Catch of the Day

Catch a wave....or a fish....at Pismo Beach, California.... more

by Marnie Patchett

Title

Catch of the Day

Artist

Marnie Patchett

Medium

Photograph

Description

Catch a wave....or a fish....at Pismo Beach, California.

Oceans and Piers create beautiful relaxing images perfect for waiting rooms, lobby's etc.


This pier, together with the other piers along this stretch of coast, provides both good fishing and a relief from the summer heat for those who come over from the hot San Joaquin Valley. This has been the case since the 1800s. In 1881, a wharf was built on this site and then, in 1895, a dance pavilion was built near the foot of the pier. During the summer a "Tent City" would spring up as tourists flocked to the beach and the hotels became over crowded. The result, both then and now, is that Pismo Beach and other central coast piers are often crowded June through August, and are fairly quiet the rest of the year -- a fact which local anglers don't seem to mind.
Pismo Beach is the most heavily fished (an estimated million and a half people visit the pier per year) and second most productive of these Central Coast piers. However, fishing along this stretch of the coast can be unpredictable. Schooling species make up much of the summer catch and if the schools move in, steady action can be enjoyed by the swarm of tourists. If the schools don't move in, few fish may be caught. An example are the small bocaccio which, at times, will invade the shallow waters around the piers. When present, people flock to the piers to catch these "snapper" by the bucketful (although the limit is 15). Some years the bocaccio never show up at all and people will only average a fish or two per trip since they must rely on more resident species for their catch.

Uploaded

December 7th, 2015