Free-for-all Fishing Around Town

Local fishing enthusiasts have had something to celebrate since 1988: free fishing day. This year, the free-for-all will be on Sunday, and then again on September 6, allowing those without a license to fish in licensed areas.

On these designated days, Hermosa Beach residents do not have to purchase any type of license to participate, according to the state department of fish and game. Normally, a license would not have to be worn, but it has to be presented in order to fish in regulated South Bay areas. Otherwise, the person fishing would face a $100 minimum fine.

Pat Baar, store manager of the Turner's Outdoorsman on Hawthorne Boulevard in Redondo Beach, suspects that many of his customers will fish on a boat, or visit a local park this weekend, he said. 

"Most of the customers (of our store) probably fish the park lake," Baar explained. "Or go to the Sierras for the trout season."        

Other popular fishing destinations are Lake Balboa in Los Angeles, San Gabriel River and Alamitos Bay in Seal Beach, Lake Piru in the Los Padres National Forest, Piru Creek at the edge of northern Los Angeles County, and Lake Casitas in Ventura. 

Since California has designated city piers as always being open to the public for fishing, Hermosa Beach pier has become a popular fishing destination among those without licenses. Despite the perks of free fishing day, many residents admit that they may continue to fish on the pier this weekend.

"I like to fish for sharks," said George Rizo, who has been fishing for four years in Hermosa Beach, as he cast into the ocean from the pier.  "I use the mackerel for bait for catching leopard sharks and sand sharks."

Rizo's fellow fisherman Hector Reibles had a different reason to be fishing. His family is going to fish at a lake on Sunday, he said, and the large amount of mackerel he caught with his daughter, Melissa, and son, Eddie, will be used as bait.

"The catfish love it," he said.

 Sergio Meza of Long Beach agreed with the general consensus on the pier that mostly mackerel will result in a catch, he said before adding an impressive laundry list of other fish biting.

"Overall, right now there's a lot of stingrays, a few 'shovel-nose guitar fish,' a lot of sand bass, and a few halibuts," he said.

Regulars to the Hermosa Beach pier explained that this sharing of fishing advice and tips, as well as the pier's peaceful atmosphere, remains why they return.

"It's mostly quiet, not too many people," Meza said. "Everybody knows everybody here."

But for residents interested in trying a different fishing experience on Sunday, every angler must have the appropriate report card, if fishing for abalone, steelhead, sturgeon, or salmon in the Smith and Klamath-Trinity river systems, despite the day being a special event.

A report card is used to record the month, day, time and location for where a fish is caught, according to the department, and there is a fee for all report cards, besides the Sturgeon Fishing Report Card.

Due to his store's clientele, Baar said that he remains mindful of the salmon and steelhead report cards, as well as one more important to the South Bay area.

"The other is the lobster report card," he said. This is needed "so that the department of fish and game can get a rough idea of the take of spiny lobster," which is a very sought-after local catch, he added.