Fishing The Wall for Calicos

Fishing the kelp at "The Wall" in Long Beach harbor for Calicos. All smaller fish this day, but I will be back! I think the abundance of smaller fish shows the population is in good shape.

If you look at the Queen Mary on Google Earth, you'll see The Wall across the channel from the ship, guarding the entrance to a marina. I've fished this spot five or six times and it seems like one side or the other produces better on any given day. On this day, the south side was the better producer.

I got hit by a big ray who got my spool down to showing metal in a heartbeat and I had to clamp my hand over the reel and let him break off the leader. This guy took the bait and ran a few feet and then just sat on the bottom like a rock. I thought it was a fake hit and I was just snagged. Then, boom! He took off fast and straight for deep water, stripping line off that reel like it was nothing, and he never slowed down. Very exciting, but a real let down at the same time.

There were some good looking little Calicos in that video. I saw the Queen Mary in the background for a bit.

Thanks for sharing.

Not sure on the outlook of an abundance of small fish in the ocean has compared to a freshwater lake , in a lake it is actually a bad thing as the small guys out compete the larger bigger fish for food as there are way more of them , causing a fish to stunt in its growth and not get as large as it should be.

Taking into account that there are billion's of fry each yr from a spawn and All of the fry are not eaten if there is adequate habitat, food and growth rates. Excessive catch and release and water fluctuations can alter these components in a negative manner (small skinny large fish) So personally I am hoping once my local water fills back up they go to a 12" / 5 bag limit again on the LMB too weed out the small guys

That video was like that TV show. To Catch A Predator.. Please... Have a seat over there..

Thats a Wall. Not the Wall.

It's an in joke between me and a kayaker friend. Neither one of us wants to try and reach the outer harbor wall, so we call this little one the wall.

There's a pretty interesting [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] that comes from the CDFG. I wish it had more recent data. There are ongoing studies that promise results soon, so it should be interesting.

Looks like u had a great time Bob.........I'm launching tomorrow from HH. Suppose to be a good bite from 0900 to 1230 on the out going tide. Low tide 1230............GT

Thanks, GT. I had a great day last weekend at HH. Good luck!

Thanks for the great report. What is the best launch for the wall across from the Queen Mary?

Thanks, Sub!

There are two launch spots in that area. The further one is the South Shore Launch Ramp, which is a regular boating launch ramp. It costs $12 for 24hrs. I normally power right across the channel and fish the north side rocks all the way out to the wall and back. Halibut, spotties and sandies in that channel. You're not allowed inside Rainbow harbor there at Shoreline village. You definitely do not want to fight the tides on this one, so plan accordingly. From the launch to the wall is about a mile kick.

The close approach and the one I use most often is called the "Alamitos Beach Parking Lot". It serves the "Alamitos Beach Volleyball Courts". You can Google Map it. The entrance is on Shoreline Drive and says "Beach Access."

The parking is typical Long Beach metered where you pay at a kiosk, but it's smart, so you only get charged from 8:00 am onward, even if you're paying at 5:00 am. It takes cards or cash.

It's a hike across the beach - 300+ yards and in the summer, it gets burn your feet hot on the way back in, so you must have some sort of foot protection for the hike. There's a shoal of rocks just a few yards off the beach that is exposed at low tides and can hide just under the surface, so stay over by the buoys until you get even with the marina entrance. The marina is closed to fishing, but you can fish up next to the island in there a little and not be bothered. If you go into the docks, you'll get yelled at and told to leave. Grissom island has a waterfall there just inside the marina entrance and the moving water is a fish magnet, so I usually creep in a little and give that a go. I've had the harbor patrol just wave when I was there, so it doesn't seem to be an issue.

Then just past the marina entrance is the main dock for Grissom Island operations and you need to be very careful there because big boats come and go very fast. The boat that moves workers onto and off the island hauls ass in and out of there and could run you down in a heartbeat. Do not attempt to cross this little harbor if there are any boats there.

But once you get past all of that, it's good fishing out to the wall and about a 1/2 mile kick, so very doable. The wall is surrounded by kelp and both sides have been productive for me.

I hope this helps! Good luck and post a report if you go there!