Fishing Notebook : Conservation Board Gives $500,000 to Help Rebuild Santa Monica Pier

The Wildlife Conservation Board in Sacramento has awarded $500,000 to rebuild the Santa Monica pier.

Construction will extend the popular sportfishing pier which was partially destroyed by storms.

The pier will be 420 feet long and 25 feet higher than when it was originally built.

The Department of Fish and Game supported the concept, noting the heavy fishing use of the pier before the damage.

An innovative use of the pier space is planned, with a fishing balcony along the perimeter at the end of the pier.

Restrooms, a bait and tackle shop, fish-cleaning tables and a coffee shop will be on the main deck.

The balconies will be a few feet lower than the main deck and will be accessible to the handicapped.

South Bay Catches: Wade Hartz of Redondo Beach, fishing aboard the Sharpshooter for halibut at Twin Roads, landed the whopper of the week, a 36-pounder.

Mack MacNamara of Torrance, fishing aboard the Sea Spray for halibut in the Torrance Beach area, and using a small sardine as bait, brought to gaff a 23 1/2-pound halibut.

Clint Creed of Santa Monica, aboard the Spitfire in Santa Monica Bay, landed a 15 1/2-pound halibut using an anchovy.

Frank Gasper of San Pedro was fishing for white sea bass at the Deep Hole aboard the Shogun when he reeled in a 15-pound sheepshead.

Larry Chilson of Torrance, aboard the Spitfire, caught 13-pound and 11-pound halibut.

Fish Reports: With the good weather holding, Santa Monica Bay is providing sizable halibut catches daily. Rocky Point and the Horseshoe Kelp areas have improved with bonito and calico bass catches.

The Island Rock cod boats continue to return with limits of rock fish.

At Marina del Rey Sportfishing, the Spitfire, fishing for halibut in the bay, chalked up 25 going to 25 pounds, plus 15 sand bass and 20 sculpin.

The Happy Man, on the morning trip, returned with 11 halibut, 35 sand bass, 12 bonito and 7 sculpin using small sardines for bait.

The Betty O, the landing’s rock cod special, fishing shallow rocks, returned with 155 reds plus 3 cows.

At Redondo Sportfishing, the Sea Spray fished the Torrance beach area on the Tuesday morning run and returned with 57 bonito, 12 halibut and 6 sand bass.

The Blackjack fished Cherry Bank and anglers scored with a variety of 370 rock cod and 4 cows.

The Sharpshooter fished Twin Roads for halibut and reeled in 15, plus 43 bonito.

At 22nd Street Landing, the Monte Carlo fished the Marineland area and returned with 65 bonito to 7 pounds, 31 sand bass and 19 calicos to 6 pounds.

The Freedom headed to San Clemente Island and filled the sacks with 265 rock cod, 48 sheepshead and 125 whitefish.

At L.A. Harbor Sportfishing, the Explorer, on a two-day trip, had a limit for all anglers with 325 reds and 43 cows.

The Matt Walsh morning trip chalked up a good count at Horseshoe Kelp: 67 sculpin, 32 rock fish and 15 sole going to 6 pounds. One sea bass was hooked but broke off.

At Long Beach Sportfishing, the Victory headed to Rocky Point and scored with a limit of bonito, 56 bass and 140 rock fish.

The Aztec, fishing Catalina with live squid, had a limit of whitefish and 35 sheepshead going 6 to 10 pounds. Five white sea bass broke tackle.

Derby Note--The Just-for-the-Halibut II Cabo fishing derby will take place Sunday from 6 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Marina del Rey.

It’s sponsored by the Cabo boat owners with half of the entry proceeds going to the National Coalition for Marine Resources.

The grand prize for largest halibut is a Yamaha generator.