Newport Beach is probably my favorite pier in the Los Angeles/Orange County, although it is rather crowded.  The pier restaurant attracts visitors.  With the high volume of mackerel, sardines, bonito, and tomcat during the warm summer season, this pier is pretty crowded with fishermen.

Based on my experiences, Newport Beach is definitely the place to go if you are trying to bring home a cargo of mackerel. There are always those endless summer nights of all the fishermen hauling in a mackerel every five - ten minutes. Be careful-- with a lot of fishermen catching lots of fish, many lines get tangled. If you are going to try deep-sea fishing, go after the rays. My father and a bunch of my friends have each caught a bat ray here. You can also try to go after kingfish and spotfin croaker.