August 26-27, 2017 saw me scheduled to (1) present the “Basics of Pier Fishing” to a group of neophyte anglers at a classroom in Dana Point Harbor and to  (2) help them test out their new knowledge on a visit to the San Clemente Pier.

Needing to arrive the day before, and free the afternoon and evening of the class, meant I could get a little fishing in for myself. The final day wouldn’t allow time for fishing but would allow me to see some old friends and  get a few pictures on the pier.

Day One — Friday — I arrived at the pier after the long drive from Fresno. I was tired and hungry but I wanted to fish. I also wanted to see what was biting and what bait was needed so that Sunday’s outing with the new anglers would, hopefully, see them catch some fish. Since nothing seemed to be biting inshore, I headed out to the end. The fishing presented an interesting mix of fish but little worth filming (since I had already filmed all the species previously)

San Clemente Pier — August 25 — 5-7:15 PM
14 Pacific Mackerel  — 6 Salema  — 3 Jacksmelt —1 Rock Wrasse —1 Jack Mackerel  — 1 Topsmelt  — 1 Grunion

San Clemente was a busy pier that Friday night

I stopped after a couple of hours of fishing since I was tired and would be getting up early for the class. However, it was obvious by then that some fish were hitting at the pier (especially mackerel) and that we should be able to help the newbies catch some fish.

Day Two — Saturday — The morning was spent teaching the “new” anglers a little of what Ive learned about “pier fishing” over the years. The class was held in Dana Harbor and since just about every parking space in the harbor was taken at 6:45 in the morning, I parked near the small fishing pier at the north end if the harbor.

The class was over about 1:30 so I walked over to where I had parked my car, drove back to pick up my pier cart and all the goodies I had brought, and then drove back to the small pier. About that time Mahigheer (Hashem) called and said he was headed down to the harbor. He had decided to help out with the Sunday gathering and to do a little fishing himself.  He met me on the pier just about the time I was setting up to fish.

The Dana Harbor Pier from the classroom where we had our class

I began to fish from the small pier and though I tried a variety of baits — bloodworms, fresh mussels — cut mackerel and anchovies —I didn’t have a bite for over an hour until a small opaleye decided to grab a piece of worm. Mahigeer decided to move on to the San Clemente Pier and I told him I would join him but that I wanted to try the small pier a little bit longer.

A closer look at the Dana Harbor Pier — Baby Beach is to the right of the pier

Soon after I decided to change positions and moved inshore where I cast to the waters just outside “Baby Beach.”  A few minutes later I caught a spotfin croaker so again decided the spot deserved a little more time.

A few minutes later my second rod had a good hit. I grabbed it and made sure the fish was hooked and then watched the fish and line perform a large curving arc from about the 15 minute spot on a watch to the 45 minute spot. The fish was moving fast and I wasn’t sure what I had hooked. It didn’t fight like a croaker, bass, mackerel, flatfish or sharay that typically inhabit the harbor. But within a short time I had the fish to the pier and much to my surprise saw it was a bonefish, a Cortez bonefish to be exact, the first I had caught in nineteen years. I had landed two from the Embarcadero Marina Pier in San Diego Bay in 1999 but they had been caught in deeper water on a heavier line and didn’t give the same fight as this fish. The fish MADE MY TRIP..

Cortez Bonefish

Dana Harbor Pier — August 26 — 3:15-5:15 PM
1 Cortez Bonefish —1 Spotfin Croaker — 1 Opaley

Although I wouldn’t have minded trying for a second bonefish, I decide to join Hashem at the San Clemente Pier for one more rnight of fishing.

The fish were still there but now I told Hashem we needed to catch some mackerel to use for bait on Sunday morning. We were probably not going to have fresh mussels so instead of croaker we would target mackerel and mackerel like nothing better than a fresh piece of another mackerel. It was much the same species, mainly mackerel and salema, but I did add a small black croaker. Since black croaker will often school together with salema at night it seemed to make sense that one would grab my bait.

Salema

Black Croaker

Once again I decided to call it a night somewhat early. We had enough mackerel for bait  on Sunday and I was ready for a meal.

San Clemente Pier — August 26 — 6-7:45 PM
23 Pacific Mackerel — 11 Salema —1 Black Croaker

Day Three — Sunday — Although I had hoped to once again do a litle fishing I would stay far too busy with the kids to fish.I did get a chance to see some friends and to take a few pictures of people (not in the class). The classroom/pier pictures will be in a different post.

The San Clemente Pier during the day — beautiful shoreline

The rules

Three “Excellent” friends — Eugene Kim (kelpangler), Ben Acker (DompfaBen —  Dominating Positive Fishing Attitude Ben), and Hashem Nahid (Mahigeer)

Two nice “Golden” Spotfin Croaker caught on fresh mussels

Mina Kim and friend with a Pacific Mackerel

Bonito caught by “Dusty”

Salema

KJ and DompfaBen — Reunion time

A Pacific mackerel and a really nice family that we met

Spotfin Croaker

Bonito

By the end of the class a break and lunch was needed. DompfaBen headed home while Eugene, Hashem and myself went across the street to the Pizzaria. After lunch I headed over to Redondo Beach to meet my son and the next morning I would get to fish a couple of hours at the Redondo Sportfishing Pier (no pictures).

Redondo Sportfishing Pier — August 28, 2017 — 6-8:30, 10:15-11:15 AM
22 Kelp Bass  — 7 Senorita  — 3 Rock Wrasse  —2 Opaleye

A large spider crab taken by SanClementeEric at the Redondo Beach Pier in 2005

Date: September 4, 1999
To: PFIC Message Board
From: Sarcastic Fringehead
Subject: If it’s edible, somebody will eat it….

People eat anything and everything…I’ve seen guys catch turtles out of dirty inner-city ponds and take them home…and I’ll bet ya it wasn’t for a pet. I once saw this guy catch this stinking, ugly looking spider crab. The thing looked like the grandfather of spider crabs…. it was covered with some kind of slimy algae and barnacles…the guy was soooo happy cause it’s legs were like three feet long each… he told me he was going to break out the lemon and butter. I didn’t have the heart to tell him that they were hollow. I’m sure mullet is edible… they sell em in Asian fish markets. Let us know how they taste…. couldn’t be any worse than sardines or anchovies.

Posted by Snookie

Dear Sarcastic Fringehead, The big crab you mentioned is quite edible especially that size. Of course you won’t be eating that outer area with the growth on it. Boil the legs for about 10 -20 minutes. You will need an anvil or something similar and of course a hammer. Do not do this in the house. The meat from those legs is delicious and plentiful. When there is a red tide in the area it is wise not to eat the crab or any other shellfish until the tide has dissipated, and the shellfish has had a chance to filter out the dinoflagellates—Just in case. Snookie

A nice spider crab taken by Daniel at the Redondo Sportfishing Pier in 2007

Posted by finkelstien on October 19, 2000
Subject: Balboa Pier

I fished from 6pm till midnight and boy were the small mack’s hitting at one point it took five seconds after the bait hit the water to get a bite — yippee! I put most back but i did have a crab net down and caught 10 spider crabs !!! One was so big that with the legs extended it was bigger than the hoop net (36″) There is going to be a feast tonight !!!

Posted by ghsu

What are the regulations for Spider Crabs? Or can they be caught all year? The ones I ran into are often very dirty looking. Are they any good eating? Thanks.

Posted by zen

You better watch out if ur gonna eat its orange stuff inside the shell, taste kinda good but that’s packed with cholesterol

Posted by asegoria

They are really tasty, but their shell is so thick you need a few good whacks from a respectable hammer to crack it. They also take a longer time to cook. I have never heard of any reg’s regarding them. They can also get incredibly large; I’m sure finkelstein’s description is no exaggeration.
tomba

Posted by baitfish

What part do you eat and how do you clean them? I caught one at Santa Barbara Wharf, one time when I was fishing. Reeled him right up onto the pier, guess he really wanted that squid. Anyway, when I looked at him he had a heavy algae coating on top with worms. Not to appetizing! Didn’t think to try and eat one. But when I was leaving I noticed the sold them live at the fish market right on the pier. Maybe I should have sold it to them:-)  So do you just boil them or how do you prepare them? I have a crabbing/ landing net, so I could always through it over and see what happens. any suggestions for bait, technique etc.? Tight Lines, Baitfish

Posted by ISO LUNKERS

Well, as far as cooking I am not sure, but I was told about 7-8 min per pound; the last spider crab I caught was about 8-9lbs. The technigue I used was tying just the leg of a panty house filled with sardines. Worked great! I have been told by many locals that in the winter Port Hueneme pier is a hot spot for them. Hope this helps.

Posted by finkelstien

Ok, the reason people don’t eat them is they are a lot of work to clean but this is how I do it. 1st clean as much of the “stuff” off of them (i do this while waiting for the water to boil).
2nd drop them in boiling water for 3 mins then remove them and brush them with a stiff brush and remove as much of the debris from off of them. 3rd discard the water and start another pot boiling (always change the water after the first boil); boil four mins per pound.
Be sure to get the meat from the leg joints of the body. It’s a lot of labor but the meat is the greatest oh and get the slip joint pliers to crack the legs open. As for bait I use four large hooks to keep my bait on the net (4/0 or bigger) and I use squid and anchovies mostly.

Spider crab from the Balboa Pier in 2004

Posted by fishfinder on April 16, 2001
Subject: Spider Crabs

Anyone know where I can catch some spider crabs this time of year?  Also what bait? Any DFG regs on Size or Bag Limits? I live in the L.A. area. thanks Pat

Posted by baitfish

Try Stearns Wharf in Santa Barbara, I’m not sure about the regs, but there is a link below to the DFG site… Adam

Posted by SurFan

Seen them at Balboa Pier. Some people use chicken as bait or cans of fish based cat food(just punch a bunch of holes in the can and use the can as the bait container). Locally caught fish will probably get you the best results as bait. I’ve also seen frozen mackerel in two pound bags at Stater Bros Market for $2.50. Plastic tie downs are useful to attach the bait to the nets. There is probably a good chance you’ll find spider crabs at just about any pier in Southern Califonia. Good luck!

Posted by Snookie

Balboa Pier is a good place for catching spider crabs. They can be all around the pier from past the surf to the end of the pier. This time of year is the best time to get them. I have always caught mine on live bait and a single hook, but your umbrella net or a somewhat flat landing net will do well too. Lace these with dead bait. Dead anything will do however. Do no keep the small crabs. They are only trouble to fix. I usually try to have crabs with a carapace size of from 7 too 9 inches in diameter. These are the tastiest. They are also the hardest to work with. The legs are surrounded with 1/4 inch thick armor, but it is worth the effort. When the crabs are caught, you can remove the legs and put them into a cooler to be cooked when you get home. Steam as you would any crab. They are deeeeelicious. Good luck. Snookie

Posted by fishfinder

Thanks guys. I think I will maybe try for them later this week. Haven’t decided where though. Tight Lines, Pat

Posted by CK

I catch loads of them at Hueneme pier. I was just there and ended up catching about two dozen but only kept the biggest three. I would literally pull up three at a time. They are all over right now.

Posted by anomaly

What type of net or contraption are you using? I have a hoop net. Will that work for me at Hueneme? Thanks Anomaly

Posted by CK

Ya, everyone else uses the hoop nets and they catch alot of crabs. You will find you catch quite a few Dungeness crabs as well. Most are small but every once in awhile you’ll get a nice one.

Posted by baitfish

How do you cook them and for how long? Adam

Posted by fishfinder

I have read that you can cook them whole. Drop them in boiling water for 3-5 min. and then scrub the shell with a wire brush or some steel wool to get all the plant matter and other little creatures off. Then start a fresh pot boiling and cook them 8-9 min. a pound. You can also just ripp off the legs and cook them for 8-9 min. a pound. The shell is very tough so they have to cook a long time. This is just what I’ve read. Never actually done it though. Hope this helps. Pat

Posted by baitfish

Thanks for the info! I have caught a couple of huge ones of of Fisherman’s Wharf in S.B. Just never ate one. I wonder how they taste/texture… Adam

Posted by CK

Baitfish, I use the Pyramid traps. You can pick them up at Big 5 for 8 bucks. They look cheap but if you replace the string they come with, they work great. You boil them for 30-45 minutes. They taste great.

