Pacifica Pier News

Pacifica angling icon Joe Jimno died Monday. Mr. Jimno owned and operated the bait and tack store, Rusty Hook, for the past 11 years after a 20-year run on the Pacifica Pier. A memorial service will be July 16 at 1 p.m at the American Legion Hall in Rockaway. 650-355-8303.

Business owners and residents near Reina del Mar Avenue in Pacifica are often treated to ocean views, fresh sea air — and unfortunately, occasional nauseating whiffs of the Calera Creek Water Recycling Plant.

The innovative facility, which was completed in 2000, coverts the city’s sewage into water for nearby wetlands and Class A sludge — a brown, mud-like substance that can be used for fertilizer.

The $53 million plant has been hailed as an environmental success — especially compared with the previous plant near the Pacifica Pier, which dumped treated water straight into the ocean and ultimately required millions of dollars in repairs.

But as plant employees struggle to perfect the water-recycling and sludge-making process, there have been some unpleasant aromas generated along the way.

“The odor at times is so bad it nauseates you,” said Barbara Ash, who, with her husband Hal, owns the Vallemar Station Restaurant on the east side of Highway 1 across from the plant. “It’s totally disgusting.”

Ash said they have actually lost business as a result of the smells. One customer, Ash said, came in complaining about a dead animal smell.

“‘That’s not an animal, that’s the sewer,’” Ash recalled saying.

Plant manager Dave Gromm said when the smell is particularly strong, he fields about 10 complaint calls from the public a month. He’s not enthused about the odors either: He and his employees can smell it on their clothes.

“They used to have this nice air, and now they’re smelling our treatment plant,” Gromm said of nearby residents. “That’s not acceptable.”

The good news, Gromm said, is that it’s possible to fix the odor problem; the bad news is the plant doesn’t currently have the capability to do it.

Pacifica’s used water — which comes from toilets, showers, kitchen sinks — gets channeled through six pump stations. Screens filter out large objects; rock, sand, and asphalt are taken out with a “grit removal” process. Then, the biological sequence — a large “science project,” as Gromm puts it — begins.

Millions and millions of microorganisms begin feeding on the remaining particles. The resulting biomass sinks to the bottom — the water on the top is treated with ultraviolet light and channeled 30 acres of nearby wetlands.

The water part of the plan, Gromm said, has been extremely successful. Things tend to get stinky, however, during a phase in the process in which the remaining material is turned into sludge. As the biological process continues, “mercaptans” — part of a malodorous sulfur-containing compound — are released into the air.

At that point — depending on which way the wind is blowing, and how strong the smell is — Gromm’s phone might start to ring.

But Gromm and Public Works Director Scott Holmes are hot on the mercaptan case. Gromm and Holmes have been working with an Indiana-based company that has developed new technology — an air-blowing system — to eliminate this bad-smelling step of the process. Gromm already has purchased one of the blowers and figured $250,000 into this year’s budget to purchase and install the new components. He hopes to complete the project before the end of the year.

Gromm and Holmes understand the public’s reaction to the smells, but urge people to be patient.

“I know people’s tolerance for odor is zero,” Holmes said. “I feel the same way when I’m at home.”

Staff writer Amelia Hansen covers the Coast. She can be reached at [650] 348-4301 or by e-mail at ahansen@sanmateocountytimes.com .

LOAD-DATE: June 11, 2004
Copyright 2004 MediaNews Group, Inc. and ANG Newspapers
San Mateo County Times (San Mateo, CA)
June 10, 2004 Thursday
SECTION: LOCAL & REGIONAL NEWS

LENGTH: 595 words

HEADLINE: Sludge city;
Odors from water plant

BYLINE: By Amelia Hansen, STAFF WRITER

DATELINE: PACIFICA

BODY:
have caused

complaints

OHN PARENT
Press Democrat, The (Santa Rosa, CA)
November 25, 1999
Estimated printed pages: 2

John Carroll Parent III, whose passion for a wide variety of physical pursuits intertwined his life with people from a broad cross-section of his community, died Tuesday at his Healdsburg home after a brief battle with liver cancer. He was 52.

Graveside services will be at 11 a.m. Friday at Oak Mound Cemetery in Healdsburg. Memorial services will follow at the Villa Chanticleer.

Born in San Francisco, Parent was a standout swimmer and math student at Washington High School, from which he graduated in 1965. Four years later, he joined the San Francisco Fire Department, where he worked for 30 years and was a lieutenant when his illness struck just a little more than a month ago.
He and his wife, Jeanne, met at the opening of the Pacifica pier exactly 26 years ago Tuesday, and were married in 1976. They moved to Sonoma County from Pacifica in 1986.

As gentle and soft-spoken as he was large and athletic, Parent gathered friends and experiences throughout his life. He was a powerful swimmer who participated and won races in the chilly waters of San Francisco Bay. He was an accomplished skier who left his tracks on mountains throughout the West. He was an avid diver who could find abalone with uncanny ease. He shared his love of life with his large and devoted family and with his friends in the Santa Rosa Ski Club and the San Francisco Reef Divers.

In addition to his wife, he is survived by his children, Lori Parent-Smith of San Mateo, Renee Parent-Price of Mountain View, Nina Bersamina of Foster City, Loretta Bersamina of Pacifica, Carole Parent-Mencarelli of Novato, Serena Parent of San Francisco, and Leo Bersamina of New Haven, Conn.; his sisters, Phyllis Parent of Santa Cruz and Isabel Parent-Griffiths of Pacifica; his brothers, Charles Parent of Healdsburg and Robert Parent of Guerneville; and seven grandchildren.

