Lizardfish—Family Synodontidae

Lizardfish, Avila Pier in 2013

Species: Synodus lucioceps (Ayres, 1855); from the Greek word synodus (the ancient name of a fish in which the teeth meet), and the Latin word lucioceps  (pike head).

Alternate Names: Gar, barracuda, candlefish. Called lagarto lucio or chile lucio in Mexico.

Identification: They are cylindrical shaped with a broad lizard-like head and a mouth full of large canine-like teeth; the snout is almost triangular. Their coloring is mostly brown or greenish-brown above with a brassy luster on the side; blackish stripes along the lateral line; some criss-cross lines running at angles from the lateral line to the back; sides and belly usually a light gray; lower jaw and fins yellow. Young fish have a series of blue-colored diamonds along the lateral line.

A lizardfish from Stearns Wharf in Santa Barbara in 2013

Size: Up to 25.2 inches and around 4 pounds; most caught off piers are under 14 inches.

Range: From Guaymas, Mexico, and Gulf of California, to Cape Beal, British Columbia. Listed in most “fish books” as an uncommon catch, especially north of Point Conception, and rare north of San Francisco. I used to agree. I fished California piers for 17 years before I caught my first lizardfish, a fish from the Newport Pier in 1978. Four years later I caught my second, a fish at Port Hueneme, and then in 1984 a third was caught at Wharf #2 in Monterey. It would stay that way, basically an occasional, incidental catch into the mid-90s when they began to show up more regularly. Then, in 2006, it seemed their numbers took off and in the intervening years they have become a regular catch at many if not most piers from San Diego north to Santa Cruz. In 2013 reports were coming in of vast numbers of lizardfish from San Diego north, and in personal visits to Stearns Wharf (Santa Barbara), Gaviota, Port San Luis, Avila, the Morro Bay T-Piers, Cayucos, San Simeon and Wharf #2 in Monterey, they seemd to literally cover the bottom and anglers using Sabiki-type bait rigs were bringing in 4-6 fish every cast. Why the change? I haven’t heard a good reason although they do seem to show up most commonly in cold-water years.

A lizardfish from the Goleta Pier in 2007

Habitat: Prefers shallow, sandy areas 5 to 150 feet deep. Lizzies are ambush predators that spend most of their time sitting motionless on the bottom with the body at a slight angle (using their large pelvic fins) waiting for food to swim by. They then dart out at a fairly amazing speed to grab their meal with their long, pointed teeth.

Piers: Once uncommon but now common at many piers—Imperial Beach Pier, Crystal Pier, Oceanside Pier, Balboa Pier, Newport Pier, Venice Pier, Malibu Pier, Port Hueneme Pier, Stearns Wharf, Goleta Pier, Port San Luis and Wharf #2 in Monterey.

A lizardfish caught by sanclementeeric at the Balboa Pier in 2012

Shoreline: Taken occasionally on skiffs and kayaks fishing in bays or in shallow to moderately shallow water areas.

Boats: Rarely seen on boats.

Bait and Tackle: Commonly caught when fishing the bottom for other species. Seems to hit almost any bait but the key is to keep the bait moving. I have caught them on cut bait, strips of squid, pile worms and Sabikis. Use light or medium tackle and a size 6 to 2 hook. Several people have reported that small lizardfish themselves make good bait for halibut, another predator species that mimics the lizard’s behavior.

Yes, lizardfish are sometimes caught on artificial lures — Cabrillo Pier, 2010 (above) and Cayucos Pier, 2005 (below)

Food Value: Reportedly, they are good to eat but quite bony. Some people say the flesh has a strong “fishy” odor and an iodine taste, but others say they are good eating. I’m not sure. There is however a large market for dried lizardfish in Asia. According to Wikipedia, “The Bombay duck or bummalo (Harpadon nehereus, Bengali: bamaloh or loytta, Gujarati: bumla, Marathi: bombil: Bombeli, Sinhala) is, despite its name, not a duck but a lizardfish. It is native to the waters between Mumbai (formerly Bombay) and Kutch in the Arabian Sea, and a small number are also found in the Bay of Bengal. Great numbers are also caught in the South China Sea. The fish is often dried and salted before it is consumed, as its meat does not have a distinctive taste of its own. After drying, the odour of the fish is extremely powerful, and it is usually transported in airtight containers. Fresh fish are usually fried and served as a starter. In Mumbai, Konkan and the western coastal areas in India this dish is popularly known as ‘Bombil fry.’”

Lizardfish head seen at the Cryustal Pier in San Diego, 2005

Comments: With the influx of lizardfish people keep asking what they are good for. One answer is that they make decent live bait for halibut (and a big money halibut tournament was won one year by an angler using a lizardfish as live bait). Other fish will also hit a lizardfish being used for bait; most surprising was a 40-pound giant (black) sea bass that was taken in San Diego Bay in July of 2013 on a lizardfish (and returned to the water since they are illegal). You just never know.

You can’t always choose your relatives (and luckily mine are a nice group). But consider the poor lizardfish. Lizzies are a cyclosquamate fish placed in the order, Aulopiformes, along with a dozen or so other families. Nothing strange about that except that all of those other families are deepwater fish, what one Ichthyology book (Fishes, Moyle and Cezh) calls “a mixed bag of odd fishes.” Included are the barracundinas, sabertooths, pearleyes, lancetfishes, greeneyes, spiderfishes and grideyes. All of these either occupy the water column of the deep sea or are actual deepsea bottom-dwellers. Only the various lizardfish are considered inshore fish (although two species are deepwater fish). And while both the California lizardfish and Atlantic lizardfish reach fairly cool waters, most lizzies call tropical and subtropical waters their home.

I found that out during a trip to Hawaii in 1993 while chaperoning a group from Anderson Valley High School. We were staying near Waikiki Beach and several of us headed over to the beach to do a little surf fishing. In two hours I only managed three fish but one surprised me by being a lizardfish—a variegated lizardfish (Synodus variegates). It was the only lizardfish I caught on that trip although a return trip to Waikiki Beach two years later yielded up another variegated lizardfish. Two trips doesn’t mean they’re common for that beach but they were certainly common for me.

Notwithstanding their oddball cousins, lizardfish do have one honor. Not too many fish have had Naval vessels named after them. Not so with the typically maligned lizardfish. The USS Lizardfish (SS-373) was a Balao-class submarine commissioned December 30, 1944. Built in Illinois, she was towed down the Mississippi River to Algiers, Louisiana before putting out to sea where she traveled through the Panama Canal on way to Pearl Harbor. Soon after, she was headed out to the Java Sea and South China Sea where she was successfully engaged in several battles. The ship earned one battle star for World War II but the end of the war brought an end to the need for her service. The ship was decommissioned on June 1946 after less than two years of service.

The Kids Corner 

Kids love Lizardfish since they are easy to catch

This youngster was amazed with the lizardfish — Cabrillo Pier in 2009

Grandson Adam seemed to like this lizardfish — Avila Pier Kids Tournament 2013

Granddaughter Katie can take ‘em or leave ‘em — Avila Pier Kids Tournament 2013

A friends daughter — Avila Pier Kids Tournament 2013

One more, Avila Pier Kids Tournament 2013

Stearns Wharf (Santa Barbara) Kids Tournament, 2013

Stearns Wharf (Santa Barbara) Kids Tournament, 2013

A happy kid is a happy mom — Stearns Wharf (Santa Barbara) Kids Tournament 2013

Giant kelpfish from the Cabrillo Mole in Avalon i 2011

Species: Heterostichus rostratus (Girard, 1854); from the Greek words heter  (different) and ost (extra bone), and the Latin word rostratus  (beaked or hooked).

Alternate Names: Kelpfish, eel, iodine fish, butterfish, and kelp blenny. Called sargacero gigante in Mexico.

Identification: The body is long and compressed. The dorsal fin is very long and continuous with many more spines than soft rays. The caudal fin is deeply forked (rounded in spotted kelpfish and striped kelpfish). Their coloring varies from light brown to green to yellow to purple depending on the habitat; typically those in kelp are usually kelp-colored, those in eelgrass bright green with brilliant silvery stripes.  Apparently these fish can change colors rapidly, at least juvenile fish, with browns and greens seeming to be the preferred colors. Adult females also have the ability to change from red to brown to green, however, it takes them a little longer than the kids. Alas, the adult males seem to have forgotten how to perform this party-pleasing trick.

Giant kelpfish from the Cabtillo Mole on Catalina in 2010

Size: To 24 inches long; most caught off piers are 10 to 14 inches.

Range: Cabo San Lucas, southern Baja California to British Columbia.

Habitat: Shallow-water areas near rocks or kelp.

Giant kelpfish from the Cabrillo Mole in 2009

Piers: Found at piers that have a heavy growth of kelp or seaweed. Best bets: Ocean Beach Pier, Cabrillo Pier, Green Pleasure Pier (Avalon), Cabrillo Mole—by far the best  (Avalon), Redondo Sportfishing Pier, Paradise Cove Pier, and Gaviota Pier.

