Your Guide To Pier Fishing

Southern California Piers

I have decided to feature Southern California Piers in this section,because of their scenic beauty. There are many piers in Souther California but, I will not feature all of them,this task would be too time consuming for me and probably make for some boring reading for you. I have listed information about my favorite 2 piers.The Santa Monica Pier and the Malibu Pier (the Malibu Pier is currently closed due to damage to the structue incurred during a storm). I hope that this wonderful pier will be restored soon. Because I've had many great fishing days at the Malibu Pier, I decide to dedicete some text to it here on my page. Let's all hope that the pier will be up for all anglers to enjoy in the very near future.

The Santa Monica Pier

The Santa Monica Pier is a great pier for fishing.You will find a bait and tackle shop right on the pier.The bait shop usually has extended hours during the Summer ,staying open till 8:00P.M. or 9:00P.M.You will also find a pay parking lot, conveniently located right on the pier. The fee for parking all day is about $7.00 durning the Summer. It will cost you about $3.00 to park for 2 hours with a validation stamp from a pier merchant.You will find benches all along the pier so you can sit while you fish.Beware that the benches quickly fill in the Summer so,you'll want to get there earily or bring your own chair.The Santa Monica Pier is a popular tourist destination for anglers and non-anglers alike.The pier has a small amusement park with lots of rides and even a roller coaster.You will also find a Video Arcade,lots of game booths for playing darts etc... The pier has lots of restaurants, mostly fast food type places.There are lots of shops and boutiques where you can buy T-Shirts and other Santa Monica Memorabilia. The pier is about 2 blocks from the Santa Monica Place Mall and the popular 3rd Street Promanade. You will find department stores, speciality shops, book stores, restaurants and more on the Promanade.The Promanade is very popular with locals as well as tourists.If you plan on going on a Friday or Saturday night, get there early in the evening because parking quickly fills.A special tip:Don't think that you can park in the Santa Monica Mall parking structure while you go out to enjoy the scenary,they have a three hour parking limit and if you over by even 10 minutes you'll get a ticket.I haven't figured out how they know how long your car has been in the structure,but somehow they do. Another fun thing to do is roller blade or bike on the bike path that runs right under the pier.Don't worry you won't have to bring a bike,you will find bike and roller blade rental shops along the bike path.The bike path runs right along the beach so it's very relaxing,but look out for crowds on the bike path in the summer.If you don't like any of the above ideas,you can bring a beach towel,book and a bottle of water and enjoy a bay of sun and fun on the beach.With so much to due around the Santa Monica Pier ,you can bring the whole family..I'm sure that everyone will find a way to have fun!

The Malibu Pier

The Malibu Pier is located in Malibu,California. It is smaller in size than the Santa Monica Pier and it is currently closed due to damage to the piling that supports the pier.The Malibu Pier had a more peaceful atmosphere than the Santa Monica Pier.Tourist did visit the pier, but they usually left pretty fast because there wasn't much entertainment for them...other than fishing and looking out at the ocean. If you like to watch surfers,you can see lots of them from the north side of the pier,known as Surf Riders Beach.A restaurant called Alices is still open for service at the entrance of the pier.Alices offers valet parking and I hear they food is really good.The pier is close to surf shops and fast food resturants.I would recommend that anyone in the Malibu area just walk over to admire the beauty of the pier..and maybe even take a few pictures.

All You Need To Know To Get Started

Head down to the local pier, and just watch what other anglers are doing. This is the best way to learn fishing in your area. There are some general guidelines to follow.

First learn how to tie knots. This is very important because you will lose fish if you don't know how to tie a proper knot.
Get the tide chart. Start fishing before high tide. High tide peeks when it's full moon or new moon.
Be patient, when the fish are not around the pier, you can't do anything about it.
Purchase proper tackle and gear. It all depends on what you want to catch. If you want to catch small fish, use light tackle; 4-10 pound test line, a spinning reel and a light action rod. Choose a reel with ball bearings. It will cast and retrieve smoothly.
Get the right bait for the fish you want to catch. For example, to catch mackerel, use a tiny strip of squid with a split shot sinker. Squid looks like a live bait. By the way, mackerel is an excellent bait to catch big fish like sharks.
Find the right spot for the fish you want to catch. Usually, every fisherman has a favorite spot or two for the fish.
Use baitholder hooks when fishing with dead bait. Live bait hooks for live bait. Size of hook varies depending on the size of fish you want to catch.
Use a Lucky Lura to catch small live bait such as anchovies and sardines. If you don't know what the Lucky Lura is, ask what it is at the local tackle shop.
Excellent dead baits are; squid, mussel, shrimp, anchovy, strips of mackerel, clams and moss. Use the proper bait for the fish you want to catch.
Methods of fishing vary depending on the fish that you are trying to catch. Ask the local anglers for advice about the methods to catch various fish. Basically, there are surface swimmers and botton dwellers.
Some surface fishes are; mackerel, bonito, barracuda, perch, white sea bass, and sharks ...
Some bottom dwellers are; California Halibut, sand bass, calico bass, croaker, guitar fish, and sting rays...

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