Minnow Magnet and myself at the 2004 Mud Marlin Derby at the Berkeley Pier

Minnow Magnet and a blackperch from the Berkeley Pier in 2004

Minnow decided to start his own mud marlin derby in 2004 at the Paradise Beach Pier in Tiburon

Minnow Magnet and a small bat ray (mud marlin) he caught at his derby

Some pics from his 2004 derby

Justin at the 2005 derby at the Paradise Beach Pier

Minnow Magnet and a brown smoothhound shark

Justin and his dad Robin, each with a bat ray from the Paradise Beach Pier in 2005

Minnow Magnet and a walleye surfperch from the Berkeley Pier in 2006

Minnow Magnet and Kyle Pease arriving at the Cabrillo Mole in Avalon for the 2006 Catalina Get Together — Notice each has his own pier cart

Minnow and his dad Robin looking at some of the raffle prizes at the 2006 Get Together

Justin with a certificate and prizes at the 2006 Catalina Get Together

Minnow Magnet and his 2006 Paradise Pier Mud Marlin Derby

Justin and a small rockfish from the Pillar Point Harbor Pier in 2006

Minnow and a bat ray from the Berkeley Pier in 2007

Justin and a thornback ray from the Berkeley Pier in 2007

Justin and a pileperch from the Berkeley Pier in 2007

Minnow fighting a fish at the Catalina Get Together in 2007

A collage from the 2007 Catalina Get Together with Justin holding a garabaldi

Three amigos at the 2007 Catalina Get Together

Participants (including Justin in  the front) at the 2007 Get Together

Justin and his picture for his 2007 derby

Minnow Magnet at the 2009 Mud Marlin Derby at the Berkeley Pier

Minnow Magnet and his trophy at the 2010 Berkeley Perch Derby

A few years later! Justin serving as a deckhand (left) on the “Golden Eye” out of the Berkeley Marina in 2014

One in a series of PFIC Young Angler articles

]]> http://kenjonesfishing.com/2016/12/minnow-magnet/feed/ 0 http://kenjonesfishing.com/2016/10/zebraperch/ http://kenjonesfishing.com/2016/10/zebraperch/#comments Mon, 24 Oct 2016 02:29:38 +0000 kenjones http://kenjonesfishing.com/?p=12964 Sea Chubs—Family Kyphosidae

Species: Hermosilla azure (Jenkins & Evermann, 1889); from Hermosillo (the name of the capitol city of Sonora Province in Mexico, near where first collected) and the Latin word azurea (sky-blue coloring).

Alternate Names: Zebra perch, convict fish and sea chub. In Mexico called chopa azul or chopa bonita.

Identification: An oval-shaped body with a bright blue spot on the gill cover, behind the eye. Usually dusky or olive-brown to black above but some specimens are greenish or silver-gray; whitish below. Zebras usually have about a dozen faint, azure-colored, vertical bars on the side.

Size: Length to 17.4 inches. Most caught from piers are fairly good size, 10-14 inches long. A 16-inch fish weighed 3 pounds 2 ounces.

Range: Gulf of California to Klamath River estuary; rare north of southern California.

Habitat: Intertidal to 25 feet deep. Usually found around rocks or reefs in small schools, often mixed with opaleye and halfmoon.

Zebraperch caught by IsoCure in 2014

Piers: Most common at piers near rocky areas. Best bets: Ocean Beach Pier, Oceanside Harbor Pier, San Clemente Pier, Huntington Beach Pier, Cabrillo Mole (Avalon), Paradise Cove Pier, Stearns Wharf, Goleta Pier and Gaviota Pier.

Shoreline: An infrequent but valued catch by rocky shore anglers in southern California.

Boats: Rarely taken by boaters.

Bait and Tackle: Light tackle with small hooks (size 8 or 6) and light line works best. Bait: moss is the best bait but fresh mussels, bloodworms and peas seem to catch a few fish.

Food Value: Fair, not considered as good as opaleye or halfmoon.

Comments: Hard to catch because of their vegetarian diet and their shy and cautious nature. Studies done on zebraperch at Catalina showed them to be herbivores with a macroalgal diet. Stomach contents revealed algae, lots of it, with red algae (88.2%) being the predominate food. Brown algae (7.8%) and green algae (4.0%) also added to the mix but animal matter was less than .01%. Unfortunately, snaggers take most zebras. Zebraperch are in the same family of sea chubs as opaleye and halfmoon.