Shoreline: An occasional catch by rocky shore anglers in southern California.

Boats: An inshore species occasionally taken by boaters and kayakers fishing kelp beds.

Giant kelpfish from the Cabrillo Mole in 2013

Bait and Tackle: Light to medium tackle and small, size 8 to 6 hooks. The best bet is to tie the hooks directly onto the line. Preferred baits appear to be small crabs, pieces of shrimp, live bloodworms or pile worms, and fresh mussels (although I have caught some on small pieces of abalone).

Food Value:  Reported to be fair eating although with an unusual flavor. I’ve never tried them myself but would expect them to be good fried. The flesh assumes the external color of the fish.

Comments: Although generally considered uncommon north of Point Conception, I have caught a number of these pretty fish while fishing inshore at the Berkeley Pier. The fish were caught right in among the shoreline rocks and the usual bait was small pieces of pile worm. Two related species, striped kelpfish and crevice kelpfish are also common at Bay Area piers; both though have rounded tails and their coloring is different from giant kelpfish.

 Giant kelpfish caught at the Cabrillo Mole by Mahigeer (Hashem Nahid) in 2012

Giant kelpfish taken from the Capitola Wharf in 2013 (Photo courtesy of Capitola Boats and Bait)

Martin from Denmark and his first Catalina fish, a giant kelpfish in 2003

KJ and a giant kelpfish at the Cabrillo Mole in 2010, a day when the fishing was good but the weather offered high, high, red-flag winds and what seemed to be the coldest day in Catalina in 25 years

A giant kelpfish from the Capitiola Wharf in 2013

Giant kelpfish at the Cabrillo Mole with Mahigeer in 2010

A giant kelpfish from the Cabrillo Mole in 2003

A nice-sized giant kelpfish taken at the Goleta Pier in 2004

A giant kelpfish from the Paradise Cove Pier in 2004

Giant kelpfish taken at the Cabrillo Mole in 2003

Big giant kelpfish taken in 2013 by bad1sh

A sargo caught at the San Clemente Pier in 2015

Species: Anisotremus davidsonii (Steindachner, 1876); from the Greek word anisotremus (unequal aperture, in reference to the pores on the chin), and davidsonii (for George Davidson, a 19th Century astronomer at the California Academy of Sciences).

Alternate Names: China croaker, black croaker, blue bass, grunt, perch, sargo raiado. Called burro piedrero or sargo rayado in Mexico.

A sargo caught at the Santa Monica Pier in 2013

Identification: General perch shape but heavy bodied. The dorsal fin is long and ddeeply notched with spines longer than rays. They have 9 to 11 soft rays in the anal fin (perch have at least 13), and the second anal fin is strong and as long as the soft anal rays (anal fin spines of perch are weak and only half as long as the rays).  Their coloring is entirely metallic silvery; iridescent with a grayish tinge above, plain silver below. A dark vertical bar runs across the body in the pectoral area. The shape and similar dark bar can, at times, lead to confusion with pileperch but sargo have a shorter anal fin and a different shape to the dorsal fin. In addition the bar is farther back on the perch and the tail of the perch is very forked. Sargo caught in bays tend to be darker in color. Both “golden” and “albino” sargo have been recorded in California.

Size: To 17.4 inches and just over 3 1/2 pounds; most caught off piers are under 14 inches in length.

Two sargo taken from Malibu in 2009

Range: Bahia Magdalena, southern Baja California, and Gulf of California to Santa Cruz. Sargo are uncommon north of Point Conception.

Habitat: Primarily found inshore and in bays around rocky areas.

Piers: Common at both oceanfront and bay piers north to Gaviota. Best bets: Embarcadero Marina Park Pier, Shelter Island Pier, Oceanside Pier, Oceanside Harbor Pier, Dana Harbor Pier, Seal Beach Pier, Belmont Veterans Memorial Pier, Long Beach Finger Piers, Cabrillo Pier, Redondo Harbor Sportfishing Pier, and the Santa Monica Pier.

A sargo taken at the Crystal Pier in San Diego by Angel H in 2015

Shoreline: A common catch by southern California shore anglers especially when fishing near rocky areas. Favored areas include Mission Bay and San Pedro Bay.

Boats: An inshore species rarely taken by boaters unless they are fishing in bays—San Diego Bay, Mission Bay, and San Pedro Bay.

Small sargo caught by KJ at the San Clemente Pier in 2015

Bait and Tackle: Sargo are bottom feeders that prefer ghost shrimp, fresh mussels, and worms, but they can be caught on almost any bait. Use size 8 to 4 hooks and fish on the bottom or a couple of feet above the bottom. The most commonly used rigging is a high/low leader.

Food Value: Good meat, similar in taste and texture to croakers. Best fried, baked or broiled.

Comments: A good sport fish, very similar to the larger croakers.  The first sargo you catch may surprise you when you hold it and feel it grunt—not surprising since it belongs to the grunt family.

Sargo caught at the Oceanside Harbor Pier in 2013

Large sargo from the Redondo Sportfishing Pier in 2012

A sargo taken at the Long Beach Finger Piers in 2013

My grandson Adam’s first sargo, a fish caught in 2009 from the Crystal Pier

KJ and a sargo from the Crystal Pier in 2010

A sargo from the Belmont Veterans Pier in Long Beach in 1998

Tom and a pair of sargo from the Santa Monica Pier in 2003

Sargo from the San Clemente Pier by Domphabro in 2009

Sargo taken by IsoGure in 2014 from the Dana Point Jetty

Order Decapoda

Spiny Lobster—Family Palinuridae

A Spiny Lobster up close and personal

Species: Panulirus interruptus (Randall, 1840); interruptus refers to the grooves on the abdomen which are interrupted in this species.

A lobster from the Shelter Island Pier in San Diego Bay in 2009

Alternate Name: Bugs, crayfish, marine crayfish, rock lobster and red lobster. In Mexico called langosta mexicana or langosta roja. Most anglers in California simply call them bugs and greedily await the start of the “bug” season each Fall.

Lobster taken by DompfaBen (Dominating Positive Fishing Attitude Ben) in 2004

Identification: Typical lobster shape, color that varies from brick-red to brown with greenish overtones, and a carapace (or back) that is very spiny with two extra large spines protruding over the eyes. Missing is the large claw that distinguishes the more famous Atlantic lobsters. At the lower edge of each of the tail segments is a large spine that can produce a painful pinch or puncture when the lobster flexes its tail.

Lobster from Stearns Wharf in Santa Barbara in 2002

Size: Reported to 26 pounds and 24 inches; most caught from pier are sub-legal size and even legal ones are rarely over 5 pounds in weight. The California record is listed at 16 pounds 1 ounce taken by a diver at Catalina Island in 1968.

Lobster from the Venice Pier in 2003

Range: Bahia Magdelena, Baja, California, to Monterey Bay (but uncommon north of Point Conception).

Lobster taken by Hashem at the Paradise Cove Pier in 2009

Habitat: Prefers rocky shorelines and bottoms along the coast and around the Channel Islands. Usually found in various holes and crevices during the day while venturing out to feed alone at night. Typical food includes snails, sand dollars, shellfish and decaying animal and plant matter: they’ll eat just about anything.

Baitfish (Adam) and a Stearns Wharf (Santa Barbara) lobster in 2002

Piers: A favorite goal of SoCal pier anglers during the typical October to March lobster season. Unfortunately, many piers have seen persistent and increased poaching of lobsters during the past decade and as a result few piers yield the numbers once commonly encountered. The poachers take (and keep) lobsters of every size, do so during every month (no matter the legal season), and the California Department of Fish and Game seems unable to end the problem. As a result we do not offer specific recommendations for best piers. General recommendations: 1. Most lobsters are taken at night so the piers that are open at night offer the best chance for a lobster.  2. Bugs are typically found along rocky shores and bottom areas that contain rocks so piers that have that type of bottom, or that have reefs near the pier, generally yield the best results. The number one pier in the state for lobsters was the Cabrillo Mole at Avalon on Catalina Island. However, as of 2015 it is illegal to take lobsters from the Cabrillo Mole.

Lobster taken by Lisa at the Green Pleasure Pier in Avalon in 2002

Shoreline: Taken by hoop nets in rocky areas.

Boats: Taken by regular boaters and kayakers venturing into their shallow water, rocky habitat.

Lobster taken by DompfaBro in 2007

Bait and Tackle: Spiny lobsters are most commonly taken by using hoop nets. Bait varies but fish scraps are probably the most prevalent bait used to catch them (and cans of cat food are favored by some of the people on the Pier Fishing in California Message Board). While many lobsters are accidentally hooked on fishing lines, and give really big surprises to the anglers who pull them in, it’s against the law to keep them.