Posted by baitfish

Cool deal! Thanks CK… I have a hoop net, the Big 5′s around me are pretty lame, so they don’t have much. I’ll keep an eye out for them though. TL Adam

Good-sized spider crab taken by Mike Katz at Stearns Wharf in Santa Barbara in 1997

Posted by mmmmfiiiish on October 20, 2002
Subject: San Clemente Pier

I got to the pier about 3:30pm and caught two jacksmelt that went to waste on a sliding rig in the first two hours. At 5:30, I walked back to my car and grabbed my hoop net, and stopped by the store for a mackerel and some squid. From 6:00-1:30, the squid never even got a nibble. As for the net, all it produced was a big ugly barnacle encrusted crab. Yes, those ARE 12″ planks. Unfamiliar with crab species and regs, I played it safe and released it. Anyone have any idea what kind that is? Also, how long does it take a barnacle to get that big(about an inch and a half wide next to the front right leg)? The only other signs of life were a small white sea bass caught by another angler and a 2′ leopard shark which I unhooked and released for a guy who landed it but was scared to touch it. Conditions were, for the most part, as baitfish described Santa Monica for the 18th. Overcast with a lot of currents and some wind. On the other hand, I think I can thank the World Series for the fact that there weren’t more than 12 people on the pier at any one time. Oh well, I’ll give it another try tonight. Hopefully it will pan out better. Tim

Posted by tombaAtwork

It’s a Sheep Crab and that is a small one. They taste really good, but one that size has very little meat. The shells are so thick you need a ‘real’ hammer to break them. Bigger ones have much meatier claws.

Posted by baitfish

Too bad the conditions were ripping for you to. BTW, it’s a spider crab.

Posted by tombaAtwork

I think Spider Crab and Sheep Crab both refer to the same species on the West Coast. I have heard people call them Spider Crabs.

Posted by baitfish

Interesting, I have never heard of it being called a sheep crab, but spider crab is also the common name for this crab. After doing some searching, it looks like both names are used, but that is a first for me. Adam

Posted by das limpet

Does kinda look like a sheep. baaaaaaaa. A SHEEP FROM HELL!

Posted by kcruise

In England, the spider’s we catch are sheep crabs. They are considered quite good and eaten in France. Lots of crabbing in the Channel for these.. The males tend to weight in between 8-15lbs, with large powerful pincers. Females will weigh up to 5lbs. Thier pincers are smaller. I keep crabs over 3.5-4lbs. The real secret to eating these monsters is in the cooking. I give them an hour minimum in boiling water. They will smell terrible while cooking, but the smell will change to a sweet smell when they are ready to crack. I use an old canning pot, the type used for boiling canning jars. You’ll want to scrub them down with wire bristle brushes before you cook them. To clean them, remove them from the pot and let cool water run on the bodies for a few minutes. Ready two bags, one for the good parts, the other for the guts and whatnot. First, remove the legs. You’ll have to twist them to get them off. Next, you need to remove the bottom flap on the shell. On the females, this is where the eggs are. It should be popped open with you remove them. The trick is to remove it and the piece of shell on the back of the top shell. Once this is off, you can wash out alot of the guts. Now use a butter knife and work your way around the shell to remove the top shell. Once this comes off, you’ll have the bottom of the crab, the mantibles, gills and other gross stuff! Remove the gills and mantibles with you hands. Be careful around the mantibles, they can be sharp. You should now see the meat, which will be an off-white color. Anything yellow or beige needs to be removed. Also, some of the carpice in side can be broken off. I also break the bottom in two, making it easier to clean. Once it’s all cracked, you should have at least 1/2-1 cup of crab meat. You may have to crack the shell with a mallet. Use a dish towel to wrap the crab and give it a few whacks! You can freeze the cooked crab and use it later, or fridge it. My favorite dish is crab pasta in alfredo sauce. Use the crab, pine nuts, alfredo sauce and any style pasta. Cook the pasta, add the crab, pine nuts and sauce, mix and serve. It also goes well with any other seafood dish. Crab salad can be made, and a 8lbs male will have enough meat to feed 5 people, with left overs. This comes from catching crabs almost every weekend in the summer of 2001.

Spider crabs from the Port Hueneme Pier in 2007

Posted by kcruise on February 23, 2003
Subject: Pier Report, Santa Monica

My daughter and I loaded up early in the morning for Santa Monica Pier, our old haunt. The sky was overcast, and the tide was out. I dropped my first crab net in and set the second one up. The first pull have three spiders in the net, and the day went like that from there. We wound up with 6 total that came home, and caught at least 18. Bait of choice was chicken drumsticks, for $3.76 at Vons. One pull came up with 5 crabs in the net at once. See the photo. Fishing was okay, but I spent more time crabbing. The end result of the day: Six well cooked crabs… I had called the wife and warned her what I was bringing home. Kel

Posted by gyozadude

I’ve never had a spider crab… but I’ve always wondered. How are they eating wise? The picture does give them a flattering red hue.

Posted by donblaze420

Are the Spider crabs good for eating? I have only tasted them once and it seemed as if the shells were harder to break and there was little meat. Looks like a nice day of crabbing though! Good fishing to ya.

Posted by anomaly

I think spider crab meat is quite good. Flesh is very firm. Not as sweet as Dungeness, but it has it’s own unique and distinct flavor. Only drawback is getting to the meat. The crab has to be fairly large to get any meat out of the legs since the shells are so thick. If you are fortunate to catch one, give it a try. That’s what I did, and now I’m hooked.

Posted by Anthony

What’s the best why to crack open the shell? They do taste good but the shell is just a pain that why I don’t catch them anymore.

Posted by kcruise

Cooking and preparing spiders… Okay, the question has been asked… Here’s the skinny. Spider crab is really under enjoyed by pier fishermen. Since I’ve got a ton of these beasts before, there are some tips for them. One, I don’t keep any under 4 lbs. The ones in the sink are in the 5 lbs range. Males can come in at 15+ lbs. My rule of thumb is the shell should be as big as my hand from thumb tip to the end of my pinky stretched. The other tip is cooking. My wife tried a new way last night that she got from the Santa Barbara Shellfish Co. She cooked them for 20 mins, cleaned them, then cooked the legs and body for another 10-15 mins. When you clean them, the lower body where the legs attach is filled with meat. Not all of it’s in the legs! BTW, I watched the SBSC do this with spiny lobster, then grill them. Yum!! Cracking requires at least nutcrackers. A rolling pin may work. Also, a towel and a wooden mallet will work. The body can be broken easly to get the meat with a fork. Some markets sell crab crackers with picks. Good Cook is one brand. This meat can be used for anything that requires crab. A 5lbs crab should give you at least a cup of meat, provided you’re willing to work a little for it! The wife two favorites are crab salad and crab in alfredo sauce, pine nuts and noodles. Enjoy! Kel

Spider crabs at the Fort Baker Pier in 2003

Posted by Bent Barrel on May 19, 2003
Subject: Crabbing

Back east I would tie a chicken neck to a string and hang it off the boat or either the bank and scoop up blue crabs when you pull the line close to you slowly. I have also used the round nets that you tie or clip bait to and pull it up fast to trap them in the net. I like crabbing and was curious about the various methods employed here. I mentioned it before but I was more or less asking if anyone goes crabbing and catches anything… I’ve read through several things and there seems to not be a lot of info available for it.

Posted by geckomd

If you recently migrated to our neck of the woods up here in NorCal, Ft. Point Pier, Fort Baker Pier and Pacifica (SF locations) all offer some good crabbing action. However, the crabs here are not as “dingy” as the blue crabs. You can still use the ring net, however, you may also want to invest in a $3.00 bait cage (or make your own) to use with it as well since the seals around these parts are experts at stripping tie-on bait off these nets. Be certain to check the regulations for legal takes.

Posted by kds99

I do some crabbing at Balboa, mostly just to pass the time, Mostly it is spider crabs. I use a crab net and will catch 3-4 every time I go fishing.

Posted by Bent Barrel

I can see how the seals/sea lions would present a problem, I didn’t think about that… I like low country boil, put some cleaned crabs (clean them before you cook them) in a pot after the potatoes (whole little red new potatos), corn on the cod, and sausage are done. Put in shrimp, clams, crab legs, or crawfish or whatever you want in there after the longer cooking stuff is boiled… Old Bay or comparative seasonings are added before the water boils with a few good drinking quality beers… Great with blue crabs or Dungeoness or rock crabs (East Coast rock crabs)… Maybe one day…

Posted by joey805

Hooping at Hueneme Pier Last Night – Blah! Last night from 6pm – 9pm me and a buddy tried out our hooping skills from Huememe Pier and to much avail we ended up with a ton of small crabs. Nothing even worth keeping! Does anyone ever do any good here? I heard there are a ton of large spider crabs here. If you manage to catch one of these beasts, are they worth keeping and eating?

Posted by CK

I have taken my wife and loaded up on large spiders. They are definitely worth catching and eating.

Posted by joey805

What kinda bait do you use? Is it better to go during the day or at night? What location on the pier? How long are you leaving the hoops down for? Can you tell I’m new to this? Thanks for your help, Joey

Posted by joey805

Use a big whole cut mackerel. I tried that last night. It the bait bag we had squid, a whole cut mackerel and a handfull of sardines. All we were pulling up were small spiders and some other Dungenous-looking type crab. Everything so small though!

Small spider crab from the Malibu Pier in 2014

Posted by fishnchips

Try this for hooping… since the sharks are moving in, try using smoothhounds for crabs. Keep them in your freezer for future crab bait. I just chop the head 90% off and expose the guts. I dunno, it’s something about their scent, that works well on crabs. A huge plus is also, the sea lions have never touched my hoop net when I used sharks. If there are no sharks around, you seem to be on the right track with the fishy cut bait inside a bag. Remember, crabs will only stick around your net, if they can actually feed off of your offering. Make sure crabs can actually get to some bait too! The spiders are moving in more and more everyday it seems like. When I went to Pier II in Monterey, I could see huge spider crabs in about 10 feet or less of water. So they don’t only stay in deep water. Keep trying, you’ll get fatties soon. It seems like one night you can make a killing and the very next night, nothing. They seem to like full moons too! Hope some of this info helps!

Posted by joey805

Do you just eat the meat in the legs?

Posted by CK

Yes. The knuckle where the legs attach to the body have meat as well.

Posted by pierangler8787

Crabbing is better during the day time. Some like night time, but IMHO, the day time is better, preferebly in the afternoon hours, before sunset. Like Fishnchip said, spiders will ne in shallow water, but the best crabbing is near or at the end. The end is usually packed, but there is still good crabbing 3/4 way down. It seems the right side is a little better (west), I see a lot of mainly small crabs on the other(east). I think THE bait for humongous spider crabs, is by far, chicken legs. Relatively cheap, and last very long(non frozen is the best). You may spend a little more than what you would for a box of squid, but you will get more and bigger crabs. Mackerel is really good, as is squid. If you buy those big macks in bait shops, then it is a good idead to cut of portions of it and use those one at a time. Example, the head, guts, tail, and finally, chunked or steaked body. Try combinations of the two, and try just mackerel at one time and just chicken legs on another. The chicken legs are more effective with the skin on, but Stuffing a head of mackerel with some skin trailing out the mouth, and eyes, is really good. One more note, please lower the net in the water gently without a ruccus, I’m not saying that you did, it’s just annoying to other anglers when people do this, thanks.

Posted by fishnchips

Chicken… .of course… that used to be my bait of choice, and I never had a problem taking a good amount of crabs over by Ghiradelli Square in SF. Also, the side you fish almost always seems to matter. Like in SF, if a harbor is on one side of the pier, fish the opposite side of the harbor. For some reason, the crabs are noticably smaller on the inside as opposed to the outside of the harbor (depth difference)… might want to take that into consideration too. Also, it does not seem to matter how far you throw the net. Lowering it calmly into the water is much better, as it does scare crabs away when you throw it out and let it splash. Often people think too deep about crabbing….my point of view is: when fishing, how pesty can them crabs be?…. Pretty darn frustrating. And, they always seem to find your little piece of bait on your hook, almost right away. So, take that into consideration…. crabs are easy to attract. It’s just getting some big one’s that’s the hard part. Keep trying and don’t give up!

Posted by anomaly

Redondo Pier/Hermosa: I crab these piers several times a year with some decent results. I use mackerel, chicken wings, and raw pork for bait.

Spider crab from the Crystal Pier in San Diego in 2010

 Posted by Sheldon on February 23, 2011

My brothers and I used to make all night trips out to the Santa Monica Pier back in the 80′s. We would get the last bus on Wilshire Boulevard out to the pier and stay all night and fish. I remember on time we got there and there spider crabs all over the place incuding the trash cans. I guess they were getting hooked up by people who didn’t eat them and were tired of hooking them. We had a blast throwing them all back into the water.

 Posted by Mahigeer

If one goes to the trouble of cleaning them and only keeping the males that have arms at least 3/4″ in diameter–one can enjoy a taste similar to lobsters. That is what I have experienced.

Posted by SranW

Spider crab (Sheep crab) are much better steamed vs. cooked in boiling water. The meat taste as if pre-seasoned, with a little bit of sweetness. You need ~20 min of hot steam to fully cook the crab. The purplish roe (cooked) is very tasty, similar to sea urchin roe, except firmer but sweeter. If you which to try this steamed by a restaurant, you could try Quality Seafood at the Redondo Beach Pier (across from the arcade), 130 S International Boardwalk, Redondo Beach, CA 90277; (310) 372-6408

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

Halfmoon caught at Catalina in 2010

Species: Medialuna californiensis (Steindachner, 1876); from the Spanish word medialuna (halfmoon, referring to the shape of the tail) and californiensis  (California, where first found).