Contributions may be made to the American Cancer Society, 1451 Guerneville Road, Santa Rosa 95407 or Memorial Hospice, 558 B St., Santa Rosa 95401.
Edition: FINAL
Section: LOCAL
Page: B2
Index Terms: OBITUARY
Copyright (c) 1999 The Press Democrat (Santa Rosa, CA)
Record Number: 9911260063

There is a rare opportunity in Pacifica, a bedroom community of 40,000 people on San Mateo County’s spectacular coast: deciding what to do with three precious acres overlooking the beach and adjacent to the city’s 1,140-foot-long pier.

Tonight, the City Council plans to discuss four proposals for developing the area, home to a crumbling wastewater treatment plant that will be decommissioned later this year. The ideas range from an innovative ocean center to residential and commercial projects. The one officials choose could change not only the face but the fortunes of the cash-strapped town.

“It’s a very emotional decision, a very serious decision,” said Pacifica Mayor Calvin Hinton. “Most things that happen in Pacifica seem to evolve into emotional issues, because people feel very strongly about things over here.”

The plans under consideration are:

– 34 townhouses with some retail and commercial space by Dividend Homes Inc. of Santa Clara.

– A high-tech “incubator” project, defined as a home for startup companies that share equipment, labs and administrative support, proposed by Gangi Development of Glendale.

– A hotel-conference center by Barry Swenson Builder of San Jose.

– A center dedicated to marine and coastal education and conservation, sought by a group of local citizens.

The last proposal has attracted the most excitement so far, particularly among environmentalists. It also appears to have the least chance of getting the nod from the City Council — unless its backers can find some money quick.

Their project is called the Pacifica Ocean Discovery Center, a kind of blending of the Monterey Bay Aquarium with the Exploratorium, only on a much smaller scale. The idea is to recycle most, if not all, of the existing structures at the wastewater plant into a center for marine and coastal education and conservation.

There would be public exhibits, live-animal displays, educational programs and even a connection to the restored Pacifica Pier next door and the Fitzgerald Marine Reserve eight miles south. The existing structures would be reused, while a hotel, restaurant, bookstore and farmers and fish market also are envisioned. The total cost would be $10 million.

“This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. There is no other proposal like this,” said the center’s executive director, Mitch Reid, who runs his own recycling business in Pacifica.

For Reid and his backers, who include educators, marine biologists, planners and a broad collection of environmentalists, it is a classic Catch-22 situation: they need the city’s backing to attract money for the project but they cannot seem to get the city’s attention without first having some solid financial backing, at least $1 million.

“At this point the city appears to be very shortsighted — they are going after the money first and haven’t really thought out what this project is going to do for the entire region,” Reid said.

So far, the project has received $10,000 from the Peninsula Community Foundation to hire consultants and architects to prepare plans. It also has received $3,000 from the Compton Foundation.

“We’re looking for an angel,” Reid said.

Backers of the project say its importance goes beyond the site itself. For starters, there is the connection to the Pacifica Pier. The pier carries the old 24-inch outlet pipe used to dump the treated water from the plant into the ocean. The plan is to recycle that pipe to draw saltwater into the new discovery center for live marine exhibits.

“To replicate that would cost tens of millions of dollars — if you could get Coastal Commission approval,” Reid said.

In addition, said Shari Snitovsky, the center’s education program director, the center could be a site for training people how to tread lightly at the Fitzgerald Marine Reserve, while at the same time insulating the reserve from hordes of sightseers.

“Instead of 300,000 people tramping through the reserve a year as they do now, about half of them could be coming to Pacifica’s new discovery center,” Snitovsky said.

Most City Council members, while expressing admiration for the project’s “vision,” agree with Reid that lack of money is a huge problem.

Hinton said Pacifica’s problem is is that it has few commercial or industrial buildings to help with badly needed tax revenue.

“We hope to one day make Pacifica a destination, particularly if we can get something like this conference center here to get people to come here to meet on business and enjoy the beautiful ocean,” he said.

Pacifica has been struggling with money problems for years. There is a grassroots attempt under way to find money for a new police station to replace the century-old, termite-infested one now barely standing, for example. Only in the past two years has Pacifica balanced its budget.

While some hotel and motel projects are in the planning stages or nearing completion, the town lacks a large shopping center; most of the town’s shoppers spend their money at Daly City malls. But as in the rest of the Bay Area, property values in Pacifica are rising. The town is changing from blue collar to professional, said city manager David Carmany.

Councilman James Vreeland said he is intrigued by the Ocean Discovery concept and is not giving up on it just yet, although he wished Pacifica had more money in reserve.

“It is a shame that this city is not in a better financial situation . . . because if it was, we would be having a totally different discussion,” Vreeland said. “I wish we could just do it. It’s tough, really tough.”

GRAPHIC: PHOTO, GRAPHIC, MAP, PHOTO: Visitors walked along a wave barrier in Pacifica where some seek to convert an old wastewater treatment plant into a marine education center. / Carlos Avila Gonzalez/The Chronicle, GRAPHIC: FROM TREATMENT PLANT TO DISCOVERY CENTER / CHRONICLE GRAPHIC

LOAD-DATE: June 28, 1999

Copyright 1999 The Chronicle Publishing Co.
The San Francisco Chronicle
View Related Topics
JUNE 28, 1999, MONDAY, FINAL EDITION
SECTION: NEWS; Pg. A15

LENGTH: 936 words

HEADLINE: Awash in Possibilities;

Cash-strapped Pacifica considers building marine center, among other ideas

BYLINE: Michael McCabe, Chronicle Staff Writer

DATELINE: PACIFICA

BODY:

Editor — Regarding “Pacifica Sewer Plant Could See New Life as Beach Aquarium” (The Chronicle, July 20), the correct name of our project proposal is the Pacifica Ocean Discovery Center.

