Welcome to the fliflicker Message Board Archive

May 2001 - April 2002

Ventura Report Doug M. 9:21 pm tuesday may 8, 2001

The Ventura / Oxnard area is beginning to show some quality
corbina with the warmer weather and colonies of mole crabs
beginning to materialize. Barred perch are everywhere though
mostly hand sized. The halibut bite seems to have slowed over
the last several weeks with only a few shorts coming to the fly.
Tie on a Gremmie with a Wannabe or Mini Puff trailer. There
seems to be unusually large numbers of small baitfish around so
a clouser may be in order. Try the river mouths or 5th street
before the wind comes up or any of the sandy beaches around the
harbors. Good Luck!

hanging in there bill 3:12 pm tuesday may 15, 2001

Been trying the surf lately without much luck. Going to try my
Pro Graphite #6 with my T-130 line next time. Casting a floater
with long leader was dang near impossible with a salt clouser
tied on. Tried casting the setup with the Teeny line and a 6'
leader and it worked nice.
It looked like some of the pics on the site were caught on this
rod???(#6)

re: hanging in there Doug 10:16 pm tuesday may 15, 2001

Welcome to the game... Id avoid the floater unless your in really
quiet water. The teeny line should do better, whatever gets it on
the bottom and keeps it there is best. There should be some perch
around there so look for rips, and experiment with your retrieve.
Sometimes they turn on to a fast, sharp strip other times they
prefer a nice pause in-between.
I discovered a spot today where there were about a dozen corbina
cruising really close to shore. A few of them came closer than a
rod length. I threw everything I had at them and nary a nibble.
Did manage about a dozen perch and a nice rip I came across.
Keep at it, I’m sure your close to success!
P.S. I was talking to a good buddy of mine today who hooked into
something really big at Manhattan beach. It made several big runs
and almost spooled him. He felt he was out matched with his
9wt!!!! The fish finally ducked into a patch of kelp and was
lost... The stuff dreams are made of... Good Luck! :) Keep us
posted!

SoCal Reports for May Doug 7:24 am wednesday may 16, 2001

The following are a recap of Southern California reports from
from folks who have posted on other sites. Hope You Enjoy!

Goleta Sloth
Posted by Carl C on May 15, 2001 at 20:08:27:

Got off work at 2 and went straight to the slough to see if I
could repeat the last effort that produced Barred Perch to two
pounds. The surf was smaller and no wind! Tied on a version of
Gary Bula's surf Gremmies. After almost being run down by a 4
foot sand shark I made several casts with several grabs. I
sharpend the hook to see who was harassing my fly. Third cast and
thought I hooked another big perch but suprise suprise, a 24" 6#
Halibut! Used a Lamaglas 9wt. with an SA intermediate shooting
head and 35# Gudebrod braided mono running line. Also a
fluorocarbon leader system. The Butts are in! Mine is the
smallest with a 30 incher topping the parade last week. Carl C

San Diego Bay
Posted by Craig Smith on May 11, 2001 at 18:55:49:

I fished San Diego bay today with Dale Marsh of Oroville. We had
a borrowed boat but ran into some engine trouble and ended up
with a rental skiff. We missed the the best part of the tide
fiddling with the motor and the rest of the day was fairly slow
but still caught spotted bay bass, sand bass, bonefish,
barracuda, white sea bass, yellowfin croaker, and mackerel today
for a nice variety.
It was fairly breezy and we would have had a real tough time if
it were not for the drift sock. This $30 device saved the day,
slowing our drift enough to get the fly down to the fish in the
12 - 40 foot deep water.

Santa Ana River Jettys
Posted by Shane Chung on May 10, 2001 at 17:36:08:

Well I was too tired to roll out of bed and get to the beach by
6am. I finally made it to the beach by 9:30am. The tide bottomed
out at 6:12am at a -.6. and peacked at 12:53 pm. The swells were
suppose to be 2-3.5', but it seemed like I got all the big swells
breaking in front of me all the time. I think the swells were
bigger than 3', probaly more like 4'. The water was quite clear
for the area and a nice shade of blue green. The water temp. also
seems to be warming up too compared to last week. It also stayed
overcast the whole time I was there.
For the two hours I did fish, I got into a fairly decent perch
bite. Out of the hole in front of life guard station 68 I landed
5 perch. All of them were the same size about 6". The fish hit
small clousers (#6 flies) both orange and natural squirrel tail.
The Lesser Terns were working the outer breakers pretty hard in
this area. Of course the sweet spot was just out of my range. Boy
I wish I was on the other side to cast into the frenzy. No bait
was breaking the surface, so I'm not sure what it was that was
working over the bait. I'm sure something big was under there
pushing the bait up for the birds. (Wishfull thinking says
Strippers) All in all not a bad way To start the day and have the
beach all to your self.

Posted by Andrew Stoehr on May 11, 2001 at 08:49:14:
In Reply to: Santa Ana River Report posted by Shane Chung on May
10, 2001 at 17:36:08:

Shane, How were the crowds? On Saturday, the area was basically
unfishable. I assume weekdays, at least until summer officially
starts, are better? Did you see any corbina in the surf? I saw a
bunch a month ago down by San Diego, but haven't seen any
cruising the shallow water up here yet (but I've heard from
others they are).

Posted by Shane Chung on May 11, 2001 at 10:13:27:
In Reply to: Re: Santa Ana River Report posted by Andrew Stoehr
on May 11, 2001 at 08:49:14:There was virtually no one on the
beach except for the surfers. I saw only one family and four
joggers. No one was in the water. The whole surf line was all
mine. Last Friday afternoon was a different story. Half of the
holes that produced fish had swimmers in them, making them
unfishable.
By this time of the year the beach gets crowded early, espcially
on the weekend. I'm usually done by 10am. There will be lots of
joggers and walkers that hit the beach starting around 8am. the
beach crowd starts to pick up by 10am. You can fish the area but
watch your back cast. During the weekdays it's not as crowded,
but you still have to watch where you fish. When the water gets
warmer, you will see a lot more people in the water. By
summertime fishing the surf seems like a morning thing even on
the weekdays.
I didn't see any corbina in the surf yet. I though I saw one, but
it turned out to be trash(I need better glasses)! When the water
gets warmer we should see more corbinas feeding in the shallows.

Catalina Island
Posted by Perry Landsberg on May 09, 2001 at 14:38:48:

Catalina Island is red hot right now for White Sea Bass. I was
there on a sportboat on Saturday, and just my luck that was the
lull in the WSB bite. There were WSB limits (one fish per angler)
on Thursday, Friday and yesteday as well on the same boat. (I was
skunked.) On my trip, I caught numerous Calico bass on an olive
and white clouser. The fishing was all on the "back side" of the
Island, but fishing can be good on the front side (Avalon side)
as well.

La Conchita
Posted by J Taylor on May 08, 2001 at 09:14:02:

Fished low tide at the beach near of La Conchita on Saturday.
Found a great trough loaded with Corbina and Perch. Landed 2
Corbina, one 15" an the other 21", on my Mole Crab imitation and
numerous perch on Gremies and Surf Rats. The larger Corbina made
a great initial run which took me into my backing and one perch
was a big spawning female that went well over 2 pounds. The
Corbina must have been on the chew because both fish inhaled the
fly.

Torrey Pines
Posted by Frank Fong on May 06, 2001 at 00:19:43:

As a prelude to attending a friend's wedding on Saturday in
Coronado, I decided to head for San Diego early on Friday and try
the surf, particulary Black's Beach, which Scott Sadil wrote in
his book his intriguing experience of flyfishing the surf. After
scouting around, I decided to work the surf at Torrey Pines and
eventually 2 miles south to the Gliderport. Besides the needed
exercise, and enjoying the beauty of the area, it was icing on
the cake when I found a spot where I quickly hooked and landed 17
Barred Perch from 6"-10". All except one fish were taken on the
Orange Squirrel Tail Clouser; the one fish was taken on a Green
and White Clouser. One 9" perch was even taken on a backcast,
which was accidently dropped into the wash behind me when the
flyline slipped from my line hand. Because of the arriving
darkness and fearing getting trapped against the cliff by the
rising tide, I had to ripped myself from the fishing, and gave up
trying to make it 20 fish even. After hiking 2 miles back to the
beginning section of beach next to the parking lot, I decided to
make couple quick casts in the few minutes left of daylight. I
ended a great day with a foul-hooked legal-size halibut (all fish
released) and a pair of sore legs.

San Diego Bay
Posted by Craig Smith on May 04, 2001 at 14:50:47:

Hit the bay this morning with a friend who had never fished it.
We fished out of his 13 foot inflatable (zodiac style) working
grass flats in the south bay. My buddy fished plastics on
spinning tackle and got about a dozen spotted bay bass. I fished
plastics , but mostly flies and tallied about a dozen bass, a
mackeral, three bonefish (a rarity), and a clam. My friend now
wants to learn how to fly cast - especially

Ventura/Oxnard Report Doug 7:35 am wednesday may 16, 2001

The corbina are in in full force!!!! I counted at least 20
individules in the surf line and in the harbor around Port
Hueneme - unfortunately I couldnt get any to take :( I did get
about a dozen perch. Have fun out there!

stripping line like a true trout fisher bill 8:18 pm wednesday may 16, 2001

OK, you can all have a good laugh at my expense. No one told me
that using your indext finger for stripping line was not a good
idea. Was doing just fine until I bore a nice wedge through my
finger. Oh, that's why you put the rod under your arm and strip
with both hands. And I thought it was to allow for faster strips
only. DDDDDDAAAAAA!

re: stripping line like a true trout fis Doug 5:59 pm thursday may 17, 2001

Done that a few times myself... (You feel dummer the second and
third time)Theres nothing like the feel of a bare finger though.
Someone makes a finger tape that works well, sorry I dont know
the name but its fairly common even in conventional tackle shops.
If your interested and cant find it let me know and I'll send you
some.
Catch anything?