Lobster — Hoopin’ It Up

Lobster taken at the San Clemente Pier in 2010

Lobster gauge

Checking the size of a lobster at the Ventura Pier in 2007

Hashem checking the size of a lobster at the Cabrillo Mole in Avalon in 2014 [Lobsters can no longer be taken at the Cabrillo Mole]

It’s too small, a quick kiss and back into the water — Hashem at the Cabrillo Mole in Avalon, 2014 [Lobsters can no longer be taken at the Cabrillo Mole].

Food Value: Excellent eating!

Yummy! A mess of lobster from the Cabrillo Mole in Avalon in 2010

A little variety for dinner — lobster, sheephead, opaleye and kelpfish — all from the Cabrillo Mole in Avalon in 2010. Today it’s against the law to catch lobsters at the Mole.

Comments: As with crabs, be sure to check current Fish and Game regulations before you go after the “bugs.” Minimum size restrictions, approved seasons, and legal bag limits will all be explained. In addition, all people seeking lobsters need to have a “Lobster Card” on which they must record their take throughout the year.

Hashem (Mahigeer) at the Hermosa Beach Pier with a small lobster in 2004

A nice lobster taken by Brady in 2004

A good-sized lobster taken from the Santa Monica Pier in 2003

DompfaBen and a lobster in 2004

A lobster taken at a “Kid’s Fishing Derby” at the Shelter Island Pier in 2009

Lobster taken by “Catfish” at the Santa Monica Pier in 2003

A nice lobster from the Oceanside Pier in 2005

DompfaBen and two of his favorite things — a lobster and his Dodgers

Looks like a nice combo dinner — Lobsters and crabs taken from the Santa Monica Pier by Baitfish (Adam) in 2003

An unusual combo. I had hooked a halibut and asked Hashem to use his crab hoop (which was sitting in the water) to net the fish. When he pulled it up there was also a lobster in the net. At the Paradise Cove Pier in 2009.

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The Panulirus Creed

Posted by DomphaBen to the “Pier Fishing In California Message Board” on November 17, 2004

With apologies to all of my parochial school teachers…

The Panulirus Creed, (based loosely on the Nicene Creed)

We believe in one Lobster,

the Benthos, the All-Spiny,

taker of hoop-bait and mirth,

of all that is, seen and unseen.

We believe in one Pull, Heavus Heist,

the only Fun of Cod,

eternally begotten of the Benthos,

rod from rod, Light-line from Light-stick,

huge bug from true tug.

Be-boiled, not filleted,

of one Being with the Gauge.

Through him my dinners were made.

For us and for our salivation

he came out from reef-haven:

by the power of the Holy Mackerel

he became netted from the Sturgeon Scary,

and was made 1/7 of a limit.

For our sake he was boiled under Caphalon;

he ruddied, died and was buttered.

In a few minutes he was sliced and eaten

in fulfillment of the Pictures;

he descended into my belly

and is seated at the right hand of my love-handle.

He will come again in plumbing to sludge the living and the dead,

and his memory will have no end.

We believe in the Holy Mackerel, the bait, the giver of Lobster,

who proceeds from the Squid and the Sabiki.

With the Squid and the Sabiki he is frozen and zip-tied.

He has spoken through PFIC.

We believe in one holy, aesthetic, and sanitary Pier.

We acknowledge one license for the avoidance of poaching.

We look for the resurrection of the kelp,

and the capture of Lobster to come.

Amen.

in nomini panulirus, spiny, et sabiki sancti…

One more DompfaBen lobster. This time in 2003 with wife Brandy.

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Lobsterilla — Persevering twins reap late reward of one giant lobster

Ed Zieralski, San Diego Union-Tribune, October 20, 2002

It was another marathon Saturday with dad, starting with a 6:30 a.m. tee time and finishing at midnight at the Oceanside Pier.

But it turned into a very special day for Blake and Garett Spencer, a pair of 9-year-old twins who teamed with their father, Todd, to catch a lobster of a lifetime.

“Saturday is my day with the boys, and we started with 18 holes at Temeku (Golf Course),” said Escondido’s Todd Spencer, manager of a collection agency.

From there, it was on to Oceanside Pier for some hoop-netting for lobsters, an activity the boys later told their dad they’d pick over playing video games.

“This was only our second time hoop-netting,” Spencer said. “We went at the end of last season and fished off Ocean Beach Pier. We didn’t get anything, but the boys loved it.”

Last Friday, the boys asked their father: “When are we going lobster hunting again?”

Spencer promised they’d go after his golf outing the  next day. They packed their rig with items that don’t necessarily go together like ham and eggs: dad’s golf bag and gear, a couple of hoopnets and 21/2 pounds of mackerel for lobster bait.

Golf and hoop-netting, an outdoorsman’s daily double, for sure.

Golfing done, Spencer said they arrived at the Oceanside Pier at 6 p.m. and started fishing the windward side of the pier.

“We were the only ones with hoopnets, and I was beginning to think the Oceanside Pier wasn’t the right place to hoop-net for lobsters,” Spencer said.

He turned to his boys after a few hours of not getting anything and asked them, “Would you guys rather be home with your new X-Box games, or would you rather be out here on the pier fishing and not catching anything?”

They chose being on the pier over playing video games. This was more fun, and besides, it was quality time outside with dad.

“That made me feel pretty good,” Spencer said. “I’m from Northern California. I grew up in the foothills of Yosemite, out in the country. My kids are city kids, but they have the same interests I have. They love being outdoors.”

Shortly after their talk, Spencer switched to the leeward side of the pier, and the change produced two short lobsters, each about 1/4-inch short, just after 10 p.m. They sent them back like good sportsmen.

Another pick of the net produced a giant spider crab, about a 6- or 7-pounder, Spencer said. He was about to throw it back, but a man told him to keep it because it was very good eating.

“It looked nasty, but he said it was good,” Spencer said. “I cooked it later, and it not only looked nasty, it tasted nasty. Next time, it’s going back into the water.”

The spider crab provided a thrill to Spencer and his boys, and since it was getting close to midnight, Spencer felt it was time to go.

But then Spencer heard the cry of, “C’mon dad, one more pull, one more pull before we go.” “One more pull” to a hoop-netter is what “one more cast” is to a fisherman, what “one more shot” is to a bird hunter.

Spencer gave in. They made a set, left it for a while and made one more pull.

“It was the last pull of the night,” Spencer said.

And what a pull.

As the net came up, Spencer and his boys couldn’t believe their eyes. There in the net was what Spencer later called the “mutant lobster.” He never weighed the giant crustacean, but, including its antennae, the giant bug was at least 46 inches long, nearly as tall as his boys, who are 56 inches tall. He estimated it at 15 pounds.

California spiny lobsters have been known to go as high as 25 to 30 pounds. Biologists figure a lobster that big could be anywhere from 50 to 150 years old.

“I have a friend who dives, and he’s saying it’s a minimum of 15 pounds,” Spencer said. “I wish now I would have taken it to a supermarket or somewhere and weighed it,”

Spencer and his boys celebrated the next day with a lobster feast.

“You know how people say the big old lobsters are tough and not good eating,” Spencer said. “That’s not so. This lobster was tender and sweet. Really god eating.”

Looking back, Spencer said he likely would have quite around 9 p.m. had the boys chosen to go home to play video games.

“It was all because they wanted to stay,” Spencer said. “It was our day out. And what a fantastic day.”

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Regulations: [What You Need to Know to "Stay Legal" — From California Department of Fish and Wildlife]: (1) A California sport fishing license with ocean enhancement stamp is required to take lobster south of Point Arguello. The license must be displayed by hoop netters, and divers must keep their fishing license either aboard the vessel or, if beach diving, with their gear within 500 yards from shore; (2) A Spiny Lobster Report Card is required for every person fishing for or taking spiny lobster. This includes persons who are not required to have a sport fishing license, such as children under the age of 16, persons fishing from a public pier, and persons fishing on free fishing days. Report cards must be carried by hoop netters, and divers must keep it with their fishing license. Just like the sport fishing license, report cards are valid from January 1 through December 31. If a lobster fisherman fills up a card before the year ends, the card can be returned and a new one purchased. The Spiny Lobster Report Card must be returned to the Department no later than January 31 of the following year; (3) The spiny lobster open season runs from the Saturday preceding the first Wednesday in October through the first Wednesday after March 15 (the first Wednesday in October is when commercial season opens; (4) No implements other than hoop nets may be used to take lobster. Divers may only use their bare or gloved hands to take lobster; (5) Both lobster divers and hoop netters must carry a lobster gauge when attempting to take lobster. The gauge is a metal or plastic measuring device that has a fixed gap of 3¼ inches for determining the legal size of the lobster. Lobster gauges can be purchased at most dive and tackle shops. Divers may bring lobster to the surface of the water for the purpose of measuring, but no undersized lobster may be retained by the diver, brought aboard any boat, or placed in any type of receiver. Hoop netters are required to measure lobster immediately upon retrieving their net, and any undersized lobster must be released immediately; (6) The lobster daily bag and possession limit is seven (7) lobsters. This includes any lobster stored at home or elsewhere; at no time may more than seven lobsters be in anyone’s possession; (7) A maximum of five (5) hoop nets may be fished by an individual, except on piers, jetties, and other shore-based structures where each angler is limited to two (2) hoop nets. No more than 10 hoop nets may be fished on a vessel, regardless of how many licensed anglers are aboard; (8) It is illegal to disturb or rob commercial lobster traps.