On the same page as our article was a story about the proposed $525 million mall stadium. The stadium project would primarily benefit people interested in sports. In interesting contrast, our $25 million project would cost a mere fraction of that and would be a lifelong benefit for the coastal environment and everyone in the Bay Area, especially students.

While on the subject of money, I would like to express gratitude to Mr. Gabbert (TV 20) and his partner, Mr. Lincoln, for their recent gift of $70 million dollars to the Trust for Public Land. This gift is an inspiration to all and is a positive example of the love and deep commitment people have for the Bay Area.

It is this type of generosity as well as the cultural, spiritual and artistic richness of the Bay Area that we hope to draw upon to transform our dream and vision into reality. We need to raise a few hundred thousand dollars in the next couple months to keep the city of Pacifica from selling off its oceanfront property. Citizens on the coast would prefer to see an aquarium/ocean education center built next to the Pacifica Pier, versus yet more condos and strip malls on the ocean. Time is running out to save the Pacifica Pier and this incredible opportunity for the Bay Area.

MITCH REID
Executive director
Pacifica Ocean Discovery Center
Pacifica

Edition: FINAL
Section: PENINSULA FRIDAY
Page: 2
Column: LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Index Terms: LETTER
Dateline: Peninsula
Copyright 1998 The Chronicle Publishing Co.
Record Number: 3026720

We’ve all heard of or seen fishermen catch and keep too many fish. Once again, as soon as you’ve taken your limit and keep fishing, even with a buddy who is not catching fish, you are, in my mind, poaching.

The limit on the Russian River and other California coastal streams is one steelhead or salmon over 22 inches and one under that length, or two under per day. I heard Monday of a guy fishing in the Cummisky Station area of Southern Mendocino County who caught four adult steelhead and gave two to his buddy.

If all four fish were over 22 inches, both fishermen broke the law. It’s time for all of us to help Fish & Game by informing others of fish limits. We also can anonymously call the anti-poaching Cal-Tip number, 1-800-952-5400, to report a violation.

Meanwhile, steelhead were reported throughout the Russian River with fish caught at Austin Creek-Brown’s Pool on the Casini Ranch, at Monte Rio, at Steelhead Beach and up river as mentioned. But, despite all the reports, I have yet to see a good catch day anywhere. I heard of 18 steelhead caught by noon Saturday at the Casini Ranch. On Monday morning, my partner and I saw one fly guy take and release an 8-pounder at the ranch. There were six fly guys early and about 10 later along with other fishermen. Check other river details at King’s Sport & Tackle in Guerneville or the Casini Store.

Darrell Brown at Brown’s Sporting Goods in Garberville says blueback steelhead and bigger fish are being landed in good numbers in the South Fork of the Eel River, which was fishable all the way to the muddy Main Eel. Now I guess I should rush up to the South Fork where there was a 50 percent chance of rain Saturday.

Fishing reports
It’s March and spring break is approaching. So I turn to lake fishing.

Jim Reese of Ukiah and his brother, Skeet Reese of Rohnert Park, set a Clear Lake bass-tournament record last week when they won the Clear Lake Team Bass Tournament with a two-day total of 14 bass weighing 61.71 pounds for a $3,000 cash prize. The tourney record was 60.96 pounds. The tourney’s second-place weight was 59.51 pounds.

The winners’ weight total may also be a Northern California bass tournament record. But that is yet to be confirmed. The Reese brothers were using spinner baits in murky water, mostly at the lake’s north end. The lake record was confirmed by J. E. “Pete” Kroppmann at Pete’s Sporting Goods in Lakeport.
Kroppmann says bass were beginning to bite in the warming lake. Catfish action has been good. Most fishermen were using large minnows and white or chartreuse spinner baits for bass. Gil Lujano at Don’s Bait in Clearlake says bass were taking spinner baits and jumbo minnows throughout the lake.

Lake Sonoma is beginning to clear, but the bass remain deep, according to John Berndt, who fishes the lake with Mike Barrett. Both work at Long’s Drug in Cloverdale. They provide lake and upper Russian River fishing details.

At Lake Berryessa’s Markley Cove, Dan Bluett says 70-degree weather has improved trout fishing along with bass action on minnows. Crappie are starting to show.

Ron Madden at Ron’s Grocery in Ukiah says striped bass are starting to move at Lake Mendocino along with large and smallmouth black bass, particularly along the dam face. Try black grubs and nightcrawlers for black bass and live minnows deep for stripers. The catfish bite remains slow.

No answer at Lake Pillsbury Resort (anyone have another source?), but plan on trolling or drifting a nightcrawler deep for trout. Some say to fish the north and east portions of the lake. Fishing should get better soon.

Spring break will find North Coast residents heading for Lake Shasta for trout and other fishing. Call guide Bud Kubowitz, (916) 926-0290, or fax, (916) 926-5044 for trip details along with Bridge Bay and other area resorts, (916) 275-3021, or Sugarloaf Cottages, (916) 238-2448.

