fishing on Berkeley Pier. I used to actually dig up earthworms in my backyard and pick out centipedes from my front lawn to use as bait at Berkeley Pier as a pre-schooler. Parents used to take me to Berkeley Pier as a toddler for walks. One day, whilst walking with my parents on Berkeley Pier I wandered away from them long enough to pick up a size (14) hook laying on the ground and prick myself with it. One drop of blood came out and I screamed like a baby (I was). I have been fishing ever since! Favorite Piers: Berkeley because it is my home pier. I say I have “seen it all” out there but there are always new surprises like a miscellaneous thresher shark as the waters and the environment changes over the years. Witnessed the years of halibut-sized starry flounder, all species of perch so thick that you could look down at the pilings during the summer and see dozens reflecting in the water, and salmon being caught all up and down the pier after if was closed down for an entire year for earthquake retro-fitting. And most recently seeing a legal White Seabass being taken by the resident expert, “Chopper.” Favorite Fish: The one that’s currently wrestling on the end of my line (big LOL). Seriously, sturgeon because they are local to the area I am in and big (a record is always right around the corner.) But billfish and LARGE sharks, GW's, mako’s are hard to top. Most Memorable Pier Fishing Trips: As Baitfish said, so many, where do I start: (1) Pricking my finger at age three. (2) Having weekly weekend shiner derbies with my brother Martin who my dad made go fishing with me because dad does not fish and felt someone had to watch over me at age seven. (3) Catching the most and biggest stripers on my very first party boat trip at age ten at Red Rock in Richmond, CA. The skipper called me “red” because I was “red hot!” My priest, (Father James P. O’Connor R.I.P.) thanks for taking my brother Martin and I on many memorable camping and fishing trips including Oregon and Washington (he never molested us although he would drink with my brother Martin at about age 16; he only gave me Peppermint Schnapps (LOL) (4) Catching my first legal of many game fish including blue marlin. (5) Meeting many new fishing friends at the PFIC Mud Marlin Get Together #1 at Berkeley. (6) And most recently, fishing with BigRich (felt like I had caught the biggest sturgeon in the world with this massive guy walking next to me on Berkeley Pier (LOL)—needless to say, this guy has the heart of a whale and the size to match!!!! Words Of Wisdom For Pier Rats: Two words—“FISH ON”!!!!!!! In a sentence— “You've got to have your line in the water to catch fish!”
Boyd Grant: Pier Rat Name—Pierhead. Now deceased. A gentle man and one of my favorite people. For years he was the pier guru for the UPSAC Fishing Center on the Goleta Pier. Personal Information And Occupation: Born under the sign of Sagittarius in Santa Barbara, CA mid WW2. Spent my formative years under the ‘cloud' of the atomic bomb—the good nuns did their best to comply with the mandatory duck & cover drills without unduly alarming their younger charges but it left a lasting impression of how temporary and insecure all life is — my outlook is clearly Carpe Diem (seize the day). And fishing became my escape from ‘adult’ reality as well as my entry into the world of nature.
Years Fishing: 50+. Years of Hardcore Fishing:13. Prior to my father’s passing in 1989, fishing was more of an escape than an active exploration. I had been estranged from my parents since my marriage. I had made a poor choice for a life’s companion and found it hard to admit. In early 1989 I called my father (my mother had died some time before) to effect reconciliation and invited him to go fishing with his grandson and myself. But when we got there we found him on the kitchen floor felled by a stroke. I still remember opening the refrigerator later that day and seeing the bait he had prepared for us to use. And the memories of a childhood filled with fishing adventures came flooding back along with the tears of regret for the estrangement. I returned to SB to take care of him until his death later that year but due to his incapacity, we never fished together again. After the funeral my family and I went to Goleta Pier and soaked some bait in his memory. From that moment on I found myself filled with a desire to take fishing seriously. First Memories Of Fishing: My first fishing trip was with my Dad and my two younger (twin) brothers around 1950. He took us down to Stearns Wharf in Santa Barbara after spending the previous evening sitting around the kitchen table with him learning how to clean the poles and reline the reels that he hadn’t had much chance to use following his marriage (5 children—4 living at that time) some 15 years earlier. Stearns, in the 50’s, had an abalone processing plant right at the end of the pier with an enormous pile of discarded shells and big buckets of guts. There was also an anchovy offloading siphon pipe with a large fish-spilling tear in the side that chummed live bait into the water below. We could hardly contain ourselves and Dad reigned us in a very forceful manner for ‘our own good’—my ears burned for the rest of the day from that first lesson in pier safety! We caught a full gunnysack of what he called horse mackerel—enormous fish at least 24” in length. I was hooked. From that day on it was a weekly ritual to go fishing. On my own block alone there were 10 boys and 4 girls—quite a sight as we paraded the two miles down to the Wharf on our bikes with fishing poles in hand. Favorite Piers (And Why): Stearns Wharf and Goleta Pier. My boyhood was spent at the Wharf. It was where my father had first fished with his father and where my maternal grandfather had his lumber company in the 20’s. And fishing at Goleta for halibut had become my father’s favorite form of outdoor recreation as my mother's incapacity increased during her final years. But, in actuality, any wooden pier anywhere on the coast. In fact it was my fascination with wooden piers that led me to pierfishing.com. I had wanted to write a book documenting the history and social import of wooden piers in honor of my father. Of course the first hit on the search engine was this site! Needless to say the book had already been written by the master himself. Finding this site completed a circle that had been broken by the estrangement and my father’s death. I felt like I had been reunited with the fishing community. In jimbojack’s words: ‘Like coming home.’ Favorite Fish: The first fish of any new species! My first halibut—lost around the pilings at Stearns wharf when I was nine. The 5# Bass at Cachuma Lake taken on a Black Bomber at twilight in a secluded cove shortly after my mother’s last call for supper during the summer of my 10th year. The 3.5# cabezon that tumbled me off the riprap and initiated me into the Rincon Rock Diver’s Club. A 3# Calico Bass, which nailed a frozen anchovy floating on the top of the kelp reef at Goleta before I had a chance to recast. The 3 10#+ Shovelnose caught in a two hour period off the end of the Goleta Pier. My son’s first fish memorialized in papier-mâché by his 4th grade teacher. My granddaughter’s sanddab caught at Goleta. And last, but not least the salamander fished out of the creek behind Mission Santa Barbara using a bent pin and a berry from a pyracantha bush when I was seven, my first successful catch! Most Memorable Pier Fishing Trips (And Why): Every trip is memorable in some way—especially now that I am approaching my 6th decade! It used to be that the memories were created by the fish I caught, but in the last 3-4 years I’m noticing that people are increasingly at the center of those memories. I’ve always done poorly with names but since making an effort by introducing myself and keeping a list of the names that I have accumulated there are almost 20 people who I recognize at Goleta alone, not to mention the increasing number of Pier Rats I am running into. But overall I have to say the Catalina Get Together 2002 is my fondest memory to date. And apparently I am not alone in that given the number and nature of posts on the subject since our return! Words Of Wisdom For Pier Rats: There is more to fishing than catching... slow down and enjoy the whole of creation. You only go around once.
Glen Gustavson-Falck: Pier Rat Name—Songslinger
Years Fishing: 41. First Memories of Fishing: I was born and raised in a rural community 30 miles west of Chicago. My first fishing pole was a broken piece of metal from a roof antenna with kite string. With it I caught my first fish, a hefty catfish, called a “bullhead” back in the Midwest. There were several farm ponds and lakes within walking or bicycling distance, including a judge's back property where the bones of a mastodon were discovered. Later I fished the Great Lakes, the Mississippi River, and the Boundary Waters of Minnesota and Ontario. I lived in the heart of the Rocky Mountains and then came to California. Favorite Piers: Berkeley Pier. It has a great view of San Francisco Bay and the Golden Gate Bridge. Because it is located near UC Berkeley it has visitors from all over the world. The fishing can be fantastic if you target species according to season and tide. Point Pinole. This pier resides in a beautiful regional park and offers a remarkable view of San Pablo Bay. It is a top sturgeon pier from autumn into spring and also very good for striped bass during the spring or fall runs. Monarch butterflies are thick among the eucalyptus trees in the fall. Favorite Fish: Striped bass, perch, and rockfish. Most Memorable Pier Fishing Trips: 1996, Wintertime, Berkeley Pier. I got there at dawn—if you could call it that. The fog was so thick you could not see across the width of the pier. I got a kingfish on nearly every cast and quit at 25 after 90 minutes or so. But I stayed there and stood in the fog for the next two hours, mystified, hearing the foghorns and the cries of the loons. A magic moment. 2000, Summertime, Berkeley Pier. I was throwing a Fish Trap swimbait and had just hooked into a large striped bass. A young boy came up and began asking a thousand things at once. I told him I had a fish on and if he waited I would answer his questions. In another ten minutes I was lowering the crab ring and simultaneously bringing the fish closer to the pier. This is a very difficult one-man operation, and I was also trying to be pleasant to this little kid, but I managed to cover all areas with success. The look on that boy's face when I brought up the crab ring—and that fat, shaking ten-pound bass—was worth a million bucks. He may or may not have heard my words after that, but I do know a new fisherman was born that day. Words Of Wisdom For Pier Rats: Curiosity and respect are two good things to being to a pier. On every pier the veterans will be the ones catching the most fish. Observe their methods and ask questions. Most will respond with happiness and enthusiasm.
Jeff Ishikawa: Pier Rat Name—Salty Nick
Years Fishing: About 30, off and on, but only seriously for 2-3 years so I’m really a beginner. I must have got my fishing gene from my grandpa, who is an avid trout and perch fisherman. I mostly baitfish, but would like to learn more lure fishing technique. First Memories fishing: My dad used to take my cousins and I fishing in the Donner Lake area. My earliest memory is of trout fishing in a boat with my dad. I was getting bored because it was slow and was playing around with the net in the water and somehow lost it - Doh! Got in trouble with my dad for that. Favorite Piers: I have fond memories of fishing off Seacliff Pier for perch with a high school fishing buddy. We used to catch nice-sized barred perch there. We could see these giant perch around the pilings, but could never entice them to bite. The last few times I fished there, recently, the perch seemed smaller, but maybe it was nostalgia at work. I also like Fort Baker Pier. The fishing can be pretty slow sometimes, but I've caught striped bass, perch, jacksmelt, and hooked into some monster fish that have snapped my line. Favorite Fish: Lately, Lingcod for its fighting abilities, taste and difficulty in catching from shore. I also like striped bass a lot, and would like to catch some bigger ones. Most Memorable Pier Fishing Trips: Once at Fort Baker, I hooked into a fish using a live smelt for bait. It didn't seem that big and moved kind of funny, from side to side. As I got it in closer, it started fighting more, but I reeled it in (way too fast). As it came to the surface I saw it was a large halibut, at least the size of my crab net! As my brother-in-law got the crab net ready, the fish flicked the hook with a shake of its head (I could’ve sworn it was laughing, too) and floated out of view—in slow motion. Arrgh! Oh the pain. Words of Wisdom for Pier Rats: If you're not catching fish, try casting in another direction or a different bait/technique—or get off your butt and move! If you're still not catching fish—oh well, at least you're FISHING! Also keep your ears and eyes open and watch the people who ARE catching fish. Also, keep reading this board, it is a great source of fishing info!
