Throw a Sabiki rig with 5 hooks, use a one-ounce bait for each hook with a piece of shrimp or squid. Use long, thin strips if you use squid. Once you consult the relevant California fishing regulations, you can start using basic fishing tackle on saltwater piers and some live or natural baits. If you're fishing for California sea bass, one of the best baits you can use is a sand crab.
However, Pacific mackerel usually prefers cut baits, such as squid. You can always visit a local bait store to ask what baits work best in that area. Live anchovies are still the primary bait for many species, including many of the most prized spring fish, such as halibut, the pretty one and the barracuda. However, most of today's anglers have to catch anchovies themselves.
Much of this information comes from years of catching, guiding and writing about fishing for these species. In California, a variety of clams are sold as bait, with the two most common being Pismo clams and Knife clams. We fished there in June and caught several large kingfish (among the 9 species of fish and crabs caught) that were clean, healthy and free of the small worms that were commonly found. Sometimes a quick recovery is needed, sometimes it's better to recover it with dry jerky (it seems to vary), but once you learn the technique, you should fish.
When present, bait rigs can be used, but use a smaller hook than the one used for larger fish. If you're not sure what the nearest public pier in California is, use the map of fishing spots to locate one that's nearby. The non-slip knot is a popular and reliable option for attaching hooks, lures and other tackle to the fishing line. This is an ideal platform for fishing around rocks and heavy structures, where halibut loves to hunt, because the hook doesn't hook or hook up.
The heavy monophonic section also absorbs much of the abrasion caused by snags, structure and rough skin, further increasing the chances of catching a trophy fish. I have found that bloodworms are excellent bait for crows, perches, bass and various flatfish, such as turbot in bays and halibut, both in bays and in coastal waters. The last way, if a sliding guide is used, is to hook the anchovy in the “neck area”, just behind the gills; this is the most common way to hook live anchovies, although it is less effective on a spring than on a ship. When using clams, be sure to use bait large enough to cover the hook, with the tips of the hook exposed to hook the fish.
Over the years, we have discovered that the best way to catch yellow-finned crocodiles (and sometimes also white and spot-finned crocodiles) is to fish with a double dropper, bait and bait type, with small but very visual baits. Bloodworms, once mostly found in bait shops in Southern California, are now found farther north, up to cayucos, and are good bait but expensive.