Alternate Names: Catalina blue perch, island mackerel, blooper, blue wizard, blue perch or blue bass. In early days sometimes called medialuna. In Mexico called chopa medialuna.

Identification: Halfmoon are perch-shaped but heavier bodied; they’re similar in many ways to opaleye. Their coloring is normally bluish-black above, bluish-gray on sides, and light blue below. Their tail is shaped like a half-moon.

Halfmoon caught by Isogure in Mission Bay in 2014

Size: A 19-inch fish weighed 4 pounds 12.5 ounces.

Range: Gulf of California to Vancouver Island, British Columbia.

Habitat: Halfmoon are found in shallow-water, rocky areas and kelp beds. They’re often in small loose schools in the mid-water area and, at times, mixed in with schools with pileperch.

Piers: Common at southern and central California piers that are located near rocks, reefs or kelp. They’re common as far north as Cayucos but occasionally taken as far north as Santa Cruz. Best bets: Ocean Beach Pier, the Green Pleasure Pier and Cabrillo Mole in Avalon (the two best piers), Hermosa Beach Pier (by the reef), Redondo Harbor Sportfishing Pier, Santa Monica Pier, Gaviota Pier, and the Paradise Cove Pier.

Halfmoon caught by Jimbojack at the Cabrillo Mole in 2007

Shoreline: A common catch of rocky shore anglers in sourthern California.

Boats: Although mainly considered an inshore species, quite a few are landed by anglers fishing from boats, especially at Catalina.

Bait and Tackle: Halfmoon will take almost any bait but they prefer fresh mussels, shrimp, or small crabs. When schools are present, a small strip of squid will often work, and you will lose far less bait. Halfmoon caught from boats seem to be less picky and will often hit pieces of anchovy, sardine, or sqiuid.

Food Value:  A good eating, mild-flavored fish.

Comments:  Halfmoons are good fighters, very similar to opaleye and the larger perch. Their eating habits are also similar to opaleye (both are considered to be   herbivorous species) but will eat almost anything in their environment including red, green, and brown algae, sponges, bits of seaweed, green moss, shrimp, mussels, squid, and fish. Apparently they have a hard time deciding whether to be vegans or meat-eaters and that may explain their scrappy and perhaps irritable nature.

KJ and a halfmoon caught at the Cabrillo Mole in 2014

Halfmoon from the Cabrillo Mole in 2016

Hans Jones and a halfmoon from the Cabrillo Mole in 2014

Halfmoon from the Cabrillo Mole in 2014

An early day rendering of a halfmoon. Note the slightly different scientific name. Picture courtesy of NOAA.

 Temperate Basses—Family Moronidae 

Striped Bass taken from the Fort Point Pier 

Species: Morone saxatilis (Walbaum, 1792); from Morone (a word of unknown origin attributed to Samuel Latham Mitchell who named it in 1814) and the Latin saxatilis (to live among rocks). CA Fish Bulletin #28 (1930) uses the name Roccus lineatus. CA Fish Bulletin #157 (1972) uses Roccus saxatilis.

Alternate Names: Striper, linesider, rock bass, rock fish, streaked bass and my favorites—squidhound or “rock.” Called lubina estriada in Mexico.

Striped Bass taken from the Paradise Beach Park Pier in 2016

Identification: Typical bass shape with two dorsal fins. Brownish, copper, or steel bluish with brassy reflections; more silverish on the sides; seven or eight blackish, horizontal stripes on the side of the body.

Size: Up to 4 feet and 90 pounds in California. Most striped bass caught off piers are the smaller schooling stripers under five pounds in size. Each year will see a few lucky anglers catching large fish—some up to 40-50 pounds.

Striped Bass taken from the Marin Rod & Gun Club Pier by Preston in 2013

Range: From 25 miles south of the California-Mexico border to Barkley Sound in British Columbia.

Habitat: Shallow-water areas, both sandy and rocky.

Striped Bass taken at the McNear Park Pier by Mel in 2006

Piers: Really only common at Bay Area and Delta piers and even here fewer and fewer are caught each year. Striped bass are anadromous, spending part of their life in fresh water and part in salt water. Most California stripers spend the winter months in the fresh water of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta; they then move down to salt water in the spring, spend the warm months in the bay or adjacent ocean areas, and return upstream again in the fall. Spring and fall see catches of stripers at piers on both the west and east sides of San Pablo Bay as the fish head toward the Golden Gate. Summer is the prime time for piers throughout San Francisco Bay as well as areas out to Pacifica Pier. Best bets depend on the season. During the mid-to-late summer, I would try Pacifica Pier or any pier along the western side of San Francisco Bay. During the spring, I would try East Bay piers including Berkeley Pier and the Point Pinole Pier. During the fall, hit mainly Marin County piers (the World Series bite in October is famous) and piers near the Carquinez Strait area including the Eckley Pier and Martinez Pier. Fall is a prime time to try the various piers in the Pittsburg and Antioch area for the larger stripers that are passing through. Almost all of the piers in the Antioch area (but especially the Antioch Bridge Pier) out to the Rio Vista and Isleton piers seem to yield an unending number of small (mostly illegal) stripers from spring to fall.

Striper taken at the Capitola Wharf by Mark Spencer in 2016 (Photo courtesy of Capitola Bait and Boat)

Shoreline: One of the main goals for shore anglers in the San Francisco Bay-Delta. For many years the beaches south of San Francusco were considered the top striper areas in the West.

Boats: One of the main species sought out in the San Francisco Bay-Delta. Both live bait and lures attract striped bass.

Striped Bass taken at the Point Pinole Pier by “Stan the Man” in 2003

Bait and Tackle: The main idea here is to have heavy enough tackle that you can fight the unexpected big fish. Although most of the fish you catch will be less than 10 pounds, be prepared for the 30-pounder. Tackle should be medium size, line should be at least 25-pound test, and hooks may vary from size 2 to 2/0. Best baits are live small fish such as shinerperch, staghorn sculpin (bullheads), other small sculpins, or live shrimp. Cut bait including sardines, anchovies and even mackerel will often work as well. Stripers will also hit worms, but worms are used mostly for the smaller fish. Several regulars have mentioned that dead “bullheads” are also very effective as long as they still retain the slime on their skin. Although artificials can be deadly in a boat and on shore, they are used less frequently on the piers and tend to be less effective. To avoid the small stripers at the Antioch piers you need to use larger baits and regulars tell me that live bluegills and Sacramento squawfish fit the bill.

Striped Bass taken at the Malibu Pier in 2009

Food Value:  Stripers have a mild, flaky flesh that is delicious almost any way you prepare it. However, the flesh of larger fish (above about 12 pounds in size) tends to be a little more coarse and becomes less flavorsome with age. In addition, if taken from the bay, it is best to broil the meat so that some of the harmful toxins will melt (and drop) out of the meat.

Striped Bass taken at the Dumbarton Pier by Thomas Orozco in 2006

Comments: Striped Bass were introduced from the Atlantic Ocean in 1879; the first fish were released in the Carquinez Straits near Martinez. For many years striped bass were the most sought after fish in San Francisco Bay; today they share that honor with white sturgeon and California halibut. Although very rarely taken from southern California piers; they have been planted in San Diego, Mission, Newport and Anaheim bays since 1974. For some, still unexplained reason, there was an unusual invasion of southern California beaches by stripers in the warm-water year of ’98. Linesides were caught all the way south to San Diego.

Striped Bass taken at the Pacifica Pier in the 1970s

Stripers at the Pacifica Pier in 2009

Striped Bass taken by Miliyah at the Capitola Wharf in 2016 (Photo courtesy of the Capitola Bait and Boat)

Striped Bass taken at the Redondo Sportfishing Pier in 2012

Striped Bass taken at the Berkeley Pier by Rock Hopper in 2002

Striper taken at the Point Pinole Pier in 2006

Striped Bass taken at the Berkeley Pier by Bob Griffin in 2006

Striped Bass taken at the Capitola Wharf by Nick in 2016

Striper taken at the Pacifica Pier by Matt Shockley in 1996

Although rarely taken from the pier, these two striped bass were caught at the Cayucos Pier in 2003

Striped Bass from the Berkeley Pier, 2003

Striped Bass at the Seacliff State Beach pier in 2005

Striped Bass and Barred Surfperch taken at the Seacliff State Beach Pier in 2009

And the way it used to be…

]]> http://kenjonesfishing.com/2016/09/striped-bass/feed/ 2 http://kenjonesfishing.com/2015/04/longfin-sanddab/ http://kenjonesfishing.com/2015/04/longfin-sanddab/#comments Thu, 09 Apr 2015 19:24:33 +0000 kenjones http://kenjonesfishing.com/?p=6436  

Order Pleuronectiformes — Lefteye Flounders—Family Bothidae

Species: Citharichthys xanthostigma (Gilbert, 1890); from the Greek word citharichthys (a fish that lies on its ribs or side) and xanthostigma  (yellow colored with a pointed bone—referring to the long fins).

Alternate Names: Sanddab, soft flounder, Catalina sanddab. Called lenguado alón in Mexico.

Identification: Sanddabs are in the left-eye flounder family. Longfin sanddab have very long pectoral rays—longer than the head. Their coloring is brown with a black pectoral fin.

Size: To 10 inches; most caught off piers are under 8 inches.

Range: Costa Rica to Monterey Bay.

Habitat: Found from shallow to deeper water, primarily over sand.

Piers: Usually found in deeper water. Best bets: Balboa Pier, Newport Pier, Redondo Beach Pier, Redondo Sportfishing Pier and the Port Hueneme Pier.

Shoreline: Rarely caught from shore.

Boats: A small sanddab sometimes taken from boats

Food Value:  Limited because of their small size.

Bait and Tackle: Use light tackle and fish on the bottom with small size 8 hooks. Longfin sanddab will hit most baits but prefer small strips of squid, pieces of anchovy, or worms.

Comments:  Longfin sanddab are a small species that is infrequently taken. However, at times schools will appear near a pier and a considerable number will be taken in a short time.

Species: Citharichthys xanthostigma (Gilbert, 1890); from the Greek word citharichthys (a fish that lies on its ribs or side) and xanthostigma  (yellow colored with a pointed bone—referring to the long fins).

Alternate Names: Sanddab, soft flounder, Catalina sanddab. Called lenguado alón in Mexico.

Identification: Sanddabs are in the left-eye flounder family. Longfin sanddab have very long pectoral rays—longer than the head. Their coloring is brown with a black pectoral fin.

Size: To 10 inches; most caught from piers are under 8 inches.

Range: Costa Rica to Monterey Bay.

Habitat: Found from shallow to deeper water, primarily over sand.

Piers: Usually found in deeper water. Best bets: Balboa Pier, Newport Pier, Redondo Beach Pier and Redondo Sportfishing Pier.

Shoreline: Rarely caught from shore.

Boats: A small sanddab sometimes taken from boats

Food Value:  Limited because of their small size.

Bait and Tackle: Use light tackle and fish on the bottom with small size 8 hooks. Longfin sanddab will hit most baits but prefer small strips of squid, pieces of anchovy, or worms.

Comments:  Longfin sanddab are a small species that is infrequently taken. However, at times schools will appear near a pier and a considerable number will be taken in a short time.

]]> http://kenjonesfishing.com/2015/04/longfin-sanddab/feed/ 0 http://kenjonesfishing.com/2013/03/kelpfishes-%e2%80%94-family-clinidae/ http://kenjonesfishing.com/2013/03/kelpfishes-%e2%80%94-family-clinidae/#comments Mon, 18 Mar 2013 02:50:54 +0000 kenjones http://kenjonesfishing.com/?p=3655 California is blessed with a number of attractive little kelpfishes that unfortunately are rarely seen by an angler unless he or she is using small hooks in search of perch. Herein, are several of the smaller species. The Giant Kelpfish, Heterostichus rostratus, is given a different article).

Striped Kelpfish

Striped Kelpfish from the Malibu Pier

Species: Gibbonsai metzi (Hubbs, 1927); from Gibbonsai (William P. Gibbons, an early naturalist from Alameda), and metzi (Charles W. Metz, a student of ichthyology once interested in kelpfish).

Alternate Names: Striped kelp-fish, seaweed kelpfish, weed klipfish. Called sargacero or sargacero rayado in Mexico.

Identification: Reddish to light brown, usually with darker stripes or darker mottling on sides (color often matches nearby seaweed). Tail rounded (distinguishes them from a giant kelpfish); pectoral fin is short, not reaching the front of the anal fin.

A kelpfish from the Elephant Rock Pier in Tiburon

Size: To 9 1/2 inches long; most caught off piers are 5-8 inches.

Range: Punta Rompiente, central Baja California to Maquinna Point, Nootka Sound, Vancouver Island, British Columbia.

Habitat: Shallow-water areas near rocks or kelp.

