Oceanside Pier & Bait

The only bait shop on the Oceanside Pier itself, mid-deck where the action is. Ed and Pam Gonsalves have run the operation since 2004. Rod-and-reel rentals — pre-rigged with hook, weight, and a cup of bait — go for $8 per hour or $35 for the day, which is roughly the lowest barrier to entry for anyone wanting to try fishing in north county.

The bait wall leans frozen: anchovies, squid, shrimp, mussels, and cut mackerel, with seasonal bloodworms. The shop survived the April 2024 fire that took out the pier's far western tip — the mid-pier location sits well inside the section the city reopened in May 2024, with reconstruction of the burned end not slated to break ground until 2027. Charlie the resident brown pelican is the unofficial mascot.

Pier anglers target halibut, croaker, mackerel, sand bass, and jacksmelt off the deck. See the Oceanside tackle directory. See also: Pacific Coast Bait & Tackle and Oceanside Sea Center Tackle.