While I haven't been able to go pier fishing much recently, I did have the opportunity to explore the Huntington Beach Pier while running some errands at Main Street Huntington Beach.
I arrived at the pier at about 4:45 PM to a low, but rising tide. About a dozen anglers were fishing from the Lifeguard Tower to the bathrooms and the building which formerly housed Let's Go Fishing. A family with a couple of elementary school-aged children had landed a couple of Topsmelt on a small (approximately size 8) Sabiki baited with squid strips. I noticed a school of Topsmelt beneath the bathrooms on the south side of the pier. The surf was crystal clear, and I did not see any other fish on my way out besides the smelt. I talked to an angler fishing by the abandoned Let's Go Fishing, who showed me some California Mussels and a couple of huge, and heavily pregnant, Pacific Sand Crabs which he was gifted by a surf angler who had left a few minutes prior.
A few anglers were fishing the middle section of the pier, between the bathrooms and the Broad Street Oyster Company, but none appeared to have any luck. I made my way towards the end of the pier, looking to see if Pacific Bonito had made a showing. I saw a small school of Pacific Sardines congregating below the life preserver just before the Broad Street Oyster Company, likely attracted by the shade and the deep blue water color resulting from the shade. One group of anglers had landed a few Sardines on a sabiki, while another group threw spoons targeting Bonito, although they were unsuccessful.
At the end of the pier, Topsmelt colored the water like sugar on a gingerbread cookie. The school of fish stretched as far as the eye could see, and the bite was wide-open for those who had small-enough gear. However, many anglers were using slightly larger gear, including strips of squid on a dropper loop and live Topsmelt on a Carolina Rig in an attempt for larger game, although they were unsuccessful. One angler fishing the right side of the Broad Street Oyster Company mentioned hooking and losing (in his words, "successfully releasing") a Common Thresher Shark pup at that spot a short time prior on a live Topsmelt with a Carolina Rig. In front of the restaurant on the northern side, I just saw more smelt and a Queenfish.
As I was heading back to shore, I saw a small Bat Ray in the surf, swimming parallel to the pier, but close enough to be in the shade, likely hunting for Sand Crabs. I also saw a surfer with a harpoon. While I have always been curious about spear-fishing, I'm not sure if Huntington Beach Pier, with a large amount of both anglers and surfers, is the most appropriate place to try it. The surfer swam past the lifeguard tower, looking for a target, although I am unsure of what he would have targeted besides the Bat Ray pup.
I also saw the Huntington Beach Marine Safety Division driving a boat and anchoring just beyond the surf, with a lifeguard standing at the stern in a swimsuit, ready to enter the water at a moment's notice. I was unsure if this was a training exercise, or if this was a tactic to position the lifeguards at a location where they would more easily be able to intercept swimmers being carried out to sea, by starting in a location where the waves would push them towards the swimmer instead of away from the swimmer. A lifeguard in the tower used the speaker to order two body-boarders out of the water, as a rip current was in the area, and they were swimming far away from the shore. This was the first time I have heard the lifeguards use the speaker, and I was surprised at how it could be heard over both the waves and clammor of the pier and the beach. I left the pier at about 5:15 PM.
Notes:
-The pier seemed dead of everything except for baitfish. Would it be better if I visited in the early morning or evening, or are the fish being spooked off by the large amount of beachgoers?
-Many anglers were making mistakes, such as baiting metal jigs with squid strips and cutting Sand Crabs into chunks. I'm wondering if more effort by both the DFG and local cities should be placed into educating the public about fishing. While the City of Huntington Beach does put effort into teaching its citizens how to fish, most of this effort is directed at lakes in city-owned parks, such as the Huntington Central Park Lake, Chris Carr Park Lake, and the Greer Park Lake. I understand that the lakes may be easily accessible for many residents, but I think it would be better if angler education were directed towards the ocean instead of the park ponds due to the large amount of fish found within waters under the jurisdiction of Huntington Beach. What do you all think? Should the City of Huntington Beach focus on making the Huntington Beach Pier, Huntington City Beach, Sunset Beach, and Huntington Harbor more accessible to anglers and teaching the public about saltwater fishing, or continue to maintain its park ponds through regular fish plants and water clean-ups?
-The mid-pier section (between the bathrooms and the Broad Street Oyster Company) is almost always deserted. While I understand that a lack of protection from the wind or sun is a factor, I wonder why nobody else seems to fish at this portion of the pier.