Zebraperch caught by IsoCure in 2014

A bat ray from Fortman Marina in Alameda

Species: Myliobatis californica (Gill, 1865); from the Greek words myl (a tooth or molar), io (an arrow or poison), batis (a skate or ray) and the Latin word Californica  (referring to location). Apparently called aetobatus californica at one time in California: CA Fish Bulletin #28.

Alternate Names: Stingray, stingaree, bat sting ray, sea ray, eagle ray, batfish, big black, sea bird, flapper, rat tailed stingray, NASCAR, mud marlin (my favorite), and monkey face ray. Called raya murciélago or tecolote in Mexico.

A bat ray caught at the 2007 “Mud Marlin Derby” at the Berkeley Pier

Identification:  Bat rays have a very heavy raised head and a dorsal fin at the base of a long whiplike tail with a stinger just behind it. Their coloring is blackish or blackish brown above and white below. Beware of the stinger.  

Bat rays can give a very nasty sting

Size: Reported to reach nearly six feet across and over 200 pounds. Most bat rays caught from piers are less than fifty pounds but many in excess of a hundred pounds are caught every year.

A 240-pound bat ray was reported from Newport Bay in 1957. I received a note on the Pier Fishing in California Message Board of a 246-pound fish with an 8.5-foot-wing span that was reputedly taken from the Newport Pier in the ’80s. However, the width sounds too wide leaving the weight also in doubt. I’ve seen pictures of a 176-pound bat ray taken from the Newport Pier and a 175-pound bat ray that was caught at the Aliso Beach Pier in (I believe) 1990.

A very large bat ray landed at the Hermosa Beach Pier in the ’70s by “Mola Joe”

Another fish, this one weighing 203 pounds and measuring 54 ½ inches wide was measured and weighed on a certified scale. It was caught at the Stearns Wharf in Santa Barbara on April 24, 2004. The fish struck a live smelt bait and was landed after a fight lasting one hour and twenty minutes. The fish was hooked and fought by James Elledge, and gaffed by Ron Maxell. With the help of bait shop owner Ray Angel (how appropriate) the fish was carried over to the Santa Barbara Shellfish Company to their certified scales. PFIC representative Boyd Grant was soon on the scene to witness and photograph the huge fish…one of the largest bat rays ever caught on a California pier (and possibly the largest to be weighed on a certified scale).

The Stearns Wharf bat ray; a possible record?

Although we’ve had several reports over the years of bat rays weighing 200 pounds or more, the official state (and world) record remains a fish that weighed 181 pounds 0 ounces. It was caught at the Huntington Beach Pier on July 24, 1978 by Bradley A. Dew, a senior at Huntington Beach High School. Records indicate it was 23 pounds over the prior record and, according to the Dept. of Fish and Game, the fish had a 5 1/2-foot-wingspan, a 3-inch-long stinger, and the width across the bat ray’s eyes was an even ten inches.

A large bat ray taken at the North T-Pier in Morro Bay in 2006

According to the California DF&G “female bat rays reach a greater size than males, attaining a maximum disc width of 70.9 inches and weight of 210 pounds. The largest reported male is 40 inches wide and a weight of 37 pounds. Bat rays grow slowly, reach sexual maturity relatively late, have few young, and seem to be fairly long-lived. A 60-inch disc width female was estimated to be 24 years old.” So, all of the big bat rays are moms, grandmas or maybe even great grandmothers.

A chart showing the relationship of width and pounds

A small bat ray taken at the 2015 Mud Marlin Derby in Berkeley

Range: Gulf of California to Yaquina Bay, Oregon.

Habitat: Prefers a flat, rocky bottom or sand among rocks although also seems to enjoy hanging around kelp beds. Most commonly caught in sandy or muddy bottom bays and the deeper water areas around piers. Bat rays basically “fly” through the water using their powerful pectoral fins and occasionally they will leap out of the water when hooked.

A large bat ray taken at Crystal Pier in San Diego

Piers: Bat rays are caught at almost all piers in California, both oceanfront and those in bays. Best bets: Shelter Island Pier, San Clemente Pier, Balboa Pier, Newport Pier, Huntington Beach Pier, Redondo Beach Pier, Hermosa Beach Pier, Stearns Wharf, Cayucos Pier, Berkeley Pier, San Mateo Pier, Elephant Rock Pier, Angel Island Pier, Eureka Municipal Wharf and Del Norte Street Pier (Eureka).

