Los Angeles Coastal Report

6/16/2024

OMG – Time is flying by! I am so behind posting and for that I apologize! The inshore fishing has been nothing short of outstanding. LA Wall has given up quality Calico Bass and Sand Bass. Marina Del Rey has had a great Spotted Bay Bass bite. The key to success has been the early morning gray light start as the fish are on the move – get a little tide with it and hang on!

Tight Lines,

speed model

smiles all day

Spottie time

Nice one for Mike

2/11/2024

Back on the water with good friend and legendary angler, Al Q. He is one fishy dude! Fly Tier, Author, Casting Instructor, Lecturer, World Class fisherman and all around great guy! “Q” (as we call him) has been a big influence on my fishing and learning. Always fun to share a boat with him and bounce ideas back and forth.

Water was cold and between rain storms so not ideal. We got a few Calico Bass for a few hours in the AM and called it a day – Still Great morning on the water.

Tight Lines,

“Q” doing what he does best – Catch Fish

Cold in the early morning

One for me as well.

1/27/2024

Such a please to get Kesley and Scott back out on the water! We were having an early Birthday for Kesley and of course she wanted to fish, those of you who know her, it’s her favorite thing to do!

It was between storm and the water was a little off but we scratched fish all morning long. Scott got a nice 4.5 lb. Calico Bass. So much fun with two amazing people.  Stories galore about trips, fish and travel.

Tight Lines,

Kesley with a nice Wall Calico Bass

12/17/2023

Once again did a bit of Solo Fishing and stopped at one of my late wife’s favorite spots, San Pedro Light House. Always a go to spot in the dark. Lots of big Calico Bass cruise this area in the low light.  Got a couple of big hits, but could not stop them on the Sage 8wt Grace Rod. We call them the “Oh Shit” fish! Always trying…..

Ended up with a few really nice Sand Bass and amazing sunrise – God is good..

Tight Lines,

Good Morning

Nice one on the Sage 8wt Grace Rod.

12/9/2023

Made a solo run out this morning honoring Lori Ann and fishing her Pink “Casting for Recovery” rod. Got a few good ones and landed a big Sand Bass! All the time I was fighting the big bass I was talking to my late Anglerette! Fun morning with great connection.

Tight Lines,

Sand Bass

Big Sand Bass on the “Pink Rod”

Big One

Early morning grab

11/24/2023

AS we head into the fall / winter – just a quick recap of Capt. Vaughn Podmore and my trip to the Delta. We had the pleasure and fun of fishing with both Capt. Steve Santucci and John Sherman! Let me tell you, this was a master class on deep insight in fishing Stripe Bass in the Delta.

Good catching, great friend, lessons learned – so ready to head back up and try our new knowledge.

Tight Lines,

The Boyz – Team WTF

Nice one!

Flytime – our sled..

A few Largemouth also!

10/26/2023

Had a chance to run up to the Trinity River with friends Axel and Dave. I had never fished for Steelhead on the Trinity and was looking forward to it. We were based at the Indian Creek Lodge and had Axel’s raft to take us down the river.

Spectacular water and country! fall colors coming out, cold in the AM and warm in the afternoons. Low water, so the raft was the right call. Axel and Dave spent time on the oars – I fished, LOL. Tough fishing but we caught a few. Great time with two amazing people.

Tight Lines,

9/15/2023

Friends and followers – It has been a very very tough 8 months. The love of my life has passed away after a long health battle. Those of you who know us know that Lori was my wife, best friend and fishing partner. She loved getting out on the water and casting the fly as much as I did. So many memories, so much laughter and so much love for each other, our sport and the water and outdoors. I am deeply sadden by her loss and will miss my Anglerette in the bow of the boat telling me “Just one more Cast”. I love you Lori Ann, heart and soul.

Tight Lines,

God Bless you and keep you “Love of my Life”

12/30/2022

Last post for the year my friends! Made a quick run out Christmas Day to MDR Breakwater to get a few holiday nuggets! Cold morning with a little bit of wind. Water temp had definitely dropped. Had to work the fly very slowly with lots of stop and starts.

Good news is they liked the strip! Calico Bass were doing the slow slurp and not the normal aggressive hits. Had to be ready, but come tight and hang on! Also has a Garibaldi grab a small Olive over White Clouser!

Tight lines and Merry Christmas to all,

Merry Christmas

Rare Catch indeed!

11/20/2023

Hello all! We’ve been working the local waters lately with fun fishing on the 6wt & 7wts! Lot’s of Calico Bass and small Bonito made for fun trips! Even a 100 plus fish day! Let me tell you, Bonito on a 6wt is a hoot! Water is cooling off but fishing is still great – We also see some bigger Bonito showing up at the island. Going to be a solid winter fishery for sure.

Also ran up to the Cal Delta (Bethal Island) for the Annual Simms Pro Delta Day with Capt. Vaughn Podmore. Such a great time reconnecting with old friends and making new ones. Fishing was tough this year – only small fish caught, lots of them,  but big fun was had anyway! It is always a great time when Capt. Vaughn and I get to fish together.

Tight lines all,

Little guys on the 6wts.

Great colors

Lori grabs one on a cold morning.

The watchman

Capt. Vaughn with a nice Large Mouth

Stripers in Diapers!

9/25/2023

Anniversary trip to chase giant Redfish in Biloxi Marsh with Capt. Greg Moon! What a great way to celebrate! Capt. Moon is the man in that neck of the woods. Unbelievable fishery for sure!

Lori and I had both giant Redfish and big Jack Crevalle. Both put up amazing fights and tested the equipment.  Lori’s biggest fish was landed on a 9wt Sage X with a Hatch 9 Finatic reel. Great job my wife!

Tight lines,

Smile says it all!

Huge Jack Crevalle

On a 9wt!

8/14/2022

Well folks had to get our “Fresh On” with a quick trip up to Mammoth Lake, CA for a little trout fishing. Perfect weather and great to catch up with friends up there. We did score a day with long time guide and dear friend Otis Hein out of the Troutfitter. I highly suggest a trip with him as he is one of the veteran Mammoth guides and has great stories. Lori and I had a great time on Convict Lake, Crowley Lake and the Upper Owens River. FYI – trout flies are too damn small for these old eyes…..LOL.

Crowley Lake

Nice 20 plus inch Rainbow

Upper Owens River

8/10/2022

The bite on the inshore continues to be pretty strong! The LA Wall has given up some solid fish up to 6 pounds! Fishing tight is the name of the game so add some weed guards and get in close. You may think you do not need them, but you will loose more flies in the ugly stuff.

Calico Bass, Sand Bass and Spotted Bay Bass all have been hammering the flies.

Tight Lines,

Some big, some not so much!

Doubles

Big Sand Bass

Nice Calico out of the rocks!

7/5/2022

Great summer fishing! The LA Wall had been kicking out consistent Calico Bass, Sand Bass and Spotted Bay Bass. Our biggest challenge is the wind! Starts off from the south than swings back to the north – crazy trying to hold the boat in position at times.

Leo had his birthday on the boat with us, Alan came by and spent the morning chasing a few down and Lori has been doing her thing, meaning whacking them at all the usual spots!

Tight Lines,

Smile says it all

Leo with a nice mid day Calico!

Nice Spotted Bay bass for Alan

5/25/2022

Wow, busy busy! The work thing and trying to add in some fishing to the mix makes for crazy times!

