LA County · Long Beach municipal pier
Belmont Veterans Memorial Pier
Long municipal pier on the east end of Long Beach, just outside Alamitos Bay. Sand bottom outside the pier holds halibut spring through summer. Pier pilings hold small calicos and sand bass. Perch + croaker on the sand sides. Mackerel + jacksmelt off the end. The pier is sheltered from outside swell by the Long Beach breakwater so it stays fishable in conditions that blow out open-coast piers.
Conditions snapshot
Closest tide station
Los Angeles (9410660)
Closest NDBC buoy
San Pedro South (46222)
Closest SST node
SCCOOS · San Pedro Bay
Closest CDFW region
South of Pt Sur
Target species
California halibut
Spring through summer on the sand outside the pier. Live mackerel is the killer. 22-inch minimum, 5/day south of Pt Sur.
Calico bass + sand bass
Pier pilings + the kelp structure at the pier base hold calicos and sand bass. Plastics on a leadhead. 14-inch minimum, 5/day combined.
Pacific mackerel + jacksmelt + smelt
Year-round off the end. Sabikis on a light rod. Live mackerel is the killer halibut bait.
Barred surf perch + croaker
Sand sides of the pier year-round. Sand crabs on Carolina rig.
Bonito + occasional white seabass
Summer bonito on surface iron. Long-shot white seabass on warm-water nights with live mackerel fly-lined.
Tactic notes
Long Beach breakwater shelter
The 8.5-mile Long Beach breakwater offshore creates a sheltered harbor zone. Belmont Pier sits behind partial breakwater protection, so swell that breaks heavily at Manhattan or Hermosa Piers comes in softer here. Fishable in W/SW swell conditions that close down open-coast piers.
Tide stage
Mid-flood through slack high for halibut. The Alamitos Bay outflow on outgoing tides pushes bait past the pier, concentrating predators.
Wind exposure
Behind the breakwater is calmer than open coast but afternoon W wind still blows the pier. Mornings before 11 AM and evenings are productive.
Modes that work
Pier (main surface), surf-fish (sand sides), kayak (launches off the sand or out of Alamitos Bay 5 min east). Boat launches at the Alamitos Bay public ramp.
Access
- Belmont Veterans Memorial Pier is free public access.
- Public parking lot at the pier entrance (fee).
- Restrooms + concessions on the pier.
- Alamitos Bay launch ramp + bait + tackle 5 min east.
- Closest tackle shop: Pacific Coast Bait in Wilmington (15 min north) or Turner's Outdoorsman in Long Beach (10 min north).
What the GhostFingers Fish app adds
The page above is the snapshot. The app adds: live tide stage at LA, current SST in San Pedro Bay, wind forecast factoring breakwater shelter (verdict scores Belmont higher when open-coast piers blow out), halibut verdict tuned to San Pedro Bay's productive band, Alamitos Bay outflow influence on outgoing tides, and the pattern dashboard that learns your best Belmont sessions.
Belmont verdict with breakwater-shelter math.
The verdict knows when open-coast piers blow out and Belmont stays fishable.