Shoreline: A frequent catch of shore anglers from San Diego Bay to Humboldt Bay.

A bat ray taken at the Elephant Rock Pier in Tiburon in 2003

Boats: A frequent catch by boaters and kayakers fishing in almost every California bay.

Bait and Tackle:  Bat rays eat a wide variety of foods with oysters, clams, crabs, shrimp, abalone, snails and worms being scarffed down on a regular basis. To be expected, they’ll also take almost any bait. However, frozen or live squid, and live bait such as anchovies, ghost shrimp, mud shrimp and grass shrimp, produce most of the fish. Frozen squid is the least expensive and easiest bait to use and is undoubtedly the number one bait for bat rays.

A small bat ray from the Santa Monica Pier in 2009

It’s reported by the way that these strong rays use their pectoral fins to lift their body rapidly up and down to create a suction that sweeps away the sand and gives easy access to their food on the bottom. Because of the potential large size, anglers wishing to fish specifically for bat rays should use heavy tackle and have a gaff or net available to bring the fish up onto the pier. Never use a pier gaff to lift  them up to a pier unless you’re intending to keep them for food.

Food Value: Very good.

A really neat graphic designed by Lucy Philips

Comments: Although Ray Cannon’s book How To Fish the Pacific Coast holds a cherished spot on my library shelf, and in many ways was a model for Pier Fishing In California, I believe he was wrong in his comments on bat rays. His most egregious was that “These giant Bat Rays should be exterminated whenever possible because of their menace to crabs, lobsters, and all kinds of edible shellfish.” Although it’s true that those species may be included in a bat ray’s diet, I’m not sure why they were singled out over predators. I think it reflects the thinking of the day, in particular the opinion that bat rays were a danger to commercial oyster operations, i.e., those in Tomales Bay. We know today that they are not a danger to those operations; in fact, they may help by keeping crabs under control. I’m not sure why he made a second statement, an assertion that bat rays are “Seldom taken by anglers.” Even back in those days bat rays (usually called sting rays) were a common catch, and several shark and ray derbies were conducted along the coast, the most famous probably being that at Moss Landing. Today, many anglers concentrate on bat rays. The rays reach a very large size, they put up a strong fight, and are delicious to eat once the fight is over (although more and more people practice catch-and-release with them).

Anna and a bat ray at the 2014 Mud Marlin Derby at Berkeley Pier

Of interest are the bat ray pools found at several aquariums (including the Monterey Aquarium, The Aquarium Of the Pacific, and the Chula Vista Nature Center). The bat rays can be petted and in fact are rather pet-like; some even seem to like to have their backs stroked. Yes, their stingers have been removed! The venomous spines are cut off about once a month (before they reach a length long enough to hurt anyone). Apparently the bat rays receive no harm from these “manicures,” in fact the spines are made of keratin, the same substance found in human fingernails, and the spines grow back. However, bat rays in the wild still have their spines and can inflict a painful wound, so be very careful if you catch one (and some bat rays have two or even three stingers). For some reason Stearns Wharf in Santa Barbara sees a lot of small, immature bat rays and they’re usually called monkey face rays.

Pete Wolf of “Big Hammer” fame and a 52-inch bat ray from the Goleta Pier

Scientists report that bat rays move into inshore waters to breed during the summer then tend to move offshore in the winter (so guess when they are more likely to be caught from a pier). While inshore, they are sometimes found in large concentrations. At times these bat ray gatherings contain several thousand individuals. The sea bottom holding these creatures must look a little weird and would certainly have a somewhat alien feeling; not sure if it would be more like a black-cloaked Darth Vader convention, a Raider Nation convention, or something even more outlandish (and scary), a political convention.