Next week’s trout plants include Lake Hennessey in Napa County and Spring Lake in Santa Rosa.
Other fishing
Rough seas cut into ocean sport salmon fishing out of Fort Bragg. However, bottom-fishing party boats continue to take a few salmon. Ocean sport salmon season opens Saturday from Pigeon Point in San Mateo County to the Mexican border. Go south Sausalito and Bay Area party boats.

Wil’s Fishing Adventures at Bodega Bay reported 21 limits of rock fish and 104 ling cod last week for the Tracer at Cordell Bank with Ron Crowder of Santa Rosa weighing a sack of fish at 110 pounds with an added five lings. The Payback had six limits on the same day. Perch fishing remains good around Bodega Bay. Call 875-2323.

Sturgeon action remains good on mud shrimp in the Pumphouse area, according to Keith Fraser at Loch Lomond Bait in San Rafael, (415) 456-0321.

The party boat Cobra out of Sausalito Dock, (415) 331-9696, continues the best ling cod bite of the decade around the Farallon Islands with 142 lings to 27 pounds and 413 rock fish over the weekend.
Ending on a sad, but deserved note, I learned of the March 6 death of Howard Stevens of Santa Rosa. Howard was the quiet, consummate sport fishermen. He landed many stripers on the Napa River — nearly a legend in his time — with his longtime fishing partner, Dick Thomas, also of Santa Rosa. He also enjoyed trolling for trout at Lake Hennessey in Napa County. He was good at what he did in retirement, fishing.

Send your comments and suggestions to John Adams, The Press Democrat, P.O. Box 910, Santa Rosa, 95402.

Memo: FISHING & OUTDOOR NOTES
Sonoma County Friends of the National Rifle Association will hold its fifth annual fund-raising dinner at 7:30 p.m. Friday at the Sebastopol Veteran’s Memorial Building.

No-host cocktails start at 6:30 p.m. In addition to dinner, there will be an auction and door prizes. Tickets and more information are available by calling Dale Heiser, 763-6063.

Ron Crandall of Ron’s Reel Repair in Santa Rosa has joined forces with Ken Jones of Boonville, author of “Pier Fishing in California,” on the latter’s web site. The page will provide information on fishing piers throughout the area with the Pacifica Pier the selection this month and others to follow from Crescent City to San Diego.

Also included will be tips on reel maintenance. There also will be articles on other fish and fishing like this month’s offering on Barred surfperch, also by Crandall. Access the site at http://www.pacific.net/(tilde)kjcapfsh/.

Elsewhere for wandering guides, the state Fish & Game Commission accepted a proposal from California Trout to add 200 miles of the headwaters of the South Fork of the Kern River in Tulare County to the California Wild Trout Program. The move protects the Volcano Creek Golden trout, which is the state fish.

The move does not ban fishing outright, but requires improved management of the habitat and watershed. New fishing restrictions could be developed as part of management awareness. It is the first time an entire watershed had been protected, according to Michael Bowen of Cal Trout in San Francisco. Support was received from Trout Unlimited and the Federation of Fly Fishers.

POACHING BY ANY OTHER NAME IS STILL POACHING
Press Democrat, The (Santa Rosa, CA)
March 13, 1997
Author: John Adams
Staff Writer
Estimated printed pages: 4
Edition: FINAL
Section: SPORTS
Page: C5
Column: THE FISHING LINE
Index Terms: FISHING
Copyright (c) 1997 The Press Democrat (Santa Rosa, CA)
Record Number: 9703130119

LIFE, IF YOU’RE not careful, is a backwater of good intentions and unfulfilled dreams.

The set of left-handed golf clubs I bought myself in 1981 has never seen a green. The miniature electric organ my sisters got me for Christmas in 1985 has yet to play a tune. Then, there’s my collection of unread classics carefully compiled at countless garage sales and thrift shops across America.

But of all the flotsam adrift in the ebb tide of my life, there is nothing more useless than my fishing tackle. There was the rod and reel I bought myself in 1980 in a futile attempt to catch a striper under the I Street Bridge. I added a net and fish knife in 1981 after seeing four 35-pound stripers caught off Pacifica Pier. The net and the fish knife have seen as much action as my golf clubs.

Fishing, I decided, was best left for my old age. And then I read that the Earth Week doomsayers predict there won’t be any fish left by the year 2010 long before my old age. So I called Hap’s Bait Shop in Rio Vista and signed on with Barry Canevaro and Tim O’Shea, two of the wiliest fishing guides in the Delta.

These guys fish 300 days a year, in rain, tule fog and high wind, which is what we had Thursday. They’ve seen it all, and what they haven’t seen, they make up. Remember Humphrey, the wrong-way whale who visited Rio Vista in 1985? I chased Humphrey out of the Delta, Barry said. Added Tim, in what was to become a familiar refrain, You ain’t fishing with the rest, you’re fishing with the best. Barry told me, Don’t bring any bananas they’re bad luck.I could tell this was going to be a highly scientific expedition.

As we bounced up river on the Fish”N’Fool III, Barry said, We like fish that pull on the tip of the rod. We’ll be trolling for striped bass. He pronounced it stry-PED, like all true anglers.

The striped bass, an Atlantic fighting fish introduced to California in the early 1900s, is on its way out, thanks to dams, water pumps and drought. But there are still some 750,000 adult stripers spawning in the Delta, and Tim predicted they’d start hitting the lures at 11:30. Reflecting over my past fishing performances, I asked my fellow anglers if they ever got skunked. No such thing, said Barry.

Remember, you could’ve been with the rest but you’re with the best.