Piers: Found at piers that have a heavy growth of kelp or seaweed. Best bets: I’ve taken them at the Cabrillo Mole (Avalon), the Paradise Cove Pier (Malibu), Coast Guard Pier (Monterey) and the Princeton Harbor Pier. I’ve also taken them at several Bay Area piers including Agua Vista (in San Francisco), Berkeley Pier (East Bay), and Elephant Rock (North Bay). At the first two they were inshore by the rocks, at the latter the pier sits on a rock.

Shoreline: Occasionally taken by anglers fishing in rock or kelp areas if using small hooks.

Boats: An inshore species rarely take from boats.

Kelpfish from the Cabrillo Mole, Avalon, Catalina Island

Bait and Tackle: Light to medium tackle and small, size 8 to 6 hooks. Preferred baits appear to be pieces of worm, blood or pile, while small pieces of shrimp and mussels will also entice them.

Food Value: Too small, let ‘em go.

Comments: A pretty little fish that likes to hang by the rocks, dart out to grab the bait, and then head back to the rocks.

Crevice Kelpfish

Crevice Kelpfish from the Monterey Coast Guard Pier

Species: Gibbonsai montereyensis (Hubbs, 1927); from Gibbonsai (William P. Gibbons, an early naturalist from Alameda), and montereyensis (Monterey, an early collection point for the fish).    

Alternate Names: Spotted kelpfish and crevice klipfish. Called sargacero or sargacero de Monterey in Mexico.

Identification:  Reddish to brown or lavender; plaincolored to spotted or striped. Dorsal fin soft rays widely spaced at rear of fin. No scales at base of or furher out on the caudal fin. Color variable with several phases, reddish, green, dark and silver bars, which intermix freely; there is usually a strong dark ocellus above the lateral line canal behind the pectoral fin and there may be additionally several series of dark spots of various intensities; fins weakly pigmented at bases, anal and pectorals most so; head often with pigment bars radiating from eye

Size: To 5 ½-inches long; most caught off piers are around 4 inches.

Range: Isla Guadalupe and Bahia San Carlos, central Baja California to Ucluelet, Vancouver Island, British Columbia. Usually north of Point Conception.

Habitat: Shallow-water areas near rocks or kelp. Occurs in inshore rocky areas in algae, usually on exposed coast

Piers: Oceanside Harbor Pier, Cabrillo Mole in Avalon, and the Monterey Coast Guard Pier.

Shoreline: Occasionally taken by anglers fishing in rock or kelp areas if using small hooks.

Boats: An inshore species rarely take from boats.

Bait and Tackle: Light tackle and small hooks. Preferred baits appear to be sea worms—pile worms and bloodworms, pieces of shrimp, and fresh mussels.

Food Value:  Too small to be used for food.

Comments: Rarely caught due to their small size. A small fish with a small mouth that is sometimes an incidental catch by perch anglers using small hooks.

Spotted Kelpfish

Spotted Kelpfish from the Redondo Sportfishing Pier in Redondo Beach

Species: Gibbonsia elegans (Cooper, 1864); from Gibbonsai (William P. Gibbons, an early naturalist from Alameda), and the Latin word elegans (elegant or handsome).   

Alternate Names: Called Sargacero or Sargacero manchado in Mexico.                

Identification: Typical kelpfish shape—pointed snout, tiny mouth, rounded caudal fin, and long dorsal fin. Color varies widely; green to brown or tan or reddish—often blotched or streaked. 1-3 (often 2) ocelli on back. Soft rays more widely spaced toward rear of dorsal fin. Scales that extend well onto the caudal fin distinguish it from other kelpfish.

Kelpfish from the Oceanside Harbor Pier

Size: To 6.2-inches long; most caught from piers are around 4-5 inches.

Range: Bahia Magdalena, southern Baja California, including Isla Guadalupe, to Piedras Blancas Point, central California

Habitat: Shallow-water areas near rocks or kelp. Typically feeds on benthic crustaceans, small mollusks and worms, but also eats fair quantities of algae. Found from subtidal rocky areas to 56 m depth, usually in seaweed. Female lays white eggs in seaweed; male guards egg mass.

Piers: Embarcadero Marina Pier, Oceanside Harbor Pier, Cabrillo Mole in Catalina, Redondo Spotfishing Pier, Malibu Pier, and Monterey Coast Guard Pier.

Shoreline: Occasionally taken by anglers fishing in rock or kelp areas if using small hooks.

Boats: An inshore species rarely take from boats.

Bait and Tackle: Light tackle and small hooks. Preferred baits appear to be sea worms—pile worms and bloodworms, pieces of shrimp, and fresh mussels.

Food Value: Too small to be used for food.

Comments: A small fish that is rarely caught due to their small mouth. However, they are sometimes an incidental catch by perch anglers using small hooks.

Kelpfish from the Cabrillo Mole, Avalon, Catalina Island

This is a small (250-foot-long) pier that sits inside of Redondo’s King Harbor. It was built in 1969 and is used by Redondo Sportfishing and its fleet of boats. Often crowded, especially during the summer months, this private pier yields a lot of fish. As a matter of fact, more fish are probably caught per angler than at the larger Redondo Beach Municipal Pier that sits a short distance to the south

Many unusual fish are seen in the harbor and some are caught at the pier. I thought the most unusual visitors were a school of deep-sea skipjack tuna that made an unfortunate mistake and turned into the harbor one day (some sources say they were black skipjack—Euthynnus lineatus). And, the deep-water triggerfish and bullet mackerel that have been caught are pretty intriguing. But then I heard the story of the swordfish (Xiphias gladius). For some reason a young, four-foot-long swordfish ventured into the harbor in 1992 and stayed for nearly a week. It occasionally would surface and attract crowds and eventually four different television stations filmed it. Many people feared it was injured and almost all hoped it would make its way back into the open ocean. It disappeared after a week and has not been seen since.

A sheephead caught from the pier on a whole squid

Another unusual species, one that actually seems to have formed a resident population, is a school of broomtail grouper. The groupers, which are more commonly seen in Baja California, are sighted every winter in the harbor. Most of the fish seem to be between 30-40 pounds (so where are the babies?) but they range to over a hundred pounds and a few will be hooked most years. The best theory I’ve heard so far to explain their appearance (besides the warm water in the harbor) is that they are most evident when the schools of bonito enter the harbor. Even though the bonito are noted for their speed, they are prey for the grouper. After all, if you were a sixty-pound grouper, would you prefer a half-ounce anchovy for lunch or a five-pound bonito? If you do hook one of these monster bass remember that they are illegal and must be returned to the water immediately. Failure to do so means a stiff fine at the very least.

Environment. The pier has a unique environment that produces an olla podrida of large and small fish, common and uncommon species. Most important is the deep-water Redondo Canyon, which sits just outside the entrance to the harbor. The canyon, which drops off to a depth of over 2,000 feet, produces a considerable upwelling much of the year. One result seems to be a funneling of rich nutrients, plankton, baitfish and larger fish directly into the harbor.

The entrance to the harbor

In addition, this harbor was famous for years due to two warm-water outlets in the harbor (one the famous Bubble Hole) that discharged water from the Southern California Edison generating plant that sits across the street. When in operation the water here was warmer than that outside the harbor in the ocean (five to ten degrees warmer during some winters). The warm water attracted bonito; in fact, the harbor was known as one of the best spots for bonito in southern California (and almost always was the best spot during the winter). Many, many bonito were caught at the pier. Some years also saw fairly good runs of small (firecracker size) yellowtail; a fact that would unnerve some of the deep-sea anglers patiently waiting in line to board a sportfishing vessel and hoping to have a chance to land a yellowtail.

Firecracker-size yellowtail from the pier

However, a new company took over the plant in 1998 and decided to change the system that the Edison Plant had used for the past 30-40 years—sucking in cold water from the harbor and releasing hot water back into the harbor via the “bubble hole.” Stopping the release of the warm water had, of course, an adverse affect to the harbor’s fish, especially the bonito. Eventually the plant was shut down but then it was resold and reopened. For a while the warm water releases seemed to be occurring again but recently reports say they’ve been shut down. No one knows if the warm water will be released once again into the harbor. If not, there will be far fewer bonito—and yellowtail.

The famous “Bubble Hole”

Finally, although the pier sits over a sand-and-mud bottom, there are a considerable number of rocks and debris under and around it. One result is that a lot of rocky shore species are caught including seaperch (black, rubberlip, white and rainbow), opaleye, halfmoon, blacksmith, senorita, rock wrasse, kelpfish, salema, sargo, sculpin, bass and even an occasional sheephead. The pier is not a great place to catch the smaller schooling species that prefer sand, species like walleye surfperch, queenfish, or white croaker, but who really cares when you have these more favorable species? In addition, pier anglers also catch quite a few spider crabs and spiny lobster from these waters.

A rocky shoreline plus rocks under the pier

I used to think the pier was poor for halibut, especially when compared to the nearby larger Redondo Pier.  However, a 25-pound halibut was caught on a Worm King in July of ’02 and a 40-pound fish was taken on a live sardine in August of 2010. In fact, that August saw a terrific one-week run of halibut that included the large 40-pound fish, a 25-pound fish, and three 20-pound fish. All were taken in one week’s time and all were caught on live sardines. I think the nearby Redondo Pier is still better but I could be wrong.

Halibut from the pier

Fishing Tips. Anglers here are presented two almost completely different options for fish. Excellent action can take place for the pelagics from the mid-pier area to the end. For these fish, cast out away from the pier (toward the famous Bubble Hole), and use small feathers, spoons, live anchovies and live sardines, or small strips of bait (anchovy or squid) behind a cast-a-bubble. Bonito, Pacific mackerel, jack mackerel, and sometimes barracuda or even yellowtail will be the reward. White seabass make an occasional visit and sometimes they’re good-sized legal fish but you have to hit them when they’re there. The end section has also been reported to be a good area from which to catch spiny dogfish (at least in years past) although I have never seen any of the twisting little sharks in my visits to the pier.

Additional fish taken at the end include sanddabs, needlefish and sheephead. In February of ‘08 a 29.7-pound sheephead was landed at the end of the pier. It was caught on a live squid and topped the 21-pound goat caught in February of 2001. I’ve also caught quite a few white seaperch and pileperch using worms and ghost shrimp from the far right corner of the end (with a diagonal cast from the end).

A Redondo Sand Bass

This can be an excellent pier for bass—bay bass (spotted sand bass), barred sand bass and calico bass (kelp bass). Kelp bass probably make up 90% of the catch albeit most are under 14-inches, the legal size, but an occasional bigger fish is caught including a 7-pound calico that showed up in June of ’09. Some big sandies are also caught as seen in a hefty 8-pound fish in May of ’09. Regulars say that quite often the bass only show up around 5-7 A.M. in the morning, and then again in the evening (although I’ve caught kelp bass throughout the day), and they hit best on an incoming tide. What to use? Plastics are one answer, especially Worm Kings, Big Hammers and Scampis. Live bait and cut bait (especially anchovies) will also work on the feisty bass. By the way, the trio of local bass has been joined by a few striped bass over the last decade, wanderers who traveled a long way from their northern home.

An unusual species for the pier — a Striped Bass

Fish the inshore half of the pier, on the bottom and under the pier, or by the inshore rocks, for rocky-shore species. An amazing number and variety of small rock-frequenting species are found here. In fact, this is the only mainland pier that nearly duplicates the catch of the Catalina Island’s piers, albeit in much smaller numbers. For these species, use fresh mussels, bloodworms, lugworms, ghost shrimp or small pieces of shrimp as bait. Remember to keep your hook small, no larger than a number 4, and keep your line light. This is also a good pier for California scorpionfish (sculpin); fish on the bottom with anchovy or strips of squid and be wary of the sculpin’s spines. At times some nice halibut have also been landed although, as noted, the pier has never really been viewed as a prime halibut pier. Live bait is, of course, the key if you’re seeking out the flatties.

A black seaperch aka buttermouth perch from the pier

Regulars who fish the shoreline area often create a feeding frenzy by throwing bread into the water. Most commonly a mass of opaleye will converge, making a “meatball” of fish one to three feet thick. Once stimulated, the fish will strike at almost any bait. The best method, however, is to cast out a size 8 hook baited with a small piece of bloodworm, a couple of frozen peas, or moss which you have collected. If you just want opaleye, stick to the peas and moss; if you want other fish try the worms, small strips of mussel or squid, or small pieces of shrimp. At times there will be mixed schools of opaleye, blackperch, senorita, rock wrasse, salema, kelp bass, blacksmith and the beautiful, but illegal to keep, garibaldi; these will usually be in the lower levels of the water. Above this school will be a different school made up of topsmelt, jacksmelt and shinerperch. The angler can decide which fish he wants by the bait he uses and depth he fishes.

The ubiquitous senorita are, by the way, notorious for their bait stealin’ abilities and can drive you nearly crazy at times. The small but feisty fish will attack almost any bait but are especially fond of soft-fleshed baits such as mussels and worms and they can strip the bait from hooks in a matter of seconds. However, they’re a pest that you have to put up with if you want the other, more desirable species. You can try mussels or worms that have been salt-cured to toughen them up but you’ll still lose some bait.