Newbie with a new rod Tim 12:47 pm tuesday may 22, 2001

Nice to see a local site for salt ffishing. Very new to the
salt, live in Seal Beach. Only luck so far has been a short
halibut at the San Gabriel river mouth on an olive clouser
(purely dumb luck I'm sure). I returned my ultralight waders to
Fenwick and since they don't carry waders anymore, I picked out
an 8 wt. HMX rod and reel. Since I'm starting from scratch, I'd
appreciate any suggestions for flyline and backing. I've read
Richard Jacobsen's article on Corbina from Dan Blanton's page,
and other bulletin board threads. Looking for local knowledge.
Probably go out to Marriotts, but would hate to buy line and
learn it was the wrong choice. I have a 6 wt. with a composite
reel with both floating and full-sink (got the 'butt on sinking
line). Maybe try these both out more first??? Any and all
suggestions would be very much appreciated. Thanks in advance!
Tim

re: Newbie with a new rod Andrew Stoehr 2:12 pm tuesday may 22, 2001

Tim,

If I had to go with one type of line for your 8 weight, I'd get a
sinking shooting head or one of the Teeny type lines (they have
sinking front portion and a thinner running/shooting line, which
may or may not float, depending upon the brand). I used to use a
Teeny T-200 on my 8 weight, but I wrapped it around some rocks and
ruined it. If I got another one for my 8, I might try to get one a
bit heavier. I now have a Cortland XLR, which is a similar line
but the running line is braided mono, not coated like the Teeny.
Anyway, they both seem to work. Not long ago, I had a similar
question and I got the following recommendations from several
different people: Teeny T-300 or 350, Rio Density Compensated,
Airflo 300 grain Depthfinder, Orvis Depthcharge, SA mastery
saltwater express tip, and Rio DC 26 coldwater striper and DC 26
bluewater. So, there are plenty of options! (I realize that only
makes it worse!)

These lines are nice because you can cast them a long way and they
sink enough to keep your fly on or near the bottom. Richard
Jacobsen's technique of using a floating line and long leader
definitely works (I got my first corbina using this technique with
Richard twenty yards away on the same beach), but my opinion is
floating lines are tougher to control in rougher surf (like what
you get at the Santa Ana rivermouth). One of my fishing partners
uses a full sinking line and does well with it, and I've seen
others use intermediate lines. So, it's possible to make anything
work under some circumstances, but hard to make one thing always
work. I guess that's how the line manufacturers keep getting our
money.

It might be possible for you to try casting some of these different
types of line at Marriott's. Ask them.

Good luck!

Andrew

re: Newbie with a new rod bill 2:59 pm tuesday may 22, 2001

There are some great surf fly fishers at Marriott's. Just ask and
they'll give you their 2 cents. I've found them very helpful
without the hard sell.

re: Newbie with a new rod Doug 9:20 pm tuesday may 22, 2001

Hey Tim! Welcome to fliflicker! Glad you like the site... Check
out the tactics page for some hints on "Getting Started". The
guys at Marriotts helped me get going too and should be able to
help you. Be sure to post your successes!

re: Newbie with a new rod Tim 11:22 am tuesday may 29, 2001

Thanks for the welcome Doug, and thanks Bill and Andrew for the
advice and encouragement! Any plans for an on-the-water meeting,
maybe Newport or HB? Would sure help out us new guys.
Thanks again! Tim

re: Newbie with a new rod Doug 12:17 pm wednesday may 30, 2001

I was thinking the same thing last night :) I was going to wait
until I had a little broader base to invite but a small group
might be better. Maybe meet at Santa Ana River Jetties? Let me
kick it around...

Mole crabs David Potter 11:35 pm tuesday may 22, 2001

Hello Doug - firstly ,your website is looking very nice -
congratulations there !Only suggestion I can add is maybe a
write up on each fly on how you fish them where you
are.Conditions , surf , target species etc - it will be very
interesting.
Now regarding the 2 mole crab flies that you have in the flies
section .They seem a very innovative and interesting new tie to
me , as mole crabs are a very good bait here on the South
African shores .In your experience is the one tie on your page
better than the other ? Under what circumstances ? Do you cast
them into the surf zone , just behind the breakers on the
beach ?whitewater?? Do you look out for holes and troughs in
the shoreline indicating slightly deeper water ?Do you retrieve
them at all ?Or just maintain a tight line as the waves wash the
line about ? I think what I am asking is what "patterns" in the
words of bassfishermen do you look for before casting out such a
fly.
From the pics of the moleflies , both seem to have lead barbells
tied on top of the hookshank so that the hook point rides on
top ?Is the size / weight an important factor here, both
regarding the fly and the weight used ?Do you think a couple of
pieces of heavy mono , tied to drag and scratch the sand(Gary
LaFontaine ) out of the bottom of the fly would add to the
enticement ? Looking forward to you reply - kind regards- David

re: Mole crabs doug 8:26 am thursday may 24, 2001

Hello David, Nice to hear from you again! Still no mullet:/ The
light brown works better when adults are molting and there outer
shells are soft and brown, As a kid, I use to search through the
hordes of "regular" mole crabs (we called them sand crabs) to find
these soft, brown ones because as bait they were definitely
preferred by fish.
I actually have another one that I'll post that works a little
better than both of them using a piece of vinyl as a shell back.
None of them have been "miracle" flies for me and I really only
tie one on if the fish seem to be keying in on mole crabs at the
exclusion of all else. But all of them have and do work.
Here in Southern California, we mostly tie mole crab patterns to
fool corbina. These fish feed directly off the bottom most of the
time and will hover over the fly almost like they're feeling it
before they suck it up. Flies tied to sink fast and stay on the
bottom work best and if the hook rides up your chances of hooking
one are increased.
As far as how to fish them, the more realistic looking flies could
probably be dead drifted with success but it seems like a short
jerky strip get the attention of the fish. You'll notice these
critters almost always swim and dig against the current so casting
behind the wave after it breaks, letting it get to the bottom,
then stripping it back works. I prefer to use a heavy head for
these flies like LC13 to insure the fly "digs". Another very
effective tactic can be employed when the current is moving
parallel to shore or in a trough situation. Cast the fly slightly
down current and let it sink as it swings across. When the fly
hits the bottom (some times almost parallel to the beach), start
stripping with short fast strips. This also works well with a Mini
Puff and is a stealthy way to target spooky fish.
I think the mono idea would work! I may have to tie some up…
Thank you for your kind words about the site and your suggestions
too! Tight Lines! Doug

website and reports mason stoller 7:27 pm thursday may 24, 2001

Howdy peeps,

I must first say that this is an AWESOME site. I am glad that
there is another socal site since my site crashed. :(

Anyways I have been fishing a few of my favorite spots in
Newport and hammering the corbina and halibut! WOW!! there are
alot of fish out there right now and if you move around a bit
you will be quickly rewarded. I have been chuckin' small orange
clousers and weighted sand crabs.

Will post on site often now, later,
mason

re: website and reports Doug 2:34 pm friday may 25, 2001

How do you tie your mole crabs, What size?

Corbina! Doug 2:32 pm friday may 25, 2001

Best day ever Wednesday, fishing for corbina with four and
several near misses on a new fly I've been working on. I'll post
it soon. I personally have never seen so many corbina. Looks like
a banner season ahead. Fish the Ventura/Oxnard area around the
harbors in the early AM. Picked up a nice halibut too about 25"
in Carpentera to finish off the day. Too much fun! Doug

New links in Tactics. New fly 4 Corbina fliflicker 10:56 am saturday may 26, 2001

Check it out!

Mole crab tie..... mason stoller 10:39 am sunday may 27, 2001

well......

The body is made out of chenille, pink and color the bottom
brown with a perm.marker. Tie in some strands of brown crystal
flash and brown and orange marbou with some white bucktail for a
more rigid tail. Tie in a medium dumbell at fron of hook. Wrap
the chenille around the dumbell eyes to almost the hook bend.
Then take brown thin foam,(not the really floatable stuff) and
tie it in in front of the eyes.(Cut it in a rectangle shape that
is barely wider than the chenille body) Tie it in at back of the
chenille. Then pull the foam over the hook and tie it in behind
the chenille. Add some flimsy foam legs for antennas if ya want
too.

i know it sounds wierd but if you want to you can try one. They
work great for me!

Late,
mason

re: Mole crab tie..... Doug 2:31 pm sunday may 27, 2001

Awesome tie...is it your own creation? Im having a little trouble
picturing it. Do you have access to a scanner? Our would you be
willing to trade? I'll gladly trade you two of mine (any flies,
your pick) for one of yours, snail mail.If no, thats cool. Im
sure Ill run into you one of these days. Tight Lines!!!