BARRY, 48, has been fishing the Delta for 40 years, 16 of them professionally. When I started doing this for a living, I was taking seven different pills for blood pressure. Now I take none, he said. There’s no pressure, except the pressure to catch fish. If I can’t catch fish, it drives me crazy.

Tim, 36, noted, There’s some boats that just don’t catch fish, especially if there’s a banana on board. We were out shark fishing last summer doing a fish story when this photographer broke out the bananas. As soon as the dreaded fruit appeared, I went on a five-day run without a shark. I had to wash my boat down and everything. I wondered what effect a giant pickle would have. I had barely sunk my teeth into it when there was a ferocious hit. Could be a sturgeon! said Barry as I reeled in like a madman. If sturgeons are shaped like plastic bags, I hauled in one heckuva sturgeon.

It was nearly noon and we hadn’t gotten a keeper, only a couple of shakers we threw back. If Tim and Barry were worried, they could have fooled me. I wish I could figure out women the way I could figure out fish, said Tim.

He gets a lot of shakers, added Barry.

It was time to get serious Barry turned on some country music. You cannot catch a sturgeon on rock ‘n’ roll, no way possible.They like the Judds, added Tim.

Sure enough, when the Judds came on the radio singing Why Not Me? a monster fish nearly bent my rod in two. Before I could say, One Woman Man, the fish had snapped the lure right off.

That fish was on a mission, said Tim. He hit that thing like a freight train.Ten minutes later, the Judds came on again, and before I knew it, I was locked in mortal combat with a 12-pound stry-ped bass. By 12:20, I had it in the boat, and I landed another 12-pounder for good measure. Hey, I’ve got pictures to prove it.

I was feeling pretty smug about my catch when Barry shook his head. That was probably a 40-pound fish that got away when the Judds came on, he said.

Yup, Steve, you lost a 55-pounder right there, said Tim, rubbing it in. Alls we can do is put you on it. After that, it’s your fault. STEPHEN MAGAGNINI’s column appears Monday, Wednesday and Friday in Scene.

OF BANANAS, JUDDS AND OTHER FISH TALES
SACRAMENTO BEE
April 23, 1990
STEPHEN MAGAGNINIBy STEPHEN MAGAGNINI
Edition: METRO FINAL
Section: SCENE
Page: B4
Record Number: 087

Pier fishing has always had the image of being a sport for barefoot lads with cane poles and kite string, bent pins and bait.

There’s still plenty of room for that Tom Sawyer ambience, but pier fishing has room for a whole lot more. There’s room to develop special fishing skills, and to try a wide range of gear on an incredible number of target species. An angler can devote a day or a lifetime to exploring the possibilities on piers.

The kind of fish that can be tackled depend largely on which pier and season is chosen. On a regular basis, anglers can expect an assortment of species such as striped bass, rockfish, flounder, sharks, rays, sand dabs, mackeral, kingfish, seaperch and occasionally salmon, lingcod, halibut and sturgeon.
Most seasons the catch is limited to a few of these species, but many piers in the lower bays feature all these fish during the course of an entire year.

Equipment used for pier sport normally can be selected from gear you already own. Even a hand drop line can be effective on small rockfish, perch and starry flounder.

“One thing you can count on in pier fishing is plenty of action,” said Dave Girsch of Pleasant Hill as he watched his son, Jonathan, land a pair of wiggling shiner perch. “The kids like activity, no matter what kind. The whole trick is to catch something as often as possible.”

A perfect rig suitable for virtually all pier species is as simple as a six- to nine-foot, medium-action rod fitted with a level wind or spinning reel filled with 200 yards of 20-pound test monofilament. The rod should break down into at least two pieces to facilitate transporting to and from the water. This outfit will handle most of the fish taken off piers.

The primary rule for choosing pier-fishing equipment is not to buy any at all until conditions on the chosen pier are studied. At certain times of the year the best gear can be a light spinning rod with eight- to 10-pound monofilament. This is ideal for seaperch, sand dabs or small flounder.

However, at the same pier during a different time in the season, when large game fish like striped bass, halibut or sturgeon are running, even a 30-pound test rig is barely enough to land a brute from a tall pier.
“A pier offers kids a lot of freedom of movement,” said Clyde Ayers of San Pablo. He watched his two sons, Alex, 7, and Scott, 5, as they hauled in small rock crabs, admired them and then put them back into the water.
“I think adults could take some lessons from kids and piers,” Ayers commented. “I own a boat but we still spend days on the piers just enjoying togetherness and the outdoor scene.”

The primary charm of pier fishing is that it can be done in less time, and with less equipment, than any other form of Bay Area angling. A state fishing license is not required on most public piers, no advance reservations are needed and access is easy.

The basic techniques used by pier goers are easy to learn. A pier is the perfect spot to introduce a youngster to fishing. They also are right for the adult who simply wants to get away from it all and experience a day on the water without having to book a partyboat or buy a boat.

“I own a boat that I use near home, but I still come back to pier fishing at times when the winds are blowing in the Delta,” said George Ealy of Pittsburg. “I don’t know of any other place where you can get such grand views of San Francisco, the Golden Gate, Bay and Richmond bridges and still have a chance to catch a nice mess of fish.”

Pier fishing is open for 24 hours a day and 12 months of the year. There is no need to worry about rough water that limits small-boat fishing.

Terminal tackle should be tailored to the situation for each pier. There are two rigs used for most piers. Bait stores sell bottom leader already rigged with a swivel at the top end, two loops for attaching bait leaders and a snap swivel on the bottom to take a pyramid bottom sinker in a variety of weights. To this rig are looped two short snelled leaders and No.2 to 4/0 bait-holder hooks.