If the tidal conditions aren’t too difficult (you need a mild current), you can also drop your bait down into the crevices and small pools that sit amongst the inshore rocks. You must do it carefully, and be prepared to retrieve instantly when a fish hits your bait or your rigging will likely be lost under a rock. However, the result will often be fish such as opaleye, blackperch, cabezon, and giant kelpfish. I’ve even taken a few fish that are relatively uncommon to most piers—rockpool blenny (Hypsoblennius gilberti), spotted kelpfish (Gibbonsia elegans) and striped kelpfish (Gibbonsia metzi). All were caught fishing down among these rocks,

A beautiful cabezon from the pier

Special Recommendation. This is a private pier. Make sure you have a license. Don’t get in the way of the Sportfishing operation and buy bait and tackle from them if possible.

Eugene and a female sheephead

Author’s Note No. 1. Do spider crabs and stingrays hang out together (it would make an interesting bar scene in an aquatic version of Star Wars)? That unusual question arose one early summer day in 1996. I was fishing out at the end of this pier for bonito and mackerel. Unfortunately, those fish were not cooperating. Instead, at the top of the water, there were some good sized jacksmelt and on the bottom a seemingly numberless assemblage of small speckled sanddab. Next to me set a guy crabbing and he had three buckets full of large spider crabs. On one drop to the bottom I hooked something heavy and as I pulled it up realized it must be one of the crabs. Sure enough, it was, but it wasn’t really hooked. Mr. Spider Crab had grabbed hold of a sanddab on my hook and didn’t want to let go. Following about two to three feet behind the crab was a large round stingray. Halfway to the surface of the pier the crab released its pincer-hold on the fish, and the crab, together with his companion, the stingray, drifted slowly out of sight. I had seen a similar occurrence a few years ago at the Port Hueneme Pier. Did the crabs and stingrays have a thing going, were the stingrays just nosy, or was a form of symbiosis taking place between these two quite different species? Unfortunately, I do not have an adequate explanation for these soul-searching questions.

 Daniel and a sheep crab (spider crab)

Author’s Note No. 2. Although the species differed year-to-year, especially cool-water versus warm-water years, an eighteen-year study of the fish found at the nearby harbor jetty recorded 123 different species of fish. It’s not surprising that visitors to the pier see an interesting mix of fish. I’ve only caught a little over thirty species at the pier but if I lived in the southland, and fished the pier more often, I think I could catch an impressive number of species.

A spotted kelpfish from the pier

Author’s Note No. 3. Barge fishing headquartered on the various “Redondo” piers was a long time tradition. Most operated from the Monstad Pier but the last few barges operated out of this smaller pier. I was lucky enough to fish from the last two barges—the California and the Isle of Redondo.

The Isle of Redondo in 1982  

My favorite barge trip took place on the California on July 26-27,1978. My seven-year-old son Mike and I were doing a pier hoppin’ trip along the coast and had fished the morning at the Crystal Pier in San Diego before heading back north. I planned to fish the Redondo Beach Pier and possibly the Hermosa Beach Pier that night but hadn’t made a motel reservation. Instead, I decided to spend the night on the barge as a cheap alternative to a motel so caught the ferry out at 7 p.m. I fished the entire night while Mike fished for a few hours before getting some shut-eye. There was an absolutely amazing amount of fish being caught. Mostly it was medium-sized bocaccio with some mackerel mixed in. People would catch some fish, head over to clean their fish, the guts and remains would be sent down toward the Redondo Submarine Canyon and apparently the waiting maws of fish because their was a steady stream of fishing showed up to partake of our fishy offerings. I managed to reel in 54 bocaccio, 14 mackerel, 5 sablefish, a rosethorn rockfish, a blue rockfish and a misplaced white croaker. I did manage to hook a large shark but after fighting it for quite a while (with undersized rod and line) it wrapped the line around the anchor chain and that was the end of the story.

All told it was 76 fish although I only kept my limit (and yes, I should have stopped fishing much earlier but you learn as you age). Mike and I headed back in to the landing on the morning shore taxi and preceded north to Malibu where we fished the pier a few hours (and had some more great action) before heading on up to Santa Barbara. At Santa Barbara we caught the 1/2 day boat Hornet where I caught 14 additional rockfish— blues, bocaccio, flag, honeycomb, starry, olive and vermilion. We got back in to the dock at 5 p.m. and were quite ready for the motel (and I had a reservation that night).

The Isle of Redondo

A few years later, in August of 1982, I fished the Isle of Redondo one night from 6:30-11 p.m. but the species were a different mix—48 mackerel, 2 vermilion rockfish and one unusual squarespot rockfish.

Today the barges are gone but you can still hop on a Sportfishing boat from the pier.

The City of Redondo

History Note. When a breakwater was completed for Redondo Beach in 1939, locals were optimistic that a new harbor would revitalize the area. Instead there was immediate havoc along the waterfront. The breakwater cut off the normal drift of sand and it began to pile up along the north end of the breakwater. Beachfront areas to both the north and south quickly saw a loss of sand and suffered erosion. Money was needed to improve the breakwater (which was difficult to find during World War II) so the area remained an undeveloped harbor for many years. Eventually the problems were worked out and construction of King Harbor began in 1960. It was dedicated on November 19, 1966, and named in honor of Congressman Cecil R. King—although he couldn’t be located during the dedication. Duh!

A look from the water with the towers in the background

The Redondo Sportfishing Pier was opened on May 1, 1970, as the home base for the Redondo Sportfishing operation but it also soon became a favorite spot for pier anglers. The sportfishing landing has a full range of fishing craft including half day and full day boats. Until the mid-’90s, a barge was also available. The landing’s barge California was the boat from which I had my greatest night of fishing back in 1978, but that’s another story. The Isle of Redondo replaced it in 1980, but today the barges are simply history.

Breakfast at Polly’s On The Pier

                                            Redondo Sportfishing Pier Facts

Hours: Usually open dawn to dusk, or should I say opens for the morning boats and closes after the last evening boat.

Facilities: There are restrooms on the pier and some lights but no benches. The Sportfishing landing carries some bait and tackle (though more geared toward boat fishing) as well as limited snacks and drinks. Parking in the adjacent parking lot is $2 an hour although you can get validation at the Sportfishing Landing or at Polly’s. There is limited meter parking on side streets. Nearby are a beach, a play area, a shallow-water swimming area, and several restaurants.

Polly’s On The Pier

Good food is available at Polly’s On The Pier located mid-pier. The restaurant says they’re a local icon and I can’t disagree, There isn’t any doubt that it’s a place where hungry fishermen (and non-angling locals) grab breakfast or lunch. You can sit at your table and eat some good food while you’re watching your fishing pole just a few feet away. It’s open 5AM till 2 PM. Breakfast specialties include a plethora of omelets, biscuits & gravy, banana hotcakes and other such goodies. Lunch items include all the normal sandwiches and hamburgers as well as home made chowder and fish and chips.  I’ve had several meals there and they’ve always been good.

Handicapped facilities: None

Location: 33.84333937755767 N. Latitude, 118.39393973350525 W. Longitude

How To Get There: From the Pacific Coast Highway take Beryl St. west to Harbor Dr. and follow it to the entrance of the sportfishing parking lot.

Management: Charles G. Johnston, Inc.

A fishing buddy — Hashem, and a halfmoon

E-Mail Messages

Date: August 16, 1999

To: PFIC Message Board

From: Joshua

Subject: Can somebody give me some tips for the Redondo Sportfishing Pier and what you can catch?

Posted by Monkfish 

In the shallow end, and I mean really shallow, some opaleye can be had using mussels, green peas, or sand crabs. Use a size 8, down to a 12 hook and either a small float or a splitshot and let it drift with the waves. Mid-section, I don’t know…possibly some small bass or a sargo or two. I’ve caught halibut using live bait on the bottom dropped straight down…a long time ago. Sometimes there are silver surfperch there in force, but that’s sometimes, and mussel or shrimp can usually get them about 3-4 feet below the surface. The main fun is bonito when they are in the harbor. The very end and the near end are good places. Sometimes they’ll only hit white, yellow, or chartreuse feather on a splasher bubble with a 2-4 foot leader. Live bait usually works well with light line and a size 6 hook. Also, Krocodiles and small diamond jigs can work well too. Throw ‘em out towards the bubble hole (the whirlpool) and let ‘em sink about half way or more (even to the bottom) and reel in varying retrieves, or throw ‘em out at the very end and do the same. You can also catch macks, especially at night there. Since the pier is lower than most, just fly line a piece of ‘chovy and let it slowly sink. This is all older information. I used to fish the place when I was a kid, when the fishing was much better and you could park behind Red’s Tackle Shop and walk to the pier without having to pay an arm and a leg. Nowadays, the whole area is condo-yuppie city…with nothing but pay meters… but at least that pier still has the same old stinky knotty character it always had.

 Date: January 29, 2001

To: PFIC Message Board

From: GO FISH

Subject: Redondo Sportfishing Pier Report 01/29/01

This pier was a first for me and my buddy, and it proved to be a nice change over the slooooooow Santa Monica Pier. Arrived at 7:30 am and bought some squid from the tackle shop. Threw in the lines and waited. Our lines got some nice rips and hooked onto 2 big macs and I managed a 13” Sand Bass. My friend’s pole also nailed a large Sargo Perch with a strip of squid. Witnessed 1 good boil, which I assume was Bonito. There were plenty of nice sized perch along the pylons and a couple of guys next to us pulled in some nice Opaleye and Zebra Perch. Gonna head out there again tomorrow morning!!!

Date: January 2, 2002

To: PFIC Message Board

From: monkfish

Subject:  Redondo Sportfishing Pier

Fished the pier from about 2 till dark. Bonito were there off the end. They were lure shy but I got 4 on dead anchovies. I farmed a couple and one better one ran me around the pilings to the left and broke me off on 8 lb. Anyways, they’re still there. I was using a fly bubble with a 2 ft 8 lb. leader, size 4 hooks. They were anchovies I took off a party boat that were frozen. People were catching them with standard frozen anchovies that you get from a baitshop. Just cast out, keep your eye on your float, when it goes down, maybe do a 2-3 count then wind tight and set the hook. Pretty simple, but they would sometimes spit the ‘chovy that’s why the short count.

Caught a few baby Sargo at the shallow end, really small though. After dark saw a huge school of probably Sardines swimming around. (I think they were sardines but I can’t be certain. The way they were swimming, reminds me of schools of sardines I saw in a river in Portugal.)

I still love fishing from this old rickety pier. It’s the only pier I know that sways when the boats are moored up to it.

Date: May 3, 2002

To: PFIC Message Board

From: Ken Jones

Subject:  Day 5 – Redondo Sportfishing Pier.

Headed up to the Redondo/Hermosa area after leaving Balboa. Planned to go directly to Hermosa where I was to meet Mola Joe at 5 but I got there early. So, I headed down to this small pier. Figured I could get in, fish a little, and get out—all in a short period of time. Once again however the fishing was slow. About ten anglers lined the rail all wonderin’ where the fish had gone. I think the fish were there, just not biting. Fished under the pier with small hooks and pieces of lugworms. Wrong thing to do; forgot how many senorita are under that pier. Tried it for half an hour but only landed 3 senorita and 1 jacksmelt. Fish stole most of my bait. After witnessing a school of 10-12 bonito casually swim along the water in front of the pier I headed out to the deeper water. Alas no strikes on the top or the bottom. Then a boat comes in, the deckhand comes over with a live sardine, fly-lines it out and proceeds to pull in a 4+pound bonito. Talk about humbling. He offered to let me use some live bait after I lent him my needlenose to unhook the bonehead but I had to head out to Hermosa. Maybe next time?

Date: July 31, 2002

To: PFIC Message Board

From: calicomen505

Subject: Anybody fished Redondo Sportfishing Pier?

Just this Saturday a guy caught a 40-inch Halibut using plastics on the end of the Redondo Sportfishing Pier and they are also catching smelt and sargo at the front of the pier.

Date: October 20, 2002

To: PFIC Message Board

From: gsxr750

Subject:  Redondo Sportfishing Pier

Today, my twins and I had our best day pier fishing so far. We went to the Redondo Sportfishing Pier at about 7:30am. At first we were fishing in front of the bait shop. We caught lots of small fish—senoritas, shiners, smelt, and mackerel. I caught two “eating size” black perch. One of my twins caught a Calico Bass, but it was only about nine inches, so it was released, ditto for a small flat fish (not a halibut). My other twin caught an opaleye down by the rocks on a pea; this was big enough to eat so we kept it. Then the bonito started to boil at the end of the pier. I took a Fishtrap with a yellow head down there and cast it in. I got hit hard on the second cast, and spend about 10 minutes fighting a large bonito using my freshwater bass spinning outfit. The fish finally gave up, and I started to pull it up to the pier “hand over hand” style. The line broke about halfway up—lost fish and lure. Oh well, I was probably going to let it go anyway; don’t really like to eat bonito; a little strong for my taste. About five minutes later another guy caught a bonito—looked like roughly the same size has the one I had, but he didn’t loose his. He was also using a plastic lure. He got his on a large bait-casting outfit, so he could horse it in pretty easy.

