Stearns Wharf — Santa Barbara

The next day I returned to the same piling although the bait was now a combination of pile worms and fresh mussels cut into worm-like strips. One and a half hours yielded 9 kelp bass, 9 senorita, 2 cabezon and 2 shinerperch. All of the kelp bass were between 8 1/2 inches and 11 inches long; the senorita ranged up 9 inches; both cabezon were about 9 inches in length, and all the fish were released. So, no large fish and nothing to take home to eat but pretty consistent action. What amazed me was that none of the other fishermen were willing to switch techniques or try for other fish. None were willing to try down by the pilings for the bass and perch. Most continued to cast out their Sabikis away from the pier even though their casts were not yielding fish. Personally I’ve always felt that if you’re not getting fish, and you see that someone else is getting fish, check out their methods and give it a try (although I realize some people consider small fish like the bass and perch unworthy of or beneath their attention).

Crustaceans and other Creatures

For many years the wharf has been recognized as an above average place to hoop for sheep crabs aka spider crabs, some of which are fairly massive in size. The numbers are probably to be expected given the size of the wharf and the number of pilings but there has seemed to be a slight decrease during the past decade. The fishery for these is year round, primarily out toward the end of the wharf, and just about any bait in a hoop—chicken, fish heads, etc. will work. Do return the small “spiders” that are taken to the sea since they do not have enough meat to serve any useful purpose.

Mike Katz and a spider crab aka sheep crab

Rock crabs, both red and yellow, are also taken by hoop net at the pier, primarily January thru March and again most baits will work. Just remember that a “tough” bait, one able to withstand the onslaught from the crabs will work best and save a lot of time rebaiting the hoops.

Nights during the spiny lobster season (generally the start of October till mid-March) will also see hoopsters trying to catch the “bugs” although like the spider crabs there seems to have been a drop off during the past couple of decades. They’re still around but legal-size lobsters seem fewer and fewer in number.

Just about all of the crabs and lobsters are good eating as long as you know how to properly clean and cook them.

Often making an unexpected appearance in the wintertime hoop nets along with the crustaceans will be a mollusk — sea snails, also known as whelks. Most often these will be Kellet’s whelk (Kelletia kelletii), one of the largest SoCal whelks and one that reaches about 7-inches in length. Like their more famous Florida cousins, the conches (same Gastropoda class but a different family, whelks = Buccinidae, conchs = Strombidae), the whelks are both good eating and healthy to eat. They’re low in fat, high in vitamins, and, according to South Koreans, an aphrodisiac. Unfortunately most people do not know how to clean and cook them (just check the Internet) and few people keep them, which I imagine is fine with the whelks.

Additional creatures that can make an appearance include a couple of cephalopods, members of the family Octopodidaethe, the grayish-yellow two-spot octopus (Octopus bimaculoides) and the Pacific red octopus (Octopus rubescens). When they are around, they will latch onto baits and typically give a big surprise to the started angler who brings them to the wharf. They too can be delicious eating (and both make great lingcod bait) but again most people simply release them. Given their interesting nature and high intelligence it’s a good thing to do.

The gnarly octopus always elicit interest

Do be sure to follow the correct laws for all of these creatures (and Fish and Wildlife deputies have been known to target crabbers at the wharf). Actually, make sure that you follow all of the various regulations. Although it is true you don’t need a license to fish on a public pier, you do need to follow the rules for size and number of fish and other creatures. Remember that it is every angler’s duty to help restore our fishery!

The Pier Rats Speak

Date: June 27, 1997; To: Ken Jones; From: Mike Katz—Santa Barbara; Subject: She hooked a whale!

Ken—Thought you would get a kick out of this one. Some gal was fishing out by my shop yesterday morning and her line headed out and headed out and headed out. Finally it snapped and a baby gray whale surfaced just past the end of the wharf. It is very late in the season and I thought they had already gone through. This one must have gotten lost. I told the gal that gray whales were out of season. Mike

Mike, An interesting story about the whale. You hear about it happening but it’s pretty rare (although I hooked a killer whale once while fishing from a boat near Carmel).

Mike Katz and a halibut

Date: July 4, 1997; To: Ken Jones; From: Boyd Grant; Subject: Pier of the Month—Stearns Wharf

Thank you for capturing in words so many of my impressions from almost 50 years of fishing that historical pier. My father first fished the wharf with his father before 1920…

By the way—I’m 53—I started fishing the Wharf when I was 5. And yes, I still fish one of the local piers at least once a week. For the past 7-8 years I fished Goleta exclusively trying to recapture the morning when I took 3 10#+ shovelnose sharks off the west side 3/4th of the way out. I was using 20# mono and anchovy cut bait, casting out over the kelp (which follows the outfall line). Apparently they were congregating there (late spring) and for weeks I had been taking 3-4 pounders. I got 13#s of tail meat.

Goleta hasn’t been too hot this year so I went back to the wharf starting 3 weeks ago—my first day (in search of some action … ANY action!) resulted in 16 small (9-11″) calico bass, 2 mackerel, 1 small shovelnose, 2 white croakers and a senorita fish. I’ve been there 4-5 more times since and the calico and mackerel action has been consistent.

That first weekend a woman tourist snagged a baby whale that took out several hundred yards of line before it surfaced and the line broke—maybe it was 15′ long. By the end of the day it had become (for her) a 30′ blue whale. Guess it just goes to show any fish, no matter how big, can always stand some exaggeration.