Doug

I will meet ya someday... mason stoller 1:30 pm tuesday may 29, 2001

Doug,

I know it is hard to picture in your mind. It took me awhile to
get the idea for it. The foam acts just like a real soft shell
sand crab, I think that is why it works so good on corbina.

Do you fish the river jetties often? If so, what do you look
like? I used to have it posted on my website, but it crashed. :(

Anyways, maybe I will see you out there,
mason

P.S.- I would rather hand it to ya out there then mail it.
Rather talk to ya first. I am kind of proud of my best sand crab
imitation.

re: I will meet ya someday... Doug 6:25 pm tuesday may 29, 2001

Cool! You should be proud! Im the guy with the corbina on the
home page... I usually get down there about once a month. Ill let
you know next time Im going. Sorry I missed it on your site :(
till then...

Long Beach?? mason 1:54 pm tuesday may 29, 2001

Hey Doug,

How is long beach doing? Do you know of any spots that are
starting to heat up as far as corbina go?

I would really like to get back down to Long Beach and do
corbina fishing. I haven't fished there for about a year and
would like any suggestions to location.

So, if I went out there this weekend, where should I go?

Thanks,
mason

P.S.- River Jetties are getting better, starting to see a few
more corbina and the halibut are still there. I have to ride my
bike there to fish it because of no car. :)

re: Long Beach?? Doug 6:27 pm tuesday may 29, 2001

I'll e-mail you a message...

mystery fish Andrew Stoehr 4:26 pm tuesday may 29, 2001

Doug,

Did you ever figure out what that mystery fish was? I looked
through every picture in my "Fish of the Pacific Coast" field
guide, and nothing matched up perfectly. Some of the various
rockfish are dark colored like that, but from the photo, it looks
like the mouth is wrong. There are quite a few different kinds of
surf perch out there - any chance it's one of the many species of
these?

Andrew

re: mystery fish Doug 6:31 pm tuesday may 29, 2001

I did the same... Still dont know... Im expecting an answer from
a biologist. We'll see :)

Mystery Fish Contest fliflicker 6:39 pm tuesday may 29, 2001

Hey, Just for fun... If you can correctly identify the Mystery
Fish (located in the Gallery), I'll send you a copy of the fly I
caught it on. (You wouldnt want the original...) Anyway, the
first to post the correct answer on the message board wins!

re: Mystery Fish Contest Eric Suchman 5:25 am friday june 8, 2001

Could the mystery fish be a mojarra? Red cheeks, dark spot
on the tail? Was the tail trilobal at all?

croakers Andrew Stoehr 9:08 am friday june 1, 2001

It seems that fly fishers have a good shot at getting into nice
schools of croakers right now. On Sunday, I got 4 on size 2
white/chartruese clousers, and lost about 4-6 others. One of my
fishing partners got about 8, plus some losses, last night on
white/olive clousers.

If you haven't found a school of croakers yet, get out there and
do it! For their size, they really pull, especially for the first
minute or two of the fight.

Andrew

Site looks great!!! Jazz 9:42 am friday june 1, 2001

Hey Doug,

Great job on the site!! I had no idea it came together so well!
Does this mean that I have to book our trips now? How 'bout an
autograph? Greetings to all visitors--Doug's a great guy and a
wealth of knowledge.

If only spinners knew what they were missing....

re: Site looks great!!! Doug 5:38 pm friday june 1, 2001

Thanks! Glad you like the site...I'm surprised you still want to
go since we've been skunked the last few times in the surf :/ Oh
well, all part of the game. We need to get the boat out and do
King Harbor for hoots...soon! See ya Sunday!

Check out new pics in Gallery! fliflicker 9:33 pm sunday june 3, 2001

Andrew was kind enough to send in some awesome pics of a
favorite local entrée. Check it out! My son caught a nice
corbina last week that still had one about the same size in its
mouth. Thanks Andrew!
Send us your Pics and we'll post em...

Caught some!!! bill 7:46 am wednesday june 6, 2001

Well, I actually nailed some B.P. on my fly. Was very stoked to
finally get some fish. My best was a 13+" perch that was a blast
on my #6. Fished the river jetties in N.B. Monday and chased
corbina all morning. Couldn't get any to take but had fun
trying. I think I'm addicted to the surf fly fishing. Just got
to catch a corbina now.

re: Caught some!!! Andrew 8:30 am wednesday june 6, 2001

Bill, congrats on the perch. But, I'm sorry to hear you're hooked
on surf fishing now. It's the beginning of the end for you. Kiss
your money goodbye, forget about ever getting any meaningful work
done again, and prepare for strange looks from everybody you talk
to.

By the way, which "N.B." were you fishing? If you meant Newport
Beach, I'll probably see you out there sometime.

Andrew

re: Caught some!!! bill 11:58 am wednesday june 6, 2001

Newport Beach @ 71. I'd love to hook up with you especially if
you fish mid-week. Need to see how it's done.

Alright Bill!!! Doug 12:17 pm wednesday june 6, 2001

Congratulations! Victory is always sweeter when you have to fight
hard for it. However, I'm afraid Andrew is right...Now your in for
it.
You have to love rejection to fish for corbina in the shallows.
Some say they have personalities. I must agree. I have put the
same fly to 10 fish and had mixed interest then one will pounce on
it. Go figure... Great fun though! Glad your aboard! See you out
there! Doug

#6 what line? bill 12:04 pm wednesday june 6, 2001

Gallery pics show some catches on what appears to be a #6 rod.
What lines are used on this? I've been using a full sink but, I
think my T-130 line would work better and get to the bottom
faster.

re: #6 what line? Doug 1:06 pm wednesday june 6, 2001

I use a 6/7 and love it! I use a braided mono running line with a
Scientific Anglers 30', 600gr, head made for a 9wt. Then I cut 2'
off the tip and 3' off the butt end making it a 25' head when
done. Cast like a dream. I also carry three other heads. 27' of
LC-13 for deep water, and a 300gr head cut like above for
the shallow stuff. I also have a floating head that I use in a
pinch for quiet water but I prefer a full line when using a
floater. Theres an article called "Getting Started" on the tactics
page that has some detail on lines and heads, along with a couple
links.
Anyway...My 2c

re: #6 what line? Andrew 7:52 am thursday june 7, 2001

Doug,

How much overhang do you allow when casting that 25' head? It
seems that 25' would be too short without much overhang, but 600 gr
seems heavy, so you must have found the perfect balance point to
cast that. Sounds scary to me!

Andrew

re: #6 what line? Doug 4:14 pm thursday june 7, 2001

Not sure what you mean by overhang...

Overhang, etc. Andrew 8:03 am friday june 8, 2001

I'm referring to the amount of running line between your rod tip
and the back of your shooting head when you're casting. I'm sure
you know that if you only have 15 feet of your head out of the rod,
you can't really cast well, but if you get the head too far out
(i.e. too much "overhand") then you lose some control of the line.

I've been practicing lately with my sinking shooting line (a Teeny
T type line, but made by another manufacturer - not technically a
shooting head, but not really like a full sink either - I'm not
really sure what this type of line is called!). When I have just
the coated, tapered part out, I can throw nice loops but once I get
some of the braided running line out, or actually shoot line for
the cast, the cast just doesn't hold together. It may go a long
way, but it kind of just sails out there instead of unfolding
neatly like when I cast my floating line.

When you said your LC13 head "casts like a dream" did you mean it
goes a long way, or that it goes a long way and ALSO looks good in
the process? I'm just wondering how much to expect, in the way of
nice tight loops and such, from a shooting head or similar type
line.

Andrew

Hook up bill 3:20 pm wednesday june 6, 2001

It looks like the forum here is starting to catch on. Another
new to the surf guy posted about hooking up some day. Might be a
fun outing since we're all local boy's. Maybe down at Bolsa
Chica or some place like that where we could do some
fishing,fire,beer,talking,etc.....
How about some thoughts from you long timers.

Surf Fishing Oceanside/San Clemete Keith/Big Bear 5:22 pm wednesday june 6, 2001

I will be spending a week near San Clemente. Anyone who can help
me with specific locations to surf fish would be appreciated. I
have some surf flies(clousers, surf grubs,rusty squirrels,some
shrimp patterns)but am open to ANY suggestions. Any help would
be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

re: Surf Fishing Oceanside/San Clemete bill 7:16 am thursday june 7, 2001

When you going to be in town? Live close by and would be glad to
fish for a day.

Welcome Keith! Doug 7:35 pm thursday june 7, 2001

Hello Keith! Welcome to fliflicker! Sorry I haven't fly fished
that area much but Bills good people... Take him up on his offer
if you can. If you do well (or even if you don't) let us know.
Good Luck, Tight Lines!