Melvin Kon: Pier Rat Name—Mel
My fascination with fishing began early. Probably when I was about 2 or 3 years old. My dad used to participate in the great striper runs at Ocean Beach in San Francisco during the 50’s and 60’s, hauling in huge stripers bigger than me throwing big, iron lures into the waves. Sometimes he used bait, huge sardines that would come whole, packed in a cardboard box wrapped in newspaper and tied with brownish twine. I used to stand there in awe, never taking my eyes off of him wondering what he was going to pull out of the sea next.
My mom and my older brothers went too, but instead of going to Playland at the Beach across the Great Highway like a normal kid would want to, I always chose to stay and fish. My dad would even bring along a little green bamboo looking stick that we would secretly steal from my mom’s plants, tie a string with a bent nail on it, bait up a sardine head, (which back in those days were huge), and let me cast out to the Farallones. Of course, that was pretty hard to do with the string being only about 3 feet long. Needless to say, I never caught anything.
The best thing I ever caught back in those days was the fishing bug. I had it bad. My dad wasn’t going out as often as he used to, and I had to find other ways to stalk fish. I remember once riding an old beat up old bicycle from the Western Addition district in SF all the way to Stow Lake in Golden Gate Park. I must’ve been about 6 or 7 and I had to beg and plead with my mom to let me go. I was not armed with a fishing pole at the time, but in my bent up rusty wire basket in the front of the bike was a sandwich, a dip net and an empty mayonnaise jar wrapped up in my sweatshirt. It doesn’t seem like that big of a deal, but the beat up bike that I wanted to use so badly to get out to the water on also had two flat tires. I remember the looks I got from people, some pointing and laughing at me, some offering help, but I couldn’t stop because I was going fishing! At the time, you could actually look into the water at the lake and see sand and rocks and stuff. (Today you can't even see an inch into the water). In the lake was a fish called a stickleback. It's a little guppy like fish with two little thorns sticking out of it’s back. You had to locate a school along the shoreline, dip your net into the water and wait for them to swim by and scoop them up. Sometimes I had to stoop motionless at the water for what seemed like hours. Of course, I would fill up my jar with water and about a dozen or so sticklebacks, bike it home, only to find them dead. Guess they couldn’t take the bike ride home and the flat tires probably didn’t help any either.
Then I discovered public transportation. San Francisco had a great system and one could travel all over town, I discovered at a young age. Aside from having to ride it to school, I found out that this bus could take me all over the city, including the waterfront, which was teeming with fish. Once again, nagging my mom to let me get on the bus myself, (I was maybe 8 or 9 years old); a whole new world was opened up to me. A whole new fishing world that is.
My first fish? I remember it like it was yesterday. I took the 22 Fillmore bus all the way to the Marina Greens. There is a little pier there that I spotted once when we were on a family picnic. I remember seeing fishermen there so that's where I went. I forget exactly what bait I was using but I have faint memories of having one of my dad's smaller surf outfits on the little pier. I remember reeling up a fish and getting so excited. “I caught something, I caught something!” I yelled. I looked over the railing and saw a huge 6-inch fish dangling from my line that I later learned was a bullhead. I got so excited I packed everything up, got back on the bus and brought the fish home to show my mom. I forget what we did with the fish but maybe that’s better? A pier rat was now born.
By now, I had also met a group of kid’s in school that also shared my thirst for this thing called fishing. We would bus it all over town, particularly along the waterfront and hit every pier in the area, sometimes even sneaking into places we weren’t supposed to be but the guard's along the busy and bustling waterfront would just ignore us.
There was a good perch spot right next to the 3rd Street Bridge near what is now home of the SF Giants that became a favorite spot of ours. We found that we could sneak underneath the bridge when a boat was coming through the canal and we would lie underneath the side of the bridge that lifted to let the vessels through. Imagine what it’s like, tons and tons of metal, lifting up to reveal a nice blue sky, only to be lowered again, creaking and squeaking loudly, cutting off the sunlight and setting itself down just a few feet from our bodies. What a thrill as a kid!
One time a friend and I rode our bikes down to the waterfront to catch some perch. We stationed ourselves behind a big stack of cargo, catching perch after perch using shrimp bought at a local tackle shop. Some other kids came walking by, decided that they liked our bikes very much and took them from us. Problem for me was that I borrowed my brother’s nice new Sears 5-Speed Stingray and didn’t tell anyone. I’m still hurting from that day. At least we caught fish though, huh? It was back to taking the bus around and I want to apologize to anyone who may have been startled to find any crabs crawling around the floor of the bus back then. Yes, I was the mischievous little kid who would always let the crabs loose on the bus. Hey, I was just being a kid!
Even as I grew older, the SF Waterfront was always good for some giant perch, rock cods and leopard sharks and of course, the occasional striper. A friend also turned me onto a thing called a bat ray. We would go out to Fisherman’s Wharf on the side of pier 45 and hook some monster rays. Sometimes the party boats going in and out of their berths would stop and watch for a minute, maybe thinking we had something else on the line. Also, pier 1 (before they remodeled it), and Pier 26 became favorite haunts of ours. At one time or another, I must have explored every nook and cranny along the waterfront and knew where all of the secret fishing entrances were and even ended up at the end of a pier directly underneath the Bay Bridge once. Too bad I didn't know enough about fishing at the time to catch some of the huge stripers and halibut that inhabit the Bay Bridge area.
As I grew older and past my teens and into adulthood, other things began distracting me from fishing. Of course, I would venture out when I could but not often enough. The older I got, the less fishing I was doing. Life for me began to change. Fishing on the waterfront became secondary to partying and horsing around all night long on the piers that we knew so well. I don't remember exactly when it was that I laid down my rods but the next thing you know, time between fishing grew longer and longer. My life began to change and fishing became the last thing on my mind. Life was not so easy and carefree anymore.
Fast forwarding to 2001, more than 20 years later after all the tumultuous dust in my life had settled, I realized that I had a lot of free time on my hands. It had been more than 20 years since I picked up a fishing rod. So, of course, the natural thing for me to do was to pick up where I left off. I went to a chain sporting goods store, bought a cheap combo and hit the waterfront. Problem was, after more than 20 long years, things and fishing spots were not the same. Gone was the hustle and bustle of the waterfront piers, the security guards were replaced by locked chain link fences, and the water stunk. Some of the piers just crumbled and fell into the bay. I still dropped a line along some of the piers only to find the fish gone too.
But dunking a line in the water got my fishing fever flowing again, and I began to explore areas and expand my fishing horizons, just like I used to do when I was a kid but my tires weren't flat this time. I discovered new types of tackle, new types of fishing. I had help from the Internet. I did some research, staked out a few areas and experimented a lot. I spent hours on the water, on piers and boats and began to catch fish again. On any given day when I'm not at work I can still be found on the water. My mom and dad have since passed on but I still share my catch with them. I sometimes wonder what I would be doing if I wasn’t fishing. I don't think I will ever lay my rods down again.
James Liu: PFIC Rat Name—Gyozadude or GDude — Now deceased. A great man with a great family and one of the PFIC and UPSAC leaders through those early years.
First Memories Of Fishing: Rockfish caught from the shores of Lion’s Bay, Howe Sound, B.C. back in 1978. Favorite Piers (And Why): Here in CA, Berkeley and Dumbarton Piers. Berkeley because it’s such a diverse pier and you can catch perch, halibut, sharks, skates and rays. Dumbarton Pier because it’s close to work and can possibly produce a sturgeon. But my real love is the small pier overlooking Howe Sound just 100 meters from my 2nd home up near Squamish/Whistler in B.C., Canada. Salmon, bull trout, Dolly Varden, greenling, lingcod, and rockfish are available. Favorite Fish: Rockfish (i.e. Genus Sebastes). They taste great and make for a great treat at dinner for the whole family when I can get a good one and we steam it. Most Memorable Pier Fishing Trips (And Why): San Francisco Muni Pier, early spring 1999. Tagged along with my mother-in-law and some co-workers to Muni Pier. Rumor had it that people were catching rock crabs using crab nets and a piece of chicken wire-tied to the center of the net. Weather was cold and bleak and I was freezing. I brought a couple of poles and caught some small perch off bits of shrimp. Lost a lot of bait to unseen thieves below. Back near the entrance to the pier, the rag tag crabbing crew was watching over their two nets... a bunch of ladies who’d be better off playing Mahjongg than crabbing. Then screams. Both nets and the long ropes had been dragged into the water. In the distance, some sea lions surfaced with pieces of chicken still in their mouths. Words Of Wisdom For Pier Rats: Why give words of wisdom to other Pier Rats? The pleasure is all in spending time fishing trying to uncover more fishing wisdom for one's self.
