Hermosa Beach Pier, A Quiet Fishing Spot in Santa Monica Bay
Hermosa Beach Pier before COVID-19 pandemic
The Hermosa Beach Pier is one of the quietest piers for fishing within the Santa Monica Bay. It is surrounded by beautiful beaches, bars, and restaurants. It is a very straightforward pier with no vendors or restaurants, few people walking, few anglers, and a beautiful view to see the sunset.
The pier, built in 1965 and renovated in early 2000, extends 1,140 feet over the ocean. It is open for all visitors as well as fishing from 6:00am until 10:00pm. Anglers must also make sure to follow fishing regulations such as size, limits, and seasons of certain species that not allowed to catch. Overhead casting and throwing bait or trash on the pier are prohibited activities.
Hermosa Beach Pier before COVID-19 pandemic
Fishing is very relaxing at Hermosa Beach Pier. Anglers frequently catch mackerels, yellowfin croaker, corbinas, and sardines, among other fish. It is also common to hook white croaker on this pier, but it must be avoided because it is one of the fish that are on the “Do not consume” list. This list contains fish that should not be eaten due to high levels of contamination from DDT, PCBs, and mercury – also on this list are white croaker, barred sand bass, black croaker, topsmelt and barracuda.
Heal the Bay’s Angler Outreach Program educates pier and shore anglers in Los Angeles and Orange County about the risks of consuming fish contaminated with toxins such as dichloro-diphenyl-trichloroethane (DDT) and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). We are currently on pause due to COVID-19 restrictions; we will resume our activities on the piers when the local health authorities allow it, and our Angler Outreach Team members will continue to educate about fish that should not be consumed.
A fishing license is not required to fish on Hermosa Beach Pier, but if you fish on the beaches around the pier, you will have to purchase a license.
Throughout the state, the CA Department of Fish & Wildlife (CDFW) offers two days of free fishing every year where a license is not required in order to motivate new anglers to this activity. In 2021, those dates are July 3 and September 4. Fishing on a pier or on a free fishing day is a great way to try out a new hobby or catch dinner for your family. CDFW offers some instructional videos for beginners and the Fish Contamination Education Collaborative (FCEC) offers videos on how to prepare fish safely. Happy fishing!