P.S. How did you hear about us?

re: Welcome Keith! Keith/Big Bear 4:09 pm friday june 8, 2001

Doug,I got your web site from a friend, Tim Allen,Long Beach
Casting Club. Great web site! I have a fly tying -&- Guide Service
here at Big Bear. Anytime anyone wants a factual fishing report
or lake information, they can email me. I'll post my surf
adventures....Keith

Spadefish Eric Suchman 5:30 am friday june 8, 2001

Thanks for getting back to me. Nice site. Couldn't find the
spade fish photo in the gallery. What sort of environment
did you find them? Books say that they are common but I've
never seen them, except maybe once when a striped fish
very aggressively took my fly into the rocks and disappeared.

re: Spadefish Doug 6:36 am friday june 8, 2001

The "sand shark" photo in the lower left corner of the gallery is
often called a spade fish or shovel nosed shark or some call them
a guitar fish. (click to enlarge)There are a lot of common names
for our local fish. These are sandy bottom dwellers and are active
feeders in shallow water. Hope that helps... Doug

re: Spadefish Eric Suchman 7:46 am friday june 8, 2001

I guess what I was refering to (and hoping for info on) was
the Pacific Spadefish. A dinnerplate shaped fish with dark
vertical banding.

re: Spadefish Doug 3:19 pm friday june 8, 2001

So sorry... Lots of "common" names out there for our local fish.
You can always contact the DFG. Theres a link on the links page.
Good Luck!

Santa Barbara Harbor Report Doug 1:55 pm monday june 11, 2001

Santa Barbara Harbor was very good this last week on the minus
tide especially around bait receiver and along the Eastern shore
inside the harbor. Olive/White clousers were the ticket. I took
13 fish in about an hour (mostly small but fun!)6 Sand bass, 3
halibut, 1 Perch, 3 white croaker.
The spit was also producing some nice YF croaker and a few
corbina were cruising very close to shore but no takers.
Tight Lines!!! Doug

Mystery Fish Identified!? fliflicker 8:31 pm monday june 11, 2001

Hey the guy sounds like he knows what hes talking about... Still
waiting for DFG to confirm...

From: "Andrew A. Voss" webmaster@mbdc.to
To: Curt Degler cdegler@best.com
CC: ba_diving ba_diving@yahoogroups.com Save Address
Subject: Re: [ba_diving] Doug's Mystery Fish
Date: Mon, 11 Jun 2001 15:07:22 -0700

Curt-

After looking at the photo, it seems 90% likely to me that he's
holding a specimen of Girella nigricans, also known as the
Opaleye. Diagnostic features of this species are a flattened
tail, a large, fleshy soft dorsal fin, rounded (almost
hemispherical) head with large eyes, and most obvious, a large
pale (usually cream colored to yellow) spot just under the spiny
first dorsal fins.

Opaleye are fairly common in Monterey, usually preferring warmer
shallow water. You can often see them at the Breakwater when
water temperatures are up and vis is good. They feed on algae
and small animals (crustaceans, jellies, etc.). Interestingly,
young Opaleye have the ability to breathe air. This is because
they live in tide pools when small and these pools occasionally
become depleted of oxygen. You can sometimes see them in large
schools, but they seem to be seen most often in small numbers or
accompanying schools of other fish, such as Blacksmith. Although
there is still some debate on the subject, this species is most
often classed in Family Kyphosidae (Sea Chubs), and is onsidered
to be related to the Halfmoon (Medialuna californiensis), which
is another local denizen.

Hope this helps!

Andy

re: Mystery Fish Identified!? Eric Suchman 6:31 pm thursday june 14, 2001

The general shape is like an Opaleye but I though t that
Opaleye had white dots. Does'nt your fish have red dots?

re: Mystery Fish Identified!? Doug 8:56 am friday june 15, 2001

I know.... Thats why its been a mystery... The red "patch" behind
the gill plate is not really typical and the absense of the white
dots??? However the fins, mouth structure, location, habitat,
overall shape and light colored belly (from what I've been told)
point to nothing else but an Opaleye. Still waiting for word from
a biologist with the DFG. Bottom line... It fought like heck and
it adds to the fun of never knowing quite what will be at the end
of the line! :/ Doug

Float tubing Thursday @ Harbor bill 2:52 pm wednesday june 13, 2001

Hitting Dana point Harbor and wanted to get some info on best
bet for fishing around bait receiver inside harbor. I'm guessing
the depth is around 15-20'? Do you try to fish right on the
bottom or what? Any suggestions for a newby would be great.

re: Float tubing Thursday @ Harbor Doug 10:08 pm wednesday june 13, 2001

When fishing bait receivers I've always done best from 20' or so
away off the corners and casting parallel to the sides letting
the fly get down a bit. Strip your fly back fairly close to the
structure. Fish often hang out directly underneath and along side
the netting. Try different depths from a few feet under down to
the bottom. Watch out for anchor ropes. If fishing much near the
bottom, you may want to get some LC-13 (if your using a head
system) If not, just let it sink down. You may want to try
counting to make sure your covering different depths until your
scratching bottom.
You should also kick out a little farther and cast to the
receiver, as close as possible and let the fly sink giving it an
occasional twitch before retrieving it back. My 2c... You should
do well! Sounds like a blast... Wish I could join you! Let us
know how you do! Doug

newport area? gordon 9:51 pm thursday june 14, 2001

Any info on where to fish and with what and how in the Newport
Beach area? Thanks.

re: newport area? Jerrold Paul Shelton 12:22 pm saturday june 16, 2001

Are we talking Newport Harbor, the local beaches, or the open ocean
near Newport ?

I am a licensed guide, and specialize in fly fishing saltwater from
kick-boats or open-top kayaks. I don't claim to have all of the
answers, but I might be able to help out here if I know what type
of water you seek to fish, and what type of fish you seek to catch.
e-mail:south_coast_flyfishing@hotmail.com

re: newport area? Jerrold Paul Shelton 11:51 am monday june 18, 2001

FYI, above NOT intended as a shameless plug....Just to point out
that my profession allows me to fish the area often. I am always
willing to discuss location, method, tackle, etc. with no strings
attached.

3 most effective flies gordon 9:44 am saturday june 16, 2001

What are your 3 favorite "indispensible" flies? What would you
take if you only had 3 patterns and wanted to catch a wide
variety of fish in the surf? thx.

re: 3 most effective flies mason 10:50 am saturday june 16, 2001

Hey,

I would bring some clousers, in olive/white and probably
orange/brown. Along with that probably sometype of sandcrab
imitation, minipuff, or something. Then maybe a gremmie like
pattern or crazy charlie style fly.

Clousers can catch just about anything! hehe..

Late,
mason

re: 3 most effective flies Doug 2:31 pm saturday june 16, 2001

#1) Olive and White Clouser
#2) Something orange like a Gremmie or Wannabe
#3) Squirrel-tail or maybe a Timms Beach Butterfly?

re: 3 most effective flies Andrew 4:55 pm saturday june 16, 2001

I'd take:

1. white/chartreuse clouser
2. white/chartreuse clouser
3. white/chartreuse clouser

Santa Barbara Harbor Doug 8:05 am monday june 18, 2001

Fished SB harbor on friday PM. Its still fishing really well...
Caught lots of nice sand bass and some nice halibut. I saw a WSB
crusing around and busting bait on the flats at low tide (about
18-20") And the biggest corbina I've ever seen cruised within
about 15' of me while I was changing flies. I caught all my fish
on a #4 O/W clouser with a floating line and about 18' of flat 6
lb mono.
Hey folks... Post your reports! I know your getting out there.
You dont have to spill the beans on your favorite spot by giving
all the details. Just the skinny version will do :) Tight Lines!
Doug

re: Santa Barbara Harbor Colin Waters 6:09 am thursday june 28, 2001

Doug,

Do you really mean 18 feet of flat leader? If so, how come
you're not using tapered?

Your site is great. We found it the other day, just as my son and
I had moved from the de-moralized to the de-hooking fish stage of
our surf casting! In the last two outings, fishing a little south
of Santa Monica pier, a friend and ourselves have caught corbina,
nice perch, halibut, rays and (my speciality) sand sharks. We're
going again this evening, high-tide at 6, can't wait.

Thanks
Colin

re: Santa Barbara Harbor Doug 1:38 pm monday july 16, 2001

Yes I do use a flat mono leader about 18' (usually with 6 lb test
maxima) because of its ability to sink quickly and keep me in
direct contact with the fly. A tapered leader with its thick butt
section wont sink nearly as well and creates an arch in the line.
I use a bimini knot to the loop in my fly line and a duncan loop
to the fly. I have yet to break off a fish on this rig and have
caught halibut to 12 lbs with it. I buy the line in 250 yard
spools, tie the biminis ahead of time and keep the "leaders" in a
plastic baggie. Go with 8 lb test if you are using an 8wt rod or
above. This rig is a little tricky to throw at first but will
catch more fish by far in quiet water like the harbor. Always use
heavily weighted flies and keep them on the bottom using a slow
twitching retrieve. Tight Lines!!! Doug

Dana Point Harbor report bill 10:43 am monday june 18, 2001

Float tubed the receiving tank last Thursday PM. Fished O/T
Clouser on type 3 line. One 18" halibut,5 Tom Cod,3 Y.F.
Croaker,1 Mackerel,1 barracuda. Got strikes on almost every
cast.
My first halibut on the fly!!!!!! YES!

re: Dana Point Harbor report Jerrold Paul Shelton 11:43 am monday june 18, 2001

Congrats re: your first halibut on the fly ! I've caught a few
there myself, but have yet to catch a "legal" one. I ususally
catch mostly mackerel and barracuda there by the bait reciever,
fishing "bleeding anchovy" salt buggers on an intermediate line -
big time fun, and a fun fishery that lends itself well to FF'ng
from tubes or kick boats, as Bill seems to know well. Sounds like
a fun filled evening, and I wish I was there!
P.S. Ever try dredging the bottom at the base of the seaward/Doheny
Beach side of the breakwall with a Clouser ? I get a lot of
halibut hookups that way, on calm days.

re: Dana Point Harbor report Doug 1:48 pm monday june 18, 2001

WoooooHoooo!!!!
P.S. Is that O/T Olive/Tan ???