So, here you go…. Local Calico bass fishing with my wife, my annual run to Key West with Capt. Vaughn of Salty Fly Guide Service, chasing Tarpon, than up to Lower Sac for a great day of chasing Rainbows with the guys from Schug Winery.

All good here my friends,

She’s back!

Flying Tarpon

The right stuff

Chunky one!

3/19/2022

Had the pleasure of fishing with Jose from Simms, Hatch Outdoors and St Croix rods. He has been watching my post for a while and wanted to get in on some of the Calico Bass action

We decide to introduce him to the LA Wall and show him how we fish the rocks and bad neighborhoods! Thank god for weedless flies (We still lost a few)! Lots of fun and had a great bite as the tide was filling in. We had fish up to 3 pounds, no giants but great catching. I call it Saltwater Smallmouth Bass fishing!

Great guy, lots of laughs, welcome on the boat any time!

Tight Lines,

Starting off early

nice one

Little ones need love to!

Oh Yeah!

Happy Camper!

3/13/2022

Well, so much for daylight savings time…… early just got earlier! Patrick and I ran out to one of our favorites spot on the LA Wall with a nice dropping tide and began to go to work.

Patrick has only been saltwater fly fishing 4 times with today being day 4! He is quickly falling in love with the tug! He was laying down some super nice cast right on target and getting the bites!

We fish the Wall most of the tide going out, than switch inside for a few more. Super cool morning to continue to get Patrick addicted to our amazing sport.

Tight Lines,

He is so hooked!

Want some, get some!

Smile says it all.

Boooyaaaa!

3/12/2022

Solo morning out of Marina Del Rey today. Made the run up to the “Office” and went to work. What a great morning, almost a fish a cast! Nothing huge, but solid 2 to 3 pound Calico Bass.  I worked the entire section twice and decided to call it a morning.

Great sunrise, solid fishing and butter smooth water!

Tight Lines,

Fun Fun

Good Morning Mr. Calico Bass

2/9/2022

As we start the new year, fishing has been red hot and than not. It is cold at times so slowed down those retrieves and add in lots of pauses. They will hit it on the pause 8 out of 10 times.  Early morning with clouds has been epic at times.

Inshore always has a nice nice bite on Calico Bass. The LA Wall has been giving up solid fish and some real good ones at night.

Catalina Island has slowed and a few Calico Bass, a few Bonito, but it is ripe to bust wide open! Great news is the crossing have been super flat with 30 plus MPH each way!

Tight Lines,

Chunk!

In the Dark

Fun in the sun!

12/23/2021

We’d like to take this time and wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Best Fishes,

Merry Christmas to all

11/19/2021

Hello all,

Sorry for the delay in updates, We have been chasing fish in both Fresh and Saltwater. Calico Bass, Rainbow and Brown Trout to Striped Bass!

Winter Bonito action

NorCal River Striped Bass

Big one from the LA Wall

2nd cast, 2nd Big One off the LA Wall

Green River Brown

Lori gets a nice one!

Early Moring LA Wall

First saltwater fish on the fly for Patrick! Calico Bass!

7/22/20

Catching up as usual these days! It has been a great few weeks with fun catches and great folks on the boat.

Starting off with my great client and good friend, Leo. What a great day at Catalina Island! Catalina Slam – Calico Bass, Barracuda and a Yellowtail! We searched hard but could not find a Bonito! LOL

Next a fun time with Alan and his son Trip! Great anglers for sure. Such a fun day getting the 3 B’s – Calico Bass, Barracuda and Bonito!

And of course followed up with my wonderful wife and I chasing some quality Calico Bass at a local rock pile.

Tight Lines,

Leo shows how to do it!

Fun on the skinny guys

Trip hangs a nice one

So does Dad

My amazing wife

Happy Couple

6/27/2021

Made a solo run to Catalina Island this morning. Cleared the breakwater and headed across. The water was a little bumpy, not the butter smooth I had hoped for, but did not kill me….LOL. Yes, I had on my PFD and safety lanyard.

At the island fishing by 6:20 AM with a fast run across. Hit one of my favorite spots and began to work the water. Tide was just starting to move in the right direction and it began! The next 3 hours was all fun and laughs – Bonito, Barracuda, Calico Bass and Yellowtail all came to the boat! Yes folks the Catalina Island Super Slam!

Headed home early to beat the winds, but the bump was still there. Oh well, still a nice morning of fishing……..

Tight Lines,

Yelowtail

Bonito

Barracuda

6/22/2021

Man o’ Man, the season is heating up!!! We have been out each weekend since the Key’s Trip and having a blast. While the fish are not always huge, the catching, laughter and fun have been at an all time high! Here are some highlights.

Tight Lines,

Yeah Baby!

not all are giants!

Leo and Kids

Flytime Boat

5/17/2021

Fresh back from Key West with Capt. Vaughn Podmore chasing the Silver Kings – aka Tarpon! Once again we hooked up with Capt. Lenny Leonard and had a great time. Fishing was tough for the West Coast guys, but lots of fish around.

The exciting part is the last day in the early gray light I hook a beast well over a 100 pounds! With the reel screaming and I look down to tighten the drag only to realize that it was buttoned all the way! OMG! Not great photos but look at the size of her head and girth. That’s why we do this!

Tight Lines,

Big Girl!

5/1/2021

Happy May day!

Well folks we start the “fun season” off with a bang! Fishing is turning on and there are some good Bonito at Catalina Island, the local Calico Bass have been on the chew! We are going to be off to Key West to do our annual Tarpon trip fishing with Capt. Lenny Leonard, I highly recommend that you try and fish with Capt. Lenny if you are in the Key West area – amazing guide! We’ll be back on the local water late May so let’s grab a date and fish!

Teasers……

This is it!

Tight Lines,

3/21/2021

Just got back Flytime from the shop where she was getting a little love and annual engine service. So was time to hit the water and get some fishing in.

Lori and I headed out to the LA Wall and see who was home. First stop was the LA Lighthouse and man, that as the right call. Lori hit a couple of good ones right off the bat with a couple of solid Calico Bass. We knew the winds were going to be at gale force by afternoon so we called it early. Great Day on the ater my friends.

Tight Lines, 

Lori gets in done – Sage “Grace Rod” Casting for Recovery

Nice One!

Love these guys!

2/20/21

Just a quick run out to the Marina Del Rey Wall. Swell was a bit too much to venture outside so I worked the inside sections a a handful of Calico Bass.

The wind was going to pick up early and yes it did! Right on time at 9:00 AM! from calm to howling! Off the water at 9:15 – ready for breakfast.

Tight lines,

Gold Nuggets

Here’s looking at you!

2/18/2021

Last few months have been on again and off again with various cold fronts and rain coming through. Just when we begin to get a steady bite the water rolls over. Here is a assortment of offerings from Marina del Rey as well as the LA wall

Tight lines,

Yeah Baby!

Night Time is the right time!

Cold hot there….

Scott with a nice one

Al Q on the first light bite

12/13/2020

Tough  times – Covd-19 has it all of us hard. Thank god we are doing well and keep our heads above water. Everyone needs to keep the social distance, wear mask and wash your hands constantly.

