Report from Pierfishing.com:
This is my first report so bear with me! :) Got to Balboa Pier by 7:30 AM and the end of the pier was already full. My dad and I set up at the middle on the right side. Bought some fresh squid the night before at an Asian market and used it along with my Sabiki rig for some easy live bait throughout the day (also used an aerator to keep them lively). I tried the trolley rig some of you suggested in a previous thread. Put together a few 18" leaders with 15 lb. test line which included a snap swivel on one end, 3 split shot sinkers next to the swivel, and a Mustad live bait hook on the other end. I placed a 2 oz. pyramid sinker on my main line, sometimes casting out and other times letting it drop straight down. Then I attached the bait, clipped the leader to the main line, and let 'er drop. It seemed to me this rig would cause a lot less trauma to the bait since there's absolutely no swing occuring and there's less impact with the water. What do you guys think?
Anyway, I felt like I gave myself a good chance to catch something, but we got skunked. I saw a small ray and a couple halibut caught by others (all illegal). I figured they were let go since I saw at least 4 uniformed DFG out and about, but the lady next to us said they were put on ice. :/ Other than that we saw a couple dolphins that came within a hundred yards of the beach. There was a collective "ooh" from the beach crowd every time they surfaced.
