Pacific Mackerel Archives - Pier Fishing in California

Pier J Fishing Pier(s) — Long Beach

Public Piers — No Fishing License Required I first heard about the Pier J piers at the end of 2020. Given that I’ve been to the opening of a couple of piers, I was hoping to be one of the first anglers to fish on…

Redondo Beach Pier

Public Pier — No Fishing License Required The Redondo Beach Pier seems far more than just a pier, it’s part of a huge complex that contains shops, restaurants, fresh fish markets, amusement games, a large underground parking lot, areas reserved for viewing, and our favorite…

Cabrillo Pier — San Pedro

Public Pier — No Fishing License Required Late that night the steamer got to San Pedro, and you may be sure Tom and Retta were up early the next morning. As they came off the boat, there was a crowd of people on the wharf…

Seacliff State Beach Pier — Aptos

Due to damage from the winter storms in 2023, the pier is currently closed. It is unknown when or if it will reopen. Public Pier — No Fishing License Required Only a few piers have truly unique features and this pier is/was one of them.…

Green Pleasure Pier — Avalon, Catalina Island

Public Pier — No Fishing License Required If anyone could be called the “father” of an island, it might be Frederick Holder who wrote numerous books and articles about California and the fishing to be found in its waters. The offshore islands, specifically Catalina Island,…

Capitola Wharf

Due to damage from the winter storms in 2023, the wharf is currently closed. No date has been set for reopening. Public Pier — No Fishing License Required While some piers along the coast (such as Seacliff) have characteristics that help define and give identity…

San Clemente Pier

Public Pier — No Fishing License Required Sit back and imagine, if you will, the following scenes: Scene One — The hooking of a giant (black) sea bass was not that unusual given that the San Clemente Pier is one of the main piers that…

Shoreline Aquatic Park Piers — Long Beach

Public Pier — No Fishing License Required The term Long Beach is not a misnomer, for here is a beach of hard white sand as level as a floor extending many miles each way. This beach is a perfect natural race course, and during the…

Redondo Sportfishing Pier — King Harbor — Redondo Beach — Gone But Not Forgotten

Currently closed but the city says it plans to construct a new pier (although no plans have been finalized or dates given). The small (250-foot-long) Redondo Sportfishing Pier that served as the center for Redondo’s Sportfishing fleet since being built in 1969, was declared unsafe and…

Morro Bay Finger Piers

Public Accesss piers — some of which require a license Streets that end at the bay along Morro Bay’s Embarcadero, those between Beach and Anchor Streets, provide public access, several in the form of small viewing/fishing platforms. None are very big, facilities are limited, and…