-- San Diego Piers
Imperial Beach, Ocean Beach, and Crystal Pier — The wind combined with a drop in water temperatures continued the recent less than stellar action on the piers. Imperial Beach continues to yield some small leopard sharks and a few croakers inshore but action for the most part is hit and miss. Ocean Beach Pier is also slow with even the regular queenfish action sporadic. A few small leopard sharks do continue to show but apparently there just isn’t any bait, i.e., anchovies, around the pier. Crystal Pier is seeing decent perch action, walleys and barred, and a few halibut have been caught, but again the action on top is fairly non-existent. Piers in San Diego Bay—Coronado Ferry Landing, Pepper Park, Bayside, Embarcadero, and Shelter Island —All of the piers reflect a reduction in fish although it’s hoped some decent weather will bring out more fishermen—and fish. There seems to be a wide variation in action depending upon where you’re fishing. Coronado continues to yield up some small bass along with a few halibut and decent-sized rays and sharks. South Bay piers continue fairly slow with much the same species—bass, jacksmelt, rays and sharks providing most of the action. The Embarcadero Pier slowed although some big bat rays and leopard sharks have been taken. The mackerel and bonito bites have slowed. Shelter Island reports a few halibut (including some legals), sporadic barracuda action, and LOTS of mackerel. Not much else. Oceanside sees a few yellowfin croakers inshore along with small leopard sharks but just like other piers the winds have put a damper on the fishing. The Oceanside Harbor Pier has slowed although it is still producing some jacksmelt, leopard sharks and a few mackerel.
Orange County Piers
The deepwater piers — Newport and Balboa saw a drop in water temperatures that put a damper on the fishing. There’s a mix of mackerel, yellowfin croakers, thornbacks, shovelnose, and even a few halibut, but nothing’s steady except for smelt and queenfish. However, a few thresher sharks are also starting to show. San Clemente reports that things are slow with the end section still closed for construction. Some big bat rays have been taken but top action is dead and even the croakers seemed to have slowed. Ditto with Huntington Beach with nothing steady. A few croakers are being taken, some jacksmelt, and a bat ray estimated to weigh over 100 pounds, but overall the action is slow. Seal Beach reports a decent bite on spotfin and yellowfin croakers inshore by the lifeguard station (on lug worms and mussels), and a few halibut mid-pier, but action on top has been slow.
Los Angeles Piers
The oceanfront piers — The Redondo Beach Pier continues to kick out a few halibut and some mackerel but the winds put a crimp on all the piers in Santa Monica Bay. At least the crabs remain abundant. All of the piers along the Santa Monica Bay shoreline (Hermosa Beach, Manhattan Beach and Venice) are seeing a few jacksmelt on top, a few small sharks and thornbacks on the bottom, a few good-sized bat rays, and slow overall action. The one exception in the bay is the Santa Monica Pier, which is experiencing some great action on mackerel. A few halibut have also shown including a 28” fish. Malibu reports small perch and small halibut with anglers also beginning to fish for threshers. Inner Harbor Piers—Belmont Pier continues to kick out a few croakers inshore along with sand bass and halibut mid-pier to the end. Action on top has been slow. At the Cabrillo Pier there has been a mix of small croakers and small halibut. A few bass and perch show out at the end by the rocks. Redondo Sportfishing Pier reports some bonito being taken along with mackerel. The usual perch and perch-like species sow under the pier. The piers at Avalon continue to produce a mix of bass, sheephead, opaleye, halfmoon and rock wrasse but even there the winds have slowed the fishing.
Ventura & Santa Barbara Piers
The Port Hueneme Pier is producing some perch inshore along with some sharays and a few halibut mid-pier. Much of the action on top has slowed. Ventura Pier— the walleye perch have slowed but queenfish and white croakers are still found mid-pier, good numbers of jack mackerel and Pacific mackerel, and a few sharks and rays out a the end of the pier. Stearns Wharf is reporting amazing number of Spanish mackerel (jack mackerel), sardines and shinerperch with anglers taking home buckets of fish. Unfortunately many of the fish are also trapped in the harbor and fish are dying from lack of oxygen. Goleta was seeing late afternoon sardine and mackerel action but winds have knocked down part of the action. Perch are still available, barred surfperch inshore and pileperch by the pilings. Reef action has been slow. Gaviota says fishing is still slow although crabbers are getting a lot of crabs.
Ken’s been fishing California piers for more than forty years. To date he’s fished from 127 California piers and caught 128 different species of fish from those piers. He’s always looking for just one more pier and just one more species of fish. If you have a report or question you can contact him at kenjones@pierfishing.com.