The fishing remains consistent and very very fun! Lots of Bonito on the fly at Catalina Island. The LA Wall has slowed but fishing the dark or over night has resulted in some great catches of bigger Calico Bass. Down size those rods and fish the Spotted Bay Bass on the inside and have a blast!

Tight Lines and Happy Holidays,

Let’s get out there!

Our boat

Love the Catalina Blue Clouser

8/24/2020

Wow! Where has the summer gone? We have had several weeks of turned over and cooled water on the inshore that either has fishing red hot or sooooooooo slow. Once again our focus has been the MDR / Santa Monica bay or the LA Harbor / Palos Verde areas. Over all the July and August bite is solid with may fish in the 3 to 6 pound range for Calico Bass and Sand Bass.

Leo, Lori, David, Amie and other all have been having some pretty darn good days on the water with me. Had a few folks from back east and once again they compared the wall to small mouth fishing in the lakes, only these pull harder!

Capt. Vaughn of Salty Fly Guide Service has been on a tear over at Catalina with some very impressive Yellowtail also.

Tight Lines,

6/26/2020

June has been a really good month so far, weather has been a bit up and down with mourning winds and some bump in the channel for a Catalina crossing. A bit much for a 18ft boat and coming back in the afternoons! This has had us mainly fishing the inshore harbors – LA Wall, MDR Wall and LA Inner Harbor. Not to worry as we have had plenty of fish to pull on the lines and put smiles on our faces.

Calico Bass, some big Sand Bass, Spotted Bay Bass, Sculpin, Barracuda and even a few odd ones like Kelp Wrasse!

One never knows what will be in the salt! Tug is the drug!

Tight lines,

5/23/2020

So we have been out each week grabbing a few here and there. LA Harbor has been our spot, but fishing more of the inside walls.

Horrible Red Ride has been in our waters for several weeks and not a very welcoming site. The good news was we found cleaner water for some great fishing! 7wt and 8wt were the ticket.

Tight Lines,

Nice calico Bass

Lori with here Sage Grace Rod

Nice inner harbor Calico

Lori and her new throne..

4/15/2020

Ok folks – with social distancing and stay at home orders it has been tough to fish with anyone! So lots of time to tie flies and of course get out solo. Fishing has been good – nothing epic yet, but still getting some fresh air and having the boat to myself is pretty cool also.

I have been out a few hours here and there, just enough to keep my mind straight – I do not run or hike, I fish! So I practice my social distancing by being first at the ramp – get on the water early and by myself, fish for a few hours and come it. Drive home, clean up the boat and be done for the day – all the while staying away from people.

Stay safe my friends,

So begins the day

Love these fish!

3/22/2020

Once again, following the Los Angeles County’s direction with regards to social distancing, Lori and I decide the LA Wall was the right place to be. 9 Miles of Wall means we did not have to share with anyone! Lori in the bow and me in the back (as usual…..) we headed out to the Long Beach portion. Tough wind blowing straight from the south and up the wall made for fast drifts, a bit too fast. We grab fish all morning long, but spent a lot of time on the trolling motor adjusting our position. Calico Bass, Sand Bass, Opal Eye and Spotted Bay Bass all came out to play.

Straight home to wash and clean the boat, no contact other than my wonderful wife and fishing partner!

Tight Lines my friends,

Lori getting it done!

Tug is the drug!

3/21/2020

Early solo run out to the MDR wall this morning. Practicing that social distancing thing and needing a bit of fresh air. Spent last week temporarily laying off 700 staff dues to COVID – 19 here in Los Angeles and the order to close all of our restaurants. Tough for many many people.

I got a chance to see the sunrise, grab a few fish and smell the salt air. I feel a bit nervous on what the next few months hold in store, but slightly optimistic.

Tight Lines my friends,

Rep your water! Calico Bass

3/8/2020

With weather and wind we hit the Marina Del Rey break wall this morning in the dark. We found a few biter, nothing huge, but a few willing takers! Fishing in the dark is a bit spooky and exciting at the same time. Good friend and fly tier Jon was the hot stick – as usual…. Seem like he puts on a clinic the last few trips. Might be time to trade him in…. actually great to have him on the boat!

Early morning, few fishes, great sunrise and checked out a few places – tide was topping out as we called it quits.

tight lines,

Early morning session

2/8/2020

We fished Catalina Island today with great success and great challenges. The Bonito were on the feed and we had immediate hook up of a quality grade of fish. The Challenge part is that seals or “dogs” as we refer to them were on us straight away! We went 1 for 8 in getting fish to the boat finally having to move around a bit to get away from them. The spot that was red hot was also dominated by the “dogs”!

We still end the day with some screaming reels, bent rods and beautiful fish, but it required some driving to avoid the being bitten off.

Tight Lines,

So fun and fast!

8wt and this equals big fun

This is what you get after the seals…

1/5/2020

Started the new year off right fishing my favorite client, my wife Lori Ann! We decides to sleep in just a bit, but hit the Marina del Rey wall for a few grabs. Lori got bit hard and had a heck of a battle on her hands and landed a 4 + pound Sand Bass on her 8wt Sage Grace Rod (celebrates Cancer Survivors). Now this is how you start off the new year! There is some great fishing to be had all year and winter time is no exception. Just bundle up a bit and get out there!

Tight Lines,

Happy New Year!

Opal Eye on the fly!

9/15/2019 thru 12/31/2019

As we continue through the fall both local and Catalina Island still kicking out some great bites! Yellowtail, Barracuda, Bonito and Calico Bass all have been tearing up the flies! Sept and October fished real well everywhere.

Capt. Vaughn Podmore and I did our annual run up to the Delta for the Simms Pro Days Event – in the first part of November. We had the pleasure of fishing with Capt. Steve Santucci on Friday and on our own the other days. Just have to call it, OUTSTANDING. Not the giants we wanted but lot and lots of fish to hand.

We finished out December with solid SoCal winter fishing!

Tight Lines,

Winter time Bonito

I got a few too….

Catalina Yellowtail!

Happy Camper I was….

Baby it is cold outside!

Here piggy piggy…

Start the Day…..

Catching the Jail Birds

A few of these too….

The Man…

Lori grabs a nice one!

Oh my……. now that is a good one!

8/3 thru 9/8/2019

What and amazing summer! Inshore has been on fire at all the local spots, Santa Catalina Island has been kicking out Yellowtail, Barracuda and still a few Bonito thrown in. As most of the time the Calico Bass on the Rock Walls have been very consistent and eager to grab the fly.

Lori and I did a quick get away up to the Redding / Burney area for some amazing Trout fishing as well. We fished the Lower Sacramento, The Fall River (with private access) and Baum Lake. Awesome young guide, Kayla Katayama from Her Water Fly Fishing took great care of us and it was a great experience for Lori to have a female guide.

Lori gets it done as always! That’s my Anglerette!

Guide Kayla Katayama

Happy Couple

Such a beautiful place

5/1 thru 7/21/2019

OK, all you anglers out there – It has been a fun filled May & June. May had many local trips and even our annual trip to Key West to chase Tarpon! Landed two and even got one of my long time clients, Leo, to make the trip and he got his first Tarpon! Outstanding! Next was a short trip to Annapolis to chase Striped Bass. Over 100 fish in two days! Only issues was nothing over 5 pounds. No complaints here my friends.

Local waters are heating up nicely, Calico Bass are on the chew, Yellowtail are making the scene over at Catalina Island along with a nice group of Barracuda!