King Harbor/Newport Bay Andrew Stoehr 12:13 pm monday june 18, 2001

Fished King Harbor Friday (6/15) for about 3 hours. Tons of
mackeral, a few small barracuda, and a couple tiny calico bass,
but no bonito. Sea lions didn't give us any trouble, but a few
persistent pelicans did. Given how much fun mackeral are on a fly
rod, I can't even imagine what the bonito are like!

Fished Newport Bay from a float tube Sunday, along with about 12
other fishermen and fisherwomen, for about 2.5 hours. Fishing was
slow, only 4 fish amongst all of us. I got a small white sea
bass, and others got one needlefish, one halibut, and one spotted
bay bass.

New link on making Stripping Baskets! fliflicker 7:19 am wednesday june 20, 2001

See it on the Tactics Page!

Stripping baskets Jim 4:57 pm thursday june 21, 2001

Here's some more info on building a basket....
www.worldwideangler.com Go to the Flyfishing link and click on
articles and look for "Stripping baskets-don't leave home
without them". Just some more to think about.....

Thanks Jim! - Link on Tactics Page... fliflicker 6:05 pm thursday june 21, 2001

Thanks Jim! Love the input! I added the link to the Tactics Page

re: Thanks Jim! - Link on Tactics Page.. Jim 8:38 pm thursday june 21, 2001

            Your welcome!

0 and 1-help? gordon 9:48 pm friday june 22, 2001

Ok. this site inspired me so i went out and bought the stuff
(had to use my 5wt Sage XP though) and went to river jetties
today. Saw over 50 fish. Fish all over the place! Looked like
corvina. after four hours of fishing I had one take but he came
unbuttoned after about 3 secs. Fished clousers in Orange/white,
green/white. got bit on the orange #6. I put that fly in front
of every fish I could find many times w/o spooking them but they
wouldn't take. What am I doing wrong? Any tips would be
appreciated. Many fish were in only inches of water looking for
sandcrabs so maybe the pattern was the problem? any advice
would be gladly appreciated. PS-i used a 6lb 15ft leader.
Also I don't need to catch corvina--halibut or croaker would be
fine lol!

re: 0 and 1-help? Doug 11:13 pm friday june 22, 2001

Been there, done that... The fish that are coming into shallow
water feeding on sand crabs are corbina. They’re everywhere right
now. Getting one to take in shallow water is a huge
accomplishment! You may try a mini puff in that situation in a #6
as they sometimes key in on the orange roe sacks that some mole
crabs have. You don’t need to strip much. Tiny 1" strips will
keep you in contact with the fly. Some people even throw the fly
onto the wet sand as the wave recedes and then let it wash around
in the soup when the wave returns to avoid spooking them.
I would only target these shallow feeding fish if your having
fun!!! They are usually easier to get in deeper water. (hint…
hint). The halibut and croaker down there are much less picky!
Sometimes if conditions are right, and you can fish calm water, a
floating line and long leader may work. However, when targeting
halibut and croaker, most folks use a sinking line or a shooting
head (300-400gr) and a very short leader about 2-4'. Fish the
deeper troughs and holes. There’s usually a place where the river
current and the open ocean meet and form a sort of whirlpool of
busy looking water. That’s often the place to try first if you
can reach it. Keep trying; you'll get into some!
Buy the way, there are a lot of mullet around these days and
folks often confuse them with game fish. They are for the most
part vegetarian and require special tactics and a whole lot of
patience to catch. They school and often jump completely out of
the water. They have a yellowish tail and faint stripes on the
sides that are hard to see.
I'll be fishing Manhattan Beach at 45th street Saturday AM
(that's today...) from about 6 till noon. There’s some sort of FF
club meeting there. If you can get up there I'd be glad to show
you the rigs I use and how I fish them for what its worth. Hang
in there!!! Doug :)

re: 0 and 1-help? Andrew 8:43 am sunday june 24, 2001

Well, let's see, what are you doing wrong? It's hard to say.
First, did you actually expect to catch corbina? Yes? Ha ha ha ha
ha...ahem, oh, sorry.

Actually, I'm just bitter right now, having cast in the last two
days to as many corbina as I've ever seen with nary a nibble. I'd
say Doug's advice is right on. Shoot for the corbina now and then,
because, afterall it's hard to resist fish you can see, but as a
confidence booster it's always best to plumb the deep holes with a
sinking line and get yourself some perch, croakers, or halibut.
They're all fun, and I think that, at least in the beginning,
you'll have more fun cathing a handful of croakers, which at times
come fast and furious, than spending all day to catch (maybe) a
corbina.


By the way, the fish you're seeing are almost certainly California
corbina, which are different from corvina. They're related (all in
the "croaker" family, along with fish like white sea bass, and,
back east, redfish, weakfish, and sea trout) but not quite the same
fish. You can get orangemouth corvina in the Salton Sea, and those
plus shortfin corvina (and others, I believe) in the Sea of Cortez.

Andrew

re: 0 and 1-help? gordon 3:47 pm sunday june 24, 2001

thanks guys for your help. Looks like I spent too much time in
shallow chasing the wrong kind of fish. Acutally, i meant
corbina even though I wrote corvina. Never could keep em
straight. I'll try out further. what type of retrieve do you
suggest and what patterns?

Nice site.... Brad 11:28 pm friday june 22, 2001

Is it more SoCal related than the central coast?
Cool pages.

Brad

re: Nice site.... fliflicker 4:08 pm saturday june 23, 2001

Thanks Brad! Welcome to fliflicker! Most of the folks who post
are from Santa Barbara, LA and Orange county but anyone is
certainly welcome!

New Fly - Timm's Beach Butterfly! fliflicker 8:19 pm saturday june 23, 2001

Check it out on the flies page. Also a few new pics in the
gallery.
P.S. Fished Manhattan Beach today... It was awesome. Never seen
so many corbina caught by fly fishers. Billions of mole crabs!
Low tide in the AM this week is the ticket. Look for holes and
rips. We used LC-13 heads, 4' of 8lb leader and Timm's Beach
Butterflies. We caught corbina, sand shark, croaker and perch in
good #s Tight Lines!!! Doug

Torrey Pines/Black's Beach Andrew 8:33 am sunday june 24, 2001

Fished Torrey Pines beach in San Diego for several hours Thursday
morning, then again in the afternoon. I've never seen so many
corbina. Everything
from singles to groups of possibly as many as 8-10 fish cruising
the shallow water. I watched a group of 6-7 fish work a crab bed
so hard that several
times they were in 2 inches of water with their back sticking out,
thrashing about, noses buried deep in the sand. If my fly line
landed over them they'd
spook, but come back. If just my leader, they'd stay but not one
ever paid any attention to my flies. And I tried every damn fly I
had with me: clousers,
crab patterns, shrimpy things, you name it.

Fished Black's beach Friday. Saw only a couple small corbina, but
more shovelnose guitar fish than I've ever seen in one spot -
sometimes I could see 6
of them from where I stood, often so close to each other they
touched. Hooked one large fish, probably one of these, but maybe
foul hooked. I'll never
know, though, because it broke me off.

great site! bob k 3:12 am monday june 25, 2001

just found this site, and its great!! just in time, as i dust
off the gear and try flyfishing the surf for the first time.
i'll be fishing the oceanside / carlsbad area and post the
report.

thanks again for all the useful info.

bob

re: great site! fliflicker 7:09 pm monday june 25, 2001

Welcome to fliflicker! Glad you like the site. Your posts are
greatly appreciated! Good Luck to you! Doug

Goleta Beach Report Mike 8:06 am monday june 25, 2001

I fished Goleta Beach Sunday morning with white/olive and plain
white Clousers. I only managed on short halibut. Corbina were
everywhere down around the slough mouth. My two buddies were
fishing light spinning tackle with Worm King AAs and caught a
couple of short halibut and a 26" WSB before I arrived.

Mike

N.B. Corbina bill 3:47 pm monday june 25, 2001

Has the beach been zooed early A.M. or can you still get some
fishing in mid-week? Been thinking about hitting it Wednesday
morning.

re: N.B. Corbina Andrew 4:27 pm monday june 25, 2001

I don't know about Newport Beach, but at Torrey Pines, the beach
crowd was pretty reasonable until about 10:00 am. This beach
probably doesn't have quite the crowds that Newport does, but I
suspect the basic "crowd pattern" is similar. I found, at Torrey
Pines, that a few joggers were out there as early as I was (about
5:30 am) but they're not a problem. People showing up to stay in
one spot, or the kids playing in surf didn't really start to show
up until about 9:00 (hard-core surfers are there at dawn, but are
usually not a problem either). By about 10:30 am, there were spots
that were too crowded to fish, although by walking around I'll bet
I could have have found a few holes here and there to fish.

If you are out early, you should get at least a couple hours in,
and probably more like 3-4.

Good luck! Will you be fishing with Keith from Big Bear? I was
going to join you, but I think I'll have to pass this time around.

