pier fishin'

[Tora]

I'm new to this whole pier fishing thing and was hoping to get some tips from some of the pros on this website. What are the best rigs for fishing from the pier? I want to catch something besides mackeral... If I was going to use dead anchovies or squid, would you carolina rig it? I'm not asking for any super secret techniques... just the basics. Any help would be appreciated!!!

[Fishbones]

Carolina rig will work if there is no current "waves" or water movement. In current try a dropper loop.
You can fish a leadhead and squid.but your best bet it to catch bait either with a bait ganion or net.
fishing with live bait will increase your odds 100%.

[AAKK]

if i was you i would save up some money to hop on charter boats for some real fishing. i am over pier fishing,many bad people/bad attitude there.But if you want some quick fishing fun, Carolina rig with whole peeled shrimp/mackerel/sardine/squid is best bet.
If you are lucky enough to get some lobster,please release them.I hate to see people trying to keep lobsters they catch at piers.
Have fun.

[fisherman from long beach]

if i was you i would save up some money to hop on charter boats for some real fishing. i am over pier fishing,many bad people/bad attitude there.But if you want some quick fishing fun, Carolina rig with whole peeled shrimp/mackerel/sardine/squid is best bet.
If you are lucky enough to get some lobster,please release them.I hate to see people trying to keep lobsters they catch at piers.
Have fun.if he was hoopin at the pier for bugs,would that be ok.i mean it is legal.if he has the proper lic,card,gage,etc.or are talkin about snaggin?something illegal.

[Ricky-Ray]

if he was hoopin at the pier for bugs,would that be ok.i mean it is legal.if he has the proper lic,card,gage,etc.or are talkin about snaggin?something illegal.

It is legal for you to hoop at a public pier but you would still need the lobster report card, gauge and hoop net. If you caught a lobster on a rod and reel it's considered an illegal way of catching lobster and it's suppose to be released. Hoop net is the only LEGAL way of catching lobster from a pier.

[Tora]

Thanks for the info. I don't plan on catchin any lobsters... just wanna try something different and fish from the pier. I've got my taste of trout fishing and surf fishing.... just expanding my fishing horizon and wanna see what you can get from the pier.

[rusty6]

my advice...stick to the surf. pier fishing is extremely hit or miss and it seems to be miss most of the time

[Fishbones]

Fish jettys and rocks...thats your best bet instead of local pier fishing.

[AAKK]

Ah,if you want to try something new,why don't you go up to mountain do to some creek/stream fishing.It's very fun.My favorite creeks/streams/ are San Gabriel Mountain creek and Bouquet Canyon Creek. The Bouquet Canyon Creek is highly recommended,i love that place.

[rusty6]

bouquet canyon gets fished out in a matter of minutes...kinda frustrating. SGR is a fun place to go as long as you avoid the masses

[Ricky-Ray]

Getting back to the original question, Carolina rig, double dropper loop or even a reverse dropper loop rig would be best on the pier, all depending on what you want to catch or try to catch.

[victor101]

I grew up on pier fishing... I still go pier fishing every once in a while. What piers are you fishing? Try some swimbaits like big hammers. carolina rig ghost shrimp in the surf zone and around pilings. You can carolina rig cut bait such as anchovies or squid as well, but I would fish them on a dropperloop instead. From my experience, most of the fish you will catch on the pier are either in the surf zone or around structure(rocks, pilings, kelp). You can aslo try to catch some live bait with an umbrella net or sabiki rig. Hook it on a reverse dropperloop, Carolina rig, or store bought halibut rig. Pier fishing is a little slow during winter time but there are still fish to be caught. Just get out there... the best way to learn is from personal experience.

[smokehound]

You will see better results if you target specific fish. With a larger setup, try to target halibut with live smelt, sardines, or small mackerel. Small surfperch and croakers are good live baits, too.

Do some research on the pier you target.. Visit pierfishing.com, they have some nice info for the pier-fisherman


Also, you must learn how to find structure, pay attention to the waves-- when waves break BEFORE they hit the shoreline, this indicates a hole, or a trough, and you'll USUALLY have a good shot at finding something there.

Our surf species depend on these holes and troughs to seek refuge from the waves and to rest.

I prefer fishing in the surf, because the pier is too hit-or-miss for me, like other's said before, its 50-50-- sometimes you will arrive to a WFO spotfin croaker bite, while other times, there is nothing but smelt and 4-inch white croakers.


Most people give up on surf-fishing because they dont understand how to find proper structure, this is VERY important!

around piers, you have to hope that good structure forms around the pier. Check out the scene during an extreme low tide, to find structure, (a gps works wonders for this) and return when the surf comes back in.

Piers are good for spotting fish in the shallows, I often walk around the pier to see how the structure is, you get a good vantage-point.

Also, bring a strong umbrella-net, so you can haul a large fish up the pier.

[fishfinder]

I used to fish the malibu pier years ago. i would use a frozen anchovie whole, on a carolina rig. i would then cast out as far as i could, and then bump it in about a foot at a time. i have caught lots of halibut this way, and one day i actually got 3 legals. and there were angry anglers on the pier back then too.

