Category Archives: Pierfishing

Pierfishing

Ken’s Appearance on Hookin’ Up with Mariko Izumi

February 1, 2011 by kenjones

Below is a review of the day Brian Linebarger, Robert Gardner and myself spent with Mariko Izumi in San Francisco. This was back in September, 2009.

A few weeks ago I was contacted by Mariko Izumi who does a “travel show with a fishing spin” on the WFN – World Fishing Network. She wondered if I would be willing to take her to a couple of piers and show her some pier fishing in San Francisco. It would provide the fishing segment for the San Francisco show. She would be visiting San Francisco and then be heading on to Portland and Seattle to do two additional shows. With some hesitation, I agreed.

I told her that September was often the best time to visit San Francisco since the weather is usually beautiful in the fall, but I also told her that I was a little concerned that it was a little between the seasons for the various fish. A little late for halibut, a little early for the “World Series” striper bite, a little early for sturgeon, and not the best time for perch. But, it is what it is. She said that it wouldn’t be a problem.

What piers should I take her too? I decided we would visit Pier 7 and the Fort Point Pier. Pier 7 usually has some sharks and rays available as well as jacksmelt, and would provide some great pictures as far as a downtown, urban-type pier. Fort Point always has some perch, usually a pelagic or two (jacksmelt, sardines, and lately mackerel) and perhaps might yield up a striper or halibut. Fort Point also presents great views of the Golden Gate, the Bay, and The City.

I then asked Robert and Brian if they wanted to be part of the show. Both are long time Bay Area regulars and I thought between the three of us we should be able to find Mariko some fish.

Unfortunately it was a really unusual, wild and wacky day.

Saturday morning turned out to be a morning with thunder, lightning, and rain, and that’s what we saw when got to the pier. The three of us were at the pier early, around 7:30, while Mariko and her crew were to join us at 9 AM. Shortly after arrival a decent-sized bat ray was caught at the end along with a legal-size leopard shark. Regulars then began to catch some sardines and small mackerel on the sides of the pier. I joined them with a Sabiki but couldn’t catch a single sardine or mackerel even though fishing next to them. Instead all I got was a small walleye and an anchovy. I’m not sure what Brian and Robert got during that flurry of action but at least it looked like there would be some fish to film.

However, the rain began to come down more heavily and when Mariko arrived at 9AM it was raining too hard to film. She and her crew went off to get some breakfast while the rest of us endured the rain. I’m not sure I had ever seen rain in San Francisco in early September, and certainly not the thunder and lightning that we experienced, but we were willing to put up with it for some fish.

By the time Mariko returned the rain had stopped. However, the fish had also apparently moved on. They certainly weren’t biting. No one on the pier was catching any fish—baitfish or big fish. Even though there were probably fifteen or so big poles lining the front of the pier not a single fish was caught. Nor did any of the Sabiki poles yield a fish. We stuck it out until around 12:30. We tried for different types of fish with different techniques, baits, and spots on the pier, all with no success. However, Mariko turned out to be a charming young lady and we had some nice conversations about Pier 7, pier rats, and pier fishing in general. The crew was also able to interview a number of regulars and tourists alike. In addition, a couple of regulars who had caught mackerel earlier that morning, and then went off to cook them, returned and offered up some cooked mackerel with a sweet and sour sauce—which was great!

We all then headed over to the Fort Point Pier where the action was still slow but at least we were able to manage a few fish. We fished my favorite perch spot, at the inside corner where the pier widens, and managed to get Mariko a striped seaperch, a couple of smallish-sized blue rockfish and a shinerperch. I was able to get a striped seaperch and a rainbow seaperch. Brian got a nice walleye and again I’m not sure what Robert got. But, the film crew was able to film some fish, watch some crabs being taken, watch and film the sea lion hanging by the pier, and even see a jellyfish brought up to the pier. And they interviewed and filmed quite a few visitors to the pier. Although the weather was still a little overcast, they also managed some nice pictures of The City and the bridge (or at least what we could see of it).

