california bound in july

[Jedburton]

I thought I would post a copy of this on the utah board in hopes that some of you may know as well. As i posted before I am heading to California for dental school this fall and posted these questions on the california board "I just found a place to live for dental school and will be moving to Ontario, Ca second week in july and was wondering if anyone has any info on fishing in the area. I am trying to figure out what kind of gear I should make sure and bring along. I also have a 17 ft tri-hull that I am trying to decide if I should bring with me that is rigged up for kokanee fishing. I am also looking to get into some good pier fishing when I get down there. Any advice would be greatly appreciated."
Jed Burton
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[bvs]

I don't know about southern Cali, but I spent a few years up north and in the SF bay area and unfortunately at the time I couldn't afford a boat or especially a place to park it. Up north pier fishing was a blast. Most of the year you could rig up with heavy tackle and use frozen squid as bait. I fished at night and usually caught small sharks (3' and less) and stingrays (20lb average, biggest was probably about 70lbs). A few times during the year you could catch sturgeon, halibut, and salmon, and striped bass. I'd also catch surf perch, eels and rock fish off the jetties. Unless they've changed, California doesn't require licenses if you fish from piers or jetties.

Go search for a book called "Pier fishing in California." It was a guys labor of love and he self published so I wouldn't exactly say the book is well edited (half the book is user posts from his website by the same name), but he concisely covers every pier in California with enough detail you'll have excellent success.
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[fuzzyfisher]

hey jed i lived in highland Ca for 12 years.. there is some lakes there by Ontario.. your not going to like them much after fishing utah for any amount of time tho.. ya got glean helen, it's real close to ontario where you can enjoy ozz fest and the pleasure faire and about 1000 pepole on any given day. silverwood is the closes big lake.. big stripers,big LM, Bass and rainbows.. and if you dont get there at 3:00 in the morning to get in line to get in the gate with your boat you will not get you boat on the water tell around 12:30 to 1:00 in the afternoon.. they only let so meny boat in at a time... so get there early. next is big bear lake.. very nice lake not so good fishing..
blue dimond lake is about 45 min's on a good day. 2 hours on a bad day.. good bass lake! then ya got lake perris, and great LM,bass lake but again good luck getting on it with your boat..

oh and BTW if you have a 2 stroke motor on your boat you will not be alowed to be on any lake there anyway..

that's about the way all the fresh water fishing is there..

but there is a light at the end..
there is salt water fishing.. some of the best fishing you will ever do!! check out pier point in long beach, davey's locker in newport, even the BFT store in huntington beach has some charter's ya can check out.. pier point is by far the best in that area.. if ya want to try pier fishing San Clemente pier is by far and away the best pier you can go to.. fish on the south side about 20 yards past the lifegard tower just befor the waves brake.. bloodworm's. gost shrimp, anchoves, and squid are good go to baits... there is a great bait shop in dana-point the has all the goody's ya need..
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[JustJim]

+1 on what Fuzzy said. If you're into the salt water scene, check out the charter or "cattle" boats. Most of the landings have ok to good ones. I grew up fishing the half day boats out of Redondo Beach. Good ones run out of San Pedro and Long Beach as well. They're pretty cheap and you can learn the ropes without breaking the bank or killing a whole day. Try to hit them during the week for less crowds and a little more personalized attention from the deck hands. After you get the hang of the techniques, check out a full day boat to Catalina or San Clemente Islands. Newport and Dana Point have excellent island charters. Like Fuzzy said, the salt water is awesome down there. I miss it the most since I moved here.

Also worth a try is the West Fork of the San Gabriel River up Azusa Canyon on S.R.39. You'll have to walk or bicycle up from the highway. It's 7 miles to Cogswell Reservior. The first couple miles are pretty discouraging. Lots of grafitti and trash left by slobs. Luckily they won't (or didn't) want to hike too far to trash the place, so after a mile or two you can get away from that crap and actually forget you're in L.A. County. There used to be a good population of small, wild rainbows there. It would be worth a try. If you do, drop me a PM and let me know what you found. I'd like to know if it's still a nice place. It's been close to 20 years since I was up there.

Good luck to ya in both your studies and recreational pursuits. I can point you toward some hunting opportunities there as well. If I can be of further assistance, let me know. You'll be right in my old stompin' grounds.

Jim
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[Jedburton]

I am absolutely a salt water junkie so I am hoping to get into the salt water when I can. I will probably be low on funds though so it may have to mostly be pier fishing. I do have my own gear and I do also enjoy crab fishing as well. I try to make most of my own lures and have a stash of at least some to try. It is sounding like the boat might not be the best idea It is not a 2 stroke it has a 140 horse inboard. I will have to figure out what to do in the next few weeks.
Jed Burton
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[fuzzyfisher]

you can launch your boat in salt water! at long beach, newport, and they have big harbors that have great fishing in them.. a small boat is ok just don't go very far past the brakwall.. i did it all the time in my 18 footer..

just make sure the flush it out with fresh water as soon as you take it out.. and wash all your gear down to..
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[JustJim]

I understand the $$$ issue. My oldest just graduated last week and my youngest just finished his first year. We pay the big bills and they scrimp by on Ramen noodles.

I've never fished the piers, but I've walked down quite a few and looked in buckets. Mostly white croaker. (The county issues health advisories on eating them). If you're shorebound, I'd look into surf fishing. There are some very good bait shops near the beach that could help you out on taclke and techniques. There's barred surfperch, corbina and the occasional halibut. These species are around the piers as well but they get picked over more because of the concentrated pressure.

Try to save a few bucks and treat yourself to a half day ride once in a while. Lots more for variety and it will be a whole new world for you.

Jim
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