[DockRat]

It is legal for you to hoop at a public pier but you would still need the lobster report card, gauge and hoop net.

You can Hoop Net from a pier all year long with no lobster card and no lobster gauge legally with up to 2 hoop nets per person.














For Crabs. :ROFL:
Get a Rock or Cancer Crab gauge and also use your Hoop Net to haul up 'The Big Fish'
DR

[DockRat]

If you are lucky enough to get some lobster,please release them.I hate to see people trying to keep lobsters they catch at piers.


I am curious why you 'hate' people catching lobsters from a pier and advise C&R ?

What about guys on boats going outside of piers and working structure for mutiple limits ?

It is usually slim pickins Hooping Bugs from a pier.
DR

[DockRat]

my advice...stick to the surf. pier fishing is extremely hit or miss and it seems to be miss most of the time




Fish jettys and rocks...thats your best bet instead of local pier fishing.

Yah, Like they said.
DR

[fish_sauce]

You can Hoop Net from a pier all year long with no lobster card and no lobster gauge legally with up to 2 hoop nets per person.


where is the source of your info?

Q: Is a fishing license required while fishing from a public fishing pier in ocean waters?
A: No, but it must be a public fishing pier. A Sturgeon Fishing Report Card is required to take sturgeon from a public pier in ocean waters. A Spiny Lobster Report Card is required to take spiny lobster from a public pier in ocean waters.

(a) A sport fishing license is not required to take fish for any purpose other than profit by means of angling from a public pier in the ocean waters of the state. (b) For purposes of this section, ocean waters include, but are not limited to, the open waters adjacent to the ocean and any island; the waters of any open or enclosed bay contiguous to the ocean; the San Francisco and San Pablo Bays, with any tidal bay belonging thereto; and any slough or estuary, if found between the Golden Gate Bridge and the Benicia-Martinez Bridge (Fish and Game Code Section 7153).

A public pier is defined in the sport fishing regulations as a publicly owned man-made structure that has the following characteristics: is connected, above the mean high tide, to the main coastline or to the land mass of a named and charted natural island; has unrestricted free access for the general public; and has been built or currently functions for the primary purpose of allowing angling access to ocean waters.

Additionally, publicly owned jetties or breakwaters that are connected to land, as described above, that have free unrestricted access for the general public and whose purpose it is to form the most seaward protective boundary of an ocean harbor are public piers. Jetties, breakwaters, promenades, sea walls, moles, docks, linings, barriers and other structures that are not the most seaward protective boundary of an ocean harbor, are not public piers.

Even though licenses and stamps are not required while fishing from a public pier, all other regulations apply (including minimum size, bag limits, seasons and report card requirements).


source link: http://www.dfg.ca.gov/licensing/fishing/sportfishingfaqs.html

[DockRat]

[QUOTE=fish_sauce;430434]where is the source of your info?

/QUOTE]

http://www.dfg.ca.gov/marine/dungeness_crab.asp#rock

Talking Crabs Not Lobsters. Ever caught crabs? http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d3/Porkchop80/lice.jpg
Try the back room of a nasty club in TJ.

Crustaceans

29.80. Gear Restrictions.
(a) General Provisions:
(1) Saltwater crustaceans may be taken by hand.
(2) Nets, traps or other appliances may not be used except as provided in this Section.
(3) It is unlawful to disturb, move, or damage any trap, or remove any saltwater crustacean
from a trap, that belongs to another person without written permission in possession from the
owner of the trap.
(b) Baited hoop nets may be used to take spiny lobsters and all species of crabs. Between
Point Arguello, Santa Barbara County, and the United States-Mexico border, not more than five
baited hoop nets may be fished by a person to take spiny lobster and crab, not to exceed a total
of 10 baited hoop nets fished from any vessel. [see Section 28.65(b) for gear restrictions on
public piers]
(c) Crab traps shall have at least two rigid circular openings of not less than four and onequarter
inches inside diameter so constructed that the lowest portion of each opening is no lower
than five inches from the top of the trap

(b) All crabs of the Cancer genus except Dungeness crabs, but including: yellow crabs,
rock crabs, red crabs and slender crabs:
(1) Open season: All year.
(2) Limit: Thirty-five.

http://www.dfg.ca.gov/marine/pdfs/oceanfish2009.pdf




You can't keep lobster without a lobster card but you can hoop net up to 2 hoops per person all year long on a pier.
People on piers hoopnet for crab in the summer and it is totally legal.

You can also hoopnet from a boat for crab outside of lobster season.

All lobsters must be released out of season or in season without having a lobster card.

Hoopnets are not just for lobster. Rock Crab/Cancer Crab is good eating.

http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb134/annatp7_photo/Train%202006/85b7.jpg

Got Crabs in Your Hair ? http://i651.photobucket.com/albums/uu237/diabhaalica/mut-head-lice.jpg

http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f218/hart0541/t_01.gif DR

[murrieta angler]

[QUOTE=fish_sauce;430434]where is the source of your info?

