Suggested Gear for Pier/Harbor Fishing in SoCal

[SoCal748]

Hi all. I have a pretty general question here. So I recently moved from New York to California and I don't have much experience saltwater fishing. I'm used to fishing for bass in the reservoirs around New York City. I have done a little fishing since I got out here, mostly off of the piers in Newport and the public docks on Balboa island. Right now my equipment consists of two poles and a handful of tackle. I went to the Newport Angler Center and got some spoons, spinners, and some of those sinker lures that look like shrimp. So far the results have been unexciting, just a few minnows here and there.

I was wondering if people had any advice as to what additional bait and tackle I should consider. Specifically for fishing in Newport harbor during the winter season as I'm hoping to try and get out there sometime next month. Thanks!

[CrownTown]

3 to 4 inch big hammer swim baits work very well in the bay. Throw them with a 1/8 to 3/8 ounce lead head using 6-8 pound test and you should get plenty of spotted bass, sand bass and the occasional halibut inside the harbor. Just use a straight slow retrieve and try to stay near the bottom. AA's also work very well, they are curly tail grubs. If you fish the surf for perch you can easily have 25+ fish days Carolina rigging some tiny 1" or so green big hammer curly tail grubs or gulp sand worms, but most fish won't go over 1-1.5 pounds. Hope this helps, I'm sure your luck will change, tough time of year to start fishing.

[DockRat]

Welcome and good luck on the BIGGEST Pond.
Springtime is better.
DR

[SoCal748]

Thanks for the advice and the welcome. I wouldn't normally go out in the winter months but since it's the low season all the boat rentals in Newport are way cheaper. It's been awhile since I got out on a boat.

[smokehound]

Thanks for the advice and the welcome. I wouldn't normally go out in the winter months but since it's the low season all the boat rentals in Newport are way cheaper. It's been awhile since I got out on a boat.i just use budget gear, works just fine. Spotties on light tackle are a blast!

for grubs, i prefer kalin's salty lunker grubs in 3". Watermelonseed and Pumpkin salt n pepper are extremely effective. the green they use for watermelonseed is PERFECT.

spotties in winter are way more active than largemouth bass, they just hug structure a bit more. casting parallel to jetties or rocky areas can yield lots of spotties in winter!

spotties also prey more heavily on baitfish this time of year, as many clams and snails burrow deep to escape the cold.

4 inch brush hogs are another great spottie lure. Green pumpkin is effective in cloudy conditions:

http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c177/smokehound/IMG_20120507_070405.jpg

that guy took a brush hog.

Because of the cold, try spinnerbaits with a grub or big hammer trailer, or crankbaits in case the spotties are going for baitfish.

[zzzfish]

Welcome SoCal748! Crowntown gave you some pretty good advices there for harbor fishing. As far as pier fishing goes, you can use the same set up that he suggested if you're fishing where the waves break. You can catch a decent amount of surf perch using light lines and Gulp camo worm. If you're fishing further out at the end of the pier for sharks, rays and whatever is out there then switch it up to a heavier gear like 15-30lbs. Most pier fishermen use cut baits (shrimps, squids, mackerels, etc.) and 90% of the catch out on the pier are mackerels. If you need some more hints or suggestions then feel free to shoot me a PM.

Best of lucks!