A very young “Minnow Magnet” (Justin Morris) and an even younger bat ray at the Paradise Park Pier in 2004

“Bat Ray Dave” and a bat ray from Newport Bay

Oscar Amaro and a bat ray from the Manhattan Beach Pier in 2015

A bat ray taken at Tides Wharf in Bodega Bay in 2004

A bat ray taken at the Goleta Pier in 2006

A bat ray taken at the 2004 Mud Marlin Derby in Berkeley

A bat ray taken at the Tides Wharf in Bodega Bay in 2004

A bat ray taken at the 2015 Mud Marlin Derby in Berkeley showing the correct way to hold them (via their mouth)

A bat ray taken at the Ferry Point Pier in Richmond in 2008

A bat ray at the Malibu Pier in 2007

A small bat ray from the Paradise Park Pier in 2015 showing the correct way to hold them (via their mouth)

A large bat ray from the Gaviota Pier in

Some unofficial records

≈ 220 Lbs. — Ventura Pier, early ‘80s

Source: PFIC

203 Lbs. — Stearns Wharf (Santa Barbara), James Elledge, April 24, 2004

Source: Personal comm. Boyd Grant; PFIC

≈ 200 Lbs. — Huntington Beach Pier, May 2014

Source: Let’s Go Fishing, Huntington Beach Pier

≈ 200 Lbs. — Huntington Beach Pier, December 2009

Source: Let’s Go Fishing, Huntington Beach Pier

≈ 200 Lbs. — Oceanside Pier, April 2006

Source: Oceanside Pier Bait Shop

≈ 200 Lbs. — Seal Beach Pier, March 2001

Source: Big Fish Bait & Tackle, Seal Beach

≈ 200 Lbs. — Ocean Beach Pier, August 1998

Source: PFIC

≈ 200 Lbs. — Hermosa Beach Pier, “Mola Joe”, 1980s

Source: PFIC

≈ 200 Lbs. — Carpinteria Pier, Bill Hinckley, September 18, 1955

Source: Los Angeles Times, September 19, 1955

≈ 200 Lbs. — Redondo Wharf No. 1, June 25, 1888

Source: Los Angeles Herald, June 27, 1888

181 Lbs.* — Huntington Beach Pier, Bradley. A. Dew, 1978

Source: Los Angeles Times, July 28, 1978 & California Dept. of Fish and Wildlife * = Official state record fish and world record (IGFA)