Andrew

re: N.B. Corbina bill 9:51 am tuesday june 26, 2001

He got hold of me last night so I'm going to hook up with him
Thursday morning for a bait receiver outing. Killed em last
Friday. There's some big mackerel right now and lots of nice
yellow fin mixed in with the Tommys.

No overhead casting ordinance? Doug 7:05 pm monday june 25, 2001

Some friends and I were asked to stop fishing a local beach last
Saturday by a Lifeguard who sited a "no overhead casting"
ordinance. We were getting ready to quit anyway but my friend
challenged him politely and asked him to clarify. The guy
actually threatened to call the police. It wasn’t even that
crowded yet. Anybody ever hear of such an ordinance?

re: No overhead casting ordinance? Keith 8:22 pm monday june 25, 2001

I have heard that there is such an ordinance in the city of Long
Beach. Where were u guys fishing? The life guard who u guys
talked to probably watched one too many episode of "baywatch".

I don't know of any ordinance anywhere else though, except for
piers for obvious reasons.

Keith

re: No overhead casting ordinance? Andrew 8:24 pm monday june 25, 2001

Many of the piers have this rule, which makes sense there for two
reasons. First, people cannot get far away from the fisherman
given the width of the pier, and second, you can easily just drop
your bait into the water below.

It makes absolutely no sense on the beach and would effectively
eliminate any kind of surf fishing, not just fly fishing.
Hopefully, the lifeguard was just being a jerk, or was
misinformed. I think we should keep our ears open for valid
information on this - if it's true, we're in deep trouble and we
need to make some noise about it!

re: No overhead casting ordinance? Jim 9:46 pm monday june 25, 2001

Was fishing Salt Creek last summer and was asked to move down the
beach because the lifeguard thought I was a "danger" to swimmers
and people going to and from the surf. I am always considerate
when other people are around, especially kids and always watch
where I cast. The nice part is the women that are always
interested in what you're doing..... here, let me show you my
fly :)

re: No overhead casting ordinance? Keith 10:08 pm monday june 25, 2001

Hey Jim,

I agree completely with you when it comes to the safety of the
general public. We are flinging this little sharp object at a
very high speed. We should be cautious. I just don't appreciate
being treated as if I don't belong on the beach. I have every
right to be on the beach just as everyone else does. I pay my
taxes. In fact all of us pay even more for access to the beach.
It is called the "Pacific Ocean Fishing license". As long as we
pay constant attention and be on the alert, standbyers use common
sense and not sneak up behind us to see what we are doing, and
the life guards treat us with courtesy and respect as did yours,
we should have a long and fulfilling life enjoying this great
endeavor.

Keith

re: No overhead casting ordinance? Keith 11:23 pm monday june 25, 2001

Hey Jim,

And by the way,

which women are u talking about? All I get from women and
everyone else on the beach is "what is that weird guy wearing
(waders, boots, kayak jacket, stripping basket" look. If I had
known that women were curious about what we do, I'd consider
wearing a matching outfit and be little better groomed the next
time I hit the beach.

Have fun and see u on the beach

Keith

be part of the solution Andrew 8:05 am tuesday june 26, 2001

I agree, we have the right to be out there, and we also have a
responsibility to be careful. My suggestion to all the fly fishers
out there is to do MORE than your part. If the life-guards and
beach goers see that you are always paying attention to your back
cast, and you stop casting when people go by, they will be pleased.
But, if they see that in addition, you pick up a bit of garbage,
are friendly to those you talk to, etc. they will be even more
likely to be "on our side" should real issues about beach fishing
come up.

I suggest you take a long a trash-bag, fold it up and carry it with
your gear, and after the fishing is over, pick up some trash on
your way back to the car. We have all seen what your average
beach patron can do to the beach in no time (fast food wrappers,
beer bottles, you name it).


I would argue that, in general, fly-fishers are a more responsible
group of people than the sun worshipers, the surfers, or the bait
casters. If the life-guards see us doing that little bit more,
they will agree.


Andrew

re: be part of the solution Doug 2:21 pm tuesday june 26, 2001

Well said... I think getting clarification on the "rules" is a
good thing. I'm sure my friend and I would have felt a little
better had Mr."Hassle"hoff simply expressed concern about the
safety of others and asked us to move. Pressing the issue past
asking a polite question or two, might have only strengthened his
resolve for the future. If there really is such a law there,(which
I don't think there is) you cant really blame the guy for doing
his job. In that case maybe we should be challenging a city
council member, or maybe the yahoo fly fisher that pissed someone
off in the first place.
Good String! Thanks for the input!

re: No overhead casting ordinance? bill 9:46 am tuesday june 26, 2001

Remember, Watch the teeth and no overhead casting. I don't think
it's an ordinance but a pirates creed.

re: No overhead casting ordinance? Rich Jacobsen 5:33 pm tuesday june 26, 2001

Sometime ago John Hill and I started a dialog with the
Long Beach City Council about dogs and the numerous problems they
create while on the beach. This basically started a small war with
the dog owners. There is an ordinance in LB...No dogs on any beach
and all dogs must be on a leash not to exceed 8 feet. Anyway, the
dog owners contacted, Fish and Game and the Coastal Commission
trying to make it illegal to fly fish from the beach, citing the
overhead casting law.ALL the agencies said, NO WAY! The lifeguard
was wrong. I teach a surf fishing class and the thing I stress the
most is to look behind you on every cast. Make certain that
the beachgoers can see that you are being SUPER CAREFUL.It never
ceases to amaze me that people see you casting and will stand
directly begind you.Please be careful because in today's world of
" sue happy people" they will own you if you snag them with a
hook. Tight Lines...

re: No overhead casting ordinance? Andrew 12:43 pm wednesday june 27, 2001

Well said, and yet another reason to make your hooks barbless. I
think that the only fish I lose because my hooks are barbless are
small perch, and I don't mind that so much. But given that it's
windy at the beach, the flies are often heavily weighted, and there
are lots of people, I think even a lost fish now and then isn't too
high a price to pay for the other benefits that come with barbless
hooks. That's my opinion anyway. - Andrew

re: No overhead casting ordinance? Brad 6:48 pm tuesday june 26, 2001

I used to fish a pier where there was a $35 fine for overhead
casting.(many years ago)And I'm sure it's much more now.

However I've never heard of a beach where it was a rule or law.
And if it's not an actual law on that beach, then Mr. Lifeguard
needs to go find someone else to bitch at.

Near Cabo a couple years ago, I was "advised" to not toss flies
on the swimming side of a natural jetty. So I just complied.

Brad

2-1 thanks gordon 10:14 am saturday june 30, 2001

OK. Tried it again this morning at river jetties, this time
with better luck...
Got my first fish in the surf, a nice little barred surfperch.
My next fish, however, was a little better. Got a 25" halibut
on an olive clouser. OK. I like this.
He was a litte tough on a 5wt but we came up smiling after
awhile (20 minutes to be exact)
My guess is that he went between 4-5lbs maybe 6 if you ask me
tomorrow and probably 8lbs by the end of the week lol.
I think I'm gonna need a bigger rod...
thanks for all the help and advice guys. I'll keep trying.
Is the bait receiver in NB Harbor any good? I would assume it
is.

NBharbor mason 10:50 am saturday june 30, 2001

Hey,

I have fly fished it quite a few times. Never caught any Bonito,
but a lot of Mackeral and bay bass. I also caught a few shiner
surf perch around the bait barge. In the back bay there are a
lot of Halibut too!

Good Luck,
mason

P.S.-you can rent a skiff from Davey's Locker

re: NBharbor gordon 7:45 pm saturday june 30, 2001

thanks for the info. i'll probably float tube it. Where did you
get the mackerel? And where in the bb are the halibut and what
tide?

re: NBharbor mason 7:36 pm sunday july 1, 2001

NB Bay,

I mostly fish around the bait barge for mackeral, might be tough
in a float tube. :) The area around PCH bridge in the back bay,
where Charlie Brown's used to be and now there is a nautical
museum. (Its the big paddle steam boat) You can drop in your
float tube right below the bridge and catch bay bass off the
walls and some halibut drifting near the center and throwing
clousers. Also you can find some needlefish.

Late,
mason

re: NBharbor gordon 9:02 pm monday july 2, 2001

thanks. so you fish from shore around the bait barge?

re: NBharbor mason 5:09 pm tuesday july 3, 2001

No, I rent a skiff and fish it from that. Usually using an 8wt,
though a 6wt or 7 is fine.

Might want a stripping basket because of the chipped paint in the
boat. :)

late,
mason

Lots of flatties inside the harbor bill 6:45 am monday july 2, 2001

Been float tubing Dana Point Harbor and getting lots of Halibut
and yellow fins. Catching all on #6 olive/tan clousers.

carlsbad beach report bob k 9:58 am tuesday july 3, 2001

just returned from my first try at surf fly fishing.

fished the incoming tide in front of the encina powere plant.
used #4 olive clouser mostly, on a #8 9' rod. saw one corbina
working the shallows, and thought he boiled on my fly once, but
no hook-up.

just as i was getting ready to quyit for the day, a boil and
strike! first fish on, and it looks like a huge corbina,
running out line, cool...

after a nice long tussle....its a 24 mullet...geez..it sure
fought great...

question..have any of you caught mullet on the fly before??
also any recommendations for catching surf purch or corbina
instead of mullet??

thanks, this board is full of great info,

bob k

re: carlsbad beach report Andrew 10:12 am tuesday july 3, 2001

Are you sure it was a mullet and not a yellowfin croaker, or
something else? I only ask because 1) I've only seen mullet in the
bays, not the surf and 2) mullet RARELY take flies, and when they
do, I don't belive they are usually taking clousers, but instead
are taking very, very small flies that look like algae or tiny
crustaceans.

