02-10-2015, 11:25 PM
[#0000FF]Huntington Beach is where I (mis)spent a lot of my younger years...surfing, fishing and checking out the finer points of femininity.
Spent many hours dangling lines off that pier. Caught many different species...from small to pretty big.
You didn't say what time of year you were going. That can make a big difference in the type of fishing you will have available, where you should fish along the pier and what kinds of tackle and bait you should use.
Most of the year you can count on catching a few surf perch and corbina right in the surf zone...using light rods and small hooks...baited with sand crabs, clams or mussels.
Further out you can soak pieces of anchovy for a multitude of species...or jig next to the pilings for queenfish, perch, smelt, etc. Some of those make good bait to throw out away from the pier to fish live for halibut or other larger fish.
Out around the end...depending on time of year, water temps and clarity, current weather conditions, etc...you can catch anything from mackerel to croakers...fishing anywhere from just below the surface to down on the bottom...using anchovies or other cut bait.
The good news is that unless you are going to be soaking some big baits for halibut or sharks you can get by with medium freshwater spinning gear and 10# line. Just be sure to rinse everything in fresh water after your trip or your reel may not turn very well next time you use it.
If you enter "Huntington Beach Pier, CA" into your favorite search engine you will find a few websites that can provide good additional info. There are also several bait shops in the area and used to be at least one right on the pier. They can clue you in on the best spots, baits and techniques.
Good luck. I was down there last year but it is a whole new pier from the days of my youth (big storm damage). Couldn't even find a trace of the surf board I wrapped around a piling while shooting the pier during a big south swell. But I still got some scars.
[/#0000FF]
[signature]
Spent many hours dangling lines off that pier. Caught many different species...from small to pretty big.
You didn't say what time of year you were going. That can make a big difference in the type of fishing you will have available, where you should fish along the pier and what kinds of tackle and bait you should use.
Most of the year you can count on catching a few surf perch and corbina right in the surf zone...using light rods and small hooks...baited with sand crabs, clams or mussels.
Further out you can soak pieces of anchovy for a multitude of species...or jig next to the pilings for queenfish, perch, smelt, etc. Some of those make good bait to throw out away from the pier to fish live for halibut or other larger fish.
Out around the end...depending on time of year, water temps and clarity, current weather conditions, etc...you can catch anything from mackerel to croakers...fishing anywhere from just below the surface to down on the bottom...using anchovies or other cut bait.
The good news is that unless you are going to be soaking some big baits for halibut or sharks you can get by with medium freshwater spinning gear and 10# line. Just be sure to rinse everything in fresh water after your trip or your reel may not turn very well next time you use it.
If you enter "Huntington Beach Pier, CA" into your favorite search engine you will find a few websites that can provide good additional info. There are also several bait shops in the area and used to be at least one right on the pier. They can clue you in on the best spots, baits and techniques.
Good luck. I was down there last year but it is a whole new pier from the days of my youth (big storm damage). Couldn't even find a trace of the surf board I wrapped around a piling while shooting the pier during a big south swell. But I still got some scars.
[/#0000FF]
[signature]