Hermosa Beach Pier

This morning, when the first big crowd of the season was gathered at the beach, Ed Dorsey of Los Angeles brought to dock, at the end of the pier, the first big Jewfish of the season. It was a fine specimen weighing 302 pounds and measuring six feet seven inches. The big fish was brought to the end of the pier after a fight of an hour and a half. It was necessary to shoot the monster three times before it could be lifted from the water.

“Texas” is disconsolate because he says that for three months he has been endeavoring to land the big beauty. “Why, I had that fish located for weeks,” he said yesterday. “I knew him by name and was on speaking terms with all the members of his family, but some way he passed me by.” The successful fisherman used nothing but an ordinary rod and reel and was assisted in the landing by Everett Cassell of Los Angeles.

—Los Angeles Times, May 15, 1922

Fishing on the pier at Hermosa is at a fever heat these days. Barracuda are running and biting with the result that the anglers and their families are having the time of their lives, according to Mrs. Helen B. Alexander, who runs the bait and tackle store on the pier. Mrs. Alexander claims one family consisting of Pa and Ma and about a dozen kiddies ranging from large to tiny bagged over 100 fish during a day’s outing on the pier last week. Every member of the group had a line overboard and they all caught fish.

Charley Murphy, the handsome young fellow who tends to the wants of Mrs. Alexander’s bait and tackle customers at Hermosa Pier, gave the visitors a thrill last Wednesday when he landed a monster sting-ray. Charley was pulled all around the pier before he finally bagged the finny devil.

Capt. J.M. Anderson, who operates the barges Olympia and Kohala, which are anchored off Hermosa Beach, is fairly jumping with joy these days. It seems the fish have been biting as fast as lines are thrown over from the barges and the anglers are going hoe with bags full of fish and heaps of praise for Anderson’s boats—hence the captain’s jumping antics.”

—Along The Fish Trail with Line N. Sinkur, Los Angeles Times, August 7, 1927

Hermosa Beach—Pier fishing has been excellent with good catches of mackerel and perch, while some hauls of halibut and bonito are also being reported.

—San Bernardino County Sun, May 25, 1930

Fishing in local waters has never been better, says [Capt. J. M.] Andersen, at least a dozen fifteen-pound halibut being hooked by pier fishermen yesterday. Barracuda are also extremely plentiful. Live-bait boats from up and down the coast were anchored 100 yards off the pier yesterday, all catching barracuda as fast as they could be hauled aboard.

—Los Angeles Times, June 29, 1933

 Hermosa Beach reported no monster fish caught this week… [but] pier anglers in that region are hooking large hails of halibut. Last week witnessed the triumph of Angler Mike Mattos, of Los Angeles, over three hefty halibut, heaviest of which weighed forty-one pounds.

—Los Angeles Times, June 21, 1936

The run of the three B species [bonito, bass, and barracuda] along all areas of the coast has hit peak speed this week with big catches reported on boats and barges—plus large numbers taken on several Southland piers. Hermosa Beach pier is an excellent example of the run of bonito through south bay banks. Gary O’Neill, operator of the Hermosa sport fleet reports that more than 1000 boneheads are being taken daily by fishermen on the pier.

—Jack Adams, Rod and Reel, Van Nuys News, June 28, 1968

History Note. The name “Hermosa” is the Spanish adjective for “beautiful” and was used by the Hermosa Beach Land and Water Company when their new subdivision was laid out in 1901. Three years later, in 1904, the company built the first Hermosa Beach pier, an all-wooden structure. Designed to attract visitors (a.k.a. potential buyers or pigeons) to the beach, it extended out 500 feet into the ocean. The pier sat at the end of Santa Fe Avenue, the early name used to designate the main route to the Santa Fe Railway (the main transportation through the area), and its tracks, which were seven blocks away from the beach. When the reliance on the railway ended, the street was renamed Pier Avenue, the same as it is today.

That first pier was partially washed away in 1913, then torn down and quickly replaced by an asphalt-covered, all concrete pier. The replacement pier was almost immediately attacked by the elements itself, on December 12, 1913, huge swells and giant breakers “broke off all of the four wooden pilings of the dolphin of the pier, which was formed of four pilings bound together. These pilings were washed through the concrete pilings of the pier, and in dashing against them bent one of the great concrete pilings and cracked the concrete on that and two others.” The builders of the pier said they had “no fear of the sea owing to its solid construction” and apparently they were right for the pier survived for many years.

The new concrete pier included tiled pavilions that were erected at intervals along the side to afford shade for fishermen and picnic parties. Soon a bait shop was built out at the end, and in 1914 an auditorium building was added at the shore end next to the pier. Eventually this pier too would be destroyed by storms—and old age.

The pier in 1924

Like many piers in the ‘20s, a Sportfishing operation on the pier was begun when Capt. J. M. Andersen built a landing that could be used to shuttle anglers out to the barge Olympic in 1926. An additional barge, the Kohala, was used from 1927-1928, and the Olympic II replaced the Olympic in 1934. In addition, from 1930-33 a number of Sportfishing boats ran from the pier; they included the Martha, Calypso, Big Redondo and Little Redondo.