Fish Count (Observed):
~30 Anglers
-1 Spearfisherman
-12 Topsmelt
-5 Pacific Sardines
-1 Queenfish
-6 California Mussels
-2 Pacific Mole Crabs
-18 Total Fish
-8 Total Shellfish
I arrived at the pier at about 4:45 PM to a low, but rising tide. About a dozen anglers were fishing from the Lifeguard Tower to the bathrooms and the building which formerly housed Let's Go Fishing. A family with a couple of elementary school-aged children had landed a couple of Topsmelt on a small (approximately size 8) Sabiki baited with squid strips. I noticed a school of Topsmelt beneath the bathrooms on the south side of the pier. The surf was crystal clear, and I did not see any other fish on my way out besides the smelt. I talked to an angler fishing by the abandoned Let's Go Fishing, who showed me some California Mussels and a couple of huge, and heavily pregnant, Pacific Sand Crabs which he was gifted by a surf angler who had left a few minutes prior.
A few anglers were fishing the middle section of the pier, between the bathrooms and the Broad Street Oyster Company, but none appeared to have any luck. I made my way towards the end of the pier, looking to see if Pacific Bonito had made a showing. I saw a small school of Pacific Sardines congregating below the life preserver just before the Broad Street Oyster Company, likely attracted by the shade and the deep blue water color resulting from the shade. One group of anglers had landed a few Sardines on a sabiki, while another group threw spoons targeting Bonito, although they were unsuccessful.
At the end of the pier, Topsmelt colored the water like sugar on a gingerbread cookie. The school of fish stretched as far as the eye could see, and the bite was wide-open for those who had small-enough gear. However, many anglers were using slightly larger gear, including strips of squid on a dropper loop and live Topsmelt on a Carolina Rig in an attempt for larger game, although they were unsuccessful. One angler fishing the right side of the Broad Street Oyster Company mentioned hooking and losing (in his words, "successfully releasing") a Common Thresher Shark pup at that spot a short time prior on a live Topsmelt with a Carolina Rig. In front of the restaurant on the northern side, I just saw more smelt and a Queenfish.
As I was heading back to shore, I saw a small Bat Ray in the surf, swimming parallel to the pier, but close enough to be in the shade, likely hunting for Sand Crabs. I also saw a surfer with a harpoon. While I have always been curious about spear-fishing, I'm not sure if Huntington Beach Pier, with a large amount of both anglers and surfers, is the most appropriate place to try it. The surfer swam past the lifeguard tower, looking for a target, although I am unsure of what he would have targeted besides the Bat Ray pup.
I also saw the Huntington Beach Marine Safety Division driving a boat and anchoring just beyond the surf, with a lifeguard standing at the stern in a swimsuit, ready to enter the water at a moment's notice. I was unsure if this was a training exercise, or if this was a tactic to position the lifeguards at a location where they would more easily be able to intercept swimmers being carried out to sea, by starting in a location where the waves would push them towards the swimmer instead of away from the swimmer. A lifeguard in the tower used the speaker to order two body-boarders out of the water, as a rip current was in the area, and they were swimming far away from the shore. This was the first time I have heard the lifeguards use the speaker, and I was surprised at how it could be heard over both the waves and clammor of the pier and the beach. I left the pier at about 5:15 PM.
Notes:
-The pier seemed dead of everything except for baitfish. Would it be better if I visited in the early morning or evening, or are the fish being spooked off by the large amount of beachgoers?
-Many anglers were making mistakes, such as baiting metal jigs with squid strips and cutting Sand Crabs into chunks. I'm wondering if more effort by both the DFG and local cities should be placed into educating the public about fishing. While the City of Huntington Beach does put effort into teaching its citizens how to fish, most of this effort is directed at lakes in city-owned parks, such as the Huntington Central Park Lake, Chris Carr Park Lake, and the Greer Park Lake. I understand that the lakes may be easily accessible for many residents, but I think it would be better if angler education were directed towards the ocean instead of the park ponds due to the large amount of fish found within waters under the jurisdiction of Huntington Beach. What do you all think? Should the City of Huntington Beach focus on making the Huntington Beach Pier, Huntington City Beach, Sunset Beach, and Huntington Harbor more accessible to anglers and teaching the public about saltwater fishing, or continue to maintain its park ponds through regular fish plants and water clean-ups?
-The mid-pier section (between the bathrooms and the Broad Street Oyster Company) is almost always deserted. While I understand that a lack of protection from the wind or sun is a factor, I wonder why nobody else seems to fish at this portion of the pier.
Fish Count (Observed):
~30 Anglers
-1 Spearfisherman
-12 Topsmelt
-5 Pacific Sardines
-1 Queenfish
-6 California Mussels
-2 Pacific Mole Crabs
-18 Total Fish
-8 Total Shellfish