Hooked up on a Chesapeake Striped Bass

Lots of this size – fishing 7wts

Oh hell yeah!

Got to Love the LA Wall!

Lori getting it done as always!

4/21/2019

I finally had a chance to get back out with Leo this weekend. I have fished with Leo for over 25 years! As a matter of fact, he and I are going to be fishing in Key West in a couple of weeks also. Let’s hope the weather is better than this day, as it was cold and overcast.
We hit the LA Harbor in the dark as normal and tide was low and just starting to fill back in when we launched. Very cold morning had us bundled up and a breeze was already blowing. No mater, off we went. Water was 56.8 degrees on the meter, that is down right cold for April. It was almost 59 degrees a week ago, but temps dropped.
Fishing was slow and you really had to slow down your retrieve. The fish were only moving a tad to grab the flies. A lot of stop and drop. Got a few, tons of laughter, we even threw the 11wt method tarpon rod for practice.
Tight Lines,

we got a few this size

Leo gets going and grab a few

Add in a few more this size too!

4/7/2019
What an amazing morning! I had the pleasure of having my friend Greg of Sierra Nets out today. Greg is the builder of  premier hand crafted fishing nets that are just as much art as they are function. Truly a craftsman beyond compare! We headed out in the dark as we usually do. First stop and we pick up a few, next thing you know Greg is into a good one! Couple if time he says he thinks its the bottom, I say hell no your rod is bucking! After a bit up come a fat 4.5lb Calico Bass. This fish was Greg’s personal best Calico Bass and glad I could be the one to put him on the fish.

The day continued and a short time later, Greg get another good bite, this time it is a beautiful Sculpin! For those who may not know these fish have poisonous spines! California Scorpion Fish is the real name. What a great day with a good friend.

Tight Lines,

Heading out to work…..

Happy Camper

Look but do not touch!

4/1/2019
Just finished a great weekend fishing our local waters. Had Tim and Tiffany out from Chicago working the LA Wall after trying to head to Catalina only to find the crossing conditions a bit rougher than we had hoped for. Started off with a steady pick of Calico Bass in the gray light and looked to be a solid day, but we did start to have the wind come up and made for a tough mid day. Both anglers were amazing folks and great fishermen. Hope to see them again in the future.
Next day was Jon out for a quick morning session at the  MDR Wall. Once again we hit it in the dark as the tide would max out at 7:30 high. Solid bite started the day and topped off with Jon grabbing a 5lb plus Calico – big fish on and 8wt rod for sure. Cut is short right after high tide and went to have breakfast with the wife.
Tight Lines,

Tiffany starting it off

Tim grabs a nice one too!

Jon gets this 5lb plus on this cast…

And this on the very next cast…..

3/28/2019
Well here we go with a bunch of catch up once again. We have been out both inshore (LA Wall & PV) as well as at Catalina Island. Fishing has been excellent and down right tough at times. We had a spell of really cold water, I mean mid 50’s. On the good news, our water is warming up and fish are biting. You may have heard, but we have a few fly guys hitting the LA Harbor at night and pulling on some big fish. We’ll be doing the same as it warms up just a tad. Dress in layers as it is cold in the AM and if the sun peeks out, it is beautiful!
On another note, I ran up to the Fly Show in Pleasanton CA, but stopped at San Luis Reservoir to fish with Capt. Steve Santucci – what a treat! Amazing guide and all around super person. I learn so much and the lake was spectacular.
Tight Lines,

Fishing the Sage Bass II Rod

Fat Sandie

This is how you start the day!

Pacific Speedster in full color

San Luis Res with Capt Santucci before Fly Show

1/28/2019
Wow, what a day! Bunch of the gang was going to make the run to Catalina Island. I was first out and decided to hit the Lighthouse prior to heading across – it was a Calico Bass per cast on the out going tide! Nothing huge, but all solid fish. The San Pedro Lighthouse is my church on Sunday mornings and this morning I was blessed with an amazing image of her. She has been very good to me and my clients over the years so I share this picture with all of you today.
Jon show up with his son in their Parker 21 and off we went. Flat clam, 35 MPH plus! It was a 40 minute run to the island. The fish were where we thought and first cast had one come tight. Reel was screaming  and the fight was on! Bonito will give you a work out on your 9wtSage Method fly rod. This fish was all over the place, so much so that he alerted a seal near by the he was hooked! Now that is not a good thing, I did my best to get him in prior to the seal showing up, but failed. My first fish ended up being breakfast for a dirt bag seal. Fishing was tough with way too many seals, but the fish are there and had some great hook up and battles.
Tight Lines,

My morning

Fat 5 lber!!

1/24/2019
Rain rain go away! SoCal got hit with Rain, wind, rough oceans and bays which kept us guessing and off the water. Throw in a quick trip up north to visit grandson on his first b-day, keeps me not fishing. Still squeezed in a few here and there. Back out this weekend and things look good!
Tight Lines,

Rain time is tying time!

Hungry and fast!

Got a few of these at the New Year!

Every day should start this way!

12/8/2018
Jon and I headed out on a chilly early morning. We found a bit more wind than we wanted and at a bad angle. When winds come directly offshore it pushes us on to the LA Wall and is a bit tougher to hold the boat properly – even with the spot lock on the trolling motor the boat would swing and one of us would not have a good angle to fish. Really kept me on the controls most of the time.
Had a few here and there, nothing huge, but so much fun running around our home water. Jon did one of the more unusual species – a Leaf Fish! The Kelp fish in keen on living and hiding in kelp as you can see why.
Tight Lines,

“Leaf me alone” Leaf Fish

11/30/2018
Out three time the last couple of weeks – first week fishing was a bit slow as the water was dirty from run off – we than had a couple days of great LA Breakwater fishing. Some really big fish and fun times. We did loose a few and got our ass handed to us with fish taking deep into the rocks and breaking off, but sooooooo much fun!
Tight Lines,

Tight to the wall and into the kelp

11/15/2018
Well folks it was time for our annual run up to the California Delta for the Simms Pro Day event. Capt. Vaughn and I headed up on Friday 11/9 and was on the water by noon catching fish, Striped Bass! Saturday was the Simms Pro Day and at this event we get to see new product, mix will fellow guides and listen and participate in numerous seminars. Sunday was a full day of 8 plus hours hunting and catching fish. If you have never fished the California Delta it MUST be on your bucket list. Great trip with a great friend!
Tight Lines,

Cold and fishy

They hit hard and fight harder!

Solid fish for Capt. Vaughn

my best for the trip.

11/8/2018
Story of my life lately, late catching up on reports –
So lets start with Jon and I hitting Catalina on 11/3 and getting into some really nice Bonito! I am talking solid fish here, 4 to 8 pounds my friends.  These fish flat out are fast and will make your reel scream. Flat crossing and smooth each way. That early winter SoCal fishing can be amazing.
Sunday  11/4 Lori and I hit the Inshore, LA WALL and worked it for almost nothing, very very slow. Had only a few grabs and a couple of fish. The water was off color and not great movement. We know it will be back in a few days fishing great.
Tight Lines,

Jon gets it done in a big way!