Years Fishing: As soon as my little fingers could stretch around the reel seat of my Zebco rod. The poor fish have been looking for a place to hide ever since. First Memories of Fishing: My most vivid memories of fishing came from surf fishing with my dad when I was all of six or seven years old. It was like Christmas morning when my dad would come home from work and tell me to “go to the garage and get the rods, we’re going fishing.” In fact, my first memories of fishing, and my fondest memories of fishing throughout my life, have come with my dad at my side. It was one of those surf fishing trips that introduced me to pier fishing. I believe I was around eight or nine years old and was surf fishing with my dad and brother down a bit from Hermosa Pier. I was dying to go up on the pier and see what they were catching, and my dad finally caved in and let my brother and I go. I couldn’t believe what was going on. Blood all over the pier, rods bent in half, drags singing, this was like nothing I’ve ever seen. Bonito were coming up all over the pier, and I couldn’t wait to go tell my dad we were fishing in the wrong place. We told my dad they were catching tuna, and he decided to take a walk up and see what was going on. We got up there, he looks around, and he says they’re trash fish, only bonito. He fished the boats for albacore and yellowtail a lot, so to him, bonito were to be avoided. We left the pier, but we bugged him so much over the next couple of weeks, he finally brought us back out. I can remember like it was yesterday, trying to hold the rod and reel as a six-pound bonito was tearing line off. This was the start of what turned out to be the best years of my life, spending most every day during the summer on Hermosa Pier. This does not count as a first memory, but it was a huge turning point in my life. Like most teens, my relationship with my dad became strained as I was getting older, never really seeing eye to eye anymore. He fished with his friends, I fished with mine. I turned 18 and was ready to get out of the house. I’m not even really sure why, but that year for Father’s Day I asked him if he wanted to take a fishing trip to Loreto, Mexico. We were fighting worse than ever, but he agreed. Me paying for the whole trip probably had a lot to do with it. It was during this fishing trip that something happened. It was the first time I ever really got to know my father. We shared drinks at a bar for the first time, talked about things we never talked about before, and spent five great days of getting to know each other again. This trip kicked off almost 20 great years of fishing trips with my dad, who had become my best friend and fishing buddy along the way. As of the last couple of years, my dad has reached the age where he no longer can make the trips, but the memories and bond that we reached through fishing will last until the day I die. Favorite Piers: This is an easy one. Hermosa Pier, because this pier flat out catches more quality fish than any other pier in Santa Monica Bay. It’s longer than most in this area, and has structure around it, which makes it a very fishy place to drop a line. Most Memorable Pier Fishing Trips: The one that stands out is one of those first summers that I started spending on Hermosa. My mom would take my dad to work, and then continue on to drop my brother and I off at the pier, then pick us up at 3:30, then on to get my dad at work. Most days on the pier were spent using Lucky Joe's, now called Sabiki rigs. We placed a diamond jig on the bottom, and pretty much caught everything with those things. Everything except something that we could bring home to eat. We always had albacore, yellowtail, white seabass, etc., in the freezer, so we wouldn't dare bring home a bonito to eat. Then one morning that changed. I hooked what I thought was the bottom until it started to move. I still remember the rod and reel, an old Mitchell 300 and a Garcia Conalon spinning rod. I was amazed to look in the water and see what looked like a giant halibut that had swallowed my diamond jig. It took awhile, but we got it in the net. Finally, something I could take home and show my dad. It only weighed 8 pounds, but it may as well have weighed 30. I was so proud when we pulled into my dad’s work, and I ran to pull it out and show him. He was pretty surprised, and even took it in the shop to show the guys the fish his son caught. It was the first time I ever put food on the table, and I was so proud of that fish. Words of Wisdom For Pier Rats: Okay, what the heck are we talking about here. Like not running in the house with scissors, or, never pee into the wind, two good words of wisdom. I'm not sure about this one. I guess it would be, just have fun. For the younger just starting out, you're going to hear about the “good ol’ days” from us old farts just about every time you talk to one of us. For you, the “good ol’ days" are now.” Enjoy yourself, catch fish, don't worry about how good the fishing was, it’s good right now, you just have to get out there and do it. With talk of shoreline closings, restricted areas, and no take limits some fish, 20 years from now, you’ll be talking about how good the fishing was back in 2001. How you could walk for miles and cast, not having to worry about fishing in a NO FISH ZONE. Reality? I don't know. Things can't stay the same. Whether it’s now, 20 years or 50, something's got to change. Commercial fishing is only going to increase as world population expands. Sport fishermen point fingers at commercial fishermen, commercial at sport. One thing is for sure. Until both sides can sit down and talk in a civilized manner, nothing positive is going to happen. Yes, I agree, sport fishermen always seem to get the short stick, but in my opinion, most of us look at things close to home and don't see things on a global scale. Yes, our local fishery is not in the best shape, but you have to open your eyes to the reality of what is taking place in other parts of the world. Fish that migrate into our area, pass by other countries that are not as regulated as we are. Rules are in place, but no one to enforce them. The ones that are suppose to enforce, line their pockets and look the other way. As countries deplete their own resources, guess where they are going to look. Ships are bigger, faster, and can process tons of fish right on the boat. The albacore, yellowtail, bonito, swordfish, marlin, and tuna we catch, have to run a gauntlet of nets to reach our waters. Enforcing laws on the open ocean is not so easy. This is the bad news. The good news is fishing for some species of fish seems to be getting better. The white seabass fishing is as good or better than it was in the ‘50s. Maybe in part to the limits imposed, or maybe the hatchery-released fish have finally started reproducing and things are only going to get better. Let's hope other fish can be pen raised in the future, lord knows we’re going to need all the help we can get. I do talk about the “good ol’ times,” but I also keep on fishing. Every trip for me still has that excitement that runs through your body every time you pick up a fishing rod. You know what I’m talking about, the can’t-sleep butterflies-in-the-stomach feeling. Fishing has meant so much to me over the years, and being able to share time fishing with my family and friends is to me... LIFE!
Rita Magdamo (now Magdamo-Jones): Pier Rat Name—Rita 001
Years Fishing: I’ve been fishing ever since I could hold a fishing pole, probably fishing for 30 plus years. First Memories of Fishing: First memory fishing? I must have been five or six years old fishing with those cheap kid-type poles catching shiners and whatever would bite in SF waterfront piers near China Basin. Favorite Piers: My favorite piers are Ft. Baker, Ft. Point and Oyster Point. Ft. Baker because you can always catch something there and its a great pier for kids. Same reason for Ft. Point. I like Oyster Point cause it’s close to where I live. Most Memorable Pier Fishing Trips: Fort Baker during an El Nino year. I think 1980-82?? I caught a 20-lb halibut on ultra-light gear. It took 25 min. to fight that fish. My Dad was so proud of me! Words of Wisdom for Pier Rats: Be respectful to yourself, others, the pier itself and to the fish you catch—young Pier Rats are watching.
Pier Rat Name—OB Pier Rat
First Memories of Fishing: Halibut fishing in the Mission Bay flood control channel on my Dad’s boat; catching perch and croaker when the OB Pier opened in the 1960’s. Favorite Piers: OB Pier (the pier that started it all for me, I grew up a half mile from this pier and spent almost every day of every summer break fishing the OB Pier during my school years). Oceanside Pier (IMO the most productive in SD). Shelter Island Pier (great for live bait fishing). Most Memorable Pier Fishing Trips: Catching my first shovelnose shark with the OB Pier regulars in 1976; it weighed 37 lbs. Catching two huge opaleye with my brother on the rocks south of the OB Pier, these fish were so big we had to strap them to my bike and walk the bike home. June 2003, my wife and I traveled up the California coast and visited Balboa, Redondo, Malibu, Ventura, Goleta, Gaviota, and Pacifica piers, meeting some of the pier rats here and catching fish. Caught my largest bat ray to date on the trip, a 42” wingspan ray at Gaviota Pier. All of the PFIC Get-Togethers I’ve been to so far—Goleta 2003, Catalina 2004, Quivira Pt. 2004, Goleta 2004. Really enjoy meeting, talking with, and fishing with all the great anglers who participate on this board. Come to one, you’ll become addicted! Words of Wisdom for Pier Rats: Don’t take fishing too seriously. There’s nothing worse than fishing near an uptight, arrogant or dead serious angler. It’s supposed to be fun and relaxing. Head to a pier or your favorite shore spot, toss out a line, and enjoy yourself and your surroundings. Help out a kid or inexperienced angler.
Rich Reano, Webmaster for Pier Fishing In California, Pier Rat Name — Rich Reano
Years Fishing: ~20 Years. First Memories of Fishing: Fishing with my dad on the North Island Naval Base using my Zebco spincast setup baited with a whole squid under a bobber. I didn’t catch anything, but being out fishing with my dad was fun. Favorite Piers (and Why): Coronado Ferry Landing. Although it is not as productive as other piers in San Diego, it’s in a great location and has a decent variety of fish. Also, I proposed to my girlfriend not very far from this pier. Favorite Fish: California Halibut and California Yellowtail (catching and eating). Most Memorable Pier Fishing Trips (and Why): Catching my first halibut at, again, the Ferry Landing. At the time, the only knowledge of halibut was the large ones they catch in Alaska. I was using a swimbait trying for sand bass. As my swimbait rose to the surface at the end of a retrieve, a dark and large shadow came up from the bottom and inhaled the swimbait. It was quite a sight to see and even more exciting to feel it make a run, peeling line off my reel in the process. Words Of Wisdom For Pier Rats: Keep learning. This goes for everything in life. Spend as much time as you can with your family and friends. Oh and don’t believe everything you read on the Internet.
Arvin Reyes: Pier Rat Name pescador619
Years Fishing: About a year and a half now. I started up for real in Virginia while I was stationed there. Hooked ever since my first bluegill. First Memories of Fishing: First fish I ever caught was a gold fish out of a little pond I made in my back yard for turtles when I was 13. I tied a staple to a piece of thread and put a small piece of a carrot on it. The goldfish took and I set the hook. A little too hard actually. The fish flew up into the air! I put the fish back and he was fine. Favorites Pier: Coronado Ferry Landing Pier. Always hooking up with the bat rays there. Not the biggest ones but fun nonetheless. A lot of variety there too, just not so much quantity. Favorite Fish: Yellowtail but that doesn't count so catching: bat rays. Most Memorable Pier Fishing Trips: Valentines Day 2002. 37” 25-lb. halie on squid strips on hi-lo rig, with a pre-snelled size 4 hook (15 or so lb. leader). He hit it on the fall. I just thought I had cast right into a kelp paddy. Imagine my amazement when I got him to the pier. Had to walk him to the beach where I attempted to gill him... wouldn’t let me. So I tried to lip him... big mistake. He almost bit my thumb off! This is when I jumped back, putting stress on the line. He starts thrashing around at the water’s edge and breaks my line. So I jumped in the water after him (with my nice LUGZ), put my foot on him to hold him down and tail grabbed him. Didn’t know that that was what I was supposed to do in the first place. Lucky guess. I got to take him home and fill up two buckets of fillets! Words of Wisdom for Pier Rats: Practice CPR... catch, photo, release. Keep what you can eat. And throw back what you can catch tomorrow.
Martin Salawak: Pier Rat Name—Stinkyfingers/Predator. Personal Information And Occupation: I am a grizzled bastard shoreliner. I love fish, fish love me. I can't stand society’s foul ups... I was born in Poland, and my family escaped to Germany, where we hid out for a couple of years before coming to the United States. The Bay Area is my home, and DolphinRider and fishing are my life.
Years Fishing: Total time fishing—15 years. Total time fishing HARDCORE—7 years. First Memories Of Fishing: I remember, as a kid, seeing my brother catch a striper at the Antioch Bridge Pier. That was my first year in the United States. Prior to that, living in Poland and Germany we never fished. At that time, I had no idea what a wonderful sport it was, probably because I didn’t do it more often. Favorite Piers: I’d have to say I like the southern piers the best. The fish variety, the chance at big sharks, and the people are all great. Nothing like a southern sunset, string bikini’s, and a finned friend tugging on your line. I've had the most fun at Newport and Balboa. Favorite Fish: I am a grizzled bastard shoreliner. I love fish, fish love me. I love Mackinaw trout. Simply the finest tasting fish in my book, thus far. Below the mack’s, I put in the stripers, for both the table fare and the fight. Sturgeon is the next runner up, with those long reel-strippin’ runs and pork-style meat on the BBQ. Most Memorable Pier Fishing Trips: Well, very near Berkeley pier, but the shoreline. On this epic night, Songslinger, Dolphinrider, and I were fishing for sharks. Dolphinrider hooked and landed a big leopard (51” and about 35#) on 12-pound mono, with Slinger’s spin gear. 15 minutes after she released it, I hooked into the biggest fish of my life yet, a 100-pound sturgeon, just 4 inches under being oversized. He broke the leader near shore, and I wrestled him with my hands against the rocks, landing him with help of my good friend Songslinger. Truly a moment of glory! Words Of Wisdom For Pier Rats: What you see around you is temporary. The plants, the trees, the animals, and the people. All will be gone in the future. Love it and enjoy it as much as you can while it’s here. Teach the kids. Don't just enjoy the nature, become part of it! Feel the animals of our kingdom, love them, respect them. Look into their eyes and guess what they’re thinking. And don’t forget, animals can’t speak, so it’s our job to look out for them. Understanding this raises you to a higher quality of life, and you will be rewarded. I promise.
