Dave

Ark

Kyle

 Some unofficial records —gathered from published reports

62 ¼ lbs. — Los Angeles Long Wharf, August 17, 1917 — Source: Port of Los Angeles, A Phenomenon of the Railroad Era, Ernest Marquez, 1975

58 Lbs. 11 Oz — Santa Monica Pier, Darrell Barry, March 10, 2001 — Source: Several including Santa Monica Pier Bait Shop, PFIC and Western Outdoor News, March 23, 2001

57 Lbs. 3 Oz. — Port Hueneme Pier, Joseph C, Groth, Sr., February 28, 1965 — Source: Pasadena Independent, March 4, 1965

54 Lbs. — Huntington Beach Pier, W. S. Keith & H. C. Carmichael, May 4, 1939— Source: Santa Ana Register, May 5, 1939

≈ 50 Lbs. — Santa Cruz Wharf, Unknown angler, January 4, 1940 — Source: Santa Cruz Sentinel, January 5, 1940

49 ½ Lbs. — Seacliff Pier, Unknown angler, July 2, 1948 — Source: Santa Cruz Sentinel, July 4, 1949

45 ¾ lbs. — Balboa Pier, Harry Campbell, May 20, 1927 — Source: Santa Ana Register, May 21, 1927

45 ½ Lbs. — Redondo Beach Pier, Virginia Lively, June 24, 1975 — Source: Long Beach Independent, July 2, 1975

45 Lbs. — Seacliff Pier (Aptos), Jack Elliott, July 1, 1946 —Source: Santa Cruz sentinel, July 2, 1946

44 Lbs. — Newport Pier, R. O. Stull, July 29, 1931—Source: Santa Ana Register, July 29, 1931

44 Lbs. — Huntington Beach Pier, Seymore Wilson, June 1933—Source: Santa Ana Register, June 5, 1933

43 Lbs. — Capitola Wharf, Wilbur Boyea, May 14, 1934 — Source: Santa Cruz Sentinel, May 16, 1934

41 lbs. — Santa Monica Pier, Hoyt Holdridge, March 1957 — Source: San Bernardino County Sun, March 5, 1957

40 Lbs. — Seacliff Pier (Aptos), August 1942 — Source: Santa Cruz Sentinel, August 6, 1942

40 Lbs. — Redondo Sportfishing Pier, August 2010—Source: Redondo Sportfishing

40 Lbs. — Monstad Pier (Redondo Beach), Dick Weddington, May 2, 1930— Source: Los Angeles Times, May 2, 1930

40 Lbs. — Santa Cruz Municipal Wharf, July 22, 1942 — Source: Santa Cruz Sentinel, July 23, 1942

40 Lbs. — Santa Cruz Pleasure Pier, E. J. Owens, August 5, 1932 — Source: Santa Cruz Evening News, August 5, 1932

≈ 40 Lbs. — Oceanside Pier, September 2004— Source: Oceanside Pier Bait Shop

39 Lbs. — Santa Cruz Municipal Wharf, July 1949 —  Source: Santa Cruz Sentinel, July 31, 1949

38 Lbs. — Santa Cruz Municipal Wharf, May 1953 — Source: Santa Cruz Sentinel, May 6, 1953

38 Lbs. — Ocean Beach Pier, August 1998— Source: Ocean Beach Pier Bait Shop

38 Lbs. — Newport Pier, May 2001—Source: PFIC

37 Lbs. — Santa Cruz Municipal Wharf — Clarence Hegewood, July 22, 1942 — Source: Santa Cruz Sentinel, July 23, 1942

35 Lbs. — Ocean Park Pier, F. A. Buchanan, May 1908 — Source: Los Angeles Herald, May 31, 1908

35 Lbs. — Newport Pier, August 1940 — Source: Santa Ana Register, August 2, 1940

35 Lbs. — Paradise Cove Pier (Malibu), William Cambier, January 1967 — Source: Valley News, January 26, 1967

33 /12 Lbs. — Redondo Wharf No. 3, August 24, 1910—Source: Santa Ana Register, August 25, 1910

