Cast your line in Huntington Beach because fishing is fine! From the pier, you won't need a license to catch bass, halibut, mackerel, perch, sardines, shark or yellowfin croaker, to name a few. You can rent a rod and reel from Let's Go Fishing bait and tackle store, 714-960-1392. (The secret bait that works well is frozen squid and anchovies. Shhh!)
Surf fishing is good any day along the Huntington Beach coast, where cabezon, corbina, croaker and sand sharks are commonly caught. A fishing license is required if you are 16 years or older. They can be obtained for the day or longer from these Huntington Beach stores:
- Big 5 Sporting Goods, 18595 Beach Blvd., 714-848-3493
- Wal-Mart, 8230 Talbert Ave., 714-841-5390
- Pacific Edge, 5042 Edinger Ave., 714-840-4262
- Sport Chalet, 16242 Beach Blvd., 714-848-0988
Further out at sea, you can find yellowtail, tuna and white sea bass. If deep sea fishing is what you're after, Sport Fishing Tours are offered at the Peter's Landing Marina, 714-840-1387. Pacific Edge offers a free online Fish Report of activity in the area waters at
http://www.pacificedgetackle.com/fishreport.aspx.
Grunion Run
Grunion are small silvery fish averaging 5 - 6 inches in length that jump completely out of the water and spawn only at night on Southern California beaches. Grunion lay their eggs in the wet sand for a few hours on six to eight nights per month from March through August, following the highest tide associated with a full or new moon.
When the grunion are running, you can stand in the shallow shoreline and grab them with your bare hands and put them in a bucket. (However, please respect the no-take season posted on the California Department of Fish and Game website.) The fish time their arrival after the peak of the high tide. This insures their eggs will have sufficient time to develop before the next spring tides arrive approximately 10-14 days later.
Grunion may be taken by sport fishers using their hands only. No holes may be dug in the beach to entrap them. There is no limit, but please take only what you can use. A fishing license is required for persons 16 years and older. You do not need a license to observe a run, but if you plan to interact with the fish in any way, even if you do not plan to keep any fish, you will need a license. Hunting for grunion after the beach has closed for the night is only permitted at the shoreline if you have a fishing license.
When is the next expected grunion run? The California Department of Fish and Game posts the information about expected runs each January. You can find that information at their website at
http://www.dfg.ca.gov/mrd/gruschd.html. For local information, contact the Huntington Beach Lifeguards at 714-536-5281.
