I grew up in sothern CA. and have fish most of the pier from San Diago to Santa Barba area. I have caught every thing from shark fishing to Ocean Pearch. It always depends on what kind of fish you want to catch and the time of year you go. I will share with you a great rig to use to fish for Ocean Pearch and any other kind of surf fish that feeds on clams, muceals and otner shellfish. Tie on a meduim size sweval take a 2 oz. waight and 3 size 10 Eagle Claw hooks (or some simuler). Fasten the hooks and waight to the sweval. Then what you do is you take a mussal or clam and open it carfully with a knife, then loosen the meat of the shellfish from the shell with the knife without removing it from the shell. Now keep the waight behind the shell as you hook the hooks on both sides of the shell and one in the midle. Here is the most important part, LOCATION LOCTION LOCATION! In this case it means casting close to the pileling (speelling)? This is were the fish are going to feeding on barnicals or muceals. This method is not well known but is deadley on any kind of fish that likes shellfish becuse they go right in without the cation they seem to do on pices of clam or whtever. Give it try! I think you will find it productive!!