33 Lbs. — Point Mugu Fish Camp Pier, W. J. Stuart, August 1935 — Source: Oxnard Daily Courier, August 3, 1935

32 Lbs. — Santa Cruz Municipal Wharf, June 23, 1948 — Source: Santa Cruz Sentinel, June 24, 1948

30 Lbs. — Balboa Pier, Maybelle Davis, May 1934 — Source: Santa Ana Register, May 21, 1934

30 Lbs. — Huntington Beach Pier, Earl Nelson, October 2, 1908—Source: Santa Ana Register, October 3, 1908

30 Lbs. — Port Hueneme Pier, January 2000—Source: PFIC

30 Lbs. — Redondo Pier No. 3, J. K. Richardson, February 17, 1916—Source: Los Angeles Times, February 17, 1916

 Trouts and Salmon—Family Salmonidae

Adult male — Picture courtesy of NOAA

Species: Oncorhynchus tshawytscha (Walbaum, 1792); from the Greek roots onkos  (hook), rynchos (nose), and tshawytscha (the vernacular name for the species in Alaska and Kamchatka, USSR).

Alternate Names: Chinook salmon, black mouth, spring salmon, tyee (large specimens over 30 pounds), quinnat, hookbill, tchaviche, and tshawytscha. In the 19th century these were called quinnat, California salmon, king salmon, choweecha, Sacramento River salmon (by anglers in California) and Columbia River salmon (by anglers in Oregon and Washington). Called salmón boquinegra in Mexico.

Identification: Body elongate, mouth terminal, large, and teeth moderately sharp. Upper back and all of caudal fin, dorsal fin, and adipose fin have irregular black spots; gums are black at base of teeth.  In saltwater their coloring is blue or greenish-blue to gray or black above, silver below. However, when spawning in freshwater their colors change. Males become very dark with smaller fish often a dull yellow. Larger males are often blotchy, dull red on sides.  Females become blackish in color.

Adult female — Picture courtesy of NOAA

Size: Up to 58 inches and 135 pounds; those caught off piers rarely exceed 20 pounds and most are under 10 pounds. The California record for an ocean caught king salmon is 65 lb 4 oz caught near Crescent City in 2002.

Range: Bahia de Sebastian Vizcaino, central Baja California, to Point Hope, Chukchi Sea, Alaska, with strays across northern Alaska to Coppermine River in the Canadian Arctic; along the Asian Pacific coast from the Anadyr River, Russia to Hokkaido, northern Japan.

Habitat: King salmon are anadromous, spending part of their life in fresh water and part in salt water. Most of their adult life is spent in salt water before returning to their home stream, spawning, and dying.

King Salmon caught by “Sitting BIll” at the Stearns Wharf in Santa Barbara in 1997

Piers: As a general rule, few salmon are taken from southern California piers. While I have witnessed a salmon taken at the Balboa Pier, and one at Stearns Wharf in Santa Barbara, I have not seen them from other SoCal piers. However, Snookie, the expert on the Newport and Balboa piers once caught a ten-pound king salmon at Balboa and reports she has seen several king and silver salmon taken at both piers. Perhaps their proximity to the deep water Newport Canyon and its cold waters helps explain the salmon. Most of the king salmon caught from California piers are taken in central and northern California. In central California they primarily are seen between Monterey Bay and San Francisco Bay. Best bets: Monterey Wharf #2, Seacliff State Beach Pier, Santa Cruz Wharf, Pacifica Pier and Fort Baker Pier. Top piers in northern California would be the Point Arena Pier, Trinidad Pier, and the B Street Pier in Crescent City. During some years large runs of salmon take place at Pacifica where as many as a thousand salmon have been landed in a single day. Runs generally start in late June or July and can run for a month or more. In the fall, when the salmon move into the Carquinez Strait on their way upstream (to the Sacramento and San Joaquin Rivers),  they are frequently caught at both the Benicia 1st Street and 9th Street piers. However, far more salmon are landed by anglers casting from the nearby shoreline areas.