Mike Spence: Pier Rat Name—Santa — Now deceased. Once a member of the UPSAC board and one who oversaw both the UPSAC central coast kids derbies and many kids derbies at the local lakes.
First Memories of Fishing: When I was five years old visiting a grandfather who took me to a pier/wharf somewhere in San Mateo/Belmont area. Caught my first piling perch with an old two-piece lightweight cane pole with string tied to end. I was hooked! Favorite Piers (and Why): Pismo, Avila, Port San Luis (Harford Pier) Because they are close to me and hold many good memories. Favorite Fish: Anything with GILLS!! Most Memorable Pier Fishing Trips (and Why): Harford Pier (Port San Luis) June 1974, My brother called me at work saying my sister-in-law had accidentally dropped her car keys into water near the restaurant the evening before. Grabbed my scuba gear and met them there, had my bro drop a heavy weight on line to mark drop spot. Followed line down then swam larger circles outward from line. “BINGO” about 35-ft. seaward from drop-spot I found her keys. Upon surfacing I found I had emptied the restaurant of curious onlookers who were wondering what the glow was in the water! (the search happened after dark using my one million candle power scuba lite). YAY! I was the hero, lots of applause, questions, and hand shakes. I then changed out of scuba gear and enjoyed the rest of the evening fishing and crabbing on the pier, which turned out to be very productive as well. Words of Wisdom for Pier Rats: Best to have a kid standing on a pier catching fish, than on a street corner catching something else.
Pier Rat Name—toejamb
First Memories of Fishing: My first memory of fishing was when I was seven or eight. The first time I came to the U.S. was with my mother, father and at the time, only brother Patrick for a family vacation. You know, the kind where everyone is crammed into the car, dad is swatting the kids in the back seat with his free hand because they’re being insufferable brats, mom is telling dad to ask a stranger for directions, etc. Anyway, my dad is a native Los Angeleno (Hollywood High, class of ‘55) and he took us out to Echo Park. Armed with some night crawlers and my father’s steady and knowledgeable hands, I managed to land my first ever fish—a bluegill and a baby largemouth bass. They went into a plastic bucket (my young ears had never heard of such a thing as catch and release) and they (the fish) took a ride for the next six hours in the back seat of a brand new Chevy Caprice Classic until we settled in for the night at a Best Western. My dad and I later returned to Echo Park and released the shell-shocked but still alive fish from whence they came. Favorite Piers: A no-brainer—Hermosa Pier. Best for quality, quantity and variety. Most Memorable Pier Fishing Trips: My first legal hali around June of ‘04 and the following: about ten years ago (before Hermosa Pier was renovated). I was fishing for mackerel about 3/4’s way out on the pier. I was a newcomer to Hermosa at the time and I was more than happy to catch just mackerel on Sabikis. But, on this particular night I heard a distress call (in Spanish) come out from the end of the pier. Some fellas at the end of the pier had caught something big and needed help hauling it up on to the deck. I heeded the call and went to the end of the pier. Not asking any questions or looking over the side, I grabbed the rope, which three or four other guys were pulling, and helped bring up a 200-lb. green sea turtle. (Really) She had become foul hooked and was gaffed thru the rear flipper. I helped unhook the poor girl and convinced her captors that she had to go back to the briny because she was an endangered species. (I know in Central and South America, turtle meat and eggs are delicacies, but these guys listened to reason.) With the help of these guys, we lifted the turtle up over the rail and into the drink. I know, we could have used more finesse on the “dismount” but I was just happy to get her back to the water relatively unharmed.
Ben Acker: Pier Rat Name—DompfaBen (Dominating Positive Fishing Attitude Ben)
Favorite Piers: San Clemente Municipal Pier is my favorite pier because it sees lighter tourist traffic than most piers, and the fishing for sharks, halibut, exotics, and lobster can be phenomenal. The Mole in Avalon, the now-defunct Aliso Pier, and Balboa Pier also rank very high for both memories growing up, and great fishing/hooping. Most Memorable Pier Fishing Trips: During the summer of 1983, my family went camping above Avalon. At night, we fished the Mole with light Tady 45’s and live bait for wide open log barracuda, and calicos that likely pushed the ten pound mark. If your iron sank past the barracuda, you’d pull up a huge calico... if you could turn the fish out of the kelp. The bite lasted for the entire three days we were on Catalina. In my early days of fishing, my family would drive from Pasadena down to Aliso Pier (now torn down) in South Laguna to fish for halibut. The water was sometimes so clear, you could often sight-fish the halibut, and drop shiny sinker rigs with live smelt right on their heads. On one occasion, when the fish were not biting, we entertained ourselves with Nintendo and a television. Every light pole on the pier had an uncovered power outlet. For the sake of telling the story later, we took a television and a Nintendo down to the pier, plugged them in, and played video games with our rods out in the water. Cold winter nights were warmed occasionally with a plug-in heater. It went perfectly next to the “sculpin hole,” a consistently good spot in the center opening of the pier (the end was shaped like a diamond) that always produced sculpin... maybe the same fish, as we always released fish there. With Aliso Creek spewing questionably-clean water onto the beach, we came to call the pier “RELEAS-O.” I have many fond memories and fish stories from that pier, and the adjacent rocks north and south. Last I heard, there were no plans to rebuild, and thus, it lives only in memory and photographs.
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Ed Burns: Pier Rat Name—Pescare [An early moderator on the site]
Years fishing: Probably around 40. First Fishing Memories: Can’t sort them out, but pier fishing at Santa Cruz and Capitola Wharves and trout fishing at Lake Merced in SF and the San Lorenzo River in the Santa Cruz mountains are the first things I can remember. Did A LOT of all of those as my dad was an avid fisherman and loved to have the kids (3 of us) with him whenever possible. Mom would often come along for the company and sometimes fished, sometimes read, and always helped untangle our lines. We all had identical Zebco outfits and used them for many years before upgrading. Favorite Piers: Got to be Santa Cruz and Capitola. I never go to either expecting anything to speak of but the memories are great, they are both in beautiful spots and my girls love to go to them. They like Santa Cruz better because of the sea lions and because they think it’s cool to have the car right next to us, which I have to admit is very convenient. Beats lugging all of our stuff, and usually our four year old up and down the hill and out onto the wharf at Capitola. Favorite Fish. Stripers. Not easy to catch and quite a fight. I think they just plain look cool too! Memorable Pier Trips: When I was a kid my dad took us to Capitola and the anchovies were running thick. We all had Lucky Tom jigs and filled a big bucket with them. Of course, anchovies aren’t high on the list of desirable fish to catch, but for flat out action it was a great day for three little kids. Believe it or not, we actually cleaned every one of those fish and my mom layered them with salt in a big ceramic crock. Italians do weird things with fish. Another is much more recent. My younger daughter is deaf but received a cochlear implant last year which has enabled her to hear quite well now that she’s learned to process sounds. I'll never forget the first time we went to Santa Cruz after the operation and she heard the sea lions barking for the first time. We hadn’t reached the wells yet but one of them started booming from down below and she got this look on her face like, “What the HECK is that!!?” Words of wisdom: Lets take care of what we've got.
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Adam Cassidy: Pier Rat Name: Baitfish
Years Fishing: I started fishing when I was around 5-6 years old with my dad, and have fished from Oregon to Mexico and New York to Florida, both fresh and saltwater. My first memories of fishing are mostly of fishing Malibu Pier and the jetty in Oxnard with my dad. We would fish the end of Malibu Pier for mackerel and croaker while dad watched the halibut fisherman—and shook his head not knowing how to catch one of those huge flatties. Unfortunately he was a little too stubborn to be humble enough to ask them. But to a kid a mackerel is like a tuna; too much fun! Favorite Piers: Malibu Pier, Stearns Wharf, and The Green Pleasure Pier in Catalina. Malibu Pier, because that is where I started saltwater fishing and I have had some of my most memorable trips from that pier. Stearns Wharf because of its beauty, location, and some of the best halibut fishing. The Green Pleasure Pier in Avalon because of its variety and it’s one of the greatest locations for a pier. Most Memorable Pier Fishing Trips: Wow, now this is a hard one. The first Pier Fishing In California Get Together in Catalina was my favorite memory for a couple of days fishing. For a single trip, I would have to say THE most memorable is almost a tie, but each has it’s own reasons. In no particular order, the PFIC Get Together at Malibu Pier was definitely at the top. I was finally able to put a face to all the names on the board, and this was all pre-picture posting ability. After we met up and people started to leave due to the rain, I kept on fishing trying to land a nice halibut through 10-20 mph winds and rain. I stayed at the end of the pier with a fellow pier rat who had dragged out a bunch of live bait from MDR. We were pushed on by the fact that he had a fishing watch with built in Maori Charts that said fishing would be good around 2:30. We waited and waited and got wetter and colder. After four hours in the rain and wind with no umbrella we left at 2:33 after catching four perch all day. It may not seem like it, but it was a great day! The second most memorable trip was also at Malibu Pier about a year and a half ago. The ongoing construction left the last half of the pier closed so the waters at the end of the pier had been nearly untouched for about six years. We got to the pier close to sunset and it was already closed, which we had pretty much expected and were just going to fish the surf right next to the pier. So we started to walk around the fence when I saw one of the security guards and started talking with him. Sure enough, he was friends with one of the other guards and I was saying how I knew him and he asked if we would like to fish the end of the pier as long as we were quiet and did not say anything. I leaped at the chance! I thanked him and my wife and I headed out to the end of the pier, up and over construction equipment and loose boards all the way out to the end where I would fish as a little kid and had not seen in at least 8-9 years. I stated setting up our rods mostly with Sabiki rigs with cherrystone clams and mussels, and set up my large Ugly Stick spinning rod, my Daiwa Jupiter Z 3500 reel, a sliding rig with a 2-ounce pyramid sinker, and whole squid on a #1 Owner Octopus hook. Immediately the three smaller rods went off like Christmas bells—a couple of 2-3-pound sargo, then some 2-pound yellowfins, and lots of perch, mostly walleyes. But then the loose drag on my spinning rod goes off and the rod is bouncing around. My wife reeled in the other rods and I set the hook. It immediately started head shaking and peeling off line. I fought it for about 10 minutes when I finally got it to the surface. It was the largest shovelnose I had ever seen in person! Quick get the pier net… CRAP! I don't have it because we were going surf fishing... Well only one thing to do, haul it up by hand. I had 17-pound Trilene line on the reel, so I figured I could do it. I tried with bare hands at first, but the line started sinking into my skin. So my wife puts a couple of rags on my hands and I try again, this was working until I got it up about halfway up the pier and it came unbuttoned causing the hook and sinker to shoot straight at me, missing me by inches and then dropping down again!!!! After close inspection of the hook, it had almost bent straight! After that I was hooked on shovelnose and maintained my love for Malibu Pier. Words of Wisdom: Ask questions and stay curious. Fish as often as you can and enjoy all aspects of it, including just being in nature and doing something you love. Respect the piers, the people and the fish.