Nice chunk for me

10/6/2018
So once again I find myself be tardy on keeping up with this site. Not to say there was no fishing going on, but perhaps more focused on the fishing than the reporting.
So September was a mixed bag of both Fresh Water and Saltwater. Let’s throw in a bit of October fishing as well. We will start off with Lori and my trip to the Green River in Utah the first week of September. We fished the river with Trout Creek Flies Guide Services, Boomer Stout. What an amazing time! Great fishing and so much wildlife. One of the better trips.
Next we hit a local salt for the weekend only to bounce up to Mammoth Lakes for next weekend (our 4 year Anniversary). I than had long time client, Leo,  back out for an mazing session back on the LA Wall. I also want to report that Capt. Vaughn has been having some outstanding trips over at the Island and I want to give him some shout out. Great Guy, great Capt. So that is a quick catch up and let me tell you, the fishing is still great out in our local water. Fall is a great time here is SoCal.
Tight Lines,

Lori grabs a nice Green River Brown

I got a few myself (quite a few actually!)

Lori gets it done on Crowley Lake

They are out there! Crowley Lake Mammoth

Going to work…..

This guy pulled hard!!

Fall is a great time to fish!

8/13/2018
Wow, where has the time gone! Between working my restaurants and guiding, time is flying by! I am sorry to have not posted and update so here goes.
Summer is here and so are the fish! Capt. Vaughn Podmore of Salty Fly Guide Service is killing them at the island – what a great Capt. and hell of a fisherman. Yellowtail, Bonito, Barracuda and Calico Bass all have been on tap at Catalina.
Inshore for us has been a absolute field day! Lots of Calico Bass, Sand Bass and Spotted Bay Bass are on the chew and totally hitting the flies hard. Early morning, mid day all has been good. We have fishing LA Harbor and Marina Del Rey with both area fishing very well. I am booked till late September right now as is Capt. Vaughn from what I hear. Get a boat, kayak, paddle board or float tube, but get out and fish!
Tight Lines,

Ready for the hunt

Getting it done!

I love the grabs!

8wt Rod, 16lb test, rock wall = Big fish!

Oh my god these guys pull hard!

Do not forget the Spotted Bay Bass!

7/5/2018
I just came back from an amazing back country adventure! We went 20 plus miles, 8 hours on horse back into the Golden Trout Wilderness on the upper Kern River! Spectacular to say the least. It was hard ride in as I have never done the 8 hours in a saddle before but well worth the aches and pains. My buddy Jon has done this trip many time and set it up. If you need a break from the salt scene I highly recommend this one!
Tight Lines,

Beautiful Fish

Love this place!

View from camp late afternoon

6/24/2018
Wind and Breeze – that is what they said was forecasted for today – not a great way to start the morning. Leo and I headed out and found some sheltered spots along the wall and began to pick up fish. One thing we notice today was the absence of bait along the wall. Over the past few months there was a ton of bait along the wall and fish were actively feeding on it. It was  little thin on the new Lowrance HDS9 Totalscan  today. Not the body of fish we had been seeing in the spots we know hold them. We had a fish here, a fish there, move and get another one or two. Overall still ended up with 25 plus – all small to medium – nothing big today. We’ll get them next time.
Tight Lines,

Ready for the client….

6/17/2018
Happy Father Day to all!!
I had the pleasure of fishing with my daughter and wife today. I got to play guide for my girls and enjoyed a fun filled day putting them on fish. Now you may be saying, but wait it is Father’s Day why am I not fishing, the fact is I love watching both the girls get hooked up and making them smile! That make me happy!
We had a bit of wind once again and back inside we went. It was slower than the day before but we had a steady pick and both gals had fun. My daughter was using the spinning rod and of course, Lori on the fly. I had a fantastic Fathers Day!!
Tight Lines,

The smile is priceless

Lori, doing her thing, Catching fish!

6/16/2018
I had Leo back on the water today looking to connect with his favorite fish, Calico Bass! At the launch ramp we notice the breeze already on the water and knew we may have a blustery day ahead. With that in mind Leo and I made the decision to focus on the inside along many of the piers, inside walls and cuts.
We began to catch fish as we moved through the various areas. Having Leo on the boat is always a treat, he is 100% fun! Laughs and true enjoyment no matter what the size of fish he catches. He did stick a couple of very nice fish including a 5 lb plus Calico Bass from deep in the kelp. All day long we had a stead pick and just relaxed. As we headed back to the docks the wind was howling proving that the inside was the right call.
Tight Lines

Getting it done!

6/10/2018
Back on the water with Lori today with plans for the inside LA Harbor. The swell and wind was not great for a run to Catalina Island. After we launched we made a quick run to our first stop and caught zero! Not a good sign. After a quick check of tides and time I made a run and we began to pick up fish. Although the Harbor can be easy, it does need a bit of strategy for the best opportunities.
Lori and I decide to get out of the breeze and fish the inside sections and perhaps pick up some Spotties, that is exactly what happened!  Such a fun time fishing out of the wind and in a real industrial environment – great to the fishery in good shape back in the basins. Lori had a Grand Slam on Bass today with Calicos Bass, Spotted Bay Bass and Sand Bass all in one trip! Fun day on the water, great to hear Lori yell at the fish on missed grabs, The Jersey Girl comes right out…… Caught a few, missed a few, but awesome day on the water.
Tight Lines,

Spots on the Wall… Spotted Bay Bass

5/ 14 thur 5/28
Here is a quick catch up for the last month or so…. We did our annual trip Tarpon to Key West once again fishing with Capt. Lenny Leonard. Great trip, tough fishing as we had some cloud cover all days. Hard to sight fish when you can not see, LOL. Jumped a few, had only one to the boat – big fun none the less and YES, we ae already booked for next year!
Local fishing has been either really good or really tough. This past weekend it was very good! Lots of bigger Calico and Sand Bass. We also had a day with a flurry of smaller Barracuda with over 30 fish in about 1-1/2 hours! Lori was on fire that days! She fish one fly till all she had was a few strands of bucktail left and they were still eating it!
Finally just upgraded to the new Lowrance HDS 9 Gen 3 sonar with side scan, what a big jump in technology. I than moved the HDS 8 to the front of the boat, another solid move – great images on the center console and on the bow.
Tight Lines,

Jon pulling hard on a big one!

The Beast

Love the LA Wall

Yeah, Baby, Yeah!!!