All in all a great day. The pier was not too crowded, the people were nice, the guys in the baitshop were helpful as usual, and the coffee from Polly’s was excellent. Can’t wait to get back there.

Tally: 2 Black Perch—kept

1 Opaleye—kept

1 Mackerel—used for bait

Many Senoritas—mostly released

Small flatfish—released.

Several smelt—used for bait

Several small shiners (baby perch?) used for bait or released.

1 Bonito—lost halfway up to the pier

 Date: November 18, 2002

To: PFIC Message Board

From: gsxr750  

Subject: Redondo Beach Sportfishing Pier – Sunday

Spent almost all day at the sportfishing pier Sunday with two of my boys. We fished off the end of the pier the whole time. We were hoping for Bonito—no luck on that but it was a fun day. Early on we had a good run of Macs—they would swoop in and we’d have two or three people with fish on. Great fun with my freshwater spinning outfit. I was using that rig with a Sabiki to catch smelts for bait. It’s kind of a mess if a Mac grabs the top hook on a Sabiki—they start doing those barrel rolls—lol … My kids had fun going for Octopus. They caught two between the pilings at the end of the pier. They had more than that bite, but some of them did not actually get hooked, and they let go on the way up. They also got a lot of conch shell snails. One of my kids cooked the octopi last night and ate some—not bad tasting stuff from what he said.

Tally:b 5 Macs

5-7 Smelts (used for bait)

2 Octopi

The bonito never started boiling. The guy in the bait shop said they had a pretty nice boil on Saturday. I didn’t see anybody catch any bonito at all on Sunday. There were quite a few perch caught in front of the shop.

Date: December 16, 2002

To: PFIC Message Board

From: Ken Jones

Subject:  Redondo Sportfishing Pier: 12/10/02

Whenever I have the opportunity I like to check out this pier because of the non-traditional pier species that are available. Unlike most southland piers that present mainly sandy-shore species, this pier almost always has some rocky-shore species lurking under the mid-pier area and by the rocks. In addition, the deep waters out at the end often yield some unusual species.

After an early morning drive down from Lodi, and finding a motel, I arrived at the pier and was set to begin fishing by 1 p.m. Unfortunately, an angler already had the spot I wanted by the rocks and was casting out plastics. So, I moved down the rail and starting fishing with the pile worms I had brought from Stockton. I started to get a few bites but nothing spectacular; in one hour I landed 3 blackperch and 1 blacksmith. Next I moved out to the end where I tried some cut anchovies and ghost shrimp. But nothing seemed interested and after 40 minutes I headed back to the mid-pier area. The angler by the rocks had not had a hit so he decided to leave and, of course, I grabbed the inshore spot.  I spotted what appeared to be fairly good-sized opaleye by the rocks so continued with pile worms and pieces of ghost shrimp. Luckily the wave action was moderate and I was able to drop the bait down into the holes and cervices in the rocks without losing my gear. The result was some steady action that included blackperch, opaleye, giant kelpfish, kelp bass, cabezon and a sargo.

Fished: 1:05-5:05 (when they shut the gate and kicked me out).

Gear was two rods and reels: a light action spinning outfit (Penn 4500 SS reel and rod by Ron Crandall), and a medium-action spinning outfit (Penn reel and rod by Ron Crandall). Terminal tackle was two size 6 hooks on 8-pound fluorocarbon line with a 1-ounce torpedo sinker on the lighter rig, a high-low set-up on the larger rig equipped with size 4 hooks and a 2-ounce sinker.

Results:

12 blackperch—mostly 1/3-1/2 pounders

3 opaleye—one weighing an estimated 1 1/2 pounds

2 blacksmith

2 giant kelpfish—one large, one small

1 kelp bass—11 inches

1 cabezon—approximately 1 1/2 – 2 pounds

1 sargo—approximately 1 pound

All in all a nice afternoon with shirtsleeve weather and steady action. Also saw some large and skittish garibaldi scooting around the rocks—truly beautiful fish.

A sargo from the pier

Date: December 30, 2002

To: PFIC Message Board

From: gsxr750

Subject: More fishing at Redondo Sportfishing Pier

Hi All,

A couple of trips over the last few days: Went to the Sportfishing pier again last Friday. Spent most of the time going for Opaleye and other Perch. Ended up catching four Opaleye between my son and me. Also caught a pretty decent Rubberlip Perch and a couple smaller perch – blacksmith and another one with similar coloring as the rubberlip, but a different mouth. Opaleye were all caught on peas—dropped right into the rock crevices as advised by Ken. The most of the other fish were caught on frozen mussels using a new technique (new for me anyway). I hang a Sabiki under a big bobber (about 8-10 inches below), with a 1 oz weight at the bottom. I cast this out and let it drift towards the rocks. Couldn’t catch any Opaleye this way (tried it with peas), but all of the other perch were caught using this technique with frozen mussels.

Date: May 23, 2003

To: PFIC Message Board

From: gsxr750

Subject: Octopus Fishing

I’ve caught these at the Redondo Sportfishing Pier, and my son has caught LOTS of them there. The trick is to put some BIG hunks of bait on the line and keep it all the way at the bottom. My son was getting them on strips of Mac, and even mac heads. He was using two hooks, and a couple of BIG sinkers, on either side of the hooks so that the hooks would lie flat on the bottom. He caught four of them in one day using that method. Most are returned to the water, but he brought two of them home and cooked them once. I didn’t like them much, but he claimed to like them (hasn’t kept any since, though—lol). By the way, he was getting them off the end of the pier, in between pilings (straight down).

Date: June 21, 2003

To: PFIC Message Board

From: frankythefish

Subject: Redondo Sportfishing Pier 6-21-03

Fished King Harbor with peas again today except I fished off the little sportfishing pier instead of my honey hole on the rocks. It was noon and I wasn’t expecting much. I was just killing time. I chummed a handful of peas and on the first cast; I hook a 12” sargo that wraps me around the piling. I successfully managed to wrestle him out and land him. Next cast… same thing except this time it breaks off because I didn’t retie from the last fish. From there, I proceed to catch 3 more sargo and 3 opaleye all 12”. I also caught about 15 smaller opaleye that ranged from 6″ to 8”, a 12” calico, a 10” senorita fish, and a 10” black perch. All caught on peas and all released. I was the only guy out there from 12-2pm and a few guys showed up the rest of the time but they were on the end of the pier. I was fishing 12lb camo line with 6lb dia./ 13lb strength Trilene Sensithin leader (2 feet long). Carolina rigged with a 1/2 oz. egg sinker and a #16 salmon egg hook. I was fishing in about 13 feet of water and standing right in front of the main door of Polly’s (breakfast joint on the pier) and tossing it straight under the pier. I don’t know if anyone knows what opaleye or sargo eggs look like or if they give live birth or anything, but I got snagged plenty of times as I anticipated, except when I would bring up a clump of seaweed, from time to time I would see little clumps of orange, egg-like bunches. I’m thinking maybe I found a little nesting area and that’s why the opaleye/sargo fishing was so good in that spot. I’m not sure. Just a theory. If anyone has any info or any theories of their own, I would greatly appreciate it. Thanks. Good luck!!!

Date: October 12, 2003

To: PFIC Message Board

From: gsxr750

Subject: Redondo Sportfishing Pier

Went to the Sportfishing pier this morning with one of my sons. Just as we were walking up a guy was taking a legal Calico off of the hook. He caught it on frozen mussel! This guy is a regular at this pier—nice guy. I’ve talked to him a few times. I was fishing mostly with pieces of lugworm that I’ve had in the fridge for about a month (most of them still alive—I was surprised). I was getting lots of small shiner perch on these, which I was using to try to get a calico or halibut. No luck on either. I caught a couple of Senorita fish on whole Lugworms and a bigger hook. One of them was the biggest of these I’ve ever caught—I thought I had a halfmoon or a sargo on the line. A guy down the pier a little ways caught a nice sargo. There was a family next to him that had about 8 Blacksmith perch in a bucket from earlier in the morning—some of them were pretty good size. Most of them I would have released, but to each his own. Nobody had seen any Bonito lately—when I asked the guy who caught the calico about it he said he forgot what they looked like. I guess things are a whole lot better down south for these… Nice sunny morning – lots of people at the pier, both fishing and at the Coffee Shop. Just as I was leaving a guy showed up and told me that he had caught 3 legal calicos on shiner perch yesterday—I guess I had the right idea but the wrong touch, or the wrong time….

Date: August 20, 2006

To: PFIC Message Board

From: ryanhead

Subject: Redondo Sportfishing Pier 8-19-06

Fished from 10-12ish using whole frozen anchovies off the right side of the end of the pier. Lots of bait in the water with 12-18” bonito boiling every 20 minutes or so the whole time. I heard one had been caught right before I arrived. Managed a short halibut and hooked something up that felt like a large shark or very, very, very big halibut. It ran twice taking about 20 yards of line each time and I had no control over the fight whatsoever. It sat on the bottom after each run and if I tugged on the line it would shake its head a little or pull back. I had fresh 6-lb. line on with an 8 lb. leader. I tried pulling it up which resulted in the line breaking just after the hook. The leader was completely frayed. A friend and I had seen an 8 to 9-foot shark/monster/fish swimming around the bait receiver last weekend while fishing on a kayak. Perhaps it was that.

Saw some macks come up as I chummed the rest of my bait before I left. The bass are still around though the bite is certainly not as hot as it had been in weeks past. They got a bait tank and get live bait from the boats periodically. Seems like there’s a million halibut around. I definitely recommend giving it a shot in the near future.

Date: August 28, 2006

To: PFIC Message Board

From: ryanhead

Subject: Redondo Sportfishing Pier 8/25/06

After hooking a supposed monster halibut last weekend I headed out to fish the same spot with the same bait using a 9′-ugly stick with #20-line instead of a trout pole with #6 line. Left an anchovy out with the Baitrunner on and watched for boils. Bonito came in the early afternoon. I got a swimbait bit in half on my first cast and another guy hooked into a really nice sized one on a bubble fly but it came off as he was handlining it up the pier. The school left as quickly as it came. When the boat docked in the late afternoon we got some live bait, which they threw in their newly built bait tank. Pinned a sardine on my heavy rig and threw it back out where I’d hooked the halibut last weekend. Less than a minute later the reel starts screaming. Like, screaming like I’ve never heard a reel scream before. Grabbed the pole, set the hook and it stuck. I was so stoked. But the reel kept screaming. I kept tightening the drag and the reel kept screaming. I tightened the drag further than was safe to with #20 line… and the reel kept screaming. Whatever it was was as strong as a couple hundred pound bat ray and as fast as albacore and it kept running and running and I was starting to run out of line. The line went slack after about 30 seconds and 100 yards and I bought up a clean hook and a leader with no nicks in it, pretty much ruling out a shark or seal. The general consensus was that it was a several hundred pound broomtail grouper that apparently do live in the harbor and like to run really fast in a straight line as my fish did. I suppose I didn’t have much of a chance against it then, but it sure was fun! Some big macks came by as the sun was setting and quite a few were brought up. The same guy who hooked the bonito landed a 47” leopard on a live sardine.

Sunday was no fun. There were people everywhere and the parking lots were all full and the pier was crowded and the fishing was pretty poor. Managed a few short calicos. The only other fish i saw caught over about 4 hours were senoritas and smelt. Saw no boils despite a ridiculous amount of bait in the water. Heard some 2 foot bonito were being caught on the big pier.

The Black Pearl from Pirates of the Caribbean tied down in the harbor on Friday as I was fishing. It was real cool but the entire harbor is now a crazy tourist attraction, which is making it very difficult to fish. Unless it’s a weekday, I suggest fishing elsewhere to avoid the crowds and getting your gear kicked around. Good luck.

Date: March 19, 2007

To: PFIC Message Board

From: ryanhead

Subject: Redondo Harbor 3-17-07

An old fishing buddy from high school was back in town for the weekend. We headed out to the sportfishing pier with some hot sandwiches from Rinaldi’s to catch up and hopefully get a few fish. There weren’t too many fishermen out, the water was clear and there were lots of fish visible. It would have been an amazing day if it hadn’t been so cold and foggy. In any case, we grabbed a bag of anchovies and threw them out on Carolina rigs in front of the bathroom door for about an hour. A million senoritas tore the baits apart and neither of us had any decent bites. We moved a little deeper, in front of the shop door, and tried again. The senoritas didn’t pester us as much and we got a few good hits but nothing stuck. We had to leave, so we diced up and chummed half a dozen anchovies and each of us hooked one on. I got picked up after a minute. I let it run for a few yards and set the hook on what turned out to be a 16″ halibut. It was a fun fight on 4-pound line. It was lip hooked and quickly and safely released to grow another six inches.