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Tim Durham: Pier Rat Name—Sinker
Years Fishing: 45 plus years. There have been breaks in between and have gone from salt to fresh and back due to location. Now I am fortunate to be able to fish both. First Memories of Fishing: On a pier in Concord, California (not sure which one), my father took the whole family out to fish. My younger brother caught the biggest fish I had ever seen (at that time), I was hooked from then on, No If's, AND’s, OR BUT’s about it. I think it was a Striped Bass but am not sure. We made my dad clean it and my mom cooked it for dinner. All five of us kids thought that that was just TOO COOL. Favorite Pier: The Point Mugu Naval Air Station Pier that, unfortunately, no longer exists. The pier was taken out by the El Nino storms. The pier was incredible—halibut, croaker, bonito, smelt, queenfish, bass, rockfish, perch, sharks, rays, crabs, and lobsters. You name it and that pier had it. That pier is where I learned the most about fishing—technique, presentation, knots, fish identification, proper and safe handling of fish (for myself and them), how to clean a fish, and how to keep my area clean and safe. All of this from my FATHER. We spent countless days and nights on that pier where he taught me what I now know and shared the secrets of life, listened to my problems and helped me make them better.” Favorite Fish: So many, I guess like this: LOOKS—garibaldi; TO EAT—halibut; TO BATTLE—bat rays.” Most Memorable Pier Fishing Trip: It was on a freshwater dock in Lake George, NY Took my young nephews who came out to visit fishing. We got into a mess of Smallmouth Bass that fought outstandingly. Seeing the smiles and looks on their faces will be with me forever. Then they asked me something, “Can you clean them so we can eat them when we get home.” Sounds familiar huh, just like with my dad. My one nephew was instantly hooked as well, he now fishes Largemouth Bass Tournaments on the Pro Am tours. Words of Wisdom for Pier Rats: I fish because it is fun. I fish because I enjoy the freedom I feel from being exposed to the elements, and the vulnerability to the danger that is intrinsic with nature’s forces and the creatures she possess.
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Verona Kay Fath: Pier Rat Name—Snookie [Our Balboa Pier reporter since 1998]
Years Fishing: I have fished the Newport and Balboa piers for 56 years now. I actually started fishing 62 years ago. First Memories of Fishing: My first memories were at the Newport Jetty in1939 using a bamboo pole with linen line attached to the end and one hook with razor clams. I caught lots of opaleye most of which were kid’s size but oh, so much fun. Favorite Piers: My favorite piers are Newport and Balboa piers. Newport was where I started pier fishing. I got to know everyone, and the fishing was very good. In the winter we would go to Balboa pier and fish for the bigger halibut, which seemed to be there. Of course Balboa pier is my favorite today. It seems to have a nicer bunch of people most of the time, and the fishing is still quite good. This is the pier all my Newport buddies have moved to. They also like the atmosphere better at Balboa than Newport. Favorite Fish: My favorite fish is the halibut. They seem to be more of a challenge to catch. Most Memorable Pier Fishing Trip: Without a doubt I can say that my most memorable fishing trip was August 8, 1982. It was a busy day on the pier, and my mother and 18-year-old daughter, Vee, were with me. There were lots of people and lots of fish including halibut, barracuda, bonitos, and a few white seabass. In the middle of the day we thought a large bucket of water had been tossed in, but it turned out that a large man had fallen from sitting on the railing. He had hit his head on the beam sticking out and was now unconscious face down in the water. By the time we saw that no one was going to rescue him my daughter who is an excellent swimmer and had just taken a life saving course ran and jumped in with all her clothes and shoes on. She did what was necessary to revive him. That was a scary moment for me because I could see that the man was considerable larger than she was. I hoped he knew how to swim and would not panic. As it was he did not regain consciousness until they got him to the hospital. It took what seemed an awful long time to get the lifeguards out there to her. They brought the boats and took the man back to Newport Pier that had a ramp. He did recuperate at Hoag Hospital. If she had not rescued him when she did, he would have died before the boats got to him. He was lucky. Vee swam back to shore to rejoin us on the pier because she didn’t want to miss the great fishing we were having that day. My daughter, Vee, got every award possible that year for her actions, but I think the best one was the Medal of Honor from the Boy Scouts of America. She was an Orange County Sheriff’s Explorer which made her a Boy Scout. She also got the Red Cross Award with the ceremonies that went with it. Yes, that was my most memorable fishing trip. That was the day I as a mother was so proud of my daughter. I saw her give everything she could to save another human being. Words of Wisdom for Pier Rats: You'll never know everything about fishing or the ocean. You’ll just have fun learning.
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Robert Gardner: Pier Rat Name—Red Fish. Personal Information and Occupation: I started on this PFIC board as FISH HEAD but then decided that I didn't want to be labeled as being a dead head (literally, not a Grateful Dead fan) lol! The name Red Fish fits me in many ways. They used to call my mom's dad “Red” and he was one of the best golfers in New Orleans (pre-Tiger Woods) in the 40’s, and 50’s competing in many tournaments. Redfish is a popular game fish from the Gulf of New Mexico and its tributaries [also the area of New Orleans, Louisiana the home of my kin-folk]. And, my oldest brother once owned a boat named the “Redfish.” First name “Red,” last name “Fish.”} O.K., let's see, born! Ha! Born in Berkeley, Ca. in the year the civil rights act was passed. Years Fishing: 35. First Memories Of Fishing: I grew up fishing on Berkeley Pier. I used to actually dig up earthworms in my backyard and pick out centipedes from my front lawn to use as bait at Berkeley Pier as a pre-schooler. Parents used to take me to Berkeley Pier as a toddler for walks. One day, whilst walking with my parents on Berkeley Pier I wandered away from them long enough to pick up a size (14) hook laying on the ground and prick myself with it. One drop of blood came out and I screamed like a baby (I was). I have been fishing ever since! Favorite Piers: Berkeley because it is my home pier. I say I have “seen it all” out there but there are always new surprises like a miscellaneous thresher shark as the waters and the environment changes over the years. Witnessed the years of halibut-sized starry flounder, all species of perch so thick that you could look down at the pilings during the summer and see dozens reflecting in the water, and salmon being caught all up and down the pier after if was closed down for an entire year for earthquake retro-fitting. And most recently seeing a legal White Seabass being taken by the resident expert, “Chopper.” Favorite Fish: The one that’s currently wrestling on the end of my line (big LOL). Seriously, sturgeon because they are local to the area I am in and big (a record is always right around the corner.) But billfish and LARGE sharks, GW's, mako’s are hard to top. Most Memorable Pier Fishing Trips: As Baitfish said, so many, where do I start: (1) Pricking my finger at age three. (2) Having weekly weekend shiner derbies with my brother Martin who my dad made go fishing with me because dad does not fish and felt someone had to watch over me at age seven. (3) Catching the most and biggest stripers on my very first party boat trip at age ten at Red Rock in Richmond, CA. The skipper called me “red” because I was “red hot!” My priest, (Father James P. O’Connor R.I.P.) thanks for taking my brother Martin and I on many memorable camping and fishing trips including Oregon and Washington (he never molested us although he would drink with my brother Martin at about age 16; he only gave me Peppermint Schnapps (LOL) (4) Catching my first legal of many game fish including blue marlin. (5) Meeting many new fishing friends at the PFIC Mud Marlin Get Together #1 at Berkeley. (6) And most recently, fishing with BigRich (felt like I had caught the biggest sturgeon in the world with this massive guy walking next to me on Berkeley Pier (LOL)—needless to say, this guy has the heart of a whale and the size to match!!!! Words Of Wisdom For Pier Rats: Two words—“FISH ON”!!!!!!! In a sentence— “You've got to have your line in the water to catch fish!”
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Boyd Grant: Pier Rat Name—Pierhead. Now deceased. A gentle man and one of my favorite people. For years he was the pier guru for the UPSAC Fishing Center on the Goleta Pier. Personal Information And Occupation: Born under the sign of Sagittarius in Santa Barbara, CA mid WW2. Spent my formative years under the ‘cloud' of the atomic bomb—the good nuns did their best to comply with the mandatory duck & cover drills without unduly alarming their younger charges but it left a lasting impression of how temporary and insecure all life is — my outlook is clearly Carpe Diem (seize the day). And fishing became my escape from ‘adult’ reality as well as my entry into the world of nature.