If it was a croaker, that's one heck of a croaker!


Anyway, congratulations.

Andrew

re: carlsbad beach report bob k 12:51 pm tuesday july 3, 2001

i'm pretty sure it was a mullet...ive used mullet for bait in
baja for roosterfish...this fish had the same broad, kind of flat
head, big scales, a big forked tail...and ive never heard of one
taking any kind of jig...this fish definetly ate the fly, it was
in the corner of his mouth...very strange, right???

anyway...it really took the line off my reel...it would have been
too much to hope for to get a nice big corbina on my first shot
at the surf anyway.

any better beaches to fish in north san diego county than near
the power plant?

bob k

re: carlsbad beach report Andrew 3:18 pm tuesday july 3, 2001

I've only fished Torrey Pines and Black's Beaches in San Diego.
Torrey Pines is very long and not developed. It's one of my
favorite beaches, in terms of its general appearance. I've gotten
perch and halibut there, and one very large mystery fish that broke
me off. However, the last time I was there it was crawling with
corbina and I couldn't get a single one to bite. I was one very
frustrated fisherman.


Black's is a really nice beach, but harder work to get to. It's
one of the more popular beaches for fly fisherman, but I got
skunked my only time there.

re: carlsbad beach report Eric Suchman 6:21 pm tuesday july 3, 2001

Bob,
Hey, congratulations if it was a mullet!!! Tremendously
difficult to catch! I'm going out tomorrow and I live in
Oceanside. Generally any where along the Carlsbad coast.
I'm out there between 6 and 8 AM Sundays and Holidays.
Get back to me and maybe we can hook up.

re: carlsbad beach report bob k 8:01 pm tuesday july 3, 2001

thanks eric,

im going out tomorrow (wed) about 0800, and again in front of the
power plant, unless i hear from anyone who can advise a better
location, since i'm new at this i appreciate all advice,

bob k

re: carlsbad beach report Eric Suchman 8:53 pm tuesday july 3, 2001

In front of the army navy academy there are some nice, and
from what i hear, productive holes. Perhaps I'll see you
tomorrow in front of the power plant.

Mullet on the fly... Doug 8:14 am wednesday july 4, 2001

I have spent countless hours trying to tempt mullet to a fly
without success and I am totally jealous Bob. They often hang out
at warm water outflows and are very common this time of year in
all of our river mouths and estuaries. I would assume that the
fish mistook the olive color in your fly as a mossy delight in
that they are predominantly vegetarian and do not eat small bait
fish. It should have had a very tiny mouth and faint dark stripes
running down its sides. Their tails are forked and are usually a
little yellow in color. I hear they run like you say... I have a
friend I correspond with on the subject who lives in Africa. He is
convinced we can take these fish on flies if patient. He has sent
me some good articles. If any one is interested I can forward them
to you. I would submit that the mullet is the ultimate challenge
for socal FF Congratulations Bob!!!

re: Mullet on the fly... Eric Suchman 5:35 am thursday july 5, 2001

Doug, I wouldn't mind being sent a copy of the mullet articles,
too. Is your friend in Africa 'zulu' on the boards?

re: Mullet on the fly... doug 3:08 pm thursday july 5, 2001

I will send... I believe he does go by 'zulu'... Great Guy!

re: Mullet on the fly... stoatstail 6:09 pm friday july 6, 2001

I'm having similar problems with Mullet off the UK coast. They
are all around me in the surf and the estuarys: won't take
anything. I've had one (3lb 8oz) and it went like hell on a #9
outfit.

If you've got any articles or advice, please please PLEASE email
me a copyn and save my sanity.

Regards,
Steve

re: Mullet on the fly... Eric Suchman 5:36 am saturday july 7, 2001

Get in touch with Nick Hart there in the UK. His address
isnick@hartflyfishing.demon.co.uk He guides people on
mullet excursions. (as well as other fish, I'm sure)

re: Mullet on the fly... bob k 8:14 pm saturday july 7, 2001

thanks doug,

i'm sure it was a total fluke.....but, wow!! that mullet was fun
and i hope to do it again.

bob k

re: Mullet on the fly... Doug 8:29 am sunday july 8, 2001

All part of the fun!!!!!!

re: Mullet on the fly... David Potter(zulu) 0:46 am friday september 7, 2001

Sorry to note that you folks are seeming to struggle to come into
contact with the mullet there on fly . I have been looking at
localities accross the world where mullet are caught on fly - it
seems that quite a number are fished on fly in South Africa ,
also Australia , as well as in the Atlantic at the
Canaries ,Britain, and around Gibraltar, and these are sometimes
differing species . Then again some species , such as Mugil
cephalus , which are apparently found worldwide.
I have found a good website where many of the species are
discussed in detail , and it seems that mullet eat about the same
things just about everywhere in the world .My concern is why some
folk in some countries can catch them on fly , while others
cannot.
Have a look at the website below and please refer back on what
various species of mullet you encounter there in So.California.I
will be most interested It seems that one gets about the broadest
range of worldwide species if you use the "contains , and
then "mullet"
http://www.fishbase.org/search.cfm
very kind regards - David Potter (aka zulu)

Carlsbad Beach Report Eric Suchman 5:41 am thursday july 5, 2001

Got to Encina at around 5:45am to find parking already
beginning to get scarce. The flats in front of the power plant
had corbina all around eating I don't know what as there
were no sand crabs to be seen, and they didn't seem to be
interested in my flies either. Left casting practice at 8:00
am. Bob, did you get out? How did you do?

re: Carlsbad Beach Report bob k 4:05 pm saturday july 7, 2001

eric,

i will be going out early sunday morning around 0600, power plant
area...are you fishing tomorrow?? if so, lets hook up, i would
like to see how you veterans go about this!!

bob knox

re: Carlsbad Beach Report Eric Suchman 7:52 pm saturday july 7, 2001

            See you there-Eric

float tubing harbor bill 10:51 am saturday july 7, 2001

For you guys just getting started in the salt like myself, you
should try throwing #6 olive/tan clousers inside the harbor from
a float tube. I fish paralel with the jetties about 30' off.
Cast out and let the fly sink then fast 4" strips. Nailed two
halibut,two flounder yesterday in a couple of hours.
When the surfs up or you just get frustrated give it a try.
Those sand bars along the jetties hold some big flatties.

re: float tubing harbor Andrew 1:28 pm saturday july 7, 2001

Bill,

Four of us fished Doheny beach, right there next to the harbor,
this morning for a few hours. Compared to the beaches I'm used to
fishing, I didn't like it. It seems to me the sand is very coarse,
or in some places, downright rocky, and the surf was really rough.
The waves were breaking right at the water's edge, meaning we
couldn't wade in at all and for the most part, the beach seemed to
have little structure - just one long, mean-looking wave.

Is this how it typically is there, and if so, how do you fish it?
Do you ever fish those rocky areas? I lost about 4 flies and had
no fish to show for it. Between the other three guys I was with,
they got one small perch, one small halibut, one small sand bass,
and a snagged mullet.

Andrew

Bad area there bill 9:32 am monday july 9, 2001

You're right about the rocky shoreline. I never fish that area.
At low tide you can really see how rocky it is with no pools to
hide in. I usually fish another couple of mile South of D.P.
Harbor. Mostly fish inside the Harbor from my float tube.

re: float tubing harbor gordon 10:13 pm sunday july 8, 2001

Which harbor?

re: float tubing harbor Shane Chung 5:20 pm monday july 9, 2001

Which jettie were you float tubing (Dana Harbor?), the big one or
the small one. I usually fish around the bait receiver and the
channel next to it. I have done fairly decent on halibut.
Clousers of various colors seems to work really good for me. The
Bass fishing should be going full stride right now. The spotties
are very fiesty. They seem to put up a fight twice their size.

Shane

re: float tubing harbor bill 12:38 pm tuesday july 10, 2001

Shane,
The jetty by the bait receiver. I've been fishing it on the
incoming tide from the "dogleg" off the S/W/C/O the receiver out
to almost the end of the short jetty. There's a nice sand bar
built up there about 20-30' off the jetty. All the bait fishers I
see there throw their lines way past it and get very little. The
halibut are up pretty close to the jetty.
There is a killer sand bar along the long jetty right now that's
got to have some big flatties hanging around. It probably runs a
couple hundred yards. After some surgery this week I plan on
working that area to see what it holds.

re: float tubing harbor Shane Chung 8:27 am wednesday july 11, 2001

Let me know when you head out again. I'm doing Newport Harbor
this weekend. I plan on hitting Dana next Thursday. The tide
bottoms out in the early morning. Hopefully I can fish a good
length of the big jettie. Use to fish the sea side of the big
jettie as a kid and did well.