175 Lbs. — Aliso Beach Pier, August 1984

Source: Aliso Beach Pier Snack Shack

≈ 170 Lbs. — Seal Beach Pier, May 2001

Source: Big Fish Bait & Tackle, Seal Beach

169 Lbs. — Hermosa Beach (pier?), July 30, 1912

Source: Oakland Tribune, July 30, 1912

160 Lbs. — Ocean Beach Pier, May 2009

Source: PFIC

≈ 160 Lbs. — Seal Beach Pier, March 2001

Source: Big Fish Bait & Tackle, Seal Beach

≈ 150 Lbs. — Oceanside Harbor Pier, August 2009

Source: PFIC

150+ Lbs. — Santa Monica Pier, May 2008

Source: Santa Monica Pier Bait Shop

150 Lbs. — Santa Monica Pier, May 2002

Source: Santa Monica Pier Bait Shop

≈ 150 Lbs. — Oceanside Pier, April 2001

Source: Oceanside Pier Bait Shop

≈ 140 Lbs. — Seal Beach Pier, March 2001

Source: Big Fish Bait & Tackle, Seal Beach

135 Lbs. — San Clemente Pier, June, November 1999

Source: PFIC

125 Lbs. — Huntington Beach Pier, Greg Taite, April 1999

Source: Let’s Go Fishing, Huntington Beach Pier

123 Lbs. — Huntington Beach Pier, Robert Gerber, March 1999

Source: Let’s Go Fishing, Huntington Beach Pier

120 Lbs. — Ocean Park Pier, Stuts Baida, July 1927

Source: Los Angeles Times, July 31, 1927

110 Lbs. — Pine Avenue Pier (Long Beach), William Crowder, June 2, 1907

Source: Los Angeles Herald, June 2, 1907

106 ½ Lbs. — Belmont Pier (Long Beach), Bill Kerny, October 13, 1960

Source: Long Beach Independent,October 14, 1960

104 Lbs. — Rainbow Pier (Long Beach), Dave Feske, October 13, 1960

Source: Long Beach Independent, October 14, 1960

100+ Lbs. — Stearns Wharf (Santa Barbara), June 1997

Source: Mike’s Bait & Tackle, Stearns Wharf, June 1997

≈ 100 Lbs. — Santa Cruz Municipal Wharf, Walter Cartwright, April 11, 1934

Source: Santa Cruz Sentinel, April 12, 1934

100 Lbs. — Seal Beach Pier, April 1958

Source: Long Beach Independent-Press Telegram, April 13, 1958

]]> http://kenjonesfishing.com/2015/08/bat-ray/feed/ 1 http://kenjonesfishing.com/2015/08/big-skate/ http://kenjonesfishing.com/2015/08/big-skate/#comments Mon, 10 Aug 2015 19:43:54 +0000 kenjones http://kenjonesfishing.com/?p=7887 Cartilaginous Fishes—Class Chondrichthyes — (A skeleton of cartilage that is not true bone)

Subclass Elasmobranchi—Sharks and Rays

Skates — Family Rajidae — Big Skate 

A big Big Skate taken from the Paradise Park Pier in 2007

Species: Raja binoculta (Grard, 1855); from the Latin words raja (skate), bi  (two), and oculata  (eyed, referring to the markings on top of the skate).

Alternate Names:  Skate, barndoor skate, and Pacific great skate. Called raya gigante or raya bruja gigante in Mexico.

Identification: The only skate with a notch in the rear edge of each pelvic fin. The nose is long, bluntly pointed, and broadly triangular. The body is flat with two separate dorsal fins near the end of the tail. Their coloring is gray, brown, reddish brown, olive brown, or blackish, with smaller white spots and two prominent eyespots above; whitish with a possibility of dark spots below.

A small Big Skate taken at the Paradise Park in 2006

Size: Reaches eight feet in length and to over 200 pounds. Those caught at piers rarely exceed 100 pounds in size although two big skates, one at the Cayucos Pier in July 2004 (estimated at 5 feet by 5 feet) and another one taken at the Trinidad Wharf in the summer of 1996 (4 1/2′ wide and 5 1/2′ long), seemingly were over the century mark.

Range: Cabo Falsa, southern Baha California, and Gulf of California, to the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands, at least west to Unalaska Island; also eastern Gulf of Alaska. Rarely seen south of Point Conception.

Habitat: Generally found in water of moderate depth although ranges to a depth of 2,200 feet; luckily for pier fishermen, they’re also found over sandy-shore beaches and in bays.

A Big Skate taken from the Cayucos Pier in June 2007

Piers: A few are caught each year, generally at piers north of Point Conception). Best bets: Pismo Beach Pier, Morro Bay T-Piers, Cayucos Pier, Seacliff State Beach Pier, Santa Cruz Wharf, Pacifica Pier, San Francisco Municipal Pier, Paradise Park Pier, McNear Park Pier, Fort Baker Pier, Del Norte St. Pier (Eureka), Trinidad Pier, and the B St. Pier (Crescent City).

Shoreline: An occasional catch for northern California fisherman in Humboldt and Arcata Bay.

Boats: A few are reported from boaters and kayakers fishing in Humboldt and Arcata Bays.

A Big Skate taken from the Pacifica Pier in 2006

Bait and Tackle: Due to their potential size, medium to heavy tackle should be used. However, most biggies are caught by anglers seeking other species, few anglers fish specifically for skates. Most any bait will tempt a skate but squid, clams, ghost shrimp, marine worms, and small fish seem to work best.

Big Skate taken at the Berkeley Pier in 2004

Food Value: Like guitarfish, skates when used for food are really delicious. The most common method is to cut off the skin around the wings and then use cookie cutters to punch out pieces of meat that are very similar in taste and texture to scallops. Many stories tell of skate being sold in stores as scallops. Deep-frying is the most common method of cooking for skate prepared in this manner. Another common recipe says to pan-fry the wings in butter (yes, of course after the wings have been skinned).

Big Skate taken at the Berkeley Pier in 2004

Comments: Far less common than bat rays but the average big skate taken is fairly good size. According to the CA DF&W, “skates have paired electric organs along the sides of their tails, which generate weak, low-voltage electric currents believed to be of use in intra-specific communication, possibly for mate recognition or to demonstrate aggression. These electric currents are not harmful to humans.”