Years Fishing: 50+. Years of Hardcore Fishing:13. Prior to my father’s passing in 1989, fishing was more of an escape than an active exploration. I had been estranged from my parents since my marriage. I had made a poor choice for a life’s companion and found it hard to admit. In early 1989 I called my father (my mother had died some time before) to effect reconciliation and invited him to go fishing with his grandson and myself. But when we got there we found him on the kitchen floor felled by a stroke. I still remember opening the refrigerator later that day and seeing the bait he had prepared for us to use. And the memories of a childhood filled with fishing adventures came flooding back along with the tears of regret for the estrangement. I returned to SB to take care of him until his death later that year but due to his incapacity, we never fished together again. After the funeral my family and I went to Goleta Pier and soaked some bait in his memory. From that moment on I found myself filled with a desire to take fishing seriously. First Memories Of Fishing: My first fishing trip was with my Dad and my two younger (twin) brothers around 1950. He took us down to Stearns Wharf in Santa Barbara after spending the previous evening sitting around the kitchen table with him learning how to clean the poles and reline the reels that he hadn’t had much chance to use following his marriage (5 children—4 living at that time) some 15 years earlier. Stearns, in the 50’s, had an abalone processing plant right at the end of the pier with an enormous pile of discarded shells and big buckets of guts. There was also an anchovy offloading siphon pipe with a large fish-spilling tear in the side that chummed live bait into the water below. We could hardly contain ourselves and Dad reigned us in a very forceful manner for ‘our own good’—my ears burned for the rest of the day from that first lesson in pier safety! We caught a full gunnysack of what he called horse mackerel—enormous fish at least 24” in length. I was hooked. From that day on it was a weekly ritual to go fishing. On my own block alone there were 10 boys and 4 girls—quite a sight as we paraded the two miles down to the Wharf on our bikes with fishing poles in hand. Favorite Piers (And Why): Stearns Wharf and Goleta Pier. My boyhood was spent at the Wharf. It was where my father had first fished with his father and where my maternal grandfather had his lumber company in the 20’s. And fishing at Goleta for halibut had become my father’s favorite form of outdoor recreation as my mother's incapacity increased during her final years. But, in actuality, any wooden pier anywhere on the coast. In fact it was my fascination with wooden piers that led me to pierfishing.com. I had wanted to write a book documenting the history and social import of wooden piers in honor of my father. Of course the first hit on the search engine was this site! Needless to say the book had already been written by the master himself. Finding this site completed a circle that had been broken by the estrangement and my father’s death. I felt like I had been reunited with the fishing community. In jimbojack’s words: ‘Like coming home.’ Favorite Fish: The first fish of any new species! My first halibut—lost around the pilings at Stearns wharf when I was nine. The 5# Bass at Cachuma Lake taken on a Black Bomber at twilight in a secluded cove shortly after my mother’s last call for supper during the summer of my 10th year. The 3.5# cabezon that tumbled me off the riprap and initiated me into the Rincon Rock Diver’s Club. A 3# Calico Bass, which nailed a frozen anchovy floating on the top of the kelp reef at Goleta before I had a chance to recast. The 3 10#+ Shovelnose caught in a two hour period off the end of the Goleta Pier. My son’s first fish memorialized in papier-mâché by his 4th grade teacher. My granddaughter’s sanddab caught at Goleta. And last, but not least the salamander fished out of the creek behind Mission Santa Barbara using a bent pin and a berry from a pyracantha bush when I was seven, my first successful catch! Most Memorable Pier Fishing Trips (And Why): Every trip is memorable in some way—especially now that I am approaching my 6th decade! It used to be that the memories were created by the fish I caught, but in the last 3-4 years I’m noticing that people are increasingly at the center of those memories. I’ve always done poorly with names but since making an effort by introducing myself and keeping a list of the names that I have accumulated there are almost 20 people who I recognize at Goleta alone, not to mention the increasing number of Pier Rats I am running into. But overall I have to say the Catalina Get Together 2002 is my fondest memory to date. And apparently I am not alone in that given the number and nature of posts on the subject since our return! Words Of Wisdom For Pier Rats: There is more to fishing than catching... slow down and enjoy the whole of creation. You only go around once.
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Glen Gustavson-Falck: Pier Rat Name—Songslinger
Years Fishing: 41. First Memories of Fishing: I was born and raised in a rural community 30 miles west of Chicago. My first fishing pole was a broken piece of metal from a roof antenna with kite string. With it I caught my first fish, a hefty catfish, called a “bullhead” back in the Midwest. There were several farm ponds and lakes within walking or bicycling distance, including a judge's back property where the bones of a mastodon were discovered. Later I fished the Great Lakes, the Mississippi River, and the Boundary Waters of Minnesota and Ontario. I lived in the heart of the Rocky Mountains and then came to California. Favorite Piers: Berkeley Pier. It has a great view of San Francisco Bay and the Golden Gate Bridge. Because it is located near UC Berkeley it has visitors from all over the world. The fishing can be fantastic if you target species according to season and tide. Point Pinole. This pier resides in a beautiful regional park and offers a remarkable view of San Pablo Bay. It is a top sturgeon pier from autumn into spring and also very good for striped bass during the spring or fall runs. Monarch butterflies are thick among the eucalyptus trees in the fall. Favorite Fish: Striped bass, perch, and rockfish. Most Memorable Pier Fishing Trips: 1996, Wintertime, Berkeley Pier. I got there at dawn—if you could call it that. The fog was so thick you could not see across the width of the pier. I got a kingfish on nearly every cast and quit at 25 after 90 minutes or so. But I stayed there and stood in the fog for the next two hours, mystified, hearing the foghorns and the cries of the loons. A magic moment. 2000, Summertime, Berkeley Pier. I was throwing a Fish Trap swimbait and had just hooked into a large striped bass. A young boy came up and began asking a thousand things at once. I told him I had a fish on and if he waited I would answer his questions. In another ten minutes I was lowering the crab ring and simultaneously bringing the fish closer to the pier. This is a very difficult one-man operation, and I was also trying to be pleasant to this little kid, but I managed to cover all areas with success. The look on that boy's face when I brought up the crab ring—and that fat, shaking ten-pound bass—was worth a million bucks. He may or may not have heard my words after that, but I do know a new fisherman was born that day. Words Of Wisdom For Pier Rats: Curiosity and respect are two good things to being to a pier. On every pier the veterans will be the ones catching the most fish. Observe their methods and ask questions. Most will respond with happiness and enthusiasm.
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Jeff Ishikawa: Pier Rat Name—Salty Nick
Years Fishing: About 30, off and on, but only seriously for 2-3 years so I’m really a beginner. I must have got my fishing gene from my grandpa, who is an avid trout and perch fisherman. I mostly baitfish, but would like to learn more lure fishing technique. First Memories fishing: My dad used to take my cousins and I fishing in the Donner Lake area. My earliest memory is of trout fishing in a boat with my dad. I was getting bored because it was slow and was playing around with the net in the water and somehow lost it - Doh! Got in trouble with my dad for that. Favorite Piers: I have fond memories of fishing off Seacliff Pier for perch with a high school fishing buddy. We used to catch nice-sized barred perch there. We could see these giant perch around the pilings, but could never entice them to bite. The last few times I fished there, recently, the perch seemed smaller, but maybe it was nostalgia at work. I also like Fort Baker Pier. The fishing can be pretty slow sometimes, but I've caught striped bass, perch, jacksmelt, and hooked into some monster fish that have snapped my line. Favorite Fish: Lately, Lingcod for its fighting abilities, taste and difficulty in catching from shore. I also like striped bass a lot, and would like to catch some bigger ones. Most Memorable Pier Fishing Trips: Once at Fort Baker, I hooked into a fish using a live smelt for bait. It didn't seem that big and moved kind of funny, from side to side. As I got it in closer, it started fighting more, but I reeled it in (way too fast). As it came to the surface I saw it was a large halibut, at least the size of my crab net! As my brother-in-law got the crab net ready, the fish flicked the hook with a shake of its head (I could’ve sworn it was laughing, too) and floated out of view—in slow motion. Arrgh! Oh the pain. Words of Wisdom for Pier Rats: If you're not catching fish, try casting in another direction or a different bait/technique—or get off your butt and move! If you're still not catching fish—oh well, at least you're FISHING! Also keep your ears and eyes open and watch the people who ARE catching fish. Also, keep reading this board, it is a great source of fishing info!
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Melvin Kon: Pier Rat Name—Mel
My fascination with fishing began early. Probably when I was about 2 or 3 years old. My dad used to participate in the great striper runs at Ocean Beach in San Francisco during the 50’s and 60’s, hauling in huge stripers bigger than me throwing big, iron lures into the waves. Sometimes he used bait, huge sardines that would come whole, packed in a cardboard box wrapped in newspaper and tied with brownish twine. I used to stand there in awe, never taking my eyes off of him wondering what he was going to pull out of the sea next.
My mom and my older brothers went too, but instead of going to Playland at the Beach across the Great Highway like a normal kid would want to, I always chose to stay and fish. My dad would even bring along a little green bamboo looking stick that we would secretly steal from my mom’s plants, tie a string with a bent nail on it, bait up a sardine head, (which back in those days were huge), and let me cast out to the Farallones. Of course, that was pretty hard to do with the string being only about 3 feet long. Needless to say, I never caught anything.
The best thing I ever caught back in those days was the fishing bug. I had it bad. My dad wasn’t going out as often as he used to, and I had to find other ways to stalk fish. I remember once riding an old beat up old bicycle from the Western Addition district in SF all the way to Stow Lake in Golden Gate Park. I must’ve been about 6 or 7 and I had to beg and plead with my mom to let me go. I was not armed with a fishing pole at the time, but in my bent up rusty wire basket in the front of the bike was a sandwich, a dip net and an empty mayonnaise jar wrapped up in my sweatshirt. It doesn’t seem like that big of a deal, but the beat up bike that I wanted to use so badly to get out to the water on also had two flat tires. I remember the looks I got from people, some pointing and laughing at me, some offering help, but I couldn’t stop because I was going fishing! At the time, you could actually look into the water at the lake and see sand and rocks and stuff. (Today you can't even see an inch into the water). In the lake was a fish called a stickleback. It's a little guppy like fish with two little thorns sticking out of it’s back. You had to locate a school along the shoreline, dip your net into the water and wait for them to swim by and scoop them up. Sometimes I had to stoop motionless at the water for what seemed like hours. Of course, I would fill up my jar with water and about a dozen or so sticklebacks, bike it home, only to find them dead. Guess they couldn’t take the bike ride home and the flat tires probably didn’t help any either.
Then I discovered public transportation. San Francisco had a great system and one could travel all over town, I discovered at a young age. Aside from having to ride it to school, I found out that this bus could take me all over the city, including the waterfront, which was teeming with fish. Once again, nagging my mom to let me get on the bus myself, (I was maybe 8 or 9 years old); a whole new world was opened up to me. A whole new fishing world that is.
My first fish? I remember it like it was yesterday. I took the 22 Fillmore bus all the way to the Marina Greens. There is a little pier there that I spotted once when we were on a family picnic. I remember seeing fishermen there so that's where I went. I forget exactly what bait I was using but I have faint memories of having one of my dad's smaller surf outfits on the little pier. I remember reeling up a fish and getting so excited. “I caught something, I caught something!” I yelled. I looked over the railing and saw a huge 6-inch fish dangling from my line that I later learned was a bullhead. I got so excited I packed everything up, got back on the bus and brought the fish home to show my mom. I forget what we did with the fish but maybe that’s better? A pier rat was now born.
By now, I had also met a group of kid’s in school that also shared my thirst for this thing called fishing. We would bus it all over town, particularly along the waterfront and hit every pier in the area, sometimes even sneaking into places we weren’t supposed to be but the guard's along the busy and bustling waterfront would just ignore us.
There was a good perch spot right next to the 3rd Street Bridge near what is now home of the SF Giants that became a favorite spot of ours. We found that we could sneak underneath the bridge when a boat was coming through the canal and we would lie underneath the side of the bridge that lifted to let the vessels through. Imagine what it’s like, tons and tons of metal, lifting up to reveal a nice blue sky, only to be lowered again, creaking and squeaking loudly, cutting off the sunlight and setting itself down just a few feet from our bodies. What a thrill as a kid!
