Hi everyone,
I know it has been a long time since I last posted a report. I've been dealing a lot with some personal events, and I haven't been able to go fishing too often. Just this past Friday, I was finally able to renew my fishing license for another year. Since I had some free time, I decided to take a stroll down Seal Beach Pier and hope for a fishing-filled summer.
I arrived at the pier at about 7:45 PM to an incoming tide. The cloudy weather made visibility somewhat difficult, but I could still see the lights from Belmont Pier. The beach was crowded, but nobody was in the water. The water had its usual dark green color, with limited clarity. I did not see any bait fish in the water, nor did I see any eelgrass, kelp patties, or debris. The new metal boat ramp is bright and shiny, and looks extremely sturdy, but creates a contrast from the atmosphere of the pier. Looking into Long Beach Harbor, I saw one speedboat racing south towards Huntington Harbor and a private yacht leaving Alamitos Bay. Otherwise, there was minimal boat traffic.
I saw one couple fishing just before the lifeguard tower near the concrete wall using store-bought mussels (with the shell removed) on a Carolina rig. They had two humongous Spotfin Croakers in their bucket, and at first glance, I almost mistook their catch for Striped Bass! Unfortunately, these were the only confirmed catches I saw that day. Another angler using the same setup fishing just past the lifeguard tower had no luck. From that point forward until the fish-cleaning stations, the pier was deserted of anglers.
Directly across from the fish-cleaning stations and just before the boat ramp, I saw one angler using a dropper-loop rig with cut squid on what appeared to be size 6 hooks. He also, presumably, had a crab net as I saw a rope tied to the rail dangling into the water. Past the gate from the days when the end of the pier was closed for repair, another angler was fishing using a mix of squid and mackerel on a dropper-loop rig. I couldn't tell if the mackerel had been caught at the pier or not, but based on the cloudy eyes of the fish, it did not appear to be fresh and likely wasn't from the pier. At the end, I saw a few more groups of anglers using squid strips on Carolina rigs with what appeared to be size 4 hooks, with no success. I even saw an angler using lugworms on a dropper-loop rig, which probably would've been more effective towards the beginning of the pier. An angler at the southern corner at the end, facing away from Alamitos Bay had a nibble on squid strips, but that was the only action to be found at the end.
I did not see any new fish caught on my way back from the pier. Foot traffic had increased due to some performers at the base of the pier, but the fishing was extremely slow. I'm not sure if this was because of the lack of anglers fishing in the middle of the pier, or if there just wasn't much action going on. The pier was extremely cold, and perhaps the sudden contrast between the warm weather during the day and the cold weather in the evening had driven away the fish. I also didn't see how the crab fisherman was doing, and it may have been an excellent day for crab fishing. Either way, I hope the fishing improves this summer. I am guessing that when the weather becomes more consistent, the fishing will improve. I left the pier at about 8:00 PM.
Notes:
-Most action seemed to be inshore (just be sure to watch out for surfers and swimmers)
-I'm guessing that Alamitos Bay and the San Gabriel River Mouth would probably be a good fishing spot right now due to its warm-water discharge
I know it has been a long time since I last posted a report. I've been dealing a lot with some personal events, and I haven't been able to go fishing too often. Just this past Friday, I was finally able to renew my fishing license for another year. Since I had some free time, I decided to take a stroll down Seal Beach Pier and hope for a fishing-filled summer.
I arrived at the pier at about 7:45 PM to an incoming tide. The cloudy weather made visibility somewhat difficult, but I could still see the lights from Belmont Pier. The beach was crowded, but nobody was in the water. The water had its usual dark green color, with limited clarity. I did not see any bait fish in the water, nor did I see any eelgrass, kelp patties, or debris. The new metal boat ramp is bright and shiny, and looks extremely sturdy, but creates a contrast from the atmosphere of the pier. Looking into Long Beach Harbor, I saw one speedboat racing south towards Huntington Harbor and a private yacht leaving Alamitos Bay. Otherwise, there was minimal boat traffic.
I saw one couple fishing just before the lifeguard tower near the concrete wall using store-bought mussels (with the shell removed) on a Carolina rig. They had two humongous Spotfin Croakers in their bucket, and at first glance, I almost mistook their catch for Striped Bass! Unfortunately, these were the only confirmed catches I saw that day. Another angler using the same setup fishing just past the lifeguard tower had no luck. From that point forward until the fish-cleaning stations, the pier was deserted of anglers.
Directly across from the fish-cleaning stations and just before the boat ramp, I saw one angler using a dropper-loop rig with cut squid on what appeared to be size 6 hooks. He also, presumably, had a crab net as I saw a rope tied to the rail dangling into the water. Past the gate from the days when the end of the pier was closed for repair, another angler was fishing using a mix of squid and mackerel on a dropper-loop rig. I couldn't tell if the mackerel had been caught at the pier or not, but based on the cloudy eyes of the fish, it did not appear to be fresh and likely wasn't from the pier. At the end, I saw a few more groups of anglers using squid strips on Carolina rigs with what appeared to be size 4 hooks, with no success. I even saw an angler using lugworms on a dropper-loop rig, which probably would've been more effective towards the beginning of the pier. An angler at the southern corner at the end, facing away from Alamitos Bay had a nibble on squid strips, but that was the only action to be found at the end.
I did not see any new fish caught on my way back from the pier. Foot traffic had increased due to some performers at the base of the pier, but the fishing was extremely slow. I'm not sure if this was because of the lack of anglers fishing in the middle of the pier, or if there just wasn't much action going on. The pier was extremely cold, and perhaps the sudden contrast between the warm weather during the day and the cold weather in the evening had driven away the fish. I also didn't see how the crab fisherman was doing, and it may have been an excellent day for crab fishing. Either way, I hope the fishing improves this summer. I am guessing that when the weather becomes more consistent, the fishing will improve. I left the pier at about 8:00 PM.
Notes:
-Most action seemed to be inshore (just be sure to watch out for surfers and swimmers)
-I'm guessing that Alamitos Bay and the San Gabriel River Mouth would probably be a good fishing spot right now due to its warm-water discharge
