Anyone fish Point Arena Fishing Pier?

Taking a friends and family camping trip to Gualala this coming weekend - my kid's swim team does this every year and it's a really good time. Usually a dozen or so families turn up.

Anyway, hoping to get a morning to go fishing, but will be shore based. Will have a couple kids with me probably, so don't really wanna go climbing around the rocks too much.

So, I'm looking at Point Arena Pier, about 25 minutes north of the campground.

Anyone fish there?  From what I've found on the net, it looks like rockfish and cabezon are commonly caught there. I will probably try squid on a hi-low rig, but any other strategies would be appreciated.

I will probably bring a crab hoop to use as a landing net - maybe bring a couple and try to catch some crab too?

Or, other kid-friendly locations around Gualala would be appreciated too!

Thanks!

I’m presuming you’ve already perused https://www.pierfishing.com/point-arena-pier

I’ve caught some rockfish there, i haven’t fished it in several years - folks seem to do pretty well on perch, tho, fairly close to shore.

While I’ve done well in other places on squid and ab guts (when we could still take abalone) I never caught anything on those two baits there. I would do tray bait or pick up some shrimp in Gualala  - they sell trays in The Cove Coffee (Surf) Shop downstairs at the pier. The coffee shop does nice sandwiches, too.

Good luck!

There is public access at Stornetta ranch, towards the lighthouse.
I never fished there but Google Earth should give you some hints on access.
Squid is probably one of the better baits since it stays on the hook a lot longer than other baits. Snags are plenty wherever you fish away from sand, so for weights you may want to consider using tobacco sacks or used sparkplugs to minimize cost on lost gear.

Good luck!

Another option would be sand fleas on a fish-finder rig, trying for sea perch.

Thanks for the tips!

Looking forward to exploring the north coast!

I gave it a go last year fishing a high low rig tipped with squid and tossed a swim bait around for some exercise. The kids had fun but would’ve had a better time if I had tipped a big sabiki with squid and slammed the perch like the other guys on the pier.

Aloha,

Isao

I've caught some nice lings casting off the left side of the pier... using squid.  Some snags there on the reef, but there are fish there as well....