One time a friend and I rode our bikes down to the waterfront to catch some perch. We stationed ourselves behind a big stack of cargo, catching perch after perch using shrimp bought at a local tackle shop. Some other kids came walking by, decided that they liked our bikes very much and took them from us. Problem for me was that I borrowed my brother’s nice new Sears 5-Speed Stingray and didn’t tell anyone. I’m still hurting from that day. At least we caught fish though, huh? It was back to taking the bus around and I want to apologize to anyone who may have been startled to find any crabs crawling around the floor of the bus back then. Yes, I was the mischievous little kid who would always let the crabs loose on the bus. Hey, I was just being a kid!
Even as I grew older, the SF Waterfront was always good for some giant perch, rock cods and leopard sharks and of course, the occasional striper. A friend also turned me onto a thing called a bat ray. We would go out to Fisherman’s Wharf on the side of pier 45 and hook some monster rays. Sometimes the party boats going in and out of their berths would stop and watch for a minute, maybe thinking we had something else on the line. Also, pier 1 (before they remodeled it), and Pier 26 became favorite haunts of ours. At one time or another, I must have explored every nook and cranny along the waterfront and knew where all of the secret fishing entrances were and even ended up at the end of a pier directly underneath the Bay Bridge once. Too bad I didn't know enough about fishing at the time to catch some of the huge stripers and halibut that inhabit the Bay Bridge area.
As I grew older and past my teens and into adulthood, other things began distracting me from fishing. Of course, I would venture out when I could but not often enough. The older I got, the less fishing I was doing. Life for me began to change. Fishing on the waterfront became secondary to partying and horsing around all night long on the piers that we knew so well. I don't remember exactly when it was that I laid down my rods but the next thing you know, time between fishing grew longer and longer. My life began to change and fishing became the last thing on my mind. Life was not so easy and carefree anymore.
Fast forwarding to 2001, more than 20 years later after all the tumultuous dust in my life had settled, I realized that I had a lot of free time on my hands. It had been more than 20 years since I picked up a fishing rod. So, of course, the natural thing for me to do was to pick up where I left off. I went to a chain sporting goods store, bought a cheap combo and hit the waterfront. Problem was, after more than 20 long years, things and fishing spots were not the same. Gone was the hustle and bustle of the waterfront piers, the security guards were replaced by locked chain link fences, and the water stunk. Some of the piers just crumbled and fell into the bay. I still dropped a line along some of the piers only to find the fish gone too.
But dunking a line in the water got my fishing fever flowing again, and I began to explore areas and expand my fishing horizons, just like I used to do when I was a kid but my tires weren't flat this time. I discovered new types of tackle, new types of fishing. I had help from the Internet. I did some research, staked out a few areas and experimented a lot. I spent hours on the water, on piers and boats and began to catch fish again. On any given day when I'm not at work I can still be found on the water. My mom and dad have since passed on but I still share my catch with them. I sometimes wonder what I would be doing if I wasn’t fishing. I don't think I will ever lay my rods down again.
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James Liu: PFIC Rat Name—Gyozadude or GDude — Now deceased. A great man with a great family and one of the PFIC and UPSAC leaders through those early years.
First Memories Of Fishing: Rockfish caught from the shores of Lion’s Bay, Howe Sound, B.C. back in 1978. Favorite Piers (And Why): Here in CA, Berkeley and Dumbarton Piers. Berkeley because it’s such a diverse pier and you can catch perch, halibut, sharks, skates and rays. Dumbarton Pier because it’s close to work and can possibly produce a sturgeon. But my real love is the small pier overlooking Howe Sound just 100 meters from my 2nd home up near Squamish/Whistler in B.C., Canada. Salmon, bull trout, Dolly Varden, greenling, lingcod, and rockfish are available. Favorite Fish: Rockfish (i.e. Genus Sebastes). They taste great and make for a great treat at dinner for the whole family when I can get a good one and we steam it. Most Memorable Pier Fishing Trips (And Why): San Francisco Muni Pier, early spring 1999. Tagged along with my mother-in-law and some co-workers to Muni Pier. Rumor had it that people were catching rock crabs using crab nets and a piece of chicken wire-tied to the center of the net. Weather was cold and bleak and I was freezing. I brought a couple of poles and caught some small perch off bits of shrimp. Lost a lot of bait to unseen thieves below. Back near the entrance to the pier, the rag tag crabbing crew was watching over their two nets... a bunch of ladies who’d be better off playing Mahjongg than crabbing. Then screams. Both nets and the long ropes had been dragged into the water. In the distance, some sea lions surfaced with pieces of chicken still in their mouths. Words Of Wisdom For Pier Rats: Why give words of wisdom to other Pier Rats? The pleasure is all in spending time fishing trying to uncover more fishing wisdom for one's self.
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Joe Maestas: Pier Rat name—Mola Joe
Years Fishing: As soon as my little fingers could stretch around the reel seat of my Zebco rod. The poor fish have been looking for a place to hide ever since. First Memories of Fishing: My most vivid memories of fishing came from surf fishing with my dad when I was all of six or seven years old. It was like Christmas morning when my dad would come home from work and tell me to “go to the garage and get the rods, we’re going fishing.” In fact, my first memories of fishing, and my fondest memories of fishing throughout my life, have come with my dad at my side. It was one of those surf fishing trips that introduced me to pier fishing. I believe I was around eight or nine years old and was surf fishing with my dad and brother down a bit from Hermosa Pier. I was dying to go up on the pier and see what they were catching, and my dad finally caved in and let my brother and I go. I couldn’t believe what was going on. Blood all over the pier, rods bent in half, drags singing, this was like nothing I’ve ever seen. Bonito were coming up all over the pier, and I couldn’t wait to go tell my dad we were fishing in the wrong place. We told my dad they were catching tuna, and he decided to take a walk up and see what was going on. We got up there, he looks around, and he says they’re trash fish, only bonito. He fished the boats for albacore and yellowtail a lot, so to him, bonito were to be avoided. We left the pier, but we bugged him so much over the next couple of weeks, he finally brought us back out. I can remember like it was yesterday, trying to hold the rod and reel as a six-pound bonito was tearing line off. This was the start of what turned out to be the best years of my life, spending most every day during the summer on Hermosa Pier. This does not count as a first memory, but it was a huge turning point in my life. Like most teens, my relationship with my dad became strained as I was getting older, never really seeing eye to eye anymore. He fished with his friends, I fished with mine. I turned 18 and was ready to get out of the house. I’m not even really sure why, but that year for Father’s Day I asked him if he wanted to take a fishing trip to Loreto, Mexico. We were fighting worse than ever, but he agreed. Me paying for the whole trip probably had a lot to do with it. It was during this fishing trip that something happened. It was the first time I ever really got to know my father. We shared drinks at a bar for the first time, talked about things we never talked about before, and spent five great days of getting to know each other again. This trip kicked off almost 20 great years of fishing trips with my dad, who had become my best friend and fishing buddy along the way. As of the last couple of years, my dad has reached the age where he no longer can make the trips, but the memories and bond that we reached through fishing will last until the day I die. Favorite Piers: This is an easy one. Hermosa Pier, because this pier flat out catches more quality fish than any other pier in Santa Monica Bay. It’s longer than most in this area, and has structure around it, which makes it a very fishy place to drop a line. Most Memorable Pier Fishing Trips: The one that stands out is one of those first summers that I started spending on Hermosa. My mom would take my dad to work, and then continue on to drop my brother and I off at the pier, then pick us up at 3:30, then on to get my dad at work. Most days on the pier were spent using Lucky Joe's, now called Sabiki rigs. We placed a diamond jig on the bottom, and pretty much caught everything with those things. Everything except something that we could bring home to eat. We always had albacore, yellowtail, white seabass, etc., in the freezer, so we wouldn't dare bring home a bonito to eat. Then one morning that changed. I hooked what I thought was the bottom until it started to move. I still remember the rod and reel, an old Mitchell 300 and a Garcia Conalon spinning rod. I was amazed to look in the water and see what looked like a giant halibut that had swallowed my diamond jig. It took awhile, but we got it in the net. Finally, something I could take home and show my dad. It only weighed 8 pounds, but it may as well have weighed 30. I was so proud when we pulled into my dad’s work, and I ran to pull it out and show him. He was pretty surprised, and even took it in the shop to show the guys the fish his son caught. It was the first time I ever put food on the table, and I was so proud of that fish. Words of Wisdom For Pier Rats: Okay, what the heck are we talking about here. Like not running in the house with scissors, or, never pee into the wind, two good words of wisdom. I'm not sure about this one. I guess it would be, just have fun. For the younger just starting out, you're going to hear about the “good ol’ days” from us old farts just about every time you talk to one of us. For you, the “good ol’ days" are now.” Enjoy yourself, catch fish, don't worry about how good the fishing was, it’s good right now, you just have to get out there and do it. With talk of shoreline closings, restricted areas, and no take limits some fish, 20 years from now, you’ll be talking about how good the fishing was back in 2001. How you could walk for miles and cast, not having to worry about fishing in a NO FISH ZONE. Reality? I don't know. Things can't stay the same. Whether it’s now, 20 years or 50, something's got to change. Commercial fishing is only going to increase as world population expands. Sport fishermen point fingers at commercial fishermen, commercial at sport. One thing is for sure. Until both sides can sit down and talk in a civilized manner, nothing positive is going to happen. Yes, I agree, sport fishermen always seem to get the short stick, but in my opinion, most of us look at things close to home and don't see things on a global scale. Yes, our local fishery is not in the best shape, but you have to open your eyes to the reality of what is taking place in other parts of the world. Fish that migrate into our area, pass by other countries that are not as regulated as we are. Rules are in place, but no one to enforce them. The ones that are suppose to enforce, line their pockets and look the other way. As countries deplete their own resources, guess where they are going to look. Ships are bigger, faster, and can process tons of fish right on the boat. The albacore, yellowtail, bonito, swordfish, marlin, and tuna we catch, have to run a gauntlet of nets to reach our waters. Enforcing laws on the open ocean is not so easy. This is the bad news. The good news is fishing for some species of fish seems to be getting better. The white seabass fishing is as good or better than it was in the ‘50s. Maybe in part to the limits imposed, or maybe the hatchery-released fish have finally started reproducing and things are only going to get better. Let's hope other fish can be pen raised in the future, lord knows we’re going to need all the help we can get. I do talk about the “good ol’ times,” but I also keep on fishing. Every trip for me still has that excitement that runs through your body every time you pick up a fishing rod. You know what I’m talking about, the can’t-sleep butterflies-in-the-stomach feeling. Fishing has meant so much to me over the years, and being able to share time fishing with my family and friends is to me... LIFE!