/QUOTE]

http://www.dfg.ca.gov/marine/dungeness_crab.asp#rock

Talking Crabs Not Lobsters. Ever caught crabs? http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h53/pinkispimp0527/bug-ani.gif
Try the back room of a nasty club in TJ.

Crustaceans

29.80. Gear Restrictions.
(a) General Provisions:
(1) Saltwater crustaceans may be taken by hand.
(2) Nets, traps or other appliances may not be used except as provided in this Section.
(3) It is unlawful to disturb, move, or damage any trap, or remove any saltwater crustacean
from a trap, that belongs to another person without written permission in possession from the
owner of the trap.
(b) Baited hoop nets may be used to take spiny lobsters and all species of crabs. Between
Point Arguello, Santa Barbara County, and the United States-Mexico border, not more than five
baited hoop nets may be fished by a person to take spiny lobster and crab, not to exceed a total
of 10 baited hoop nets fished from any vessel. [see Section 28.65(b) for gear restrictions on
public piers]
(c) Crab traps shall have at least two rigid circular openings of not less than four and onequarter
inches inside diameter so constructed that the lowest portion of each opening is no lower
than five inches from the top of the trap

(b) All crabs of the Cancer genus except Dungeness crabs, but including: yellow crabs,
rock crabs, red crabs and slender crabs:
(1) Open season: All year.
(2) Limit: Thirty-five.

http://www.dfg.ca.gov/marine/pdfs/oceanfish2009.pdf




You can't keep lobster without a lobster card but you can hoop net up to 2 hoops per person all year long on a pier.
People on piers hoopnet for crab in the summer and it is totally legal.

You can also hoopnet from a boat for crab outside of lobster season.

All lobsters must be released out of season or in season without having a lobster card.

Hoopnets are not just for lobster. Rock Crab/Cancer Crab is good eating.

http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb134/annatp7_photo/Train%202006/85b7.jpg

Got Crabs in Your Hair ? http://i651.photobucket.com/albums/uu237/diabhaalica/mut-head-lice.jpg

http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f218/hart0541/t_01.gif DR

You crack me up sometimes DR..

[murrieta angler]

:Smile:
[QUOTE=fish_sauce;430434]where is the source of your info?

/QUOTE]

http://www.dfg.ca.gov/marine/dungeness_crab.asp#rock

Talking Crabs Not Lobsters. Ever caught crabs? http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h53/pinkispimp0527/bug-ani.gif
Try the back room of a nasty club in TJ.

Crustaceans

29.80. Gear Restrictions.
(a) General Provisions:
(1) Saltwater crustaceans may be taken by hand.
(2) Nets, traps or other appliances may not be used except as provided in this Section.
(3) It is unlawful to disturb, move, or damage any trap, or remove any saltwater crustacean
from a trap, that belongs to another person without written permission in possession from the
owner of the trap.
(b) Baited hoop nets may be used to take spiny lobsters and all species of crabs. Between
Point Arguello, Santa Barbara County, and the United States-Mexico border, not more than five
baited hoop nets may be fished by a person to take spiny lobster and crab, not to exceed a total
of 10 baited hoop nets fished from any vessel. [see Section 28.65(b) for gear restrictions on
public piers]
(c) Crab traps shall have at least two rigid circular openings of not less than four and onequarter
inches inside diameter so constructed that the lowest portion of each opening is no lower
than five inches from the top of the trap

(b) All crabs of the Cancer genus except Dungeness crabs, but including: yellow crabs,
rock crabs, red crabs and slender crabs:
(1) Open season: All year.
(2) Limit: Thirty-five.

http://www.dfg.ca.gov/marine/pdfs/oceanfish2009.pdf




You can't keep lobster without a lobster card but you can hoop net up to 2 hoops per person all year long on a pier.
People on piers hoopnet for crab in the summer and it is totally legal.

You can also hoopnet from a boat for crab outside of lobster season.

All lobsters must be released out of season or in season without having a lobster card.

Hoopnets are not just for lobster. Rock Crab/Cancer Crab is good eating.

http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb134/annatp7_photo/Train%202006/85b7.jpg

Got Crabs in Your Hair ? http://i651.photobucket.com/albums/uu237/diabhaalica/mut-head-lice.jpg

http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f218/hart0541/t_01.gif DR

You crack me up sometimes DR..:Smile:

[DockRat]

Seen one dude in Pedro and after commercial lobster season he hoops the rest of the year for crabs and Turban and Periwinkle snails (I think ?) for the Asian market.

You can get these Turbans in your hoopnets but I'll pass on eating local Pedro snails,
although they say the Montrose DDT out there makes them taste better :Shocked:

http://nathistoc.bio.uci.edu/Molluscs/index.htm



http://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h240/Larry_C/Monterey%20Diving%202009/5-2-09%201%20Monolobo%20Wall/P5020004-01cropsm.jpg

[pokerface12]

BIG BAIT=BIG FISH. You won't catch as many fish this way, but when you do it's all worth it.