How to Measure Lobster — To determine whether the lobster you’ve just caught is large enough to keep, you must measure the length of the body shell, or carapace, along the midline from the rear edge of the eye socket (between the horns) to the rear edge of the carapace with a lobster gauge (see diagram above). This straight-line measurement should be a minimum of 3¼ inches. The carapace of a legal-sized lobster is larger than or equal to the gauge’s cutout. If the lobster is too small, it should immediately be released back into the water. Undersized lobster should never be brought aboard a vessel, or ashore if diving from the beach. Current spiny lobster sport fishing regulations can be found in the Ocean Sport Fishing regulation booklet, available at most sporting goods stores and wherever fishing licenses are sold, or on the Department of Fish and Game Web site at:
www.dfg.ca.gov/regulations

Species

Alternate Names: Greenback, green mackerel, green racer, greenies (or candy bar greenies—small mackerel), blue mackerel, striped mackerel, zebra mackerel, right mackerel, chub mackerel, frog, tiny tuna, mac, big mac, mac trash and my favorite—macaroni. Called macarela del Pacífico in Mexico. 19th century commercial fishermen often called them tinker mackerel, little mackerel or Easter mackerel. In the late 1800s and early 1900s, SoCal newspapers referred to large mackerel as “cornfed mackerel.” Given the number of Midwesterners who had moved to California in the late 1800s, and the fact that large and stocky men and women in that area were often called cornfed (in a healthy sense), the name would seem to make sense. My goodness, what a plethora of diverse names.

Pacific mackerel — Thomas Orozco, Pepper Park Pier, San Diego

Identification: Typical mackerel shape with am elongated body tapering at both ends; identified by the long space between the dorsal fins, 25 to 30 black to dark green bars and spots across the back, and irregular spots on the sides.

Size: To 25 inches and 6 pounds. Most caught off piers are less than 18 inches. The California record fish weighed 2 lb 8 oz and was taken at Los Angeles in 1995.

You don’t need heavy equipment for most macs — Shelter Island Pier in San Diego

Range: Gulf of California (some sources say Bahia Banderas) to southeastern Kamchatka, western Gulf of Alaska. Also Panama to Chile and Islas Galápagos.

Pacific mackerel — Hermosa Beach Pier

Habitat: Pelagic, feeding mainly on euphausids (small, shrimp-like crustaceans, i.e., krill, usually 1/8 inch to less than an inch), squid, and young fish. Found from the surface down to about 100 feet.

Piers: Common at most piers in California north to and including those in Monterey Bay (generally at the more northern piers in late summer or fall). Best bets: Imperial Beach Pier, Oceanside Pier, San Clemente Pier, Balboa Pier, Newport Pier, Redondo Beach Pier, Redondo Sportfishing Pier, Hermosa Beach Pier, Manhattan Beach Pier, Malibu Pier, Stearns Wharf (Santa Barbara), Goleta Pier, Gaviota Pier and Monterey Wharf #2. Generally uncommon at piers north of Monterey Bay although recent warm-water years have seen them move north. In 2009 mackerel began to show up at the Pacifica Pier that sits just south of San Francisco. Next they entered San Francisco Bay and became fairly common at many piers along the San Francisco waterfront as well as several piers in the East Bay. But, they continued to move north!  In September of 2014 we had one taken at a “Kids Fishing Derby” at the Trinidad Pier north of Eureka (75 miles south of the Oregon border) and then in October of 2015 I caught one at the Citizens Dock in Crescent City, just 20 miles from the Oregon border. in 2016 several were caught at the Del Norte Street Pier in Eureka as well as at other spots in Humboldt Bay. Mackerel follow the baitfish and the baitfish often follow the warm water.

Pacific mackerel — Hashem Nahid (Mahageer), Redondo Beach Pier

Shoreline: Sometimes taken by shore anglers fishing from jetties in southern California.

Boats: One of the mainstay fish for southern California boats although some years also caught north at least to Monterey Bay.

Pacific mackerel — Robert Gardner (Redfish), Cabrillo Mole, Avalon, Catalina Island

Bait and Tackle: Caught on a wide range of baits and artificial lures. A very simple method is also the most common; it is especially useful when fishing from a pier that sits down near the water. Simply attach a size 4-2 hook to the end of the line, put a small split-shot sinker a couple of feet above the hook, and use a small strip of squid, 2-3 inches long, or a bloody strip of mackerel, as the bait. The rigging can be used as is, or used in conjunction with a small float so that the bait stays a few feet under the surface of the water. If available, live anchovies are also excellent bait. When a school of mackerel is in one of their ravenous moods, a Sabiki/Lucky Lura-type bait rig can be deadly and will often produce a fish on every hook (which can lead to tangles and loss of the rig). The most fun can be had with a light outfit and a small artificial lure—a light bonito-type jig or even a cast-a-bubble with a bucktail fly. Generally the bait, whether live bait or cut bait, should be kept moving. A technique that often works is to cast out a high/low leader baited with cut anchovy or piece of mackerel, let it sink toward the bottom, then immediately begin a medium speed retrieve; mackerel will often hit it on the way up, usually just before it gets to the surface. At times, when a school is really hungry, the mackerel will hit on anything and everything (although I think pieces of mackerel are the best bait) and this leads to the common term: “mac attack.” It’s an appropriate title.

Pacific mackerel — Trinidad Pier (north of Eureka) —a rare treat this far north

Food Value: Mackerel are a fairly strong flavored fish, a fact that stops some people from eating them. Too often they wind up being used as bait, as fertilizer, or being thrown away. At the same time many people find them delicious. Typically the difference is due to the way they are handled and cooked. Being a fairly oily fish, the flesh can quickly deteriorate and soften. Put them on ice after capture, keep them cold, and use within a couple of days, and you will be starting with a much more palatable type of flesh. In addition, you can remove the darker (muscle) flesh from the side of the fish (the lighter the flesh the more mild). Lastly, if you want to reduce the strong flavor, cook utilizing methods that remove oil from the flesh—broiling and barbecuing being the best.  If you have a smoker they can also be made into tasty jerky. It’s recorded that in England there has been a special dispensation in existence since the seventeenth century that allows mackerel to be sold on Sunday. Thus the quickly spoiling fish are not wasted. It simply affirms the necessity of keeping them cold and eating them while fresh.

The flip side is that some groups prefer the strong flavors. They know that using spices that complement the flesh produces a tasty and favorable piece of fish. Still, mackerel may not be the fish for those raised on the mild tasting, white-fleshed fish used for fish and chips (cod, halibut, rock cod, etc.).

A mess of macs from Wharf #2 in Monterey

Mackerel caught at the Newport Pier in 1998 by Sucnguyen. Newport and similar deep-water piers like Balboa, Redondo Beach and Monterey Wharf #2 are frequently the best places to catch mackerel.

Comments: Mackerel numbers seem to go in cycles; for years they will be fairly uncommon and then there will be years when they will be at nearly every southern California pier. Recent years have seen huge catches. Unfortunately many of these mackerel go to waste. I have seen people who loaded buckets (or gunnysacks) with mackerel day after day at their favorite piers. I sincerely hoped they used them. Pacific mackerel are pretty little fish and terrific fighters for their size. Seafood, A Connoiseur’s Guide and Cookbook by Alan Davidson, comments on the “attractive and flashy appearance of mackerel,” noting that the “French name maquereau also means ‘pimp’” and that “in the past mackerel was a term for dandy in England.”

Pacific mackerel and Pacific sardine — Goleta Pier. Both fish will sometimes school in the same areas and when they do anglers are assured a good catch of fish.