My fish was caught on #4 line with a 3/8-ounce sinker, #8 mono leader, size 1 hook and a whole anchovy. The other rod was #8, 1/2 ounce sinker, #12 mono leader, and size one hook. Fishing deeper really helped keep the bait on the hook for any decent amount of time.

An old couple brought up a lot of senoritas and a few small blue perch using squid tipped Sabiki rigs. One guy on the end got bit on a big piece of squid. He wasn’t paying attention and the fish was off by the time he got to his pole. If I had to take a guess at what it was, perhaps a big guitarfish? I heard reports of quite a few halibuts and lots of calicos in the last week or so. Live anchovies are supposedly the hot bait if you can get a hold of some. Unfortunately, it didn’t look like any were in the water. Good luck all!

Another “firecracker” yellowtail from the pier

Pier Fishing In California Fishing Reports

March 1997 — Matt at Redondo Beach Sportfishing reports a continued hot bite for bonito off the pier. As is common most winters, the warm harbor water (5-10 degrees warmer than in the open ocean due to two warm-water outlets from the nearby Southern California Edison plant) is producing the best bonito bite in southern California. Anglers are also catching a lot of Pacific mackerel, and both fish are falling for the live anchovies that are available at the pier. Bottom fishermen continue to pull in a mixed bag sculpin (California scorpionfish) as well as perch or perch-like fish. Included in the catch are blacksmiths, blue perch (halfmoon), and opaleye—as well as a few blackperch. Most of these fish are falling for mussels or shrimp. An interesting catch a couple of weeks ago was a California sheephead that weighed in at about 4 1/2 pounds (they are not common at the pier but also are not that rare). Quite a few spider crabs are also falling to those anglers seeking the ugly beasts. Finally, illegal broomtail grouper continue to be sighted by anglers at the harbor. Apparently this is from a resident school of the fish (which are normally found in Baja waters). Since they mainly seem to show up at wintertime, a logical question might be—are they there to feed on the wintertime bonito?  If you hook and land one, be sure to return it to the water (as in stiff fine if you don’t). Most of the fish look to be in the 30-60 pound range and most that are hooked eventually break off.

April 1997 — Matt at Redondo Beach Sportfishing says the bonito continue to bite and most are nice fish up to around five pounds in weight. (As I mentioned last month, this is the best place to fish for bonito in California during the cold-water months. Two warm-water outlets from the nearby Southern California Edison plant warm the harbor waters and produce temperatures 5-10 degrees warmer than in the open ocean.) Most of the bonito are falling for the live bait that is available on the pier. Bottom fishermen continue to pull in a mixed bag of fish, mostly perch and perch-like species but also a few bass and sculpin. Matt says he has seen opaleye, blacksmith, and blue perch (halfmoon) recently as well as a spotted sand bass that weighed nearly 4 pounds. There has also been a continued good catch of spider crabs at the pier. Lastly, Matt corrected me. I had written of the broomtail grouper that have become residents in the harbor. I mentioned that most seemed to be 30-60 pounds in weight; Matt says he has seen several that would easily top 100 pounds in weight. I keep having visions of catching a 100-pound grouper and then telling my wife how I had to toss it back because it was illegal. I can see the look on her face now. Nevertheless, if you do hook one of the fish remember to put it back, the fish need to live and the alternative is also a very costly fine.

June 1997 — TC at Redondo Beach Sportfishing says that live anchovies have been the key at the pier. Anchovies are available on the weekend and on those days the anglers out toward the end of the pier (and only 8-10 will fit) are almost guaranteed their 5-fish limit. On weekdays, when the live anchovies are unavailable, few bonito will be hooked—although a few will be landed on lures. Pacific mackerel continue to fill buckets during early morning and evening hours; the macks will hit almost any bait but seem to be driven away during the daylight hours by the sea lions. Bay bass (spotted sand bass) are being caught by anglers tossing out plastic lures—but they’re also primarily being caught during the morning and evening hours. Inshore, the action is a little slow although a number of opaleye (up to 4-pounds) have been landed recently on fresh mussels, as well as a few sargo.

November 1997 — Kevin, at Redondo Sporfishing, says almost all the action is on the bottom. Water temperature remains high and the bonito, and mackerel for the most part, have deserted the harbor for the open ocean. About the only mackerel have been a few flurries around sunset. Still, anglers fishing on the bottom with mussels, shrimp or small pieces of squid, are pulling in nice strings of sargo (up to 3 pounds), blue perch (halfmoons), and opaleye. Kevin says netters also continue to catch a lot of spider crabs but he really hasn’t seen too many lobsters.

March 1998 — Kevin, at Redondo Sportfishing, says that there is a nice run on large, 2-3+ pound sargo, and that good numbers of buttermouth perch (blackperch), rubberlip seaperch, and opaleye perch are also being landed on the right bait. The right bait is live ghost shrimp and it’s available at the shop. Most other species are slow although a few sand bass are also entering into the mix. The wintertime run on bonito has not materialized this year and they’re beginning to wonder if the boneheads will even show up.

April 1998 — Tim (TC), at Redondo Sportfishing, says that there has been a good run of sargo recently at the pier. (In fact, the morning I called it was too rough for the boats to go out so several anglers decided to fish from the pier. Lo and behold, they pulled in a plethora of 1/2 to 2 1/2 pound sargo. The bait to use for the sargo seems to be live ghost shrimp (which are available at the shop). In addition, opaleye are still hitting as are a few spotted sand bass and barred sand bass (although more of the barred sand bass are being caught from the adjacent rocks). The bass are also hitting on ghost shrimp. A few forktail perch (pileperch) are being landed on mussels and worms. The bonito never really showed up this year which TC attributes to the great number of sea lions in the harbor waters. With the severe El Nino-generated storms, the seals and sea lions have seemed to use the harbor as a safe haven and over populated the waters to the detriment of fishing. Whenever bonito or mackerel tried to make an appearance they were quickly chased away (or eaten?).

July 1998 — Tim (TC), at Redondo Sportfishing (on the pier), says that the mackerel action has heated up, mostly in the late afternoon, and anglers can catch all they want. Some bonito have also been seen, but so far they aren’t biting. The bait of choice remains live anchovies and small sardines—and they’re available on the pier. There has also been good fishing recently for bay bass (spotted sand bass) and sand bass. They only show up around 5-7 a.m. in the morning, and then again in the evening, and hit best on an incoming tide. What to use? Plastics are the answer, especially Worm Kings. There’s also some perch and smelt under the pier but they’re getting harder and harder to get. Finally, those big 60-80 pound broomtail grouper that have adopted the harbor as home base continue to hang out under the bait barge. Tim says the little submarine that gives the tour around the harbor sees them every day. I guess they are also hungry! The day I called they had been so anxious to get some spilled anchovies that they had actually splashed the bait boys on the barge. Guess they were REALLY hungry. AND REMEMBER, IT IS ILLEGAL TO CATCH BROOMTAIL GROUPER SO DON’T EVEN THINK ABOUT IT.

October 1998—Ron, at Redondo Sportfishing (on the pier), reports that bonito and mackerel continue to be caught in good numbers from the pier along with some sand bass. The bonito are being caught on cast-a-bubbles with feathers. As usual, there are also a lot of the smaller fish under the pier—blackperch, opaleye, senoritas, etc. He said he was recently surprised when he hooked a large blue perch (California halfmoon) while fishing out the back window from the bait shop. Said it fought like a bonito at first

December 1998—T.J., at Redondo Sportfishing (on the pier), reports lots of rough water the last few days. Anglers are still getting some opaleye (to 1 1/2 pounds), sargo, and blue perch on mussels and bloodworms under the pier. Some bonito are also being caught on anchovies and sardines. Remember that the rougher the weather and ocean outside the bay, the better the fishing in the harbor.

February 1999—TC, at Redondo Sportfishing (on the pier), reports some good news and some BAD news. On the good side, anglers are regularly pulling in opaleye perch, buttermouth perch and sargo from the pier. The opaleye hit on frozen peas, the buttermouth and sargo on mussels, ghost shrimp or pieces of shrimp. In addition, two striped bass were taken at the pier in the last two weeks—the first he has ever seen. The fish, 16-18 inches long, appeared to be in excellent condition and both were released. The BAD news is the lack of bonito, even though live anchovies are available for bait. The famous “bubble hole” has been non-existent for the past month and the water temperature in the harbor is 55 degrees, the same as outside the harbor.

March 1999—Nancy, at Redondo Sportfishing (on the pier), reports that things are slow at the pier. About all that anglers are catching are the usual mix of fish found under the pier by the rocks—senorita, opaleye, blackperch and other fairly small species. As reported last month, the power company that took over the Edison plant has evidently turned off the “bubble hole” which means the temperature of the water in the bay is the same as the ocean, and the bonito, which should be in the bay this time of the year, are absent. Two striped bass were also caught at the pier, both around 2-pounds in size.

November 1999—TC, at Redondo Sportfishing (on the pier), reported that an angler had just hooked a bonito when I called but he managed to lose it on line that looked to be at least ten years old. The good news is that the hot water bubble is back in business and bonito are starting to show in the harbor area. Yellowtail have even been cruising above the bubble but few are being hooked. TC also said there is a good mackerel bite during the evening hours. Under the pier, anglers are hooking opaleye, buttermouth perch (blackperch), and a few sargo on mussels. He said it was amazing the day I called; not a single angler was fishing from the rocks around the harbor. Ten years ago the rocks would have been lined with anglers trying for bonito. But, as mentioned, the hot water is back on and the bonito are beginning to show.

June 2000—Nancy, at Redondo Sportfishing (on the pier), reports a pretty good bite on sand bass up to about 2 pounds in size. Surprisingly there have also been a few halibut landed, the largest a nice 12-pound fish. Mackerel are also showing up in good numbers but it is almost totally an evening fishery at this point; few are seen during the day. Perch fishing has been slow. Asked her about the bay’s resident school of broomtail groupers and she said they’re still there. However, most are seen out by the bait barge.

July 2000—John, at Redondo Sportfishing (on the pier), reports good runs of mackerel, especially in the evening, a few bass (sand, kelp and spotted), and the usual small perch species under the pier. He’s also seen quite a few needlefish taken recently, most by anglers using live bait (smelt).

November 2000—Andy, at Redondo Sportfishing (on the pier), reports that the main action is still on bonito (using splashers and feathers) but most are being taken in the early morning, before 8 a.m. He’s also seeing some nice-sized sand bass and calicos (kelp bass). Anglers using fresh mussels and ghost shrimp are landing some sargo and opaleye. He said there are also a few mackerel around. Under the pier it is the normal small species—perch, blacksmith, smelt, senorita, etc. I asked him if they had seen any grouper recently and he said they had, just the day before. It was seen under the pier and then apparently grabbed a bonito (I didn’t clarify if the bonito was on someone’s line). Andy said there is pretty good pier fishing right now.

January 2001—Andy at Redondo Sportfishing (on the pier), says that fishing is good right now for anglers that know what they are doing. Some big opaleye and sargo are being taken by anglers using green peas, fresh mussels and ghost shrimp with the best bite mid-morning, 7-10 a.m. A few mackerel are still around as are some buttermouth perch (blackperch) but only a couple of bonito per day are showing at the pier.

March 2001—Barney at Redondo Sportfishing (on the pier), says that anglers are getting some nice opaleye and blue perch (halfmoon) under the pier using peas and moss while quite a few sargo are being caught on ghost shrimp. A few bonito continue to fall to Rapalas and live bait while a few halibut, mostly small, continue to be caught on the bottom.

April 2001—Andy, at Redondo Sportfishing (on the pier), says there’s been a real good bite on white sea bass at night with at least a couple of legal-size fish (up to 15 pounds) every night—and lots of shorts. Best fishing is usually on an incoming tide and the bait of choice is a live mackerel taken from the pier. There’s also a wide-open mackerel run (at times) from all around the pier. A few bonito also are showing up and falling to Rapalas or live bait when it is available. Ditto some halibut, mostly taken on lures such as small 3” Worm Kings or Big Hammers.  Perch are still available under the pier but the sargo bite is beginning to drop off (use worms or ghost shrimp).

May 2001—Julio, at Redondo Sportfishing (on the pier), says there’s been a good run of mackerel and sargo lately. Best baits are strips of squid for the mackerel, ghost shrimp, bloodworms or mussels for the sargo. Bonito are also available if you bring along some live anchovies. Under the pier the usual species are still present–opaleye, blacksmith and other small perch. Good numbers of bass are also being taken (on squid strips) but most are short. Two less common species are also showing up in good numbers: (1) needlefish are thick and being taken on anchovies, and (2) barracuda, mostly shorts but some of bigger size. The key for the barracuda has been using Krocodile or similar flashy spoons.

August 2001—Andy at Redondo Sportfishing on the pier, reports that things have picked up lately. Anglers are picking up a few bonito and he says they are all big fish. One angler also got a small 6-pound yellowtail off the pier using a live smelt as bait. And, while the mackerel action has died down, there is real good action on jacksmelt. Anglers fishing the bottom with bloodworms are doing good on buttermouth perch (blackperch) and rubberlip perch.