Rose Costa and a king salmon from the Seacliff State Beach pier in 1997

Shoreline: Genereally not taken by shore anglers in ocean areas but caught by anglers in Carquinez Strait and in streams and rivers.

Boats: A major goal of boaters from Avila north to the Oregon Border.

King Salmon at Pacifica Pier, 1998

Bait and Tackle: Live bait is generally the best bait for piers. Usually this means using whatever you can catch via a throw net or a Sabiki (which can injure the fish). Most commonly a small smelt or shinerperch is used although small herring, sardine or anchovy are even better. A second approach is to use a whole dead anchovy on a live bait leader; a float is used in conjunction with a short leader to keep the bait floating just below the surface. It’s a different story when the salmon have moved upriver. By the time they reach the waters at Benicia they have quit eating and are primarily caught on lures. A panoply of lures are used but the favorites at Benicia seem to be spinners — Mepps #5 Aglia or Aglia-e, Mepps Flying C’s (various colors but especially green/yellow), and Vee Zee spinners (made and sold at Benicia Bait & Tackle). Spoons such as Kastmasters Krocodiles also are favored by many.

Snookie and a 10-pound king salmon taken from the Balboa Pier

Food Value: Excellent! One of the best tasting fish in our waters. Rich, dark orange meat with a high fat content. One of the best fish for baking, broiling and smoking.

Comments: Salmon are the most prized of the Pacific northwest fish and Chinook or Kings are the most prized of the prized. Although typically uncommon on piers, they one of the favorite fish for pier anglers. Salmon are one of the favorite fish for pier and boat anglers. Beginning in the mid-’80s, and  occurring several times since, the Pacifca Pier has seen tremendous runs of salmon, primarily king salmon. Some weekends have seen over a thousand fish landed and naturally when that happens  the rails will be lined with anglers. Nevertheless, the results can be worth the hassle.

An excerpt from an article by Tom Stinstra, the preeminent outdoor writer from the San Francisco Examiner, gives a feel of what it can be like during a run of salmon at Pacifica.

“Fine Fishing Off Pacifica”

WHEN IT COMES to fishing, some days you’re the windshield, and some days you’re the bug. At Pacifica Municipal Pier this week, fishermen have felt more like prisoners of hope than anything else, waiting for the annual arrival of salmon, and with it, the best fishing of the year from any public pier in America.

A high fog arrived Tuesday, and with calm seas beneath, schools of anchovies started migrating inshore, marked by gulls and pelicans, circling, diving and feeding. Birds never lie, you know, and most here figure the salmon can’t be far behind, chasing and corralling the anchovies.

“Fishing at the pier is like playing the stock market,” said Jim Klinger, a field scout and Pacifica resident. “One day it’s all limos and Lear jets, the next day you want to be perched on a window ledge on the 30th floor.”

Last year, the salmon arrived on July 8, when 300 salmon were caught at the pier in a few hours, a maniacal but happy scene, and as word circulated overnight around the Bay Area, the 1,000-foot pier became jammed with 800 fishermen the following day. At daybreak, the salmon charged inshore again, and more than 600 were landed by afternoon, then the next day, more than 1,000 were caught, with hundreds of others hooked and lost. It lasted for five days, then after settling down to 50 to 100 salmon per day, another siege ensued for a week, with 300 to 400 fish caught per day. Peaks and valleys, it went up and down like this through August.

To some level, this happens every year, just after the Fourth of July, but nobody knows exactly when the salmon will arrive, and nobody knows exactly how many fish will show, or when they will bite. And that’s when fishermen start thinking about prayer.

