Pismo Beach Pier

Pismo Beach Pier is a 1,200-foot wooden public fishing pier that runs straight out from the center of downtown Pismo Beach. The main swim beach extends to the north, the local surf break to the south, and the Pismo Pier Plaza fronts the pier entrance at the foot of Pomeroy Avenue. Restaurants and shops line the bluff above.

The bottom under the pier is sand, the same sand that runs for hundreds of feet in either direction, and the breaking surf and rip currents that form around the pier pilings make the whole spot a surf zone biome. Fish hold near the pilings on the bottom, which is what draws the rod-and-reel crowd.

Hook-and-line fishing from the pier deck is the primary use and requires no California fishing license. Surfing works the south side, while swimming and wading are kept to the wider beach north of the pier. Snorkeling is uncommon and scuba is essentially absent outside occasional inspection work on the pilings.

Paid parking at the Pier Plaza lot and metered street parking on Pomeroy Avenue and Cypress Street both fill on summer weekends. Free residential parking is available a few blocks inland. Pismo Beach Municipal Code section 12.20.050 makes it unlawful to swim within 100 feet of the pier, and section 12.20.150 bars jumping or diving from it, which closes the water around the pilings to spearfishing. Beyond 100 feet from the pier, hook-and-line fishing and spearfishing are legal under standard California regulations, and fishing from the pier deck needs no license.