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Rita Magdamo (now Magdamo-Jones): Pier Rat Name—Rita 001
Years Fishing: I’ve been fishing ever since I could hold a fishing pole, probably fishing for 30 plus years. First Memories of Fishing: First memory fishing? I must have been five or six years old fishing with those cheap kid-type poles catching shiners and whatever would bite in SF waterfront piers near China Basin. Favorite Piers: My favorite piers are Ft. Baker, Ft. Point and Oyster Point. Ft. Baker because you can always catch something there and its a great pier for kids. Same reason for Ft. Point. I like Oyster Point cause it’s close to where I live. Most Memorable Pier Fishing Trips: Fort Baker during an El Nino year. I think 1980-82?? I caught a 20-lb halibut on ultra-light gear. It took 25 min. to fight that fish. My Dad was so proud of me! Words of Wisdom for Pier Rats: Be respectful to yourself, others, the pier itself and to the fish you catch—young Pier Rats are watching.
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Pier Rat Name—OB Pier Rat
First Memories of Fishing: Halibut fishing in the Mission Bay flood control channel on my Dad’s boat; catching perch and croaker when the OB Pier opened in the 1960’s. Favorite Piers: OB Pier (the pier that started it all for me, I grew up a half mile from this pier and spent almost every day of every summer break fishing the OB Pier during my school years). Oceanside Pier (IMO the most productive in SD). Shelter Island Pier (great for live bait fishing). Most Memorable Pier Fishing Trips: Catching my first shovelnose shark with the OB Pier regulars in 1976; it weighed 37 lbs. Catching two huge opaleye with my brother on the rocks south of the OB Pier, these fish were so big we had to strap them to my bike and walk the bike home. June 2003, my wife and I traveled up the California coast and visited Balboa, Redondo, Malibu, Ventura, Goleta, Gaviota, and Pacifica piers, meeting some of the pier rats here and catching fish. Caught my largest bat ray to date on the trip, a 42” wingspan ray at Gaviota Pier. All of the PFIC Get-Togethers I’ve been to so far—Goleta 2003, Catalina 2004, Quivira Pt. 2004, Goleta 2004. Really enjoy meeting, talking with, and fishing with all the great anglers who participate on this board. Come to one, you’ll become addicted! Words of Wisdom for Pier Rats: Don’t take fishing too seriously. There’s nothing worse than fishing near an uptight, arrogant or dead serious angler. It’s supposed to be fun and relaxing. Head to a pier or your favorite shore spot, toss out a line, and enjoy yourself and your surroundings. Help out a kid or inexperienced angler.
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Rich Reano, Webmaster for Pier Fishing In California, Pier Rat Name — Rich Reano
Years Fishing: ~20 Years. First Memories of Fishing: Fishing with my dad on the North Island Naval Base using my Zebco spincast setup baited with a whole squid under a bobber. I didn’t catch anything, but being out fishing with my dad was fun. Favorite Piers (and Why): Coronado Ferry Landing. Although it is not as productive as other piers in San Diego, it’s in a great location and has a decent variety of fish. Also, I proposed to my girlfriend not very far from this pier. Favorite Fish: California Halibut and California Yellowtail (catching and eating). Most Memorable Pier Fishing Trips (and Why): Catching my first halibut at, again, the Ferry Landing. At the time, the only knowledge of halibut was the large ones they catch in Alaska. I was using a swimbait trying for sand bass. As my swimbait rose to the surface at the end of a retrieve, a dark and large shadow came up from the bottom and inhaled the swimbait. It was quite a sight to see and even more exciting to feel it make a run, peeling line off my reel in the process. Words Of Wisdom For Pier Rats: Keep learning. This goes for everything in life. Spend as much time as you can with your family and friends. Oh and don’t believe everything you read on the Internet.
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Arvin Reyes: Pier Rat Name pescador619
Years Fishing: About a year and a half now. I started up for real in Virginia while I was stationed there. Hooked ever since my first bluegill. First Memories of Fishing: First fish I ever caught was a gold fish out of a little pond I made in my back yard for turtles when I was 13. I tied a staple to a piece of thread and put a small piece of a carrot on it. The goldfish took and I set the hook. A little too hard actually. The fish flew up into the air! I put the fish back and he was fine. Favorites Pier: Coronado Ferry Landing Pier. Always hooking up with the bat rays there. Not the biggest ones but fun nonetheless. A lot of variety there too, just not so much quantity. Favorite Fish: Yellowtail but that doesn't count so catching: bat rays. Most Memorable Pier Fishing Trips: Valentines Day 2002. 37” 25-lb. halie on squid strips on hi-lo rig, with a pre-snelled size 4 hook (15 or so lb. leader). He hit it on the fall. I just thought I had cast right into a kelp paddy. Imagine my amazement when I got him to the pier. Had to walk him to the beach where I attempted to gill him... wouldn’t let me. So I tried to lip him... big mistake. He almost bit my thumb off! This is when I jumped back, putting stress on the line. He starts thrashing around at the water’s edge and breaks my line. So I jumped in the water after him (with my nice LUGZ), put my foot on him to hold him down and tail grabbed him. Didn’t know that that was what I was supposed to do in the first place. Lucky guess. I got to take him home and fill up two buckets of fillets! Words of Wisdom for Pier Rats: Practice CPR... catch, photo, release. Keep what you can eat. And throw back what you can catch tomorrow.
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Martin Salawak: Pier Rat Name—Stinkyfingers/Predator. Personal Information And Occupation: I am a grizzled bastard shoreliner. I love fish, fish love me. I can't stand society’s foul ups... I was born in Poland, and my family escaped to Germany, where we hid out for a couple of years before coming to the United States. The Bay Area is my home, and DolphinRider and fishing are my life.
Years Fishing: Total time fishing—15 years. Total time fishing HARDCORE—7 years. First Memories Of Fishing: I remember, as a kid, seeing my brother catch a striper at the Antioch Bridge Pier. That was my first year in the United States. Prior to that, living in Poland and Germany we never fished. At that time, I had no idea what a wonderful sport it was, probably because I didn’t do it more often. Favorite Piers: I’d have to say I like the southern piers the best. The fish variety, the chance at big sharks, and the people are all great. Nothing like a southern sunset, string bikini’s, and a finned friend tugging on your line. I've had the most fun at Newport and Balboa. Favorite Fish: I am a grizzled bastard shoreliner. I love fish, fish love me. I love Mackinaw trout. Simply the finest tasting fish in my book, thus far. Below the mack’s, I put in the stripers, for both the table fare and the fight. Sturgeon is the next runner up, with those long reel-strippin’ runs and pork-style meat on the BBQ. Most Memorable Pier Fishing Trips: Well, very near Berkeley pier, but the shoreline. On this epic night, Songslinger, Dolphinrider, and I were fishing for sharks. Dolphinrider hooked and landed a big leopard (51” and about 35#) on 12-pound mono, with Slinger’s spin gear. 15 minutes after she released it, I hooked into the biggest fish of my life yet, a 100-pound sturgeon, just 4 inches under being oversized. He broke the leader near shore, and I wrestled him with my hands against the rocks, landing him with help of my good friend Songslinger. Truly a moment of glory! Words Of Wisdom For Pier Rats: What you see around you is temporary. The plants, the trees, the animals, and the people. All will be gone in the future. Love it and enjoy it as much as you can while it’s here. Teach the kids. Don't just enjoy the nature, become part of it! Feel the animals of our kingdom, love them, respect them. Look into their eyes and guess what they’re thinking. And don’t forget, animals can’t speak, so it’s our job to look out for them. Understanding this raises you to a higher quality of life, and you will be rewarded. I promise.
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Mike Spence: Pier Rat Name—Santa — Now deceased. Once a member of the UPSAC board and one who oversaw both the UPSAC central coast kids derbies and many kids derbies at the local lakes.
First Memories of Fishing: When I was five years old visiting a grandfather who took me to a pier/wharf somewhere in San Mateo/Belmont area. Caught my first piling perch with an old two-piece lightweight cane pole with string tied to end. I was hooked! Favorite Piers (and Why): Pismo, Avila, Port San Luis (Harford Pier) Because they are close to me and hold many good memories. Favorite Fish: Anything with GILLS!! Most Memorable Pier Fishing Trips (and Why): Harford Pier (Port San Luis) June 1974, My brother called me at work saying my sister-in-law had accidentally dropped her car keys into water near the restaurant the evening before. Grabbed my scuba gear and met them there, had my bro drop a heavy weight on line to mark drop spot. Followed line down then swam larger circles outward from line. “BINGO” about 35-ft. seaward from drop-spot I found her keys. Upon surfacing I found I had emptied the restaurant of curious onlookers who were wondering what the glow was in the water! (the search happened after dark using my one million candle power scuba lite). YAY! I was the hero, lots of applause, questions, and hand shakes. I then changed out of scuba gear and enjoyed the rest of the evening fishing and crabbing on the pier, which turned out to be very productive as well. Words of Wisdom for Pier Rats: Best to have a kid standing on a pier catching fish, than on a street corner catching something else.
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Pier Rat Name—toejamb
First Memories of Fishing: My first memory of fishing was when I was seven or eight. The first time I came to the U.S. was with my mother, father and at the time, only brother Patrick for a family vacation. You know, the kind where everyone is crammed into the car, dad is swatting the kids in the back seat with his free hand because they’re being insufferable brats, mom is telling dad to ask a stranger for directions, etc. Anyway, my dad is a native Los Angeleno (Hollywood High, class of ‘55) and he took us out to Echo Park. Armed with some night crawlers and my father’s steady and knowledgeable hands, I managed to land my first ever fish—a bluegill and a baby largemouth bass. They went into a plastic bucket (my young ears had never heard of such a thing as catch and release) and they (the fish) took a ride for the next six hours in the back seat of a brand new Chevy Caprice Classic until we settled in for the night at a Best Western. My dad and I later returned to Echo Park and released the shell-shocked but still alive fish from whence they came. Favorite Piers: A no-brainer—Hermosa Pier. Best for quality, quantity and variety. Most Memorable Pier Fishing Trips: My first legal hali around June of ‘04 and the following: about ten years ago (before Hermosa Pier was renovated). I was fishing for mackerel about 3/4’s way out on the pier. I was a newcomer to Hermosa at the time and I was more than happy to catch just mackerel on Sabikis. But, on this particular night I heard a distress call (in Spanish) come out from the end of the pier. Some fellas at the end of the pier had caught something big and needed help hauling it up on to the deck. I heeded the call and went to the end of the pier. Not asking any questions or looking over the side, I grabbed the rope, which three or four other guys were pulling, and helped bring up a 200-lb. green sea turtle. (Really) She had become foul hooked and was gaffed thru the rear flipper. I helped unhook the poor girl and convinced her captors that she had to go back to the briny because she was an endangered species. (I know in Central and South America, turtle meat and eggs are delicacies, but these guys listened to reason.) With the help of these guys, we lifted the turtle up over the rail and into the drink. I know, we could have used more finesse on the “dismount” but I was just happy to get her back to the water relatively unharmed.
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