A sliding sinker rig is most effective on bottom-feeding fish like flounder, halibut and sturgeon. The line to the rod is threaded through the hole in the sliding sinker; a swivel is attached to prevent the leader from sliding past the sinker; a snelled bait-holder hook is attached to the end of the line.

When a fish samples the bait, it encounters no resistance because the line slides freely. The fish is allowed to mouth the bait and even to carry it a short distance. When the angler thinks the fish has taken in the bait, the slack is reeled out of the line until weight is felt. Then the hook is set with a strike of the rod.

The most popular baits are anchovies, sardine, pileworms, bloodworms and squid. During runs of striped bass, many anglers cast plugs and leadhead jigs as they move along the length of the pier.

There also is a considerable “strolling value” to piers. On a nice day there are always more strollers on longer piers than anglers.

“I come down to Berkeley pier to walk because there is always something to watch,” said Joseph Weldon, an elderly Berkeley walker. “This is the best way to drink in the scenery, watch the wind surfers, seals, gulls and still get the most priceless view of the Bay Area.”
————————————-

A FISHERMAN’S LOOK AT PUBLIC PIERS

No fishing license is needed when fishing from public piers in the Pacific Ocean and San Francisco/San Pablo/Suisun bays downstream from Antioch. The following are the most important public piers:

SAN FRANCISCO

1. Candlestick Park Pier - South of Candlestick Park off Hunters Point Expressway at Jamestown Ave. Stripers, halibut, seaperch in spring and summer; occasional sturgeon; 415-794-3474.

2. Fort Mason Piers - At northern end of Fort Mason, off Marina Blvd. Striper, rockfish, seaperch, halibut, occasional salmon; 415-441-5706.

3. Fort Point Pier - Near Fort Point in Presidio. From Hwy. 101 near Golden Gate Bridge toll plaza, view roads to Lincoln Blvd. to Battery E Rd. to pier. Halibut, seaperch, kingfish in summer and fall; occasional salmon, striper; 415-556-1693.

4. Marina Green Jetty - Marina Blvd. to Gashouse Cove, to East Harbor. License required to fish off Marina seawall and catwalk at Gashouse Cove; 415-563-8300.

5. Mission Rock Pier - At Agua Vista Park, off China Basin St., near Mission Rock Resort. Striper, rockfish, seaperch, sharks, halibut in summer and fall; occasional salmon; 415-563-8300.

6. Pier Seven - At the foot of Broadway off Embarcadero. Stripers, kingfish, jacksmelt, flounder, occasional halibut; 415-563-8300.

7. S.F. Municipal Pier - At foot of Van Ness Ave. Stripers, kingfish, seaperch, rockfish, bullhead, flounder, spring through fall; occasional striper, salmon; 415-556-4484.

8. Twenty-Fourth St. Pier - At east end on 24th St. near PG&E plant. Stripers summer and fall; occasional salmon; seaperch all year; 415-563-8300.
PENINSULA

9. Brisbane Fishing Pier - Off Hwy. 101 to Sierra Pt./Marina Blvd. Striper, kingfish, bullheads, seaperch, shark, rays, all year; 415-583-6975.

10. Half Moon Bay - On San Mateo coast at El Granada; from Hwy. 1 turn west on Capistrano Rd. Surfperch, kingfish, halibut, occasional striper, salmon, summer and fall; 415-726-5727.

11. Old Dumbarton Bridge Piers - (See East Bay listing).

12. Oyster Pt. Pier - Hwy. 101 to first So. San Francisco exit to Oyster Blvd., follow signs. Striper, sturgeon, kingfish, skates, shark, seaperch, all year; 415-952-0808.

13. Pacifica Pier - Hwy. 1 to Paloma Ave exit. At west end of Paloma turn left on Beach Blvd. Extends into ocean from Sharps Park State Beach. Salmon, surfperch, kingfish, halibut, flounder, occasional striper, spring through fall; 415-355-0690.

14. Redwood City Harbor - From Hwy. 101 take Harbor Blvd. off-ramp to Redwood City Municipal Marina. Stripers, sturgeon, shark, seaperch, flounder, jacksmelt, all year; 415-365-1613.

15. Werder Pier-Foster City - Off Hwy. 101 take Hillsdale Blvd., pier next to Hwy. 92 Bridge. Stripers, sturgeon, seaperch in summer and spring; sharks, rays summer and fall; 415-794-3474.
MARIN COUNTY

16. China Camp Pier - Located at China Camp State Park. North San Pedro off-ramp from Hwy. 101 near Marin County Civic Center; proceed east approximately four miles. Perch, smelt, flounder, occasional striper in fall, winter; 415-456-1286.

18. Paradise Pier - From Hwy. 1 near Mill Valley, take Tiburon off-ramp, west on Hwy. 113, left on Trestle Glen Blvd., right on Paradise Dr. 415-499-6387.

19. Sausalito Pier - Hwy. 101 to Sausalito exit, next to Ondines. Sharks, seaperch, flounder, rays, occasional stripers, rockfish, halibut, occasional sturgeon; 415-332-0779. SAN PABLO BAY/DELTA

20. Antioch Bridge - Hwy. 4 to Antioch Bridge. Wilbur Ave. off-ramp near toll plaza; frontage road to the pier, to right of bridge. License required. Striped bass, catfish in winter and spring; occasional sturgeon in fall; 415-757-3852.