A really big Big Skate taken from the Cayucos Pier in 2004

One of my favorite stories is about Rosie and The Creature From The Black Lagoon. The story’s main characters were Rosie, who used to work at Salty’s Bait and Tackle in Trinidad, and an unidentified creature that fell in love with our heroine. Well, not exactly! That might be a slight stretch. The actual incident took place during the summer of 1996 when Rosie decided to get in a couple of hours of late afternoon fishing down at the picturesque old pier in Trinidad Harbor. She was using an Abu-Garcia outfit loaded with 20-pound test line, and for bait she had brought along some herring. Maybe a salmon would grab her bait.

Rosie cast her bait out to the waters on the north side of the pier and began to wait for a strike. When it came, she was in the fight of her life. Something grabbed the bait and took off on the start of a long, long fight. Rosie was soon joined by friends and onlookers who shortly thereafter dubbed her unseen foe, “The Creature From The Black Lagoon.”

It actually wasn’t anything quite so exotic but you never know until you see your quarry. Eventually she did see the fish, a large 100+ pound big skate (and a name was never more appropriate) that measured 4 1/2′ wide and 5 1/2′ long.

It took Rosie, and several of her friends, 45 minutes to land the obstinate critter that apparently did not want to end up in Rosie’s kitchen (but it did). It may have been, in fact probably was, the largest fish ever landed from the pier. Although local boaters have brought in some huge salmon, lingcod, and Pacific halibut, I doubt if any was as hard to land as Rosie’s big skate. Keeping the fish out of the rocks and kelp that surround the pier, as well as keeping it out of the pilings, had to be a combination of Herculean skill combined with a good amount of luck.

A Big Skate taken from the Cayucos Pier in 2000

A Big Skate taken from the Belmont Veterans Pier in Long Beach in 1998

A Big Skate taken at the Berkeley Pier by promethius in 2002

You park at the upper end of the park, walk down to the pier, and are greeted by the juxtaposition of pier and bay — a beautiful setting.

A day filled with boats and ferries on the bay.

The entrance to the pier

Pictures of some nice fish

Welcome to the pier

This guy and his girlfriend caught about a half dozen bat rays while I was there, all on squid. I tried some salted herring that I had for bait but didn’t get a bite although blood worms produced some perch and a really big jacksmelt.

He knew what he was doing both as to how to catch and handle the bat rays

It’s on the deck

A good old mud marlin even if a small one

The end

The fish warning sign

A nice idea on storing fish regulations

The pier was pretty well empty most of the time I was there

One of the fish caught was a baby 7-gill shark

The girlfriend caught the 7-gill

Looking shoreward

The park

Nice grassy areas as well as bar-b-que areas right near the pier

It’s a busy bay

Boats, boats and more boats

The fish cleaning station

The inshore area is the main area for perch

After two hours I had to head out to my motel in Petaluma. No rays and no sharks on my heavier rigging, four walleye surfperch and one BIG jacksmelt on my light rig. Not much in the way of fish but still a great visit just for the scenery and relaxation.

It was now a short walk uphill to the car

Aaron Coons and a leopard shark from the Morro Bay North T-Pier

Species: Triakis semifasciata (Girard, 1855); from the Greek word tria  (number three, triad) and Latin words cis (on the side) and fasciata  (bundled, referring to the stripes).

Alternate Names: Cat shark or (mistakenly) tiger shark. Called tiburón leopardo in Mexico.

A small leopard shark from the Dumbarton Pier  

Identification: Leopard sharks have a dark gray body (some are almost bronze or golden brown) with black bars (saddles) and spots, and are one of the prettiest sharks. Their first dorsal fin is in advance of the pelvic fins; the base of the second dorsal is in advance of the base of the anal fin. They have a long, pointed snout with oval eyes and nictitating membranes. The mouth is equipped with a fine array of small but sharp pointed teeth.

Robert Gardner (Redfish) and a leopard shark from the Elephant Rock Pier

Size: Length to 7 feet and nearly 70 pounds; most caught off piers are less than four feet. The California record fish weighed 47 lb 1 oz and was taken off Palos Verdes, Los Angeles Co. in 2007.

Brian Linbarger (Illcatchanything) and a leopard shark from the Greenwood Cove Pier

Range: From Mazatlan, Mexico, and the Gulf of California to Oregon.

Leopard Shark caught by “thunder” at the Paradise Park Pier

Habitat: Most leopards are caught in bays but many are also caught in shallow, sandy-shore areas; they make an annual migration from the bays to the outer coast. Large schools mixed with smoothhound sharks are common in shallow water. Typical foods include large crustaceans and small fish.