4/14/2018
We decide to try our out our new propeller and would do it out of  MDR and do a bit of fishing as well. We launch at 5:00 in the dark and headed to one of our spots. Great tide swing and fish were on the chew.  Jon went 5 fish for 5 cast, I went 3 fish for 3 cast! Now that my friend is how you start the day! I also got my ass handed to me by a big fish that morning similar to what happened to Jon on our other trip. Using 20# fluorocarbon, that fish just scraped all over the rocks before breaking the line! I check the leader and it was shredded. Oh well, that’s what keep me coming back!
Tight Lines,

Fishing the Red Hot

4/7/2018
Oh my god! Cold, Foggy and slooooooooooooow. That is the only way to describe today. We knew there would be fog, but it looked very light. We started at San Pedro and headed to the Light House. Water was cold – 56 degrees. Nothing biting, so we moved down the wall. As we got a bit further, in comes the heavy fog, I mean the thick stuff. Thanks good for my mapping on my electronics and knowing the wall and harbor. We could not see more than a few feet. Called it as it was not a good morning. We crawled back to try another day.
Tight Lines,
 
3/24/2018
Made a quick run with Jon out to MDR this morning after the wind and the rain. I needed to get my boat wet and not just from the rain! We hit it early as I had a meeting later that morning.
Right off the bat, we began to get hits! Definitely was the right idea! The water had warmed back up to 60 – 61 degrees and the fish were biting. Both Calico Bass and Sand Bass wanted to come play. Jon did get his ass handed to him by something real big, this fish hit like a truck and took us up and down the wall until the leader gave out! Upon inspection the leader was frayed from all the scrapes on the rocks below. Wow, what a hook up!
Tight Lines,

Nice Sand Bass

Early morning fun…

Eating the new Orange Clouser

3/18/2018
Had a new friend out today and wanted to show him LA Harbor. The day was cold and water temps where 56 to 57 degrees, chilly to say the least. I knew that after the rain storm and cold the Calico Bass would have lock jaw a bit.  We hit all of the usual spots and a few new ones. Nothing epic, but a steady pick here and there. called it early and still had a great time introducing someone to our backyard.
Tight Lines,

Getting after it in LA Harbor!

Cold morning

2/2018
Hello all, been hitting it off  and on between rain and wind – the bites has been sloe, but steady. working on a few new patterns with Jon and wanted to share a few.
Tight Lines,

Red Hot – weedless

The “Chovie” – weedless

Updated “Lemon Head”

1/6/2018
Time to start the New Year off right with a LA Wall trip in the early hours with good friend Jon. We have a hour or so before the bottom of the tide and knew a spot to hit. Once we got there it started to happen pretty fast. Nothing for the record books, but all solid Calico Bass2 to 3.5 pounds. These guys put a big bend in the 8wt Sage Method.
It is fun fishing in the dark / low light – and really adds to the adventure. Also need to point out we were on Jon’s boat, his 21ft Parker SE. Pretty sweet ride.
Tight Lines,

Great grab in the dark!!

Got to love the LA Wall.

12/30/2017
Well folks, this is the last trip of 2017. I had the pleasure of running across the channel with my good friend Jon and his Parker 21. The Bonito were there again and ready to play. Numerous doubles, screaming reels, lots of laughs all around.
What a great way to end 2017 but with amazing fishing right off the Los Angeles coast. You have got love California winters! We have been blessed with wonderful year of fishing. To all of you who check out this sites, THANK YOU and have a great 2018.
Tight Lines,

Last fish of 2017! Happy New Year!

12/29/2017
Getting to the end of the year and long time client Leo needed his Catalina Island fix. We headed out and took our time as there was bit of fog, Safety first folks! Once it cleared we blasted across the channel at over 30 MPH. Quick stop in Avalon for a quick photo of the Casino all lit up for the holidays than off to our first spot.
We fish one section all morning with amazing results. Bonito were there ready yo eat! Screaming reel and smiles all around. Fish ran from 3 to 4 pounds all the up to 8 pound beast for Leo. The seals, furbags, dogs, what ever you call them were a pain in the ass, but the fishing was still epic.
On the way back, Leo wanted a couple of shots at his beloved LA Wall and was rewarded on his second cast with a 5lb Calico Bass!! Now that is how you end the year!!
Tight Lines,

Oh yeah baby!!!

8 pounds of fun!!!

End the days with 5lb Calico Bass

11/28/2017
After way too much food for Thanksgiving a few days before, Lori and I needed some time on the water. Our plan was to hit the LA Wall for Calico Bass in the early hours and than blast to Catalina for some Bonito at sunrise. I love it when a plan come together! I love fishing with my favorite partner! This gal can flat out fish!
Tight lines,

That’s my gal! Loves the screaming reels

I got a few too! Way too much fun on 8wt rods.

11/21/2017
Took out Brittney and Collin today – first time angles in the salt. It was a no fly day, but light spinning gear. Super people with lots of laughs and fish too! I think they want to try the fly next!
Tight Lines,

Sculpin for Collin

Micro Sheepshead too

11/20/2017
Cold and overcast day for John and I today. With wind and swell not cooperating we decide to fish the inside Wall. John is an amazing angler and funny as hell! The laughs were not stop. John also put on a clinic catching Calico Bass, Sand Bass, Johnny Bass, Mackerel, Sheepshead and even a Leaf Fish!! Great time with a super friend and client.
Tight Lines,

Sheepshead on the fly!

Leaf Fish on the fly too!!!

 11/10 thur 11/13/ 2017
Delta Time baby, Delta Time!!! Headed up to the annual Simms Delta Pro Day event with Capt. Vaughn Podmore of Salty Fly Guide Service. We have been doing tis trip for several years now and it just keeps getting better.
Headed up Friday AM and got in and on the water by noon to get a half day of fishing in. Saturday it would be another half day as the Simms Event started at noon. Great turn out with over 200 guides, pros and shop folks. Amazing event and John Sherman is a first class guy and Simms is an amazing company.
We fished all day on Sunday before we headed out Monday AM.
Solid fishing all the way around – not wide open, but lots of great tugs. Got to love the Delta in the fall. We love Stripers!!!
Tight Lines,

Getting ready

Cappy Tan getting it done!

It was a small one…..

Love this fish!!!

 11/4 & 11/5/2017
Back to back days on the water this weekend! First day at the Office with Jon and the next fish the LA Wall with Lori.  Both great days, lite wind and steady bite.
Jon and my adventure started off in the dark with several good bites and a few misses. Jon was the hot stick all morning long testing a new “secret” fly….. more to come on that one later. My highlight was a huge hit, a very very heavy fish that got back into the rocks and broke off, a true “Oh Shit” fish!!! These are the ones that keep you coming back!
Next morning was Lori’s turn and the LA Wall was our choice – glass conditions with a small drizzle at one point, but no big deal. Lori’s grabbed Sand Bass, Calico Bass, Sargo and Johnny Bass as she was making up for not being out for a while.  Her smile makes me happy, vey happy. Share the water with your loved ones, be it your wife, your children or family. Let’s all pass on this amazing sport.
Tight Lines,

Healthy grab in the dark!

That’s my gal !

Happy wife, happy life!

I caught a few…… small ones that is!

10/28/2017
My how time flies when you are having fun, fishing that is. I have been a bit tardy these days on keeping up with the reports, but let’s get back on track.
I had Jon out with me on Saturday AM and decided to hit the office on the early rising tide. We hit it in the dark, our stop at our first spot found a few takers right off the bat. Not super big, but still big fun in the dark.
Next we headed to the office to get down to work……. Had some solid hook ups and a few big fish lost. That what happened when you fish the ugly stuff. Jon was the hot stick of the morning and put a couple nice ones in the boat. Great morning, great fun.
Tight Lines,

Starting it off

Nice pull on the 8wt rod!

Capt. gets one ……

Handle with care… Sculpin!!

9/29/2017
Well folks, September is time for travel! This year it was New York! I had the opportunity to spend some time with the legendary East Coast Fly Fishing Guide, Capt. Paul Dixon out of Montauk NY.
September marks the beginning of the False Albacore season and we were fortunate enough to get a few. These fish are fast, both once you hook them and in chasing them under the bait balls. They are constantly up than down than back up and back down. Tons of fun and laughs.
I can now check that one off my bucket list and I will most certainly add Montauk into my rotation of spots to fish regularly!
Tight Lines,

Montauk baby, it’s Montauk!!