21. Antioch City - Foot of `H’ Street in Antioch. License required. Striped bass, catfish in fall and winter; occasional sturgeon; 415-757-3852.

22. Benicia Piers - I-680 to Benicia, foot of First St. and foot of 9th St. Stripers, flounder, occasional sturgeon, steelhead in fall, spring, summer; 707-746-4285.

23. Crockett - From I-80 Crockett exit to Pomona St., turn left on Port St., left at foot of Port to Dowrelio Rd. Sturgeon, striper, flounder, perch, all year; 415-787-1047.

24. Martinez Fishing Pier - Martinez Marina, Hwy. 4 to Alhambra Ave. off-ramp, through Martinez to end of Alhambra, follow signs to parking. Striper, sturgeon, in fall, winter, spring; 415-372-3593.

25. Pittsburg Pier - Hwy. 4 to Railroad Ave., north to city marina, left one-half block to parking area. License required. Stripers, sturgeon, catfish, occasional steelhead, all year; 415-687-8400.

26. Point Pinole - From I-80, Hilltop exit in Richmond, west on Hilltop to intersection with San Pablo Ave., right on San Pablo Ave., north to intersection of Atlas Rd., left onto Atlas. Take park shuttle bus or hike to pier. Sturgeon, striper in winter; seapearch, kingfish in spring and fall; some sharks, rays, spring and summer; 415-531-9300.

27. Vallejo Public Pier - At east end of Napa River Bridge, off I-80 to Hwy. 37, take Wilson Ave. off-ramp. Stripers summer and fall; sturgeon all year. Stripers, flounder, sturgeon, spring through fall, occasional salmon; 707-642-4334.
EAST BAY

28. Bay Park Refuge - Hegenberger Rd. off Hwy. 17 to Edgewater Dr., pier at end of Edgewater. Striped bass, flounder, pileperch, rays in summer and fall; occasional sturgeon, seaperch in spring; 415-531-9300.

29. Berkeley Fishing Pier - I-80 to University Ave. off-ramp, follow signs to Berkeley Marina, pier at foot of University Ave. Stripers, halibut, seaperch, kingfish, jacksmelt in summer, fall and winter; occasional shark, rays; 415-849-2727.

30. Emeryville Fishing Pier - Powell St. Exit from I-80, West on Powell St. to its end in Emeryville Marina, pier is at foot of Powell St. Stripers, perch, jacksmelt, shark, rays, all year; 415-654-6040.

31. Fruitvale Bridge Park - Hwy. 17 to High St. exit onto Alameda Ave., west to intersection with Fruitvale Ave., pier is on southeast shore of Oakland Estuary next to Fruitvale Bridge. Striper, kingfish, sturgeon, rays, shark, flounder, spring through fall; occasional halibut; 415-522-6731.

32. Middle Harbor Park - Hwy. 17 to Oakland to Cypress St. exit, west to Adeline St., continue west to Middle Harbor Terminal and Oakland Estuary. Kingfish, seaperch, shark, stingrays, occasional stripers; 415-465-2764.

33. Oakland Estuary Park - Near Jack London Square. Jackson St. exit from Hwy. 17, south on Jackson, left on Embarcadero four blocks. Stripers, jacksmelt, flounder, seaperch in summer and spring; 415-465-2764.

34. Old Dumbarton Bridge Piers - West side Ravenswood Pier/East Side Dumbarton Pier, Hwy. 84 east off Peninsula/west off Nimitz. Sharks, skates, seaperch, striper, sturgeon in summer, spring and fall; 415-343-6837.

35. Portview Park - Hwy. 17 to Oakland. If traveling south, Cypress St. exit to Seventh St., right onto Seventh to end. Seaperch, kingfish, rays, shark, occasional striper, all year; 415-465-2764.

36. San Leandro Fishing Pier - Hwy. 17 to Marina Blvd. exit, West on Marina to intersection with Neptune Dr., left onto Neptune Dr., pier is on South Dike Rd. in marina. Kingfish, seaperch, flounder, shark, rays, occasional striper, sturgeon, all year; 415-357-7447.
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PHOTO CUTLINES: (1) With the Golden Gate Bridge as a dramatic backdrop, Dennis (left) and Melody Wong got in some after-school fishing at Pier 2 at Fort Mason, (2) Lily Khuu and grandson David chose Berkeley Pier for fishing and crabbing / PHOTOS BY LIZ HAFALIA/THE CHRONICLE

Caption:
SEE END OF TEXT
Caption:
PHOTO (2), MAP
Edition: FINAL
Section: SPORTS
Page: 65
Index Terms: FISHING; RELATED STORY ATTACHED; SPORTS; BAY; HARBORS; FISH; BAY AREA; LIST
Copyright 1987 San Francisco Chronicle

FISHING WITHOUT PEER
Some of the Best angling in the Bay Area is as close as your local pier
THE SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE
August 24, 1987
Author: JIM FREEMAN
Estimated printed pages: 7
Record Number: 462189

“Where Are You Going Sunday?” was the bold headline on a large display ad that appeared in The Chronicle 80 years ago.

Under photos of Ocean Shore Railway Company’s steam locomotive and coaches filled with smiling passengers, readers were invited to “appreciate the beauties of Edgemar. . . . Come prepared to be convinced and Edgemar will win you!” it promised.

Edgemar is still a great place to go. If you don’t recognize the name, Edgemar is part of Pacifica, which also includes the old Ocean Shore Railway stops of Pacific Manor, Vallemar, Rockaway Beach, Linda Mar and Sharp Park. This blanket also covers what used to be Salada and Brighton Beach, which combined themselves into Sharp Park in the 1930s after Honoria Sharp donated 480 acres for a park to the city of San Francisco.