 An uncommon to the area Pacific mackerel from the Del Norte Street Pier in Eureka

Multi-species days — from one pier 

Sixteen species trip:

Cabrillo Mole, April 26, 2013—Jack Mackerel, Kelp Bass, Blacksmith, Senorita, Kelp Rockfish, Garibaldi, Halfmoon, Opaleye, Grass Rockfish, Pacific Mackerel, Treefish, California Scorpionfish, Sheephead, Pacific Sardine, Black Seaperch, Spotted Kelpfish

Treefish taken from the Cabrillo Mole in Avalon — 2013

Fifteen species trip:

Cabrillo Mole, April 27, 2013—Kelp Bass, Pacific Mackerel, Jack Mackerel, Kelp Rockfish, Blacksmith, Treefish, Black Seaperch, Sheephead, Garibaldi, Senorita, Halfmoon, Opaleye, Pacific Sardine, Grass Rockfish, Spotted Kelpfish

Cabrillo Mole, September 19, 2010—Kelp Bass, Garibaldi, Senorita, Jack Mackerel, Jacksmelt, Opaleye, Halfmoon, Sheephead, Giant Kelpfish, Treefish, Blacksmith, Striped Kelpfish, Rock Wrasse, Blackperch, Finescale Triggerfish

Finescale Triggerfish taken from the Cabrillo Mole in Avalon — 2010

Thirteen species trip:

Avila Pier, August 3, 2013—California Lizardfish, White Croaker, Speckled Sanddab, Brown Rockfish, Vermilion Rockfish, Yellowtail Rockfish, Bocaccio, Cabezon, Kelp Greenling, Blue Rockfish, Onespot Fringehead, Barred Surfperch, Jacksmelt

Cabrillo Mole, April 27, 2012—Kelp Bass, Pacific Mackerel, Jack Mackerel, Pacific Sardine, Senorita, Blacksmith, Opaleye, Treefish, Sheephead, Cabezon, California Scorpionfish, Kelp Rockfish, Halfmoon

Cabezon from the Cabrillo Mole in Avalon — 2012

Cabrillo Mole, April 23. 2010—Kelp Bass, Opaleye, Senorita, California Scorpionfish, Garibaldi, Rock Wrasse, Sheephead, Jacksmelt, Halfmoon, Kelp Rockfish, Treefish, Giant Kelpfish, Spotted Kelpfish

Sheephead from the Cabrillo Mole in Avalon — 2012

 Twelve species trips:

Cabrillo Mole, April 16, 2011—Blacksmith, Jack Mackerel, Kelp Bass, Pacific Mackerel, Ocean Whitefish, Senorita, California Scorpionfish, Salema, Treefish, Kelp Rockfish, Brown Rockfish, Pacific Sardine + 2 Spiny Lobster

Cabrillo Mole, April 25, 2010—Sheephead, Garibaldi, Kelp Bass, Opaleye, Halfmoon, California Scorpionfish, Kelp Perch, Rock Wrasse, Kelp Rockfish, Senorita, Jacksmelt, Blackperch

  18″ Kelp Bass (calico bass) from the Cabrillo Mole in Avalon — 2010

Cabrillo Mole, April 24, 2009—Kelp Bass, Garibaldi, Giant Kelpfish, Opaleye, Halfmoon, Spotted Kelpfish, California Scorpionfish, Sheephead, Treefish, Senorita, Jacksmelt, Kelp Perch.

Eleven species trips:

Cabrillo Mole, April 28, 2012—Jack Mackerel, Pacific Mackerel, Blacksmith, Kelp Bass, Treefish, Kelp Rockfish, Garibaldi, Pacific Sardine, Sheephead, Jacksmelt, Senorita

Cabrillo Mole, April 24, 2010—Blacksmith, Jacksmelt, Kelp Rockfish, Kelp Bass, Rock Wrasse, Senorita, Pacific Mackerel, Opaleye. Garibaldi, Blackperch, Giant Kelpfish

Cabrillo Mole, April 18, 2008—Kelp Bass, Halfmoon, Senorita, Opaleye, Giant Kelpfish, Sheephead, Rock Wrasse, Garibaldi, Brown Rockfish, Blacksmith, Jacksmelt

California Scorpionfish (sculpin) from the Cabrillo Mole in Avalon — 2010

Cabrillo Mole, April 24, 2004—Garibaldi, Blacksmith, Senorita, Jacksmelt, Kelp Bass, Opaleye, Giant Kelpfish, Kelp Perch, Sheephead, Striped Kelpfish, Halfmoon

Pacifica Pier, June 12, 1977—Spotfin Surfperch, White Croaker, Walleye Surfperch, Sand Sole, Shinerperch, Staghorn Sculpin, Pacific Tomcod, Silver Surfperch, Redtail Surfperch, White Seaperch, Starry Flounder

My son Mike and a mix of fish from the Pacifica Pier — 1977

Ten species trips:

Morro Bay South T-Pier, August 2, 2013—California Lizardfish, Jacksmelt, Black and Yellow Rockfish, Gopher Rockfish, Brown Rockfish, Kelp Rockfish, Onespot Fringehead, Bocaccio, Chilipepper Rockfish, Vermilion Rockfish

 Onespot Fringehead from Monterey Wharf #2 — 2013

Monterey Wharf #2, July 20, 2013—California Lizardfish, Blue Rockfish, Speckled Sanddab, Pacific Sanddab, Cabezon, Senorita, Pileperch, Sharpnose Seaperch, Onespot Fringehead, Kelp Greenling + 3 Octopus

   Pileperch from Monterey Wharf #2 — 2013

Port San Luis Pier, July 7, 2013—California Lizardfish, Walleye Surfperch, Bocaccio, Speckled Sanddab, Copper Rockfish, Cabezon, Onespot Fringehead, White Seaperch, White Croaker, Rainbow Seaperch + 1 Octopus

Rainbow Seaperch from the Port San Luis Pier — 2013

Paradise Cove Pier, November 21, 2009—Walleye Surfperch, Giant Kelpfish, Jacksmelt, Black Seaperch, Sargo, Kelp Bass, Jack Mackerel, Queenfish, Striped Kelpfish, Thornback Ray + 1 Rock Crab (large).

Cabrillo Mole, April 21, 2007—Opaleye, Halfmoon, California Scorpionfish, Brown Rockfish. Kelp Rockfish, Garibaldi, Blacksmith, Jacksmelt, Rubberlip Seaperch, Treefish

  Opaleye from the Cabrillo Mole in Avalon — 2007

Cabrillo Mole, April 20, 2007—Jacksmelt, Opaleye, Senorita, Rock Wrasse, California Sheephead, Garibaldi, Giant Kelpfish, Kelp Bass, Blacksmith, Halfmoon

Goleta Pier, October 11, 2006—Brown Rockfish, Shinerperch, White Seaperch, Walleye Surfperch, Pileperch, Rainbow Seaperch, Kelp Bass, Jack Mackerel, Gopher Rockfish, Staghorn Sculpin

Goleta Pier, June 6, 2006—Shinerperch, Kelp Perch, Brown Rockfish, Kelp Bass, Pileperch, Barred Surfperch, Walleye Surfperch, Senorita, Speckled Sanddab, Padded Sculpin

Kelp Bass (calico bass) from the Goleta Pier — 2006

Cabrillo Mole, April 23, 2005—Halfmoon, Blacksmith, Kelp Bass, Sheephead, Garibaldi, Treefish, Senorita, Jacksmelt, Kelp Perch, Opaleye   

Opaleye from the Cabrillo Mole, Avalon — 2005

Green Pleasure Pier, April 22, 2004—Kelp Bass, Senorita, Blacksmith, Halfmoon, Rock Wrasse, Garibaldi, Sheephead, Jacksmelt, California Scorpionfish, Shinerperch

Santa Cruz Wharf,  Nov 21, 2003—Blue Rockfish, Jacksmelt, Speckled Sanddab, White Croaker, Staghorn Sculpin, Walleye Surfperch, Spotfin Surfperch, Yellowtail Rockfish (juvenile), Kelp Rockfish, White seaperch

Stearns Wharf, June 28, 1995—White Croaker, Pacific Mackerel, Jack Mackerel, Walleye Surfperch, White Seaperch, Barred Surfperch, Sand Bass, California Scorpionfish, Speckled Sanddab, Queenfish (plus 1 Crab and 2 Starfish)

Elephant Rock Pier, October 11, 1993—Jacksmelt, Walleye Surfperch, Dwarf Perch, Cabezon, Shinerperch, Kelp Rockfish, Black Seaperch, Striped Seaperch, Brown Rockfish, Kelp Greenling

Cabezon from Elephant Rock Pier

Pacifica Pier, January 8, 1977—Silver Surfperch, Walleye Surfperch, Pacific Sanddab, Redtail Surfperch, Jacksmelt, Barred Surfperch, Calico Surfperch, Shinerperch, White Croaker, Staghorn Sculpin

Piers with at least nine species on a single trip: Crystal Pier (San Diego), Oceanside Pier, Redondo Sportfishing Pier, Santa Monica Pier, Goleta Pier, Gaviota Pier, Port View Park Pier (Oakland), Elephant Rock Pier, Fort Baker Pier, Citizen’s Dock (Crescent City)

Mix of fish from the Goleta Pier — 2004

Piers with at least eight species on a single trip: Imperial Beach Pier, San Clemente Pier, Angel Island Pier, Redondo Sportfishing Pier, Goleta Pier.