Classic – Montauk Lighthouse and False Albies!

8/25/2017
Sorry folks, been spending more time on the water than on the computer!!! Busy summer and great fishing. The bite has been excellent both inshore and at Catalina Island. Calico Bass, Barracuda and Yellowtail all have been on the chew! Let’s get out there and fish!
Tight Lines,

Working the island

This is what we like!! Amazing on the 8wt.

Fresh Batch, now just add Salt!!

7/2/2017
Oh Yeah, the bite continues! Lori and I had another amazing session on the LA WALL. Tide was high than had a steady drop so we set up at a favorite spot and went none stop for three hours!!!
50 plus fish for little over three hours, Calico Bass, Sand Bass, Johnny Bass, Barracuda and Mackerel. Lori was the hot stick and went fish per cast for 5 fish!!!
Off the water by 11:00 AM and boat cleaned up and ready for the next session by 1:00 PM, even with lunch thrown in!
Tight Lines,
6/24/2017
WOW – what a morning….. Long time client and friend Leo needed a day on the water, so off to LA WALL  we went. Leo loves the WALL, something about the target fishing and putting the fly into the pockets and getting the grab really puts a smile on his face.
As we began our gray light journey, the wind was up and we had ripple going, not a good sign. We ran to our first stop with little action. I made the move to a spot that I knew had current running with the incoming tide and that was the call!
Leo started hooking up and it was non stop action all morning long. There was a saltwater bass tournament going on so quite a few of the competitor are friends and stop by to say hello as Leo put on a clinic!
As the wind began to build we called it a day at 11:00 AM – no use beating ourselves up. Final score – over 70 fish between us! Mostly 1.5 to 2.5 with a couple of 3 plus – only a hand full of miniatures. That is flat out fun on an 8wt fly rod.  Calico Bass, Sand Bass, Johnny Bass, Barracuda and a few Mackerel thrown in. Awesome day on the water!
Tight lines,

Good Morning

Sand Bass

Happy guy!!

Food for everyone!

6/18/2017
Happy Fathers Day to all! I had the honor of fishing with my daughter, Chenin, this AM. It has been a while sine she was on the boat and had a rod in her hand, so today was very special.
We fished a few of the usual spots and had a steady pick all morning with over 30 fish by 9:00 AM! We called it a day and went home for breakfast and enjoy the rest of the day. Only problem is now she wants to fish more!!!
Tight Lines,

Happy Father’s Day

Love the smile!

I got a few myself….

6/17/2017
Leo and Colleen came out today and our goal was to hit the island, but the bumpy conditions changed that! Very sloppy outside, so we decided to fish The Wall (Leo loves The Wall!)
Colleen had never fly fished and was determined to learn and catch fish! That is exactly what she did! I worked with her all day and she made some great progress. Not only did she cast and caught Calico Bass, Sand Bass and Mackerel, she tied on her own fly and even unhooked a fish! Great day for an awesome new Anglerette! I look forward to having her back on the boat.
Tight Lines,

Leo with a nice Calico

Our newest Saltwater fly fisher gal!

6/4/2017
Back out to the LA Wall today under gray skies and a light mist / fog. The water was still a bit off color and high tide was at 7:10 so after motoring out at 5:45 we had a brief window before top of the tide. We hit the usual spots and it was a steady pick, nothing really blew up, but fish everywhere.
We were on the outside when Lori almost lost her rod! She was working a section of the outside wall when she got a huge hit and the fish jerked hard on the line almost pulling it out of her hands! It happened so quick she could not set the hook, but what a experience to feel that type of grab! Great day on the water with my wife and partner.
Tight Lines,

On the wall

Nice Sand Bass

5/27 thru 5/29/2017
Happy Memorial Weekend – spent all three days on the water chasing fish. Saturday was with Jon fishing LA Harbor – not a great day – water was a bit green and we had wind early, but still managed to catch a few. We checked out a few new spots that would be amazing with a bit better water. Positive outlook I say!
Sunday was in Santa Monica Bay – once again hitting the usual spots and had a solid morning catching! Chartreuse and black Clousers flies was the call this AM with Calico Bass eating them hard! The “Office” was on fire! Bumpy with an early wind again.
Monday was with my favorite fishing partner, Lori! Great to spend a morning with her watching sunrise and catching a few. Always great to see her face light up when she gets a big strike! Biggest smile by far. She definitely loves the tug! Still a bit bumpy and wind, what the hell……
Tight Lines,

Saturday on the wall

Sunrise at the “Office”

Little guy, but hungry!

My “Fly Gal” doing her thing!

5/15 – 5/17/2017
Hello all, just got back from our annual trip to Key West to chase Tarpon. Once again we fished with Capt. Lenny Leonard with great success. You got to fish with him!www.bonefishingkeywest.com   305-304-0154
Although the forecast had some rain showing we totally missed it with the exception of being caught in a down pour coming back from the grocery store with our lunch for the next day!
Three great days, 22 Tarpon jumped and on for a while 8 to the boat!! Unreal fun, so many laughs and great to back on the water with Capt. Lenny. Biggest was over 120 lbs  while most were 70 to 80 lbs. Already booked for next year!!
Tight Lines,

Love this stuff!

Tarpon Love….

They fly!!!

Now this is why we go to Key West!

5/9/2017
Good Morning all! Just to let everyone know, we had an engine issue several weeks ago and after nearly 9,000 hours (yes that is correct, 17 years old and ran amazing all that time), my Yamaha F115 finally had to be put down.
After our last trip out and doing the usual wash and detail after, I check the engine and it had water in the oil. This means either I pay the expense of a new power head (could have been several thousand dollars) or do I bite the bullet with a new engine, I choose the new engine!
I am the proud owner of a brand new 2017 Yamaha F115lb !! Just started the initial break in and she runs fantastic. Here is looking to the next 17 years! Love Yamaha 4 stroke engines!
Tight Lines,

2017 Yamaha F115 LB

4/22/2017
Well folks Jon and I decided the tides were right for a early hit on the LA Wall. We were on the water by 5;30 AM and had roughly an hour and a half till the top of the tide. Let me tell you, we made the right call!! It was on fire and we smoked them all the way to the top of tide.
Most all the Calico Bass were in that solid 2.5 to 4.5 pound range and on a 7wt that is fun fishing! Spring is here and the fishing is red hot, so get out there!!!
Tight Lines,

Solid 4 plus

Love the tug

Calico fun!

Nice one and my “Sierra Nets” custom boat net

This one was tough……

4/2/2017
Well my friends, it has been almost a month since we were out on the water. Weather has not been our friend. So with that said Lori and I wanted to check out the conditions in our favorite spots in LA Harbor. Lori is all about the LA Wall and loves getting those grabs from Calico Bass hiding in the structure. So off we went in the dark. Morning tide was high at 5:00 AM which gave us a great falling tide to fish.
We stopped at our first spot and stayed for over TWO hours – it as on fire! She kept her Sage fly rod bent all morning!
Absolutely a great day on the water and we are excited to start the season off right. Next stop Catalina Island.
Tight Lines,

Smiles says it all

And another one…

but wait…. there’s more

Starting us off in the dark

3/2/2017
Made a quick run up the Pleasanton Fly Show and had a great time seeing and reconnecting with friend and colleagues. I also got a chance to sit in on some amazing presentations.  Yes, we have rain off and on, but the sun has made some efforts to dry us out, so let’s get out there and fish!
My good friend, Jon, was over at Catalina Island last week in the day of great weather and had a great bite on big Calico Bass and they got schooled on some very big Yellowtail – nothing to the boat, but reels were screaming!! Now that is exciting!
Tight Lines,

Let’s get out there!!

