An anonymous angler was happy to catch this beefy halibut on the Santa Cruz Pier this week. (Santa Cruz Boat Rentals – Contributed)
Often overlooked, there is a very simple and easy way to fish Monterey Bay. According to the Fish and Wildlife Regulations, piers, wharves and piers are “man-made structures”. Therefore, anyone can fish without obtaining a fishing license.
There are avid anglers all over the bay who fish almost exclusively from our piers and piers and enjoy great rewards as a result. Pier fishing is also a great option for the more casual angler and is a great way to introduce kids to fishing that has a high chance of success, especially in the summer.
You don’t have to be a long range expert to hit the surf by fishing in shallow water just beyond the breakers. The further away you go, the deeper the water becomes. Sea perch such as rubber lip, black bass, striped perch and pile perch can be fished just below the pier, straight down along the pier or slightly below the pier, depending on the current. (Tip: If the current pushes the bait away from the pier, try fishing from the other side.)
A simple “dropper loop” bait setup consisting of two hooks baited with shrimp or squid with a sinker on the bottom of the leader can catch both types of perch. During the summer months when bait fish such as anchovies and sardines swarm the shallow waters near the pier, kids can be quickly satiated with a bait-fishing rig, also known as a ‘Sabiki’.
Mackerel is one size larger than the baitfish. The bay has his two species of mackerel, Pacific mackerel and Spanish mackerel. Spanish macs are larger than usual, but both have a rich, oily taste and are rich in omega-3 fatty acids. Each one is very powerful for its size and a lot of fun to catch. Many mackerel anglers cut their 6 hook sabiki rigs into 2 hooks to avoid entanglement. Mac is seasonal, summer is the season!
Our piers and piers always have the potential for bigger game. Rockfish and Chickadee are occasionally caught, and halibut and striped bass are common on both sides of the bay. Sadly today we have to think in terms of “both sides of the bay”. Last winter’s storms severely damaged the Capitola Pier, which is currently closed awaiting repairs. Cement Ship/Sea Cliff Pier destroyed. Authorities decided to remove the wreckage rather than rebuild it. So the Santa Cruz Pier and Pier #2 in Monterey Harbor really remain as the main pier fishing locations. Santa Cruz Harbor, Moss Landing and the Monterey pier offer a wide variety of fish, but venturing over slippery rocks is a little more adventurous.
This week we received reports of bird surf perch and pile perch being caught from the Santa Cruz docks, along with a few rockfish and black-capped tit and quite a few legal halibut. Striped buses can appear at the Santa Cruz Pier at any time, but they tend to show up unexpectedly and disappear quickly. Not so in Monterey. Pier 2 has shown steady catch rates of mackerel, halibut and schoolchild-sized stripers over the past month. It’s just the start of the summer fishing season and things are only going to get better from here.
Allen Bushnell also runs the Santa Cruz Kayak Fishing and Surfcasting Guide Service. Please send reports, photos and questions to him at scruzfishing@yahoo.com.