We stopped around 4 PM and while the film crew returned to their hotel, and Robert and Brian returned to the East Bay, I began what turned out to be a 4-hour drive back to Fresno. By this morning I had a nice little cold.

I was bummed that the fishing wasn’t better at the piers but according to Mariko there was plenty of film and they would have a nice segment for the show. We’ll see—somewhere around January/February when the show’s segment on San Francisco is aired.

Till then, if you want to see what the show is about visit http://www.wfn.tv/hookinup/index.php

By the way, in reviewing my records I noticed that the day I had taken the pictures of Pier 7 used in Pier Fishing in California, 2nd Ed., was also September 12. However, the year was 1998 and I was primarily taking pictures not fishing. That day saw a number of large leopard sharks and striped bass taken at the pier. Although we didn’t see any stripers yesterday, perhaps the leopards and other larger fish returned as the tides changed.

I want to give Robert and Brian a special thanks for their part in the show; their efforts were really appreciated.

Read the entire thread and comments at pierfishing.com.

Pierfishing 101 – The Basics

January 27, 2011 by kenjones

Piers in Santa Monica Bay—South to North

Redondo Beach Pier—Hours: Open 24 hours. Facilities: Lights, benches, restrooms, fish cleaning stations, snack bars, and a bait and tackle shop are all located on the pier. There is a huge parking lot with rates of $.50 an hour with a $2 maximum. How To Get There: From the Pacific Coast Highway, take Torrance Blvd. west to the foot of the pier and the parking lot.

• Redondo Sportfishing Pier—Hours: Usually open dawn to dusk. Facilities: There are restrooms on the pier and some lights but no benches. The Sportfishing landing carries some bait and tackle (though more geared toward boat fishing) as well as limited snacks and drinks. Parking in the adjacent parking lot is $2 an hour although you can get validation at the Sportfishing Landing or at Polly’s. There is limited meter parking on side streets. How To Get There: From the Pacific Coast Highway take Beryl St. west to Harbor Dr. and follow it to the entrance of the Sportfishing parking lot.

Hermosa Beach Pier—Hours: Open 6 A.M. to 10 P.M. Facilities: There are lights, benches, and fish-cleaning stations on the pier. Restrooms are found near the front of the pier. Parking is available adjacent to the pier at a cost of $1 an hour in the parking lot. Some metered parking is also available on nearby streets; most are $.50 an hour with a 2- or 3-hour maximum. How To Get There: Take the Pacific Coast Highway (Hwy.1) to Pier Avenue and follow Pier Avenue west to the pier.

Manhattan Beach Pier—Hours: Open 6 A.M. to midnight. Facilities: Some lights, fish-cleaning stations, benches and restrooms on the pier. Metered parking is available on adjacent streets at a cost of $.25 an hour. There is also a beachfront parking lot that costs $.75 an hour and which has a 5-hour maximum time; it is closed from 9:30 P.M. to 4 A.M. How To Get There: From Sepulveda Boulevard turn west on Manhattan Beach Drive and follow it to the pier.

Venice Pier—Hours: Open from 6 A.M. to midnight. Facilities: The pier includes lights, benches, fish-cleaning stations and restrooms at the end of the pier. Parking is available at the foot of the pier for $6 but be sure to arrive early if you expect a spot. How To Get There: Highway 1 to Washington St., turn west and follow Washington St. to the pier.

Santa Monica Pier—Hours: Open 24 hours a day. Facilities: There are lights, benches, fish-cleaning facilities and restrooms on the pier. There is a bait and tackle shop by the end of the pier. There are several snack shops and restaurants on the pier. There is parking on the pier in a lot; the cost is $5-7 a day. There is metered parking on streets above the pier. How To Get There: From I-405 take Santa Monica Blvd. west to Ocean Ave. Turn left, and go to Colorado Ave., and turn right onto the pier.