Recently, Pacifica has been creating a beachfront promenade leading to the Rev. Herschell Harkins Memorial Pier, a free municipal pier better known as the Sharp Park Pier or Pacifica Pier. Now, during the gray whales’ southern migration, is a great time to walk out on this 1300-foot-long fishing pier. Fishermen have reported seeing the great grays swim past so close “you could smell their fishy breath.”

Plankton, which thrives on the clean water from the 1100-foot-long outfall pipe of Pacifica’s elegant tile-roofed sewage treatment plant, attract the whales. It also attracts small food fish that bring Dungeness crab, cancer magister, salmon and sometimes bonita.

So take along your fishing tackle or crab traps if you are a fisherman. Wear your warmest jacket, gloves and hat, but leave your dog at home. Dogs aren’t allowed on the pier. Then head south from San Francisco about 5 miles along State Highway 1.

Take the Francisco Boulevard off-ramp, turn right on Paloma Avenue and look for a place to park. Since 1957, this has been Pacifica. Before that it was Salada, with Edgemar immediately to the north. Salada took its name from Laguna Salada, the saltwater lagoon which is surrounded today by Sharp Park Golf Course.
Walk west on Paloma toward the beach. Pacifica Planning Commissioner John Lucia, who conducted me on this walk, says a fresh breeze is blowing through Pacifica since nearby Sweeney Ridge has come into the Golden Gate National Recreation Area.

The fine old cypress trees, which were planted along the street in 1907, are now protected. In the past, property owners or street pavers tore out trees indiscriminately. Today they must apply for a permit and undergo a hearing on each tree.

Notice the Wavecrest Apartment building, which Commissioner Lucia describes as “a remnant of the poor planning of the 1960s.”

“There was a time,” he said, “when the City Council was about to allow all of Pacifica to be covered with such stark and unimaginative cracker boxes.” Today, Pacifica cherishes its more historic single-family homes, such as No. 15 Paloma, which was an old farmhouse.

Pacifica planners would like to see the Veterans of Foreign Wars Hall, now for sale, become a hostel, bed-and-breakfast inn or restaurant. When you reach the southeast corner of Paloma Avenue and Beach Boulevard, notice the classic collection of flotsam and jetsam adorning the garden.

Cross Beach Boulevard and you are at Sharp Park State Beach. According to the local Coastal Land Use Plan submitted by Pacifica to the California Coastal Commission in 1979, the seaside trail ultimately will link all of Pacifica’s communities and reach a string of well-planned coastal access points.

Last November, the trail took on greater importance when the California Recreational Trails Committee officially registered its support to the State Coastal Conservancy for the border-to-border California Coastal Trail, in which the Pacific Promenade would be a link in the designated San Mateo County North-South Trail Corridor.

As you walk, if you can take your eyes from the spectacular offshore show the winter ocean often provides, observe the architectural mix of old farmhouses, late 1920s beach cottages, 1960s apartments and new houses under construction.

At Santa Maria Avenue, look east to locate a flag on its standard at 170 Santa Maria Avenue. Built in 1914 as the San Pedro School House, it became the Pacifica City Hall.

When you reach Salada Avenue, look uphill to the east to see “McCloskey’s Castle” on the slopes of Milagra Ridge. Built in 1906 by H. H. McCloskey, attorney for the Ocean Shore Railroad, it became infamous as “Chateau Lafayette,” a Prohibition-era speakeasy.

During World War II, it became a Coast Guard Station. Now it is again a private residence.

Look about you as you walk. Sharp Park’s 18-hole municipal golf course, which has been described as “The Poor Man’s Pebble Beach,” lies ahead. On your right, the broad bay is loosely defined by Mussel Rock at the end of Thornton Beach two miles north and by Mori Point, about a mile to the south.

When you reach Santa Rosa Avenue, you are at the pier and at a convenient bait and coffee shop with public restrooms on its south side. Stroll out on the pier for a look back at the beach and a different view of the crashing waves.

Whales like the south side of the pier, possibly because the water may be a little warmer where the plankton feed. Spanish arches identify the sewage treatment plant on shore whose long outfall pipe divides at its western end like the fingers on a hand. The treated effluent is reputedly clean enough to drink.

Linger as long as you like, enjoying the Pacific at play. The pier is open 24 hours a day, every day, and when you are ready to call it a day, you are sure to come back refreshed by the wind, waves, sunlight and passing clouds. You may have watched a fisherman haul in his catch, hauled in some crabs yourself, or, if you’ve been lucky, you may even have seen a whale “sky hop” in a dramatic leap.
.
(1) From Pacifica’s pier, you can watch the waves break all the way to Mori Point and scan the seas for migrating whales, (2) A fisherman on the 1300-foot-long pier waited for a bite / PHOTOS BY FREDERIC LARSON/THE CHRONICLE

Scenic Pier in Pacifica
THE SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE
January 11, 1987
Author: MARGOT PATTERSON DOSS
Estimated printed pages: 4
Caption:
SEE END OF TEXT
Caption:
PHOTO (2), MAP
Edition: SUNDAY
Section: SUNDAY PUNCH
Page: 6
Column: THE BAY AREA AT YOUR FEET
Index Terms: ANIMALS; HARBORS; BAY AREA
Copyright 1987 San Francisco Chronicle
Record Number: 421400