Art of Pier Fishing - Part IV

Part IV of CaliforniaAngler.com's week-long series on pier fishing ...

Central Coast destinations
A quick look at some favorite Central Coast piers in the San Luis Obispo area:

Pismo Beach Pier
Directions: Take Highway 101 to Pismo and take the Five Cities Drive exit to the middle of town. Head west down Pomeroy to the pier parking lot.
Notes: The top catch at Pismo, along with most San Luis Obispo County piers, is barred surfperch and jacksmelt caught on Sabikis. By the time you reach Pismo, most southern species like the croaker and corbina usually taper off. Check the pilings for black, ruberlip, walleye and barred surfperch. While trophy catches are rare, a peak at the photo board near the bait shop proves thresher, shovelnose guitarfish and even leopard sharks have been caught in the rough waters below. Pismo Beach is known as the "Clam Capital of the World," but don't use any Pismo clams for bait. It is illegal to harvest the clams at Pismo Beach, considered a clam preserve. The pier is open 24 hours.

Avila and Hartford piers
Directions: Take Highway 101 north of Pismo Beach and take the Avila Beach Drive exit. Head west on Avila Beach Drive until you reach the pier parking lot.
Notes: Clean water and an abundance of bait fish makes Avila the perfect locale for halibut this month. For flatties, fish the bottom using a halibut leader rigged with a whole anchovy or a freshly caught perch or smelt. At night, bay rays, swell sharks (also known as the puffer), smoothhounds, guitarfish and skates add to the fun. The piers are open 24 hours.

Morro Bay T-piers
Directions: Take Highway 1 north of San Luis Obispo and exit at Main Street. Stay right and continue to Beach Street and the embarcadero.
Notes: The north and south T-piers aren't as popular as the bookend piers to their north and south, but a chance to catch a rare red snapper, bocaccios, jacksmelt, perch and random rockfish make it a worthwhile trip.

Cayucos Pier
Directions: Take Highway 1 to the Cayucos Drive exit, which takes you straight to the pier parking lot.
Notes: Like the San Simeon Pier, jacksmelt are the hot bite this time of year, although there is said to be one or two weeks during the summer when halibut spawn in the shallow waters near the pier. If you're lucky, a fat flattie might just take you for a ride. But don't expect to land one unless you have a crab net on hand. The pier is open 24 hours, but like the Pismo Pier attracts lots of tourists in the summertime.

San Simeon Pier
Directions: Take Highway 1 north of Cayucos and exit left in San Simeon at the entrance to the park.
Notes: Sam Simeon is a great getaway along one of the most beautiful stretches of highway the state has to offer. Hearst Castle gets most of the attention around these parts, but don't count out the surfperch and jacksmelt fishing. If you're reel's packed with plenty of line, you can also reach the larger fish that cruise the kelp beds sprinkled along the coastline. The pier is open 24 hours.

Coming tomorrow, a look at the piers in the Monterey Bay area.