Often times when I am on my coast-wide fishing trips I will hit 3-5 piers in a day’s time and each receives a separate record. As a result, sometimes the “daily” number of species may be higher than those recorded at a single pier, especially when I am fishing near Point Conception and making the transition between the colder water central coast piers and warmer water southern California piers. Often I will stay in the Morro Bay/Pismo Beach area overnight, get up early and hit a pier or two in that central coast area (Pismo Beach, Avila, etc.) before heading down to the SoCal piers at Gaviota/ Goleta, etc. On those days you often will see a nice variety of fish.

Multi-species days — from several piers during the same day

Eighteen species days

July 20, 2013 (Monterey Wharf #2 & Monterey Coast Guard Pier) — California Lizardfish, Blue Rockfish, Speckled Sanddab, Pacific Sanddab, Cabezon, Senorita, Pileperch, Sharpnose Seaperch, Onespot Fringehead, Kelp Greenling, Gopher Rockfish, Black & Yellow Rockfish, Painted Greenling, Striped Seaperch, Striped Kelpfish, Corraline Sculpin, Bocaccio, Shinerperch

Painted Greenling from the Monterey Coast Guard Pier — 2013

Corraline (?) sculpin from the Monterey Coast Guard Pier — 2013

Sharpnose Seaperch from Monterey Wharf #2 — 2013

Seventeen species days

August 2, 2013 (San Simeon Pier, Cayucos Pier, Morro Bay North T-Pier and Morro Bay South T-Pier) — California Lizardfish, Spotfin Surfperch, Walleye Surfperch, Calico Surfperch, Barred Surfperch, Speckled Sanddab,  Cabezon, White Croaker, Jacksmelt, Onespot Fringehead, Bocaccio, Kelp Rockfish, Gopher Rockfish, Black & Yellow Rockfish, Brown Rockfish, Chilipepper Rockfish, Vermilion Rockfish

Calico Surfperch from the San Simeon Pier — 2013

Spottfin Surfperch from the San Simeon Pier —2013

Kelp Rockfish from the South Morro Bay T-Pier — 2013

Strange looking Black and Yellow Rockfish from the South Morro Bay T-Pier; appears to be missing part of its tail

Gopher Rockfish from the South Morro Bay T-Pier — 2013

Sixteen species days

July 30, 2004 (Gaviota Pier, Stearns Wharf, Port Hueneme Pier, Ventura Pier) — Pacific Sardine, Shinerperch, Speckled Sanddab, Jacksmelt, Topsmelt, Jack Mackerel, Rubberlip Seaperch, Kelp Bass, Pacific Mackerel, Walleye Surfperch, Staghorn Sculpin, Thornback Ray, Cabezon, Queenfish, White Croaker, Pacific Butterfish

Fifteen species days

April 24, 2009 (Green Pleasure Pier, Cabrillo Mole) — Kelp Bass, Rock Wrasse, Sheephead, Pacific Mackerel, Black Seaperch, Garibaldi, Giant Kelpfish, Opaleye, Halfmoon, Spotted Kelpfish, California Scorpionfish, Treefish, Senorita, Jacksmelt, Kelp Perch

Giant Kelpfish from the Cabrillo Mole, Avalon — 2009

Rock Wrasse from the Green Pleasure Pier, Avalon   

Fourteen species days

July 28, 2009 (Santa Cruz Wharf, Capitola Wharf, Seacliff Pier) —Bocaccio, Blue Rockfish, Jacksmelt, Striped Seaperch, Sharpnose Perch, Shinerperch, Walleye Surfperch, White Croaker, Staghorn Sculpin, Barred Surfperch, Brown Rockfish, Speckled Sanddab, Pacific Mackerel, Jack Mackerel

July 30, 2007 (Imperial Beach Pier, Ocean Beach Pier, Oceanside Harbor Pier, Oceanside Pier) — Pacific Mackerel, Mackerel Jack, Queenfish, Topsmelt, Walleye Surfperch, Pacific Sardine, White Croaker, Kelp Bass, Sargo, Black Croaker, Pacific Bonito, Salema, Sand Bass, Yellowfin Croaker

Black Croaker from the Oceanside Harbor Pier — 2007

October 11, 2006 (Malibu Pier, Port Hueneme Pier, Goleta Pier) — Pacific Mackerel, California Lizardfish, White Seaperch, Jacksmelt, Speckled Sanddab, Shinerperch, Brown Rockfish, Walleye Surfperch, Pileperch, Rainbow Seaperch, Kelp Bass, Jack Mackerel, Gopher Rockfish, Staghorn Sculpin

June 6, 2006 (Goleta Pier, Stearns Wharf, Ventura Pier) — Kelp Perch, Brown Rockfish, Kelp Bass, Pileperch, Barred Surfperch, Senorita, Speckled Sanddab, Padded Sculpin, Walleye Surfperch, Shinerperch, Pacific Mackerel, Jack Mackerel, Queenfish, White Croaker

April 24, 2004 (Green Pleasure Pier, Cabrillo Mole—Catalina) — Kelp Bass, Rock Wrasse, California Scorpionfish, Senorita, Garibaldi, Ocean Whitefish, Sheephead, Giant Kelpfish, Opaleye, Blacksmith, Halfmoon, Jacksmelt, Kelp Perch, Striped Kelpfish

Ocean Whitefish from the Green Pleasure Pier, Avalon

July 27, 1994 (Newport Pier, Aliso Beach Pier, Dana Harbor Pier, San Clemente Pier) — Pacific Mackerel, California Lizardfish, Pacific Sardine, Walleye Surfperch, Sargo, Shinerperch, Opaleye, Kelp Bass, Jacksmelt, Black Seaperch, White Croaker, Queenfish, Salema, California Butterfish

Thirteen species days

April 16, 2011 (Green Pleasure Pier, Cabrillo Mole) — Pacific Mackerel, Pacific Sardine, Jack Mackerel, Northern Anchovy, Kelp Bass, Senorita, Blacksmith, Ocean Whitefish, California Scorpionfish, Salema, Treefish, Kelp Rockfish, Brown Rockfish

August 17, 1993 (Cayucos Pier, San Simeon Pier, Monterey Wharf #2) — White Croaker, Queenfish, Barred Surfperch, Staghorn Sculpin, Shinerperch, Walleye Surfperch, Silver Surfperch, Jacksmelt, Jack Mackerel, Bocaccio, Gopher Rockfish, Speckled Sanddab, Kelp Rockfish

 Barred Surfperch from the San Simeon Pier 

Walleye Surfperch from the San Simeon Pier 

Twelve species days

November 21, 2009 (Venice Pier, Paradise Cove Pier) —White Croaker, California Lizardfish, Walleye Surfperch, Giant Kelpfish, Jacksmelt, Black Seaperch, Sargo, Kelp Bass, Jack Mackerel, Queenfish, Striped Kelpfish, Thornback Ray + 1 Rock Crab (large)

October 10, 2006 (Redondo Sportfishing Pier, Hermosa Beach Pier) — Senorita, Opaleye, Kelp Bass, White Seaperch, Pileperch, Rock Wrasse, Giant Kelpfish, Pacific Mackerel, California Scorpionfish, Mackerel Jack, Pacific Sardine, Jacksmelt

 Rubberlip Seaperch from the Gaviota Pier — 2004

July 13, 2003 (Gaviota Pier, Port San Luis Pier, Cayucos Pier, Morro Bay T-Pier) — Walleye Surfperch, Rubberlip Seaperch, Bocaccio, Cabezon, Thornback Ray, Brown Rockfish, Pacific Sardine, Jacksmelt, White Croaker, Lingcod, Staghorn Sculpin, Shinerperch + Starfish

Garibaldi from the Green Pleasure Pier in Avalon — 2002

April 27, 2002 (Green Pleasure Pier, Cabrillo Mole) — Kelp Bass, Rock Wrasse, Senorita, California Scorpionfish, Sheephead, Giant Kelpfish, Crevice Kelpfish, Kelp Perch, Garibaldi, Pacific Mackerel, Jack Mackerel, Shinerperch

June 28, 1999 (Seal Beach Pier, Huntington Beach Pier, Newport Pier) — Salema, Queenfish, White Croaker, Shovelnose Guitarfish, Pacific Mackerel, Yellowfin Croaker, Round Stingray, Jacksmelt, Bocaccio, Mackerel Jack, California Scorpionfish, Staghorn Sculpin

June 21, 1995 (Belmont Pier, Seal Beach Pier, Huntington Beach Pier, Balboa Pier) — Pacific Mackerel, Salema, Jack Mackerel, Queenfish, Jacksmelt, California Halibut, White Croaker, Gray Smoothhound Shark, Staghorn Sculpin, Kelp Bass, Thornback Ray, Round Stingray

July 26, 1994 (Seal Beach Pier, Huntington Beach Pier, Balboa Pier) — White Croaker, Queenfish, White Seabass, Pacific Mackerel, Salema, Shinerperch, Jacksmelt, Spotfin Croaker, Pacific Butterfish, Fantail Sole, Topsmelt, Jack Mackerel

Picture by Pierhead — Goleta Pier

Date: October 8, 2005, To: PFIC Message Board, From: Seabass_Seeker, Subject: UFO FIRST HAND SIGHTING GOLETA PIER

First post — please forgive any spelling and grammatical errors. Keep in mind content has been edited for younger readers. And one more thing, this is a FIRST hand report, please enjoy

For those of you I haven’t had the fortune to meet yet, I am a young man of Asian descent, who was born in the US and lives like any other American striving for my American Dream. Thus far I have lived in two worlds, the world of science, and, going back to my Asian roots, a world of superstition. The latter being a place where both good and evil forces, ultimately deriving from nature, live in equilibrium; a world of the shaman, witches and strange creatures. The former, a world where humans are constantly striving to prove “what is real” and yet the minds of humans have always had questions unable to be answered by science. Some such as “are we the only conscience thinking ‘animal’?” or maybe “are we the only beings able to control our environment to better suit our needs as well as give us the upper hand in order to survive?” Well what about the most notorious of them all, “are we alone in this vast universe?” All if not more of these questions ran through my mind as the course of tonight’s events blended both my worlds into the only topic, which can, UFOs and ALIENS.

