Fishing

Belmont Pier has been standing since 1915. In 1908 it was the cause of a local revolution.The City of Long Beach wouldn¹t build a pier for the residents of Belmont Heights, so they voted to become The City of Belmont Heights. Fed up over the high taxes imposed by the City of Long Beach, they decided they could do better on their own. During this brief period as a City, Belmont determined its' residents could not afford what they wanted even more than tax reductions. So just one year later they voted to rejoin Long Beach with the understanding that a pier would be built. Belmont got its pier in 1915. The current pier was constructed in 1966 replacing the original wood pier (the one I remember) which stood for 50 years. The new pier is built of concrete and is 1620 feet long. Recently it has gone through some structural repair and a new restroom constructed in the middle of the pier. When they built the new pier they moved it to the East about the width of 39th Place. As you drive south off ocean, 39th Place used to extend directly out the pier. Now the pier it is located to the left or East the width of one street where 39th now dead ends.

As most fishing goes the Pier is affected by the seasons. But there is many kinds of fishing going on all the time. It attracts many fishermen because for one reason you don¹t need a fishing license to fish, while fishing from the beach or jetties you do need a license. Through the Spring and summer all the surf fish become important targets as they swarm around the pier. The halibut move into the shallow waters surrounding the pier while the mackerel, herring, and the ever present tom cod make their appearance. Actually, these fish are always in the area but increase in numbers as the water warms. Here are some in reference to seasons. Winter time marks the arrival of the spawning jacksmelt. While the normal smelt population is always in abundance, jacksmelt show in all their glory during the cold water times in full reproductive modes. Most fish are caught out away from the pilings just behind the surf line. They are top water feeders with very small mouths. Anglers float 4 to 5 small baited hooks on large bobbers. Bait can be small pieces of clam or fish placed on a #10 Octopus hook. A small sinker is tied to the bottom of the multiple hook set-up and the whole set-up is cast as far as possible out away from the pier where it is allowed to float around until a school of jacksmelt find it. Four jacksmelt 15 to 20 inches long can turn into real battle. They are very fast fish and move around the area for great distances. When they reach the hooks.. lookout! All the surfperch are in their spawn period and biting the best through the cold water time. You can float mussel baits under the pier and catch a variety of perch. The black perch (rubber lip to many anglers) will mostly be caught under the pier next to the pilings. Also in the area the pile perch will bite small quarter inch mussels, small crabs and mussel worms. One method used by some anglers to catch pilers is to tie their line to a 6 inch clump of mussels. Bust up some of them so they emit an odor, position a number of hooks around the clump and put mussel worms on each, then drop it straight down around a piling just behind the surf line. The other perch like wall eye, calico, barred, white (or fork
tails) are found by casting out away from the pier. You can use all the traditional baits like blood worms, sand crabs, ghost shrimp, and clams. Or, throw the plastic at them.

Spring starts the surf fish action. Corbina can be found in the white shallow water groveling for sand crabs and other morsels stirred up by the wave action. The only place you can find sand crabs along the entire strand is directly under the pier in the zone of exposed sand after a wave recedes. The water temperature has to be from 62 to 70 degrees for sand crabs to be found, even under the pier. Yellowfin croaker start showing up in masses, easily caught with mussel, clams, ghost shrimp and blood worms. They are caught with a cast out away from the pier. They are so prolific they can be caught anywhere off the pier. Spotfin croaker are also caught behind the surf line out about to the middle of the pier. Sargo show up with the other croakers and caught with the same methods. They are many times mistaken for spotfin but can be separated by the appearance of a black bar on their side and a perch shape look. Halibut begin to move into the shallow water for their spawn but move in mostly chasing the grunion that begin to invade the beach. There is group of halibut fishermen that frequent the pier that really know how to catch them. They start the morning off by catching small herring on the end of the pier. They use snag gangs or strip bait to catch them. The objective is to keep them alive all morning which they do by placing battery operated air pumps in 5 gallon buckets. They hook a herring onto a leader about 2 feet long, above a 2-3 ounce sinker, and throw it out away from the pier. They of course want halibut to jump on their bait but a number of others might also grab them ;such as shovel nose sharks, bat rays, leopard sharks, smooth hound sharks, or especially thresher sharks. Small barracuda also show up in the spring and they love the features of the pier. They are caught mostly with lures such as feathers, spinners and traditional jigs like Tadys, Kickers, Crocodiles or any thing flashy. Unfortunately only one fish in 200 caught reaches the 28 inch minimum. Small white sea bass arrive with the other croakers but very few, if any, keepers are caught.

Through the Summer and Fall the water temperature gets sometimes into the 70's which slows the fishing down somewhat during the day. But the early mornings and evenings can produce better than anytime of the year. Mullet are really thick during the summer and although they can't be caught with bait there is a group of anglers that snag them. They use heavy 10 to 12 foot surf rods with 20 to 30 pound line and throw four ounce sinkers with as many 10 large, 5/0 to 7/0 treble hooks and "swoop" the sinker back in long arcs. These guys can be seen idly watching the water, when a mullet jumps they pounce into action, running down the pier, they throw their hooks right at the jump and wind like crazy, sweeping their rods violently sideways. Yes, they do get the fish some of them surprisingly large. I saw one that would go 5 pounds. Mullet that weigh 5 pounds, and caught in the tail or middle of the body can really pull even with those heavy outfits.

There are various positions on the pier that anglers go to just plain fish for anything that will bite and it doesn¹t matter what the season. Out on the end of the pier fishing straight down you can always get a mackerel, herring, tom cod, smelt, jacksmelt, bass, etc. Light trout like tackle, small hooks, small bait might catch more than all the other ways mentioned. In some ways when the big one breaks you off it makes a great fish story, you know, the one that got away. The "Smelt Strip Trick" I have mentioned in previous stories is a method that I learned on Belmont Pier. It really works anywhere on the pier. Don¹t forget that the old pier debris lies about 50 yards due west from the existing rail, an easy cast away. Also a little known fact is the location of a fishing reef off the very end of the pier an easy cast out. It is composed of large chunks of concrete.

In the past a tackle shop was available on the end of the pier but to this date it's closed. Also the fishing boat landing where one could go out for a half or full days fishing is closed. So as this is written you need to buy your bait before going out on the pier. The parking lot is very convenient but does cost. It's gated and you pay the attendant on the way out.

Next: Seal Beach Pier