“From day to day, even hour to hour, it can be so unpredictable that you never know what’s going to happen next,” Klinger said. “‘Everything seems so temperamental and finicky. It can be the greatest day of your life or the biggest disappointment.”

Over the years, the scene at Pacifica Pier has become a microcosm of urban life in America. Cost is a factor in recreation these days, and not only is fishing at the pier free, but a fishing license is not required either. People can stand shoulder to shoulder here, and despite huge differences in backgrounds, with language and cultural differences the most prominent, they learn to work together anyway. Whether it be loaning a crab net to land and hoist up a big fish, or dipping under and over lines while playing a salmon to avoid tangles, people discover here that you get results by cooperating, just as in urban life.

And just like life elsewhere, everybody can be happy, excited and tense over what is possible on some days, yet surly, closed and grumpy over what seems impossible on others.

—Tom Stienstra, San Francisco Examiner, May 6, 2004

Day 1, August 19, 2015 — Monterey — I was greeted by beautiful, mid-70-degree weather, a slight breeze, and clear sun (enough to insure a sun burn). My initial visit was to the Coast Guard Pier, what is actually a jetty with a roadway built above it, a roadway which allows for fishing.

Monterey Coast Guard Pier

The Coast Guard Pier with the famous Cannery Row in the background

I would be joined in my time at the pier by a lot of lookie loos, some resident sea lions, kayakers, and the inevitable divers (since this is one of the favorite dive spots on the west coat and where more divers are hooked each month by anglers than any other spot).

Look at the sea lion!

The jetty is not a good place to be if a tsunami (tidal wave) hits

Results — Monterey Coast Guard Pier — 11 AM – 2 PM — The fishing was not that fast but did produce a mix of 11 small blue rockfish, 1 kelp rockfish, 2 black & yellow rockfish, 1 painted greenling, and one still unidentified sculpin.

Kelp Rockfish

Kelp

The sea, kelp, and kayakers

The tourists all like the sea lions aka sea dogs

The kayakers are seemingly oblivious to the angler lines extending from the jetty

Kelp and a sea star

A Black & Yellow Rockfish

Another, slightly different colored Black & Yellow Rockfish

An unidentified Sculpin

The end of the pier is populated by sea lions and cormorants

Signs discuss the sea lions and cormorants that cover the end of the jetty

The jetty is the best place in the state, in my opinion, to catch painted greenling. I average 2.3 of the small greenling, also called convict fish, per visit to the pier.

The pier always seems to have a few anglers

Monterey Bay was filled with a variety of boats

Monterey Wharf #2

I decided next to visit Monterey’s Wharf #2 where the mackerel were supposed to be biting. However, I decided to take a brief respite and headed up to the Old Presidio to take a few pictures of the bay and its piers.

Looking down on the bay and wharves. Monterey’s Fisherman’s Wharf is the wharf in the foregound while Wharf #2 (where I would be fishing) sits in the background. You can fish on the wharf until just about the buildings on the end.

Looking down to Breakwater Cove and the Coast Guard Pier (jetty) that protects it and provides fishermen a place to fish.

The end section of Wharf #2

The mid-section of Wharf #2

The inner section of the wharf

This monument sits in the Old Presido

Sloat Monument and its American Eagle (known to locals as “Big Bird”) sits on a hill above the Presidio’s museum office. It’s a monument to Commodore John Drake Sloat, and commemorates the capture of Monterey on July7, 1846, during the war with Mexico.

Father Sierra

A simple cross marks where Alexis Nino, an early pioneer in Monterey, is buried

It was now time to visit Wharf #2.

The wharf was still relatively uncrowded when I arrived at 4 PM. Mackerel bite best at sunup and sundown and it would become more crowded as nighttime approached, and anglers attracted by the mackerel would arrive.