Malibu Pier—Hours: The pier is open from 7 A.M. to 6 P.M. Facilities: There are benches on the pier and rod holders have been installed every five feet or so along the railing. Parking here can be a problem. Free and metered parking is available on Highway 1 which fronts the pier, but it is almost always hard to find a spot after the early morning hours. There is a parking lot adjacent to the pier open from 8 A.M. to 5 P.M., cost $5 a day, but it is often full. Out at the end of the pier sit two buildings, the one on the north side is Ruby’s Shake Shack while the one on the south side is Malibu Sportfishing. How To Get There: The pier fronts on the Pacific Coast Highway (Hwy 1).

• Paradise Cove Pier—Hours: Sunup to Sundown. Facilities: A paid parking lot ($25) greets visitors to the cove although there is parking validation at the Paradise Cove Beach Café near the beach; buy $20 worth of food and the admission drops to $3. It is possible to park for free out on PCH, and walk down the mile-long access driveway, but you will stay pay a walk-in fee ($5 per person). There are restrooms in the restaurant and near the beach but basically no facilities on the pier itself. How To Get There: Take Highway 1 to Paradise Cove Dr., turn west, and follow the road back into the parking lot.

• = Private piers that require a California fishing license. The unmarked piers are public piers that do not require a license.

Pier Fish: (1) Inshore—barred surfperch, walleye surfperch, yellowfin croaker, spotfin croaker, leopard sharks, thornbacks. (2) Mid-pier—halibut, sargo, herring (queenfish), tomcod (white croaker), thornbacks, shovelnose guitarfish, bat rays, leopard sharks. (3) End of pier/deeper water—pelagics, i.e., mackerel, bonito (some years), sardines and jacksmelt, bat rays, thresher sharks, sculpin. (4) Piling area—blackperch, walleye surfperch, rubberlip perch, sargo, cabezon.

Seasons/Species: Winter—Barred surfperch, walleye surfperch, pileperch, rubberlip seaperch, jacksmelt. Fewer numbers of croakers, halibut, sharks and rays. Lobsters at some piers. Spring—Surfperch and seaperch on bottom, start of pelagics, start of halibut season, upswing in croakers, sharks and rays, especially leopard sharks. A few white seabass may also show up. Summer—Prime time for most croakers, halibut, pelagics, and sharays including thresher sharks. Fall— Still good for some croakers, halibut, pelagics (including bonito and barracuda some years), sharks and rays.

Tackle: Keep it simple. (1) Rods/Reels—(a) light tackle for perch and croakers; (b) medium-light for perch, croakers, halibut, mackerel; (c) heavier tackle for sharks and rays.

Rigging: (1) High/Low rigs for many species; (2) Carolina rigging for halibut; (3) Sliding rigs for top-water fish including bonito.

Bait: (1) Bloodworms and lugworms; (2) Ghost shrimp; (3) Fresh mussels; (4) Frozen/salted anchovies; (5) Mackerel (6) Sardine; (7) Live bait/fish—smelt, shinerperch, walleye surfperch, herring (queenfish), tomcod (white croaker) and lizardfish.

Pier Fishing Trip Planning Checklist:

1. Appropriate clothing—if you catch fish you are going to get a little dirty and (maybe) a little smelly. This includes sunglasses, preferably polarized.

2. Sun screen—the stronger the better (I recommend at least SPF 30), and remember that foggy days can be worse than sunny days.

3. Camera—to memorialize the fish that you intend to release.

4. Needlennose pliers for removing hooks and cutting line.

5. Sharp bait knife, fillet knife, and cutting board (for some piers).

6. Small ice chest and ice.

7. Small zip-lock bags or baggies to put your fillets in.

8. Old newspaper— to protect your car in case you catch the “big one” and want to carry it home to show it off.

9. Bait net and chum to help you catch bait.

10. A hat light if you intend to fish at night. A lighted magnifying glass if you are of a certain age where you need reading glasses.

11. Net (preferred) or treble-hook gaff to help you land fish.

12. Tackle cart (or friend) to help you carry all of this out to the pier.

13. Tide book.