Category: Ventura Pier

• Maintenance is a must…

  My grandfather lived his entire life in cold weather states. He was born in Minnesota, the land of 10,000 often frozen lakes, then moved to Michigan, the Great Often Frozen Lakes State. Yet in all his years, he never went ice fishing. He just never cared for the sport, he’d tell me the fish would […]

  John Darling – Author

  February 25, 2021

  Shakespeare ATS 350, Shakespeare Contender, sportfishing, Ventura Pier

  fishing, Shakespeare ATS30, Shakespeare Contender, sportfishing, Ventura Pier

• The Off Season

  I have not posted anything in a while for one simple reason: I have had nothing to post about. I have fished in the Pacific Ocean off and on for nearly 40 years and to date, this is the worst fishing season I can remember after last season being one of the best. I guess […]

  John Darling – Author

  October 28, 2020

  Bait, Calico Bass, California White Croakers, Cormorant, Dungeness Crab, fishing, fishing pole, fog, Goleta Pier, Mackerel, Pacific Ocean, Pelicans, Perch, Port Hueneme Beach, Port Hueneme Pier, Professional Fisherman, Sand Crab, Santa Barbara, CA, Sea Gulls, Sharks, Skate Ray, smelt, Stearns Wharf, Ventura Pier

  fishing pole, Pacific Ocean, sportfishing

• Pacific Update

  Even during the current pandemic, fishing in the Pacific goes on. With the ocean water warming up over the past few weeks, the fishing has improved as well. The temperature today is a toasty 64 degrees. As you can see in the pictures above, the fish have been plentiful and varied no matter what pier […]

  John Darling – Author

  August 6, 2020

  Calico Bass, Goleta Pier, Mackerel, Pacific Ocean, Santa Barbara, CA, Skate Ray, smelt, sportfishing, Stearns Wharf, Ventura Pier

  Calico Bass, Goleta Pier, Mackerel, Skate, smelt, Stearns Wharf, Ventura Pier

• The Pacific Ocean Is Closed Until Further Notice

  Ventura joined most of the rest of California in finally closing down all of its city parks to help stem the spread of you-know-what and since the Ventura Pier is part of the Parks Department, it is closed for business at least to me and many other fishermen. Virtually every city in the state has […]

  John Darling – Author

  April 9, 2020

  fishing, Pacific Ocean, Ventura Pier

• “Back” to home

  I have not been out to the Ventura Pier, my home base, for three weeks due to a vacation at the Grand Canyon, fishing with my son in Santa Barbara, CA, a big slow down in the fishing action at my home base, and a chronic back issue that flared up the last time I […]

  John Darling – Author

  November 6, 2019

  Bait, fishing, fishing pole, Grand Canyon, Mackerel, Pacific Ocean, Santa Barbara, CA, smelt, sportfishing, Stearns Wharf, The Grand Canyon, Ventura Pier, wishing pole

  Anchovies

• Touching Home

  Prior commitments, some delays in work being done on the homestead, and an appointment to a city advisory group has kept me away from fishing most of the last few weeks but when a day opened up yesterday, I decided to go over to the Ventura Pier, my home base, for a few hours because […]

  John Darling – Author

  October 4, 2019

  fishing, fishing pole, Mackerel, Pacific Ocean, Perch, Santa Barbara, CA, Stearns Wharf, Ventura Pier, wishing pole

  Channel Islands, Highway 101, Mackerel, Pacific Ocean, Perch, Santa Barbara, Ventura Pier