Monterey Bay was calm like a lake

The first couple of hours were slow with no mackerel and only an occasional fish on the bottom. Unfortunately all were small—lizardfish, juvenile rockfish, and a lone senorita aka “world’s best bait stealer.” Things would approve as dusk, and the mackerel (BIG Pacific mackerel), arrived. However, the mackerel bite was never the “mac attack” mode that is sometimes seen. The mackerel would come and go. Brief flurries of action would see seemingly everyone hooked up followed by dead periods when no one was hooked up. Or, anglers in one spot would catch the macs while those a short distance away went fishless. People would rush over to where the fish were hitting but usually by the time the anglers had arrived the fish had moved on to a new spot. I caught enough to sate my appetite for mackerel and was ready to head to the hotel at 8:15.

A small, juvenile copper rockfish

Results — Monterey Wharf #2 — 4:15-8:15 PM — 15 California Lizardfish, 9 Pacific Mackerel (Blue Mackerel), 2 Jack Mackerel (Spanish Mackerel), 1 Senorita, 1 Blue Rockfish, and 1 Copper Rockfish (juvenile)

Capitola Wharf

A good night’s sleep was followed by a decision to head north to Capitola  to try a new pier. It would prove to be a wise decision. Parking spaces were available (something that can be a problem later in the day) and the pier was uncrowded. But the first cast produced a fish and I would see a steady mix of fish—mackerel, lizardfish, white croaker and extra large jacksmelt.

Capitola Wharf

The sea again was calm — but full of fish

Results — Capitola Wharf — 7:35-11:05 AM — 31 Pacific Mackerel, 12 California Lizardfish, 8 White Croaker, 4 Jacksmelt (LARGE), 4 Staghorn Sculpin, 2 Walleye Surfperch, and 1 Shinerperch.

A look under the Capitola Wharf

The wharf and old piling from an earlier wharf

Seacliff Pier

Wanting to get back to Fresno at a relatively early time, I decided I had time for just one more short visit, this time to the Seacliff Pier. It would be mid-day, and the fishing might be a little slower, but my need for fish had already pretty much been met.

The Seacliff Pier and its “Concrete Ship,” a relic from World War I. (Picture from an earlier less crowded visit).

The pier was crowded and apparently the mackerel had been biting — in the morning. The bite had stopped.

A plaque shows local fish

Several crabs decided to join in the fun on the pier

Although the fishing was slow, it was still an interesting visit. Adding spice were a good number of dolphins that decided to chase fish next to the pier.

Results — Seacliff Pier —12:10-1:40 PM — 1 Pacific Mackerel, 1 White Seaperch, 1 California Lizardfish, 1 Shinerperch (the largest I have ever caught or seen), and 1 Staghorn Sculpin.

I decided it was time to bid adieu to the pier and the coast’s beautiful weather. Arrival in Fresno saw a mild 96-degree day. I think I am ready to return to the coast!

If you have read Pier Fishing in California you should be able to answer the following questions without breaking a sweat. If you can’t, I expect you to sleep the next seven nights with the book under your pillow. Just pretend it’s a love letter from your first boyfriend, girlfriend — or whatever.  By the way, the answers will be given at the bottom. And shame on those who do not have the book, you should get it.  

You will need to write your answers on a piece of paper.

Nitty Gritty California Pier Trivia Quiz #1

Citizen’s Dock                      Imperial Beach Pier              Berkeley Pier