Date: November 23, 1998; To: Ken Jones; From: Mike Katz Subject: Stearns; Wharf fire

Dear Ken: I don’t know if you saw the news Wednesday and Thursday but as of then there is no more Mike’s Bait & Tackle out on Stearns Wharf. Wednesday evening about 9:20 there was an explosion and fire in the Moby Dick Restaurant and the winds blew the fire onto Santa Barbara Shellfish and my shop. My building collapsed into the ocean and there is nothing left but a big hole in the wharf. The City fathers state that it will take about a year and a half to re-build. The seaward end of the wharf is closed off and will be for some time to come. Mike

Mike, Sorry to hear the news. Was only the end of the pier damaged? Ken

Ken, The fire broke out at the Moby Dick Restaurant and the winds took it to the end of the wharf. Everything else on the wharf is fine but there is no wharf beyond where the restaurant used to be except a gaping hole and a few pilings. Mike

Date: January 13, 2001; To: PFIC Message Board; From: Got Em; Subject: Stearns Wharf, 12 January

Fished Stearns Wharf last night from 2100-0100. Fished right off the end. I was using whole Sardines and chunks of Sardines. The 6 Sand sharks I caught were BIG. I caught 1 decent size Ray. Of course, the best for last. I hooked up to a 4 ½-5 foot shark. When I got him by the surface, next to the wharf, I had a little crowd by me then going ewww and ahhhh and ‘look at him’. Right when he was by the surface, he did his classic roll and twist, SNAP! My rod tip broke and the line broke, just like it was a twig, and then another ahhhh from the crowd. But it was fun. Had a blast last night. The water by the breakers was really dirty, but out towards the end was normal. I might have to crimp up some wire leaders.

She’s happy with her small brown rockfish

Date: October 8, 2002; To: PFIC Message Board; From: donblaze420; Subject: Santa Barbara wharf

I did it fellas. It has been a long 4 years. I finally landed my first keeper Halie! Went out to the Stearns wharf last night at about 6:30 pm. (kinda late I know, especially considering I was in a tube!) Only got about seven casts in total for the night. 1st cast—nothing. 2nd cast—nothing. 3rd cast—BAMM! Hit it right at the surface. I was actually done with my retrieve and had started reeling in faster just to get a couple more cast in before I had to split. It ran on me 4-5 times before I got a glance. HEALTHY looking fish, definitely a legal. Now if only I can land him. Reached back and grabbed my net. Tried to guide him in but took another run when he seen the net. That scared me. Thought he was gone for sure. Finally he decided that the net didn’t’ look so bad after all and swam right in. Cheers from the crowd that had gathered on the wharf watching me. That was cool. Was too big to get in the bag I have attached to my tube, so I kicked in to shore. I got him on a 3′ blue-green-silver flake Fish Trap w/ a 1/2 oz. lead-colored head. Cast from the shore about four or five more times but was so excited I had to get that puppy home. It measured 28 inches, not too big I know, but nonetheless was my first keeper.

Date: April 18, 2003; To: PFIC Message Board; From: pierhead; Subject: Re: Anyone remember how you used to buy live bait…

I sure do, the old bait shop on Stearns Wharf in Santa Barbara used to have an outside well. The tickets were 5 cents and you scooped them yourself. There used to be an abalone processing plant on the end as well. All the trimmings went into 50 gallon drums which you were free to go through … made a great bait, better than mussels.

Years later I was fishing with my son (10 at the time) at the breakwater across from the live bait receiver. I told him what great bait it made and regretted the fact that you could only get it if you had access to the receiver by boat. He called out to the guy on the receiver to see if there was any way he could get bait to us. He said to tie a $5.00 bill on a line and cast it out to him (no hooks!). We did and he filled a large plastic bag with seawater and bait, tied it back to the line and set it over the side so we could retrieve it. Doubt they would be willing to do that now. Pierhead

Date: June 16, 2003; To: PFIC Message Board; From: OB Pier Rat; Subject: Stearns Wharf thresher

Got to Stearns Wharf about 1:30 PM after catching up on sleep from almost pulling the all-nighter at Ventura. As I was wheeling the gear out this guy comes running in towards me whoopin’ and hollerin’—he had just landed an 8 foot 2 inch Thresher Shark; caught it on macks on the very end. He also had about a 50# bat ray. I stuck around and watched him filet them and I made bait on a few sardines on a Sabiki and headed to Goleta.

Date: April 24, 2004; To: PFIC Message Board; From: pierhead; Subject: Breaking News … pierfishing.com exclusive!

World’s largest pier caught bat ray just landed at Stearns Wharf in Santa Barbara…Report to follow…  Greenrag and I were listening to Fish Talk radio this morning when they interrupted their program to announce that a 203 pound bat ray had just been landed at Stearns Wharf in Santa Barbara … they were pleading with the lucky local angler, James Elledge, 45, not to release or clean the fish before they got there.

Naturally pierfishing.com shortly had their own reporters on the scene. Spoke with Mr. Elledge and learned that this was the largest fish he had caught in his 40 years of fishing. The fight lasted 1 hour and 20 minutes before the fish was gaffed by Ron Maxell and hoisted topside. It was caught on a live bait rig using a 3” smelt. Fortunately the fish ran parallel to the pier and was landed mid-channel off the end.

With the help of the Wharf’s B&T owner, Ray Angel, the fish was carried over to the certified scale at the Santa Barbara Shellfish Company where it was weighed and all the appropriate measurements were taken for inclusion in the International Game Fish Association’s