Ventura Pier

Date: February 20, 1999; To: Ken Jones; From: papafats and mamafats; Subject: Question of the Month—What is your favorite pier and why?

Yup! our favorite pier is Ventura! We enjoy the fun, excitement, and on a clear winter day the view of the Channel Islands. Quite spectacular! As you look at the islands you think about what the seas were like during the days of the Chumash Indian Tribes. As you sit on the pier try imagining a Chumash Chief fighting large fishing game with a hand made spear and line in order to feed and warm his family. Now try imagining this same Chumash Chief is fishing from a small canoe!! Amazing!

You never know what you’ll see or experience while fishing or just strolling on a lazy afternoon or evening. During the summer you can be sure to play ‘line tag’ with a few sharks and rays! The dolphins visit regularly in July, August and September. Springtime can guarantee regular visits by the local seal population. I hear the halibut stop by in March to check out the local action. I hope one stops by my line this year!

So Ken for now I must say I love the Ventura Pier! Regards, Mamafats

PS, Many German and British tourists love to stop and talk. I love to see their faces as they talk about the versatility of visiting the California coastline, mountains and especially the National Parks.

Date: July 1, 1999; To: PFIC Message Board; From: Mamafats; Subject: Ventura Pier

Hi all, It’s been awhile. My husband, grandson and myself fished Ventura Pier last Saturday. I caught a good-sized sand shark (guitarfish) but the rest of the family was not as lucky. Other fish caught included good-sized bat rays, stingrays, smoothhounds and a small thresher. It was great to escape from the LA heat. One thing I must add to this report is disappointment and sadness felt for a fellow fisherperson. The individual was fishing the end of the pier and caught several bat rays. Once the ray was landed, this individual cut off the wings and threw the body back. Pretty sad. Either fish to eat or fish and throw the back in one piece, but don’t be sadistic about it. By the way when this individual prepared to leave for the day everything else went back into the ocean. What a jerk! Thank you for letting me get this off my chest. Everyone have a safe and great Holiday Weekend!

Date: November 3, 2001; To: PFIC Message Board; From: BigEd2; Subject: Ventura Pier Report — I was ROBBED!

 Got up at 5:00 am on Saturday, and headed to the Ventura Pier. Stopped at the Mc Donalds for a cup of coffee, and arrived at the pier around 5:30 am. Started at the end of the pier, using anchovies, mackerel, and squid. The water was calm, and the sunrise was ABSOLUTELY GORGEOUS. No wind. An hour or two goes by, and no bites or nibbles (I was using squid on one rod, and anchovies on the other at this point). I switched to using mackerel, and almost immediately, started getting nibbles.

All morning, the ‘birds’ kept harassing me, and I had to keep ‘shoo’-ing them off…. To protect my baits, I put them UNDER the bench. Then I started getting good SOLID bites on BOTH rods. Both rods going off at the same time! WOW! From the excitement I ran to grab the rods/set the hooks, I noticed something or someone behind me, and turned around and realized that I have been ambushed and am being robbed!

One @#%!@^# bird is taking off with my ENTIRE bag of squid, another one is taking off with ALL of my anchovies, while yet ANOTHER bird is taking my BIG mackerel with an 11-inch fillet knife STILL IN THE FISH!!! I start running after the ‘thieves’ like an enraged wacko, shouting and swearing (kept the language clean though)…. COME BACK HERE YOU SON OF A MUFFIN… to no avail. They were, however, somewhat thoughtful, as they eventually dropped my fillet knife somewhere mid pier.

Now, I have no bait whatsoever…. all of this when the bite appeared to have just turned on… Like a hobo, I started going around and looking in trash cans for some bait (felt VERY embarrassed!), and got a few stares from the ‘couples in love’ that came to watch the romantic sunrise at the pier. I felt as if I was COMPLETELY ruining their ‘moment’…. Desperation I say, desperation! What is a fisherman to do without bait when the bite is on? I packed up and started to leave. I must have looked real ‘down’ when a couple fishing the surf line asked me how I did. They generously offered me some squid and salted chovies! So I took a squid and 4 ‘chovies….

WHOOPIE! The fishing continues! As it was getting late (I had to attend a wedding) I only went to mid pier area, and started getting nibbles immediately, but no hookups. I was using a 1/0 and 2/0 hooks, so I thought “something small.” I switched to smaller hooks, and ended up catching (and releasing) yellowfin croakers. There seemed to be a good number of them around (they do taste gross… maybe I didn’t prepare them right, but they were VERY fishy and foul smelling), so all were released.

Talked to another couple of the pier, and they said that the crabs kept stealing their bait (they were fishing close to the pier). I thought “great! the crabs are back!.” On the back to the car, several people were catching and keeping surf perch (walleye looking), however, they were WAY TOO SMALL to be worth keeping (real small), but I guess some didn’t think so.

Date: March 28, 2002; To: Ken Jones; From: Tim Durham/Sinker; Subject: Ventura Pier

Ken, There is a good perch bite at the front of the pier on mussels and bloodworms, an occasional sargo has been caught as well. Mid pier is not seeing much action other than some croakers, all juveniles. The end of pier is seeing regular spiny dogfish catches on squid most every night along with thornback rays and bat rays. A Pacific electric ray measuring 34 inches was caught the other night. Smoothhound sharks, shovelnose guitarfish and leopards sharks have not been seen this month. Center hole (end of the pier) plenty of small baitfish with herring chasing them. Herring catches have been good out of the center hole although the average size has only been about 8 inches. Most of these have been taken on Sabiki rigs and/or fly lining strips of anchovies. I had one strong night this month as reported on the board (believe it was the 8th) with the 72-pound bat ray, this was caught on 10 lb. P-Line. P-Line is sending out hats, stickers and line for the catch.