February 2002—Mike at Redondo Sportfishing on the pier, reports a good mackerel bite every day late in the afternoon. There are also lots of bonito in the harbor but most aren’t biting—they’re too stuffed from the smelt that are also thick in the harbor. A few perch are also being taken under the pier: brown perch (blackperch?) and forktails (white seaperch?). He says there’s also an occasional sargo. A few white seabass showed up last week but the water temperature dropped and now they’re gone

August 2002—Cory at Redondo Sportfishing on the pier reports anglers are getting bonito on live bait, bubbles with feathers, and Krocodiles. A 25-pound halibut was also landed from the pier by an angler using a Worm King. He says there are lots of sargo, opaleye and blue perch (halfmoon) under the pier. A few mackerel are also showing up.

April 2003—Mike at Redondo Sportfishing on the pier says that the bubble was turned back on in the harbor and as a result the water temperature is rising. The last few days has seen good mackerel fishing together with the usual smaller species—senorita, sargo, buttermouth, etc. Anglers are seeing good numbers of bonito swimming by the pier (to about 7 pounds) but the fish are apparently stuffed with the sardines that are also in the harbor. The result is a dearth of bonito strikes even though the fish are present. Mike has also seen a few short bass taken and one keeper halibut—on a plastic lure.

August 2004—Juan, at Redondo Sportfishing on the pier, says things have been dead. He says it caused by the release of high chlorine water intro the adjacent swimming lagoon. He says it’s killing the fishing through the harbor.

October 2004—Frankythefish has been reporting decent catches of sargo, calico bass (kelp bass), small opaleye and senorita on most visits. The opaleye are being caught on peas. Bonito are also thick in the harbor. When bonitolover, who said he’d been catching the boneheads on Krocodile spoons (shiny chrome with orange stripe), asked for additional advice, Mola Joe (who’s THE EXPERT) chipped in: “Krocs do work, but nothing catches bonito in this harbor like a broken-back 3 to 4 inch floating Rapala with a black back. The trick is casting such a light lure from the rocks (fishing it from the pier is hard, but not impossible). Fished on a light, long, fast taper rod is the ticket. Something in the 8-foot range with 8-pound line works great. Slow retrieve right on top or just below the surface will outfish Krocs and splasher and feather. Krocs will outfish Rapalas if you need distance to reach fish. For the most part, schools of bonito cruise very close to the rocks in this harbor. Releasing fish with Rapalas is tougher than with Krocs, but you can make it a lot easier if you remove the front trebles. A few years back I watched Shorepounder nail bonito after bonito on bass spinnerbaits, so trying different stuff is worth while at times. Another bass bait called ‘Little George’ (hard heavy body with a small spinner in the rear) is another killer bait that a few locals fish. Still, a Rapala would be my #1 choice in this harbor. As far as color on your Kroc, straight chrome has always worked for me.”

Dompfa Ben added “blue mackerel is another hot color this year. Informal surveying of a number of people, as well as personal experience, has demonstrated that the bonito seem to be keying in on that blue/chrome Kroc this year. My cousin Andy was hooking three fish for every one I hooked last week. We were using identical Krocs, except he was fishing the blue mackerel pattern, and I was fishing the green.” CST added “I have a Rattle Trap in blue and chrome with a mack pattern, that thing totally owns all the bonito, mackerel and calicos that come in its path.”

June 2006—Renee, at Redondo Sportfishing, on the pier, says it’s mostly short calicos (kelp bass), sargo and opaleye along with the other small perch and perch-like species under the pier. Mackerel are only so so at the pier. PFIC reports indicate a few sanddabs and lizardfish also being present.

April 2007—The good news is that there are a few legal size kelp bass (calicos) around although most fish of the fish that are caught are under-sized. Some halibut are even present. The bad news is that you have to get through about 4,374,207 senorita to get to them. The cigar-shaped bait stealers are thick and will tear apart almost any bait except for squid/octopus. So use something tough or use artificials. And the usual perch and perch-like species are under the pier—opaleye, halfmoon, blacksmiths, buttermouth, and even a few illegal garibaldi (don’t keep them if you hook them).

March 2008—Kelsey at the Redondo Sportfishing office said the big news recently was a 29.7-pound sheephead taken from the end of the pier. It hit on squid. Another sheepie, a 10-15-pounder, is seen daily hanging under the pier but so far no one has been able to hook it. He said there is also a good calico bass bite and quite a few blue perch (halfmoon).

35-Pound yellowtail taken from the Balboa Pier by “Aaron”on November 1, 2003

Species: Seriola dorsalis (Valenciennes, 1833); from the Italian word seriola (for amberjack) and dorsalis (the long dorsal fin). Some sources now use Seriola lalandi.

Alternate Names: Yellowtail, amberjack, white salmon, amber fish, forktail, tails, rats (little fish), firecracker  (small fish), mossback (large fish) and cavasina. In Mexico typically called esmedregal or medregal de rabo amarillo.

Yellowtail from Crystal Pier, August 2016

Identification: Typical jack shape with metallic blue to green above, a brassy horizontal band along the sides from eye to tail; silvery below; some fish are olive-brown to brown. Fins and tail are yellowish

Yellowtail caught at Crystal Pier on September 21, 2006 by Montre Somsukcharean; reported at 55 pounds. (Photo courtesy of Peggi Straker)

Size: To 80 pounds and over 5 feet long. Most caught from piers are less than 10 pounds, the small fish called “rats” or “firecrackers.” The California record fish weighed 63 lb 1 oz and was caught at Santa Barbara Island in 2000.

Range: Circumglobal in warmer waters and some temperate waters. In the eastern Pacific from Chile to northern British Columbia. Unverified reports from Gulf of Alaska off Kodiak Island and Cordova. Uncommon north of Point Conception.

48.5-pound yellowtail caught at the Crystal Pier in August 2012 by Tony Troncale

Habitat: Usually found around offshore islands, rocky reefs, or kelp beds. Primarily feeds on squid and fish.

40 Pound yellowtail taken by Angel Hernandez at the Crystal Pier on June 14, 2017

Piers: Most southern California piers located near reefs or kelp will see a few yellowtail caught during the year.  However, they are always a bonus fish and rarely caught in large numbers off of piers. Best bets: Ocean Beach Pier, Crystal, Oceanside Pier, San Clemente Pier, Redondo Beach Pier, and the Hermosa Beach Pier. Cryastal Pier in San Diego is by far the best pier in the state for yellowtail and many fish in the 30-50 pound range have been taken.

42-pound yellowtail caught at Crystal Pier— October 2004

Shoreline: Rarely taken by shore anglers.

Boats: One of the most prized species for boaters in southern California. The traditional “yellowtail grounds” have been at Catalina and the Coronado Islands.

34-Pound yellowtail caught at Crystal Pier in August of 2012 by “Hallman”

Bait and Tackle: If an angler wants to try for yellowtail he should have heavy enough tackle to insure a fair chance of landing the fish. Yellowtail like to head for rocks or kelp as soon as they’re hooked so line should test 20-30 pounds, hooks should be small (size 6 or 4) but strong, and the angler must make sure the fish is played out before it nears the pier and the pilings. Although lures work well on boats, almost all of the pier-caught yellowtail are taken on live bait—especially on small jack mackerel, Pacific mackerel or Pacific sardines.

A small “firecracker-size” yellowtail taken from the Redondo Sportfishing Pier in 2011

Food Value: A fairly good tasting fish that is usually broiled or bar-b-cued.

34 Pound Yellowtail caught by Angel Hernandez at Crystal Pier, August 2016

Comments: One of the favorite southern California sport fish but much more common out in deeper water.

What remains of a 54″, guesstimated 40-pound yellowtail that was hooked and then hit by a sea lion at the Redondo Beach Pier in October 2008

Yellowtail taken at the Manhattan Beach Pier in 2012

46-Pound yellowtail taken at the Crystal Pier by Thomas Shinsato in August 2015

A small “rat-sized” yellowtail caught by Rita Magdamo during the James Liu Memorial Derby at the Cabrillo Mole in Avalon in September 2014

Another small “rat-sized” yellowtail caught in Avalon. The fish was caught at the Green Pleasure Pier in September 2014 although the picture is at the Cabrillo Mole.

A pretty-colored yellowtail taken at the Crystal Pier in August 2016

Tony Troncale’s 48.5-pound yellowtail from Crystal Pier, August 2012

Hard to believe, but a yellowtail taken from Monterey’s Wharf #2 in 2012.

36-Pound yellowtail caught at Crystal Pier in August 2016 by Studman 

53.46-pound yellowtail taken by Big Angel at the Crystal Pier in August 2019

Yellowtail taken by Angel at the Crystal Pier in August 2019

Yellowtail taken by Angel at the Crystal Pier in August 2019

53.46-pound yellowtail taken by Angel at the Crystal Pier in August 2019

My very first yellowtail. Taken in San Diego many, many years ago.

Aaron leaving the Balboa Pier with a 35-pound yellowtail in 2003

Some large yellowtai caught from piers

55 Lbs. — Crystal Pier (San Diego), Montre Somsukcharean, September 21,                      2006—Source: Source: James Barrick, Crystal Pier Bait Shop & Peggi Straker

53.46 Lbs. — Crystal Pier (San Diego), Angel, August 12, 2019—Source Pam, Crystal Pier Bait Shop

52 ½ Lbs. — Pine Ave. Pier (Long Beach), D. W. Fletcher, September 19, 1896—Source: Los Angeles Herald, September 19, 1896

50 Lbs. — Pine Ave. Pier (Long Beach), Al Decker, July 1894—Source: Los Angeles Herald, July 3, 1894

48.5 Lbs. — Crystal Pier (San Diego), Tony Troncale, August 6, 2012—Source: James Barrick, Crystal Pier Bait Shop & Tony Troncale

46 Lbs. — Crystal Pier (San Diego), Thomas Shinsato, August 2015—Source: Source: Crystal Pier Bait Shop & Thomas Shinsato

42 Lb. 1 oz. — Oceanside Pier, Elmo Nealoff, July 1955—Source: Oceanside Pier Bait Shop

42 Lbs. — Crystal Pier (San Diego), October 2004—Source: James Barrick, Crystal Pier Bait Shop

40 Lb. — Crystal Pier (San Diego), Angel Hernandez, June 14, 1917 —  Source: Personal communication

≈ 40 Lbs. — Redondo Beach Pier, October 2008 — Source: bloodydecks.com

40 Lbs. — Avalon wharf, W. M. LeFavor, May 21, 1908—Source: Los Angeles Herald, May 22, 1908

40 Lbs. — Wharf No. 3, Redondo Beach, Japanese fisherman, August 1907—Source: Los Angeles Times, August 18, 1907

40 Lbs. — Avalon wharf, Mrs. Boyce, June 9, 1897—Source: Los Angeles Herald, June 10, 1897

≈ 40 Lbs. — Redondo Beach Pier, October 2008—Source: bloodydecks.com

≈ 40 Lbs. — Hotel del Coronado Pier, September 21, 1899—Source: Los Angeles Times, September 22, 1899

40 Lbs. — Wharf No. 1 (Redondo Beach), Seth Owens, August 22, 1897 — Source: Los Angeles Herald, August 22, 1897

40 Lbs. — Avalon wharf, Mrs. Boyce, June 9, 1897 — Source: Los Angeles Herald, June 10, 1897

36 Lbs. — Crystal Pier (San Diego), August 2016—Source: Crystal Pier Bait Shop

35 Lbs. — Crystal Pier (San Diego), August 2012—Source: James Barrick, Crystal Pier Bait Shop

35 Lbs. — Balboa Pier, Aaron, November 1, 2003—Source: PFIC

34 Lbs. — Crystal Pier (San Diego), Hallman, August 2012 —Source: James Barrick, Crystal Pier Bait Shop

34 Lbs. — Crystal Pier (San Diego), Angel Hernandez, August 2016—Source: Angel Hernandez

34 Lbs. — Wharf No. 3 (Redondo Beach), William Codie, September 26, 1910 — Source: The Redondo Reflex, September 29, 1910

34 Lbs. — Avalon Wharf, Al Delaney, August 17, 1908 — Source: Los Angeles Times, August 16, 1908

33 ½ Lbs. — Wharf #3 (Redondo Beach), August 24, 1910—Source: Santa Ana Register, August 25, 1910

33 Lbs. — Newport Wharf, E. P. Deffley, May 1909—Source: Los Angeles Herald, May 22, 1909

32 ½ Lbs. — Redondo Wharf, August 23, 1891—Source: Los Angeles Herald, August 24, 1891

32 ½ Lbs. — Avalon Wharf, W. M. LeFavor, May 20, 1908—Source: Los Angeles Herald, May 22, 1908

30 Lbs. — Huntington Beach Pier, Earl Nelson, May 7, 1934—Source: Santa Ana Register, May 8, 1934

30 Lbs.— Hotel del Coronado Pier, Joe Larnel, August 31, 1898—Source: Los Angeles Times, September 1, 1898