The Lahaina, a 4-masted barkentine converted into a fishing barge, was apparently available during the late ‘20s; it was owned by Hans Monstad who also ran the Sportfishing operation on the Redondo Pier.

Capt. J.M. Andersen, who operates the barges Olympia and Kohala, which are anchored off Hermosa Beach, is fairly jumping with joy these days. It seems the fish have been biting as fast as lines are thrown over from the barges and the anglers are going home with bags full of fish and heaps of praise for Anderson’s boats—hence the captain’s jumping antics.

—Along The Fish Trail with Line N. Sinkur, Los Angeles Times, August 7, 1927

Record Shark Caught

Hermosa Beach, Oct. 28.—One of the largest hammer-head sharks ever caught here was brought in yesterday from the Olympic fishing barge by Ted Haberfield. The huge shark measured thirteen feet in length and weighed 212 pounds. Haberfield battled for more than an hour with the big fellow before bringing it to gaff.

—Los Angeles Times, October 29, 1931

From 1934 to ’36 a new company operated the Grant, Calheeta and Asahi. Then, in 1936, yet another company operated the barge Magdalena Bay. Finally, Paul Froude operated a succession of boats until the outbreak of WW II in 1941. His boats included the Irene F., Neptune, Kingfish, Asahi, Grant and Calheeta. Two attempts were made to operate profitably after the war, one on the Pier Fisher, another on the Offshore, but both were short-lived. However, in 1965 a new company entered the local scene

“South Santa Monica Bay fishing grounds take on new luster this week with a new Sportfishing fleet making its bow at Hermosa Beach Pier on Friday. Frank Hale, well known to local sportsmen for this operation at Seal Beach the past several years, will head the organization, which will offer barge fishing and half-day runs from the end of the Hermosa Beach municipal pier. Hale is bringing the barge C-Coaster, which he had at Seal Beach, back to the South Bay area. He will also schedule the live bait boat Sea Hawk leaving daily at 7 a.m. and again at 12 noon. Opening of live bait fishing at Hermosa offers quickie runs to the fishing grounds. Little more than five minutes are needed to be on the reef area set up by the Fish and Game Dept. during the past year… The debut on Friday is expected to result in excellent fishing right from the opening run.”

—Rod and Reel, Jack Adams, Van Nuys Valley News, June 29, 1965

Hermosa Pier, Hermosa Beach

½ Day Boat 7 A.M.-12:30 P.M. — Also Sundown Wed.

Fri. & Sat. 6:30 P.M. — Free Pier Fishing

Hermosa Sportfishing

Reservations: FR 2-2124

—Los Angeles Times, August 11, 1967

Perhaps the most famous angler to use the old Hermosa Pier was the “silver-tongued” William Jennings Bryan. The former congressman, Democratic candidate for President (1896, 1904, and 1908) and Secretary of State, was known as the “Great Commoner” and evidently that was a good name for him. Bryan liked to spend his summer vacation months at Hermosa and would show up most mornings at the pier, dressed in overalls and a straw hat, and spend his time fishing and telling stories for the listeners.

The most famous fish from the pier was undoubtedly a showstopper, a 427-pound black sea bass taken on May 16, 1921 by a visiting angler from Amarillo, Texas. It isn’t recorded if Mr. Bryan ever hooked one of these giant fish but if he had he might have been speechless for the first time in his life. As for the Texan, well for once in his life he may not have had to exaggerate.

The pier in 1949

Eventually however, the cycle that affects most California piers once again raised its ugly head. Storm damage and old age led to the condemnation and eventual demolition of the old pier. But the city wasn’t finished. It purchased the beach surrounding the pier, and together with the California Wildlife Conservation Board, built a new pier that opened in 1965. The pier’s price, $600,000, seems a bargain today when multi-million price tags prevent the construction of several piers. Damage does still visit the pier: it was closed for extensive repairs in 1999 and didn’t open until the late fall of 2000.

The pier in 1981

What’s interesting in looking at the old pictures of the pier is not that the pier has changed (and it has), but the bigger change is seen in the background views of Hermosa Beach itself, that’s what has really changed.

                                                                                  Hermosa Beach Pier Facts

Hours: Open 6 A.M. to 10 P. M.

Facilities: There are lights, benches, and fish-cleaning stations on the pier. Restrooms are found near the front of the pier. Parking is available adjacent to the pier at a cost of $1 an hour in the parking lot. Some metered parking is also available on nearby streets; most are $.50 an hour with a 2- or 3-hour maximum. As mentioned, finding parking can be a problem during the summer, especially on weekends. The best bet is to arrive very early in the day.

Handicapped Facilities: Some handicapped parking near the pier but non-handicapped restrooms. The pier surface is cement and the rail height is 40 inches. Posted for handicapped.

Location: 33.86148020454158 N. Latitude, 118.40428233146667 W. Longitude.

How To Get There: Take the Pacific Coast Highway (Hwy.1) to Pier Avenue and follow Pier Avenue west to the pier.

Management: City of Hermosa Beach.