Went out camping on the coast this weekend. Left Vacaville friday afternoon(after catching some nice putah trout in the am) and in 1 1/2" hours and 40 degrees colder we arrive on the coast. Sweet.
Brought the fly rod and got into some good surf perch action. Wans't sure what to expect as I usually fish for perch in late winter and thru spring. But there was some quality to be caught as well as the small ones I was expecting. We got decent numbers of barred perch and walleyes this time. Tried casting flies for rockfish at low tide but that wasn't easy as I need to find some more accesible spots in the rocks. All in all good times and lots of fun casting into the surf the one thing is ya never know what your gonna catch out there.
A few things though: Where do you go , what flies do you use and what weight rod is the best? (do you have to use a different kind of line for sal****er?)
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Fishin the beach is always a blast. I usually go over to dillon beach. But you can catch them on any beach. alot of people fish futher south on the coast for them. as for a rod i think like 5wts on up to whatever. depends on the conditions I use a 9 wt. for me the heavier the better its nasty out there in the wind, i usually throw heavy heavy flies with intermediate sinking line. I havent really tried many techniques but this seems to work for me most of the time. people use shooting heads out there too. the zen worm and a surf miki are my favorite flies for perch. if you want all the info go to zenflyfishing.com dude doesnt fish much anymore but he gives up some really really good info. its pretty much how i learned read his site some and just went out there and dit it. oh and you must be "zenlike"
Sounds like alot of fun surf fishing with a flyrod. I've fished quit a bit up around wrights beach, But that was with bait, Always catch alot of fish, surf perch, various rockfish, some really nice lingcod, leopard sharks, small halibut, and even a few nice dungeness crabs. The halfmoon bay area is also good, Especially for rockfish.
Hi Matt, It reads like you had a lot of fun. Those surf perch can be fun on light tackle. I have read some of the articles written by the "zen" dude. He used to go out with a 3 weight.
I prefer using sinktips or integrated shooting heads. The lines are much easier to cast. They get down below the wave action, too.
I use my 6 weight rod since it has a corrosion resistant reel seat. I'm sure my 5 weight would be fun though. I would take my 8 weight if I were fishing for Stripers at Pacifica (one of these days I will do that).
For those who haven't fished the surf before, clean your tackle with fresh water once you are done fishing. That salt water can reek havok on the metal parts.
Yeah right a 3wt. Conditions would have to be pretty prime for a 3 wt. like no wind. I use that old 9 wt. rod cus its tough and can take some abuse I would like to get a a long 6 wt. for the surf. maybe a 10 footer. I know some guys are using spey rods out there. One guy caught a 47" white sea bass last week fly fishing for perch down south. it's on kiene's board in the salt water section. sweet looking fish. I really want to fight a striper in the surf too. I havent done it yet but am gonna one of these days.
When I read that article, my first thought was "WTF." As you noted, conditions need to be just right for it. Switch rods have become really popular for surf fishing. At 11ish feet, the rod definitely has an advantage. One of my friend uses a 7 weight switch rod with a 9 weight Rio Outbound line. I saw that picture on Kiene's site. That was an impressive fish.
Next time I go down there, I will take my 11 foot 6 weight switch rod. I'm going to use a 300 grain integrated shooting head with it.
I dont know the three weight might work in coves along the pacific coast which are very common a little farther up north. I snorkle up there and though coves would not appear to hold big fish they sure as heck do... I mean some absolute monsters. They follow the tide in and after feeding rest in the cove for a few hours travel out to sea. I have also found the big ones feeding in the coves and watched them wondering how they would hold up on my 4 weight. I think the 3 weight is totally possible.. my best advice is to ask divers you pass on the coast roads where a few coves are. They have seen the whole coast and know some great spots for fly fishing.
Best surf perch action I've ever had by far was out at the farralons, Was A bit surprised to see em out there, There were huge rubberlips that easily went a couple pounds. Also would be easy pickins on black rockfish on a flyrod if you were to chum em up, I've seen em feed on squid right on the surface. Of course if your not expereinced at that kinda thing you better stay away.