Shane

San Diego Jeff 3:02 pm saturday july 7, 2001

I visit the San Diego area about 3 times a year. I'm looking for
some good saltwater flyfishing areas. I heard Mission bay is
pretty good. Can it be wade fished or do you need a boat. I'll
be there in September next. Any comments would be appreciated.
Thanks,
Jeff

re: San Diego Eric Suchman 7:55 pm saturday july 7, 2001

Jeff,
generally you will need a skiff. there are areas to surf cast
but not as many or as productive. check out the SD flyshop,
Peter or Jeff.
-Eric

re: San Diego Doug 6:42 pm monday july 9, 2001

Theres a really good article in "California Fly Fisher" April
2001 on f/fishing the San Diego area complete with maps! If you
cant find it, email me and I'll send you the highlights. Cheers :)
Doug

Ventura area flyfishing JDP 9:21 pm sunday july 8, 2001

Spent a couple of hours in the surf tonight at La Conchita.
Tried several different flies/color combos without much luck.
Landed only one small perch. I did see a nice sized corbina
just minutes after starting casting but no luck getting him to
take a fly.
Anyone else fishing the area and doing any good.
Thanks to all those posting reports.
JDP

re: Ventura area flyfishing Doug 7:07 am monday july 9, 2001

The Ventura / Oxnard area is my "home water" and I try to f-fish
the area once a week and most times I do pretty well. Gremmie
like flies in orange and hot orange, Timms beach butterfly, olive
and white clousers and mole crab patterns work very well for
perch, halibut and the occasional corbina. Even though there are
good numbers of corbina up here they seem to be more difficult to
catch then down south (with a few exceptions) A lot of your
success will depend on matching your tactics to the location your
fishing and the tidal conditions.
I'll be up there this Thursday and Friday if you want to try to
hook up. (e-mail me) Hope that helps... Tight Lines! Doug

re: Ventura area flyfishing Darin 9:02 pm monday july 9, 2001

Doug,
Thanks for the tips. I would really like to catch up with you at
one of the local beaches if you dont mind sharing some tips.
I'm heading out of town on Thursday and Friday so this week is
out. Maybe next week.
Thanks,
Darin

Fishing RJ's Tuesday AM ? Doug 11:28 am monday july 9, 2001

Any one up for hitting The Santa Ana Rivermouth tomorrow AM
Early?

re: Fishing RJ's Tuesday AM ? Don Collins 2:00 pm monday july 9, 2001

Hi Doug,

I am a reader of this web site. I have never posted but I fish the
river jetty area Tues and Thurs mornings, I would love to me you
and exchange some tactical information. I will try to be there
between 6:30 and 7:00. Let me know your plans.

Don Collins

re: Fishing RJ's Tuesday AM ? Shane Chung 5:15 pm monday july 9, 2001

Early?

If I can drag my butt out of bed I will see you there. I will be
wearing a blue hat. I can hit the beach for a couple of hours
before work. I will try to get there by 6am.

Shane

re: Fishing RJ's Tuesday AM ? richard 8:05 pm monday july 9, 2001

Hey Shane

I fished RJ's Sat morning, sorry I missed you. You didn't miss
too much. 2 halibut, 2 croaker, 1 perch, 4 foul hooked smooth
hound sharks.
I fished today for only 45 mins, but was able to pick up a 26"
halibut. Lots of corbina.

How you Tues guys do? bill 12:45 pm tuesday july 10, 2001

How's bout a report.

re: How you Tues guys do? / never made i Shane Chung 1:14 pm tuesday july 10, 2001

I actaully had to go into work early. I basicly would have had
to leave once my rod was strung up. The surf was to bottom out a
7:18am, so tide wise it should have been promising. Last Sat. I
lost a good size halibut and spooked a few Corbina in about a
1.5' of water. Other than that the action was so, so.

Shane

re: How you Tues guys do? / never made i Doug 7:19 pm tuesday july 10, 2001

At first light I hooked into a really nice halibut in the 10-12lb
range. It took me well into my backing instead of the normal dog
fight. After about 15 min and several runs I worked it up to the
shallows within about 10' of me and it came un-buttoned... just
as well :) About 10 min later I picked up one of my biggest
corbina ever in the same slot. The corbina hammered the fly on
the take (I don’t remember having one do that before) then it
took off for a long run. I was thinking striper for a min
there :0
Don showed up (great guy by the way) and we caught a few more
short halibut before the tide bottomed out.
Later in the afternoon I fished Belmont Shores and picked up 12
small halibut to about 14". It felt great to get into some good
fish after seeing everyone else posting!!! Anyway… next time
Shane! Tight Lines! Doug

re: How you Tues guys do? / never made i Andrew Stoehr 9:48 am wednesday july 11, 2001

Doug,

How was the surf at Belmont Shores? When I fished there down
towards the end of the peninsula, there was a deep trough right at
the water's edge which made for some large breakers and frustrating
fishing. I fished farther up, maybe near Cherry Ave (?) where it
was calmer, but didn't have any luck. I also never saw any crabs.
This was a few months ago, though, so I'm not sure what it's like
right now.


Andrew

re: How you Tues guys do? / never made i Doug 12:07 pm wednesday july 11, 2001

I fished inside Alamitos Bay at a place I'm hesitant to mention ;)
because it was shown to me by someone. Its a small area and could
easily be over fished. (Its the same place where I caught the
corbina on the home page, hint...) There are a lot of places
around there that are worth exploring. You could stumble upon the
spot without much trouble or maybe find a new and better one.
Tight Lines! Doug

re: How you Tues guys do? / never made i Don 10:26 am wednesday july 11, 2001

one 10- 12 lber. lost, but one of those short halibut looked to me
to be about 20+ inches. It was really nice meeting the "Fliflicker"
if any of you have a chance to fish with him, do it, it will be a
rewarding experience. Hope to see you out there again.
Don

carlsbad report 7-11 bob k 9:41 pm wednesday july 11, 2001

fished ponto beach this morning for a few surf perch. only one
corbina seen. i used a sand crab pattern for the perch and an
olive clouser for nothing!! you guys with the great reports on
the corbina are making me wonder what i'm doing wrong.

i'll keep at it, because even a bad day fishing is better
than....

bob k

sat evening? gordon 9:45 pm wednesday july 11, 2001

anyone want to fish sat evening? Location is optional (I'm
willing to try anything reasonable)

re: sat evening? Doug 10:04 pm friday july 13, 2001

Wish I could... Have a great time!

map? gordon 9:48 pm wednesday july 11, 2001

Just an idea. A map on this site with some "hotspots" in both
surf and harbors would be really cool (not to mention
appreciated by us newbies who are still trying to figure out
where to go)

re: map? Andrew 9:48 am thursday july 12, 2001

Gordon,

In my limited experience, the location of the beach or bay is not
what makes the main difference between who is catching fish and who
isn't. The main difference is where you're fishing on the specific
beach at that specific time, and this type of "hot spot" will
change from day to day. The best thing you can do to increase your
odds of catching fish is to get better at reading the water so you
know where, on a given stretch of beach, the fish are likely to be
or not be. Of course, fishing the right periods of the tide is
also important. My opinion is that these two things are more
important than all of the other factors (such as flies, lines,
stripping style, etc. which can be important, but of secondary
importance).

If you can, fish with (or watch) somebody who catches fish. But,
the other thing is just to pay attention to what's going on when
you do and do not catch fish yourself, and try to keep doing the
right things. Until you catch fish, it can be frustrating because
you have no idea what you're doing wrong, but once you start
catching a few fish, you have some real "data" to work with. Since
you're catching fish, you're on your way. I'm no pro, but I
usually catch fish and this has been my approach.


That said, get your California map out and locate Black's beach and
Torrey Pines in San Diego, San Clemente, Crystal Cove and Doheny
Beaches farther north, Belmont and Cherry Beaches near Long Beach,
Newport and Huntington Beaches, Seal Beach, Bolsa Chica, Manhattan,
Torrance, Redondo Beaches near LA, Will Rogers, Zuma, Broad Beach
around Malibu, and Leo Carillo north of there. I have either
caught fish, have friends who have caught fish, or at least know
that fly fishers catch fish, at all of these beaches. There's more
beach listed here than you could cover in years of fishing, and I'm
sure Doug and those farther north near Santa Barbara and Ventura
could add even more.

re: map? fliflicker 6:53 am monday july 16, 2001

Andrew makes a really good point. I've had some really lousy
days,
results wise, fishing the best places I know. I also have had
some
of my best days fishing new water that others have passed over.
Learning what to look for on any beach can often produce
surprising results. Thinking of rips, troughs, transitions,
structure and the like as "hot spots" rather than locations on a
map, will allow you to be successful on almost any beach. That
being said, starting out fishing a location that has been known
in
the past to produce consistently can be a good thing. Especially
if you are considering what it is that makes that location a good
one. That's how most people learn...
The posting of maps has other complications associated with it.
To be honest, I laid awake the night you posted for several hours
thinking about how it could or should be done. I decided it may
be
a good idea but I would have to think about it more.
I rolled over and noticed it was 4:30 AM and did the math: Lets
see... its light enough to fish at 5:30... 10 min. to get
dressed... 45 min to the cove... 5 min. to rig up... Work is 10
min. from the water... gotta be there by 7:30 that gives me an
hour and 50 min. of fishing... Better get up!
Tight Lines! Doug

re: map? bob k 3:07 pm friday july 13, 2001

great advice andrew and doug...even tho i havent done as well as
i would like in the surf yet, i am brand new at this type of
flyfishing. i remember how lon