Look for a job until noon and fish for dinner all afternoon, then cook it up on a park barbecue pit. That’s how I got my start in Santa Barbara, after moving here some decades ago. It took me a couple of months to find work, but I look back at those two months and remember being happy.
So, if I had it to do over again, I think I’d do the same thing.
Spending an afternoon fishing can be a perfect escape, on the cheap. Here’s the drill: Grab an old fishing rod/reel, a few hooks and weights (rocks will suffice) and a bucket. Make a gourmet fisherman’s peanut butter and jelly sandwich and a bottle of tap water (no sense buying bottled water when you’re recreating on the cheap). What makes a P&B sandwich gourmet? Simple. Make it a double-decker, which is a very filling lunch. Also bring along a few pieces of meat leftovers from the fridge for bait. Other good choices include bacon or cold cuts, which can be tied onto the hook with a little piece of fine string or fishing line.
Your destination is the local pier or breakwater because it makes good fiscal sense. No fishing license is needed when fishing from a pier or breakwater. If you step onto the beach and fish, you’ll need a license. Our local coastline has good piers where fisherfolk relax as well as work on their healthy dinner plans.
Goleta Beach is one of the best fishing piers on the whole coast. Park nearby and walk out over the water. I have always enjoyed looking down through the cracks between the planks at the water below when I walk on a pier.
Take a look at what other folks bring and you’ll quickly learn some tricks. People have all manner of luggage racks, dollies and other devices to aid in hauling pier stuff between their car and the pier. I always enjoy the ingenuity of fisherfolk.
Find a spot on the pier just behind the breaking waves. It is tempting to walk way out on the pier, and you are certainly free to do so. The greatest variety of fish, however, is found in the surf zone. You may catch surfperch, smelt and, if you are really lucky, a corbina or halibut. Little shiner perch can be caught right next to the pier pilings, and they make appealing live bait for larger predators.
Bait up, weight up and drop down. If you can catch a small fish, it might suffice for additional bait — either whole or in pieces. It doesn’t hurt to have multiple baits available to test the desires of the fish on any given day.
— Capt. David Bacon operates WaveWalker Charters and is president of SOFTIN Inc., a nonprofit organization providing seafaring opportunities for those in need. Visit softininc.blogspot.com to learn more about the organization and how you can help. Click here to read previous columns. The opinions expressed are his own.