The sun had yet begun to wander over the College campus to the west when I arrived at my second home, Goleta Public Pier. All was pretty much like any other fall day; a few anglers here and there, UCSB joggers, tourists etc. Having spotted my friend Robbie, I set up in Martin’s usual spot and shoot to the kelp in the hunt for rockfish and bass. Since I had to to rush out here after work, I neglected to bring my bait, and Robbie, relying on the assumed predictable mackerel, only brought the metal. He was working his Kroc while I bread chummed smelt. Luckily, after some scavenging we also found some abandoned salted anchovies. This afternoon was anything but predictable; unlike the past few days which conditions had been glassy, winds to 40mph howled from the east, then changing directions to south and finally as the twilight settled, from the north. The so-assumed predictable mackerel must have made an unpredictable left instead of right at Albuquerque because they were plainly gone, and with them the game fish.

Goleta Pier

As dusk set in I was ready to call it quits. As I was cleaning up a group of boys asked Robbie if he could help them retrieve the top end of a pole they had dropped into the water with his crab net. After the successful search and rescue I informed Robbie of my situation; cold and hungry I was going to start packing up. As I clipped one of my circle hooks, and a one-oz bank sinker, one of the Hispanic boys came up to me.

“You see that funny looking star? Is that a plane or something?” To which I promptly answered “it’s probably a satellite.” “But no it’s moving kind of fast and blinking.” After careful observation I noticed the object had a strobing effect growing brighter and dimmer along with an irregular flight path. My response; gathering everyone on the end of the pier as witnesses. We all may have stared at the object for more than thirty minutes. It would zoom from place to place, sometimes hovering, sometimes retracing its own flight path.

Donblaze’s crew was out at the end, one their party members recounted he had seen stuff like that before and was not too surprised. While he kept his cool, my vocabulary reduced itself to sixth-grade level. “What the frig is it doing?” and “its just friggin playin with us man” were remarks floating into the dark waters from the mildly lit pier.

The best description of the object would be that the light emitted from it was about the size of the star, although it would strobe brighter and dimmer than stars. I wouldn’t really call it strobing more like a VERY exaggerated twinkling like that of the stars but with great contrasts.

The climax of the “sighting” was when two red lights appeared from over the ocean to the east in a flight pattern in a headlong dash toward the object. As they came closer we realized them to be two aircraft as we could barely make out the distinction between the red and white lights. These planes were making a headlong dash straight for the “object.” If the size of lights of the plane could give any amount of estimate to the altitude of the plane, we were convinced this thing was definitely in the upper atmosphere. As one plane proceeded to one side of the object, it appeared to hover in one spot, and soon bursts of light much like the object itself were seen by all pier goers (tourists who wandered by also).

Preparing for a cosmic battle, I was armed to the teeth with my 7-ft Uglystik Intercoastal across my chest, enhanced by an Okuma Avenger AV50. Included in my arsenal were not one but TWO #4 Mutu light Owner hooks and as my side-arm a 1-oz bank sinker, capable of accurately hitting targets 50-75yds away and infamous for leading rebel “greenbacks” to their doom.

But then for some reason the planes weren’t making the flanking maneuver we imagined but kept on going. Ok maybe not alien but now government test aircraft was totally legit. About this time the object, first seen on the east side going south, doubles back north.

Kaveman’s friend Paul showed up looking for shark only to find a UFO. He commented, “I was in the Air force and I have never seen anything like that.” And brought up a possible weather balloon, which may have explained the visit of the aircraft earlier. But then why would a weather balloon retrace its path and how would it be possible to appear to be moving so fast?

Finally the object was over the Santa Barbara skyline and seemed to be headed over the mountains when, it passes in front of the mountains. “IT’S LANDING!” Then, it passes in front of the trees, “What the HECK!?” meanwhile keeping the same characteristics. And finally comes to hover above the slough.

Without much thought into the matter Robbie and I race down the pier, all the while keeping a fixed glare upon the (hopefully) soon to be identified flying object. We into his truck parked at the base of the pier and ride down to the edge of the parking lot.

There the object hovered, still in its same unpredictable flight path and 9 feet under an… alien? “Hello?” Only this being was from no other place than that of this very earth! “Good evening!” Extended from his hand a 7-foot conventional tied with 30-lb test to a KITE!!! The kite had an LED fixed to the tail and had been reported 400 YARDS OFSHORE!!!

As reality hit us, so did the 50-degree night air with -10 degree wind-chill. The adrenaline fading we both decide to call it a night. The only “Men in Black” tonight were the young men suited up for the Dos Pueblos High School Homecoming Dance who were with their dates to eat at the Seaside Cafe.

Even though it turned out the “object” was just a kite, the experience felt on the pier was genuine. No one knew it was a kite, but everyone did marvel at the unexplained and beauty of that which is unknown. We live in times where we believe we are comfortable with the world around us since science and technology are the ways to the future, yet the very moment something goes unexplained our minds revert to the old, undying ways of superstition and marvel for the world around us.

Larval Goa’uld_alien_symbiote — Goleta Pier — 2006 

Posted by riorust

Very well written ! You had me going for a minute there

Posted by 805_alive

Man, the one day I don’t go is the day we get visited by aliens. Bummer. Hey that was a pretty good read though. You gonna be there tomorrow?

Posted by pierhead

Some background …Jesse (Amo_Pescare) and I encountered ‘Mr. Kite’ several weeks ago when he was flying a 4′ kite in the shape of a plane on 4000′ (he said) of line … directly over the incoming flight path for Goleta airport. When Jesse mentioned to him that he could be creating a hazard for aircraft his response was a truculent ‘so let them move the (bleep) airport”. My guess is that he is looking for a confrontation … so lets be careful around him.

Posted by dompfa ben

For the benefit of Mr. Kite, there will be a show tonight! On Trampolines! On that note, if he insists on flying a kite in the approach path of an airport, I think a call to the authorities is in order…then the only flashing red lights will be on the tops of the Crown Victorias coming to pick him up.

Alien? No, just the mouth of a swell shark from Goleta Pier

One day we had a thread on Pier Fishing in California about pier carts and someone sent in the following title (which I’ve changed for this article). We also received a plethora of pictures of people’s favorite carts.

These first two pictures are of my pier cart (minus the rod holders) and I’ve used this one or similar ones since the ’80s

KJ Pier Cart 2016 at Citizens Dock in Crescent City

Art and his pier cart — Newport Pier

Crabman’s pier cart — Newport Pier

Matty and Gordo Grande — Hermosa Beach Pier

Rockhoppers pier cart — Berkeley Pier

Gyzodude’s “green monster” cart —Berkeley Pier

Kim’s pier cart — Goleta Pier

Dumbarton Dave’s pier cart — Dumbarton Pier

Jason’s pier cart

DompfaBen’s pier cart

Pier cart at Malibu Pier, 2007

Gordo’s pier cart

Unknown pier cart

BigdaddyO57′s pier cart

Jimbojack’s Cart

Riorust’s pier cartReelHabit’s pier cart

Sinker’s small pier cart

Mark and the “Magic Pier Cart” — Oceanside Pier

 Pier cart at the Huntington Beach Pier in 2015

Pier cart at Manhattan Beach Pier in 2006

Pier Cart at the Balboa Pier

Pier Cart at the Port Hueneme Pier

And while people continue to write (see below), to ask if UPSAC and Boyd are still available to set up kid’s fishing classes and fishing derbies, the answer is yes, but not at Goleta. The events are continuing, as far south as Oceanside and as far north as Berkeley, but no longer will the youth of Santa Barbara partake of those events. Actions have consequences and by forcing the “Pier Host” from the park, the center was forced to close.