Two leopard shark from Pier 7 in San Francisco, 1998

Piers: Caught throughout California but a major pier species only in San Francisco Bay and Humboldt Bay. Best bets: Malibu Pier, Avila Pier, Morro Bay T-Piers, Fort Baker Pier, Elephant Rock Pier, Angel Island Pier, Marin Rod and Gun Club Pier, Port View Park Pier, and all of the piers along the San Francisco waterfront. Most piers in Humboldt Bay also offer good to excellent fishing for leopard sharks (especially at night).

Leopard shark caught at the Marin Rod & Gun Club’s “Kids Day on the Pier Derby” in 2015

Shoreline: The favorite shark for shore-bound anglers throughout California due to their size, fighting ability, and good taste as food.

Rock Hopper and a leopard shark taken at Tides Wharf in Bodega Bay in 2004

Boats: Most leopards caught from boats are landed in the various California bays—Morro Bay, San Francisco Bay, Tomales Bay and Humboldt Bay.

Leopard shark taken at the Cayucos Pier in 2006

Bait and Tackle: Will take almost any bait but prefers squid, an oily fish like mackerel, sardine or anchovy, and live baits such as ghost shrimp and small fish. If specifically fishing for leopard sharks use medium tackle, a size 2 to 4/0 hook, and fairly heavy line. Be sure to bring along a net to bring the fish up onto the pier. Late summer and fall finds best fishing in the San Francisco Bay Area.

A nice leopard from Crystal Pier in San Diego

Food Value: An excellent, mild flavored flesh that can be fried, broiled or baked. Like all sharks, it should be bled and cleaned as soon as possible. It should also be kept cool and an overnight bath in the refrigerator (with just a couple of squirts of lemon juice) helps assure the good flavor.

A leopard shark from the Malibu Pier

Comments: This is one of the favorite sharks for most pier fishermen; it is attractive, reaches a good size, puts up a good fight, and is good eating. They also make great aquarium fish—until they begin to grow too big.

Perhaps one of the strangest stories concerning the fish had to do with the Unification Church (the Moonies) and how one of its pastors became the largest poacher of baby leopard sharks in history. Reverend Kevin Thompson of San Leandro’s “Bay Area Family Church”—and his “Ocean Church” fishing ministry—were accused of poaching roughly six thousand baby leopard sharks between 1991 and 2004. Thompson would pay fishermen  $2 to $3 per pup then sell them to dealers for $20-$35. The dealers in turn were able to sell the pups for as much as $450 to customers throughout the U.S., Great Britain and the Netherlands. The estimated street value of the pups was $1.2 million dollars and a half dozen people were eventually indicted by a Grand Jury in Oakland. Thompson faced eight years in prison if convicted of the charges. Sounds a little light to me.

Thomas Orozco and a small leopard shark from the Dumbarton Pier in 2006

Of note is a study conducted on surf species by the Fish and Game Department between 2007-2009 in the Bolsa Chica to Hermosa Beach area (SoCal). The study showed an increase in the number of leopard sharks from the 1990s and that leopard sharks were “much more abundant in the current study than in the 1950s.”

 Lisa (Dolphin Rider) and a large leopard shark caught at Emeryville

Leopard shark caught at the Elephant Rock Pier

Thomas Orozco and a leopard shark taken during the Marin Rod & Gun Club’s “Kids Day on the Pier” in 2013

A youngster’s first leopard shark. Taken at the Marin Rod & Gun Club’s “Kids Day on the Pier” in 2012

Leopard shark taken at the Redwood City Pier in 2003

Species: Paralichthys californicus (Ayres, 1859); from the Greek word paralichthys (parallel fish) and californicus (Californian)—a California fish that lies parallel to the bottom.

Alternate Names: Halibut, flounder, hali, flattie (or flatty), chicken halibut, alabato, southern halibut, Monterey halibut, bastard halibut; fly swatter or postage stamp (small halibut); door mats (large halibut); extra large halibut, rarely seen on piers, are called barn doors. Called lenguado de California in Mexico.

