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Although I hail from the Grand Canyon State, deep in my soul, I am a San Diegan. Every year we pile into the family roadster and head for the beautiful surf, sun, and fun of San Diego. With all that water, it is no wonder that a popular past time is fishing. Whether pier fishing or deep sea sports fishing, San Diego offers some of the most promising spots for anglers of all levels. Here are two of the best places I have found during my 33 years of San Diego worshiping.

Ocean Beach Pier

Ocean Beach Pier is located at the south end of the beach at 1950 Abbot Street. Ocean Beach is where the locals go for beach fun and is popularly known as the hippie beach. It is a relatively calm place that usually escapes the packs of tourists found on some other local beaches. It is where you will find an interesting pier with an awesome history. The once-T-shaped pier is now missing part of its arms. At 1,971 feet, the pier is supposedly the world's longest concrete pier. There is a bait shop and restaurant halfway down the pier and a dip in the pier causes waves to crash over during extremes high tides and storms. This is
truly a site not for the faint of heart.

One end of the pier ends in a kelp bed that hosts several species of lovely fish but can also wreak havoc on fishing lines. The most commonly caught sea life include, various bass, California lobster, mackerel, bonito, perch, halibut, and perch. If you are looking for shark, use some squid as your bait and you might reel in a nice catch.

Closer down the pier on either side of the bait shop, your chances are good for catching several varieties of fish. Queensmith, barracuda, walleye surfperch, and again some species of halibut and bat rays are common catches in this midsection.

While the pier is a popular destination for anglers, the length offers a feeling of space and rarely feels crowded. The best time for fishing is in the evening, but various species can be caught any time of the day. Remember to watch your bait here. The Seagulls are particularly smart and have learned to open containers to enjoy and morsel or two of baiting mackerel and anchovies.

H&M Landing Sportsfishing

H&M Landing Sports fishing is located at 2803 Emerson Street. This company is an old stand by for locals being the oldest sports fishing company on the west coast. They are affordable and offer several packages including day trips, multiple day trips, and even whale watching tours. Their Baja Trips are fantastic and I've seen many amazing catches

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