Date: April 4, 2002; To: PFIC Message Board; From: Sinker; Subject: Bait Trials & Ventura Pier 4/3/2002

Fished Ventura Pier from 7 PM till 2 AM. Used Anchovies and Squid. Caught 3 Thornback Rays all on Anchovy (that’s a first for me). Nothing else. I usually only catch Rays on Squid but tonight was different. Maybe it’s that secret recipe huh PierHead.

Ok here is the story on the bait. Awhile back someone posted about salting mussel to toughen it up. I have been working with different salts and methods of applying it to see what I could do and what would work best. I have found that fresh dead Anchovies or Sardines are best, I had found Salt Powder at a Chinese (I think) market that was the absolute best stuff so far but I have been unable to find it since. Presently I am using the Salt that you would add to your fish tank, it is already very fine and soft, I put it in a bag and vacuum seal it then beat the hell out of it and also use a rolling pin to try and make salt powder. I then roll the fish around in it as if I were breading them. This has also proved to work well and the fish are not turned away from the bait (that is what I caught the Halibut on). It has toughened up all bait I have applied it to and I think it works great, much better than the salted Anchovies you can buy.

Ok, here is what I am trying now – Giving up a secret for the Mud Marlin Derby so pay attention. Actually I do not know if this will work or not but here goes. I have been hitting the docks getting fresh squid when the bait boats come in. I have also been going out to the power plant and digging up clams (one of the Bat Rays favorite food source). Bat Rays can somehow smell the Clams, so I then take the fresh clams, pry them open, dig out the meat and stuff it up into the Squid and then tie off the Squid around the head area with Ghost Cocoon Thread to keep the clams from falling out. Will this work??? I don’t know but I figure it is worth a try and has only cost me my time as the boat guys give me some free Squid and I dig up the clams myself, ok I guess the thread costs me a little. Now if the winning Ray is caught on this bait I want HALF…

“Get Bent” “Sinker”

Date: June 11, 2002; To: PFIC Message Board; From: Sinker; Subject: Ventura Pier—Loud is the KEY

At Ventura Pier we are fortunate to have electrical outlets on the light poles, great for coffee makers, space heaters and radios. Many times I have been there when I liked the music that was playing but not the volume it was played at. When I can’t hear my clicker go off or talk to my buddies then it is too loud PERIOD.

Lets see, last night it was Bobby Vee, Flash Cadillac & the Continental Kids, Bobby Vinton, Carly Simon, Carpenters and the Little River Band, so not even close to music that one would think would be played that loud.

I just went over and asked then to please turn it down but I also was there with about 10 other guys, so they turned it down without complaining. That would definitely make for a lousy night of fishing if they hadn’t though, think I would have to move on out to the sand for some peace.

Date: June 14, 2002; To: PFIC Message Board; From: pierangler 8787; Subject: Ventura Pier, Tuesday 8:30-11:30 AM

Got all my stuff packed, double checked everything and took off to Ventura. Get there, and forget my money!!!!!!! AAAAAAAAARRRRRGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHH! Drive all the way back home, then back again. You know what? Yep, free parking today!!!! I laughed.

Now back to fishing. There’s a few people out there, a little more than I expected for morning. My favorite spot is taken, so I move down one bench from it. First cast, it’s a shaker. Set the hook. Not much of a fight, just a lot of head shakes. Fish in sight. White croaker. I was surprised at the size of it. Usually just dinks around here. Gets to the surface and splashing everywhere. This is the first time I’ve actually seen a croaker JUMP!

I let my dad use the Sabiki, There was a HUGE school of what looked like smelt. Most of them were just babies. The rod doubles and he brings up a well over a foot, croaker. I cast out again, and result in another huge croaker. I’m not real proud, since they are just croaker, but this one was big. I’m sure it wasn’t a WSB, no, I am positive. Anyways, up the pier I see something being brought up. It was a 19 1/2 inch leopard shark.

Cast out both of my lines. Another croaker steals my bait. I’m getting kind of sick of these things. The second my line gets in, they steal the bait from all the good fish. Finally I bring in a leopard shark.

A class of kids just happened to visit today. They still haven’t made it to where I was, taking there time to stop by everybody fishing and looking at the different things. Rod bounces, set the hook and finally get a fight! It’s about time! Some sort of ray or skate, no idea as to what it was. Put a good fight too. That’s when all the kids crowded around. I like to see all those kids happy. The teachers were doing a good job keeping the kids away from my pole. A couple stepped on it. They were petting it and yelling “STINGRAY! STINGRAY! ITS A STINGRAY!” No, not a stingray. Very curious kids as to what exactly it was. Put him back in. They make it to the end and come back to my spot again. Bring in another, bait stealer. They all crown around again, but back he goes. Then the fishing just stopped, dead stopped.

We move to the end after an hour. Wind has picked up now, despite how calm and peaceful it was at the beginning. Another bait stealer from the center hole, palm-size.

We pack up and leave and 11:30. Bait today was anchovies. All fish were released.

Date: July 25, 2002; To: PFIC Message Board; From: Sinker; Subject: Went Out and GOT BENT (long)