Balboa Pier halibut

Identification: California halibut are in the left-eye flounder family, although nearly half of these fish are right-eyed. Halibut are noted for their sharp teeth, a large squarish shaped mouth, and a high arch in the lateral line above the pectoral fin. Their coloring is normally white or yellowish on the blind side and a muddy brown on the colored side. Often there is splotching or even white spots on the colored side, especially in smaller fish.

Size: To 60 inches and 72 pounds; most caught off piers are under 20 inches. The California record fish weighed 58 lb 9 oz and was caught at Santa Rosa Island in 1999.

Avila Pier halibut

Range:  Cabo Falsa, southern Baja California and Gulf of California to Quillayute River, northern Washington.

Habitat: Shallow-water, sandy-shore areas, oceanfront, and in bays.

Ventura Pier halibut

Piers: Most common at oceanfront piers. Best bets: Crystal Pier, Oceanside Pier, Balboa Pier, Redondo Beach Pier, Hermosa Beach Pier, Goleta Pier and Cayucos Pier. A few are caught each year at Monterey Bay piers such as Capitola and Seacliff. An increasing number have been caught at Pacifica and at San Francisco Bay piers such as Pier 7 and the Berkeley Pier since the 90s. The Berkeley Pier probably ranks #1 among piers north of Point Conception and perhaps sees more large halibut than any other pier in the state.

Berkeley Pier halibut

Shoreline: An esteemed shore species from San Diego to San Francisco.

Boats: One of the favorite species for California boat anglers.

Bait and Tackle: Halibut are predatory hunters that will grab almost anything that moves. Still, they prefer other fish—anchovies, sardines, grunion, smelt, small brownbait (queenfish and white croaker), small perch (shinerperch and walleyes), Spanish and Pacific mackerel, Pacific butterfish (pompano), lizardfish and squid. If the fish will fit in their mouth they’ll go after it. Thus, by far, the best bait for California halibut is live bait, one of those fish mentioned previously. Whichever bait is used, the key is to keep it lively and keep it near the bottom. A sliding live bait leader works fine, especially with a small slip-on sinker added to get the bait near the bottom. Another approach is to tie a snap-swivel to the end of the line with a hollow-center egg sinker directly above the swivel. Then attach a three to four foot leader with size 2 to 4 hooks to the snap. High/low leaders can also be used but are far less effective unless the angler keeps his line in motion. Some regulars “drag” or “troll” for halibut; they put a long-shanked hook into a headless anchovy and then walk slowly along the edge of the pier pulling the line behind them. If the pier is crowded, they will cast out and retrieve slowly.  In either case, be alert for the soft mouthing of the halibut. Halibut will hit cut bait, including anchovies, mackerel, sardine and even squid; just be sure to keep the bait in motion. Halibut can also be caught on artificials. Lures like Scroungers and Big Hammers should be cast out, allowed to settle to the bottom, and then given a slow to moderate retrieve. Halibut will often follow the lure almost to the surface before striking, so be prepared.

Fort Point Pier halibut

Food Value: Excellent! One of the best tasting fish in our waters. White, lean meat with a very low fat content. One of the best frying fish although considered good using almost any method of cooking.

Newport Pier halibut

Comments: Probably the most sought after fish for anglers on southern California piers. Unfortunately, most of the fish caught are illegal size and far too many people do not know, or do not care, how to handle them properly. The best way is to quickly reel in or handline in the fish without a net (if possible) and then practice C&R (catch-and-release) or CPR (catch-photograph-release) with as little handling of the fish as necessary. If you’re going to net the fish try to find a net with fine mesh. If you use the typical wide-mesh net the net will often tear up the tail of the halibut leading to infection (tail rot) and eventual death. If you have a fine-mesh net, then the best way to handle the halibut is to net it, bring it up, unhook it, place it back in the net, and lower it back down. It sounds like a lot of work but it’s worth it to preserve these fish and they can live to an age of at least 30 years.

Berkeley Pier halibut

          Do be careful of the sharp teeth of these fish! One guidebook jokingly tells the way to differentiate between small halibut and sole or sanddab: “stick your finger in its mouth. If your finger starts bleeding in a relatively short period of time (don’t keep it there for hours), you probably have a halibut.” DON’T DO THIS!

Hermosa Pier halibut

Paradise Park Pier halibut

Point Pinole Pier halibut

Crystal Pier halibut

Oyster Point Pier halibut

Cayucos Pier halibut

Avila Pier halibut (may be a Pacific halibut)