Elephant Rock Pier              Seacliff State Beach Pier

Leopard Shark                      Round Stingray                    Bat Ray

            Brown Smoothhound Shark           Common Thresher Shark               

1. The end of this pier  is a sunken “concrete ship.”

2. This pier calls itself the most “southwesterly pier in the United States.”

3. This pier was built by the citizens of the town after a tidal wave washed away their former wharf.

4. This pier was the first to be funded and renovated by the California Wildlife Conservation Board.

5. When built, this pier was supposed to be reserved for kids.

6. Populations very dependent on water temperature; as the water temperature rises so does the presence of these fish.

7. These can be pests in areas that grow oysters commercially.

8. Extremely common in San Francisco Bay; one of the most numerous fish at some piers.

9. Caught throughout California but most common in San Francisco Bay.

10. Typically found in deep water but ventures surfside at night (so they can visit the piers).

Nitty Gritty Pier Trivia Quiz  #2

            Vallejo Pier              Newport Pier           Paradise Cove Pier  

                        Aliso Beach Pier                               Green Pleasure Pier

            Striped Bass                          Senorita                     Cabezon        

Candlestick Point Pier                     Belmont Shores Pier

1. Only twenty yellow snake eels have ever been landed in California. The largest ever taken of the species was a 34 1/2 inch specimen landed on a California pier.  On which pier was it landed

2. Although many piers have appeared in movies, television shows, and commercials, only one, to my knowledge, has been the home (sort of) to a television series. Hint: think of Jim Garner and the Rockford Files. Which pier?

3. Although fishing can be excellent from this pier, it is almost always empty of anglers during many Sundays in the Fall. Which pier and why?

4. A 194-pound, eight-foot-long white sturgeon was taken at this pier in 1980. Which pier?

5. This pier sits next to the last commercial dory fishing fleet on the West Coast. Which pier?

6. This pier is probably the best  is California from which to catch halfmoons (blue perch) or moray eels. Which pier?

7. This pier was built in a diamond shape so that anglers would be offered more railing space (they could fish in the middle of the pier).

8. Sometimes people don’t eat the meat of this fish because it is green or blue colored when they clean the fish. They’re missing a treat! Upon cooking, the meat turns white and is delicious. The roe however, is poisonous.

9. Although primarily known as a saltwater fish, the California record for the species was caught in a freshwater lake.

10. These fish are probably the best “bait stealers” in the state.

                      Nitty Gritty California Pier Trivia Quiz  #3

            Santa Monica Pier                Ocean Beach Pier                  Pier 7 

                        Capitola Wharf                                San Mateo Pier

     Manhattan Beach Pier         Crystal Pier               Adorni Fishing Pier            

Candlestick Point Pier                     South Beach Harbor Marina Pier

1. The Round House Marine Lab sits out at the end of this pier.

2. This is the only pier on the West Coast with cabins built over the blue Pacific.

3. The Pacific Park amusement park is located on this pier.

4. This pier sits next to Pac Bell Park, the home of the San Francisco Giants.

5. This pier is supposed to be the longest concrete pier in the world.

6. This pier sits within the oldest seaside resort on the Pacific Coast.

7. This pier is part of a beautiful recreation center.

8. A common name given to this pier by anglers who fish this pier is the shark pier. What is the real name.

9. This pier sits next to the former home of the San Francisco Giants.

10. More commercials are filmed at this pier than any other pier in northern California.

Answers to Nitty Gritty California Pier Trivia Quiz #1

(1)  Seacliff State Beach Pier  (2)  Imperial Beach Pier (3)  Citizen’s Dock  (4)  Berkeley Pier (5) Elephant Rock Pier (6) Round Stingray (7) Bat Rays  (8)  Brown Smoothhound Shark  (9) Leopard Shark (10) Common Thresher Shark

Answers to Nitty Gritty California Pier Trivia Quiz #2

(1) Belmont Shores Pier (2)  Paradise Cove Pier  (3) Candlestick Point Pier     (4) Vallejo Pier (5) Newport Pier (6) Green Pleasure Pier — Avalon (7) Aliso Beach Pier ( Cabezon (9) Striped Bass (10) Senorita

Answers to Nitty Gritty California Pier Trivia Quiz #3

(1)  Manhattan Beach Pier (2) Crystal Pier (3) Santa Monica Pier (4) South Beach Harbor Marina Pier (5) Ocean Beach Pier (6) Capitola Wharf (7) Adorni Fishing Pier ( San Mateo Pier (9) Candlestick Point Pier (10) Pier 7