It was a crazy, illogical and totally unnecessary ending to an award-winning program, a program that had benefited hundreds of locals, kids and adults alike, as well as the tourists visiting the park.

But new people are in control of the park system and they have the power to make change as they see fit. Only time will tell if the citizens of Santa Barbara are content with the changes that are now taking place.

______________________________________________________________________________

March 23, 2012

Dear Mr. Spence,

I was hoping your group could teach our scouts the fishing merit badge.  I remember when my son was a cub scout he got to attend a great event that was put on by your group for Boy Scouts. Are you still doing any of this?  If not please redirect me to who might be able to teach our scouts how to fish.

Thanks so much and I hope you are well,

Kathy M

The event she referred to was the one below—

Hello Ken,

I just wanted to express our gratitude to all you fabulous men for your help teaching our scouts to "catch and release" last Saturday at Goleta Pier.

Donating your time and all the books on identification of fish, education about conservation and wildlife protection, all the gear and bait, and not least of all lunch!

What a role model you men are not only for your skillfulness, but also your generosity with your time and resources, to help boys learn that manliness is found in helping boys learn to be men.

I can't thank you enough!

Sincerely,

Kathy M (Fritz' mom) 
and den leader to 
Webelos 1 
Pack ___

Goleta Pier Angler Center

Sometimes things just don’t make sense. That was the reaction when word filtered out in September of 2011 that Boyd Grant, the venerable, Yoda-like “Pier Master” at the Goleta Pier had been asked to vacate his parking space at the County Park. The first reaction was an incredulous WHY? Why would the County do this? The second question asked was if his departure, from what in essence was his home, would be permanent and if it meant the end of the Angler Center?

A better question was if this was the end of a dream, a dream that had been over a decade in the making. In 1997 pierfishing.com came into existence. A few months later Boyd posted his first report, a recap of fishing at the Goleta and Gaviota piers. As communication began, a fellowship developed, and an uncommon interest in the Goleta Pier emerged.

Boyd, a gentle man, interested in the social welfare of his community, saw the pier and park as a perfect place to test a theory. Could a person, through individual example (and an amazing amount of hard work) make a real difference?

Boyd at the Angler Center

Could he impact the behavior of those visiting the pier and park, behavior that in the mid-2000s included a large contingent of homeless alcoholics and druggies who called the park their home and could be abusive and scary to the casual visitor.

Could he impact the fishermen on the pier? Could he bring his ethical views of angling and his “leave it cleaner upon departure than arrival” philosophy as far as pier cleanliness?

Lastly, could he impact the way the County treated the park and pier? Could he convince the County workers that they should take pride in their duties and get a buy in on the importance of the pier?

Ultimately he would be successful on the first two questions. His failure to achieve the third led to his removal and yes, both the closing of the Angler Center and the end of the dream.

His hard work and achievements are numerous. For years he maintained a website detailing the day-to-day activities at the pier. For two years he chronicled the conditions of the pier and recorded the various species that were landed. For two years he spent literally hundreds of hours cleaning the pier on his own, all voluntary, non-paid hours. He set up several statewide meetings of anglers, and was involved in a number of classes and derbies at the pier. He set up the installation of fishing line recycle bins at the pier.

And then, with the establishment of the UPSAC Angler Center at the pier in 2008, he became the official “Pier Host.” He became the eyes and ears of the pier; the man anglers could turn to for advice—including how to properly handle fish and other wildlife at the pier. He became a teacher, advisor, and ultimately a spokesman for the pier. Dozens of kid’s fishing tournament were conducted with his help at the pier. Dozens of injured birds were saved with his help. Untold numbers of anglers changed their views on angling under his gentle tutelage. Visitors and regulars alike gained a new respect for the environment at the pier. And hundreds and hundreds of hours were spent cleaning the pier.

In recognition of his accomplishments, Boyd himself and UPSAC were given recognition by the Santa Barbara Board of Supervisors in November 2010. Among the six stated accomplishments:

“Whereas, UPSAC volunteers have staffed the Goleta Pier Angler Center and have provided instructions to over 2,000 children and youth since the Goleta Pier Angler Center was opened…”

A scene at the 2010 UPSAC/GFA Kids Fishing Derby — Santa Barbara County Supervisor Janet Wolf and Park Assistant Director Erik Alexson picking raffle numbers.

“Whereas, the Goleta Pier volunteer host, Boyd Grant, in addition to staffing the Angler Center also cleans the handrails and benches of two-thirds of the Goleta Pier.”

“Therefore, be it hereby ordered and resolved that the Board of Supervisors of Santa Barbara County do hereby commend the United Pier and Shore Anglers of California, its Board of Directors, President Ken Jones, and Pier Host Boyd Grant for their services to our community and their efforts to support of the partnership with Santa Barbara County Parks to operate the Goleta Pier Angler Center.”

Santa Barbara County and UPSAC officials at the 2008 opening of the Angler Center.

A dynamic, synergistic effort seemed to be taking place and everyone seemed to be pleased. But as we all know, you can never please all the people all the time. An exodus of top personnel had left the Park District between 2008 and 2011 and new people were now in charge, people with different ideas and a different agenda. Unfortunately that agenda did not include support for Boyd or the Angler Center.

As the time of the 2008 agreement that established his position as Pier Host, Boyd had also agreed to be a Park Host. This allowed him to park his motor home at the park and remain in close proximity to the Angler Center. In exchange, as part of the Park Host Agreement, he was required to spend 20 hours per week cleaning the park. Boyd quickly developed a routine that would begin most mornings at 5AM. Clean the bathrooms, empty trashcans, pick up whatever flotsam and jetsam had been left by late night revelers, and clean the pier (which could be a monumental task in itself). Most days it would take at least three hours and then he would take a break, have a cup of coffee, and take a shower prior to heading out to the Angler Center to begin his duties as Pier Host (where he would typically work another 30-40 hours a week).

Boyd cleaning the pier

Out of necessity, Boyd had begun his day early, far before the rangers arrived at the park. Most respected the hard work and early hours but unfortunately those same hours would be used against him. When UPSAC was informed that Boyd had three weeks to leave the park, the charge was made that Boyd was not working the required 20 hours a week as Park Host (and that part of his hours were being spent on work for the Angler Center). Interviews with those in the know, the locals who visited the pier early in the morning themselves, verified his cleaning and the number of hours he worked. But Park personnel never bothered to interview the locals — and failed to say where they had gotten their information.

As talks continued in an attempt to work out a solution agreeable to both parties, one that would allow Boyd to stay at the Park, and the Angler Center to remain open, the reasons for Boyd’s removal evolved. New arguments were given by the Park personnel. The first was that Park Hosts are supposed to have a one-year limit at a park. After one year hosts have to move on to another park and give up their park position. UPSAC asked why this had never been enforced before? A number of people, including Boyd, had exceeded the one-year time limit. And though UPSAC argued that Boyd’s position was unique—since he was the only Pier Host (at the only park with a pier), and that his unique position justified a close proximity to the pier, the argument fell on deaf ears.

The final argument from the Park personnel was that the Park District was now out of money (although Park personnel seem to have a pretty hefty paycheck). The District’s argument was that the Park would need additional volunteer Park Hosts to maintain the park. They, in turn, would need all the available parking spaces. UPSAC argued that there was sufficient room for Boyd AND additional Park Hosts. UPSAC also argued that the Pier Host position should receive equal respect as the Park Host position. Again the arguments fell on deaf ears.

Given the variety of reasons given for his removal, the fact that these issues changed over the weeks of discussion, and that Boyd himself was never allowed to be part of the discussion (in fact was never given a face to face meeting until the last day when he was told to turn over his keys), it appears that the park personnel simply wanted him out. Why? The most likely reason was that, at times, he could be a thorn in their side. He asked park personnel to give the pier the attention it deserved, to do more at the park. He asked for additional cleaning supplies, he asked for support from management when there were problems at the park, and he refused to become a spokesman for the County Parks when it decided to push for paid parking and other changes he deemed detrimental to the park.

All Boyd wanted was to see people do their job. They perhaps would never have his interest in regards to the pier but at least they should realize that the pier was a key part of the park. This friction was most likely the real reason why he was asked to leave. It’s a problem that can crop up wherever there are moribund agencies that are poorly managed and staffed by poorly trained and motivated employees.

It is likely these are the true reasons for his departure and, most likely, the reasons for the end of a dream. Perhaps he simply wanted to do too much. Perhaps there is little room left for those such as Boyd who are willing to sacrifice their personal time and energy to improve a small piece of our society.

Perhaps it is the end of a dream and, if so, not only will the pier and the park itself suffer but so too the entire people of Santa Barbara County. Tis sad.

(An empty chair at a vacant Angler Center seems appropriate since the County seems to feel it’s time to retire Boyd and the Center.)