San Diego Embarcadero Pier Fishing

I was on a trip to San Diego, and after researching the closest spots, I knew I had to get some fishing in. I chose the Embarcadero Park South Pier, a small T-shaped pier that is located on San Diego Bay. I didn’t bring any gear with me, so I rented a pole for Jacob and I for 4 bucks per hour from the shop at the head of the pier. We were only going to fish for one hour. Both rods were rigged with dropper loop rigs, and I baited them up with anchovies. I asked the staff which was the best bait, and they recommended that I use the back half of the anchovies and throw the head part in. We walked on the pier and turned to the left. I ripped off the bottom halves and baited them up. Then we dropped them. The view from the pier was nice, with a bridge to the left, the bay ahead of us, and the buildings behind us. It was relatively choppy, but it didn’t make fishing much harder. After about 10 minutes, we hooked up. Jacob called me over because he felt extra weight but not a fight he thought it was bottom for a second. I reeled up a bit to see what the problem was, and it turned out to be a Round Stingray, the smaller one of the two species of rays in the San Diego area. He brought it over, and we caught it! A woman fishing next to us offered her pliers and helped us unhook the stingray. She stepped on the tail, on which the stinger rests on, and I unhooked the Round Stingray with the pliers. We released it safely. For a while, we were not catching anything. A few other people were catching some Bass and Mackerel. Then, at about 40 minutes into the trip, I felt a sudden tug. I pulled up, and it was still tugging. Fish on! I relied up a feisty Mackerel. It put up a great fight for its size on light gear. It was still shaking violently for about a minute and a half out of the water. I used the woman’s pliers again, because Mackerel have sharp teeth, and released the fish. That was it for the trip, but I was satisfied by a new species for me and my brother, the Round Stingray, and a hard fighting Mackerel in just one hour of fishing. I liked the pier, and I’ll be back again. Good luck and tight lines!