2/5/2017
Quick trip out with Jon on his new Parker 21 Center Console. What an amazing boat. Fishing was a bit slow, but always a great time with Jon. Talked about techniques, flies, and other assorted BS. Great angler and super friend. Caught a few here and there. Nothing huge as the water was a bit colder than the previous day. Did manage a small Sheepshead on the fly.
Tight Lines,

Little Sheepshead on the fly

2/4/2017
Had a chance to get out between the rain with Greg from Sierra Nets and my wife Lori. Started out drizzling on or way to the launch ramp in San Pedro, but was dry when we got there. There was a breeze already working and we knew we were going to have to be creative in where we fished.
Hit our first stop and we begin to catch right off the bat. Maybe 4 or 5 fish out that spot till it slowed than we were off to the next. As we continued, the wind made it challenging to keep the drift. We made a move to a spot out of the wind and began to get back on them. Greg is a great angler and between he and Lori it was not stop laugher and fun! Each of them got several nice fish that day.
If you want to get an Heirloom Quality Net, please check out Sierra Nets by Greg Madrigal – he is one amazing craftsman. I have three of them and in fact I have his first boat net and it is a work of art and use it every trip.
Tight Lines,
Greg from Sierra Nets gets a nice one!

Greg from Sierra Nets gets a nice one!

Lori grabbed a couple nice ones also!

Lori grabbed a couple nice ones also!

1/30/2017
Johnny Mack came down from Bakersfield to fish with me today. It had been a while since I had John on the boat and great to have him back out! Hit the water early with a slight breeze working. Stopped at few of our favorite spots picking up a couple before moving in out of the wind. When the wind blows from certain directions it makes drifting the wall tough.
Started to pick up a few more Calico Bass here and there. Nothing huge, but great fun and lots of laughs. Winds was an issue most of the day, but the laugher and fun never stopped.
Ended the day on the inside fishing some pylons and it was non stop action on a smaller grade of fish, but you had to hit the target. This is where that casting practice comes in. Warm sunshine, good friend and a few fish, now that is a good day!!
Tight Lines,
Johnny getting it started

Johnny getting it started

a few for me too

a few for me too

Nice one

Nice one

You got to hit the target!

You got to hit the target!

1/15/2017
Had John out today to fish the inshore of LA Harbor. Weather said under 5 knots of wind, but that changed over night and we woke up to a pretty solid breeze! John is a great offshore fisherman and loves to throw the plastic inshore so this was a “NO FLY ZONE” day. As we headed out, I knew we had to find somewhere out of the wind, so we tucked back into the inside docks.
Cold windy day made for some tough fishing. We picked at them all morning long and called it early as the winds built all day. I can honestly say some of the roughest inshore water I have seen in a while and the ride back to the dock was bumpy.
Still a fun morning with a great guy on the water!
Tight Lines,
Nice grab off the inside rocks

Nice grab off the inside rocks

John - flying the colors...

John – flying the colors…

1/2/2017
HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!
Lori and I decided to brave the cold and see how we could start the new year off right and that was a day in LA Harbor. Slow, slow start and a bit of wind, but we found a little spot out of the wind and began to catch them!
I spent a lot of time on the trolling motor and keeping us in position, but Lori put on a clinic catch 5 species! Calico Bass, Barracuda, Sand Bass, Bonito and even Mackerel would not stay off her fly!
Highlight of the day was a nice 2.1 pound Calico Bass she took right out of the rocks on 6 pound Ande Tournament line! Could be another IGFA Women’s record…. we’ll wait and see! Not a huge fish, but 6 pound test fishing the rocks…… not that easy.
Tight Lines,
Maybe another WR fish for Lori?

Maybe another WR fish for Lori?

12/20/2016
Regular client and dear friend, Leo was out with me today to fish LA Harbor. We started our morning off with a slight breeze and very cold AM. The water temp had also dropped 3 degrees (57.9 from 60.9) since my last day on the water!  That normally puts off the bite when you get a big drop as it takes a day or two for the fish to adjust. My thoughts were to find some protected water out of the wind. We fish a back corner for a couple of fish and slowing worked one of the inside walls. Found a pocket corner that absolutely took off and we began to catch Barracuda one after another. Chartreuse Clousers were the ticket and some of the ones I had were natural bucktail and boy they were getting shredded.  Over 2 hours right in that corner with Calico Bass and Barracuda.
We spent the rest of the day hitting all the usual spots and catching fish and all kinds of them – Calico Bass, San Bass, Barracuda, Opaleye, Johnny Bass and Mackerel.
After lunch we decide to begin to head back along the outside wall, there we saw tons and tons of bait breaking all along the wall! We began to work the wall and it was ON FIRE! Lots of 2 to 4 pound Calico Bass that were eager to eat the fly!! Ended the day with over 50 plus fish! Just another Winter day fishing LA Harbor as Leo says…….. One more thing – Fished the 7wt rods all day, now that is fun stuff!!
Tight Lines,
a few smaller ones....

a few smaller ones….

Little nicer grade

Little nicer grade

Oh yeah baby!!!

Oh yeah baby!!!

12/14/2016
WOW what a tide swing it as yesterday! Super moon and kings tides meant for some exploring and fishing some new spots in LA Harbor (if there such places). So today we did a reverse on what we normally do, we fished the inside docks, oils islands and structure before hitting the LA Wall. Now fishing was not off the charts, but it was a steady grab at all spots. Water temps did come up a bit and was sitting at 60 / 61 degrees. Great thing about the morning was seeing the moon and flat calm water!! I am talking about mill pond flat!
FYI to ALL, I am back on the water full time – so Weekdays and Weekends are open, so book now for some great inshore fun!
Fish are out there so lets get on the water!
Amazing morning

Amazing morning

12/10/2016
Another morning in LA Harbor with Jon. Still doing a bit of work getting all the things dialed in on his new boat. High tide was at 6:00 AM so we only had 45 minutes before the top of the tide, but we grab one or two in the dark. Got quiet for about and hour till the tide started to drop, than things started to pick up!! Folks, I am not saying wide open, but over 30 fish and we were off the water by 11:00 AM.
As we began to work some of the usual spots, I got a fairly nice Calico Bass that worked me pretty good. Great color on this fish, very golden. Jon brought the boat around the corner on this section of inner wall and on that cast, Jon gets worked!! What ever it was kept dogging him and not wanting to come in! This fish was taking line and had his head buried toward the bottom.  So after a short battle back and forth up comes this huge Opaleye!!!!  Over 5 pounds on the certified Boga Grip folks, that is one hell of a big Opaleye! High fives and some picture followed and we release the big fella. Later that day in checking the IGFA website, the All Tackle Opaleye is shown to be 2 pounds 1 oz!!! Jon’s fish would have over doubled that record!!! I am sorry to say I was not aware that Opaleye were even on the IGFA list……… looks like I have some homework to do!
Great fish for an amazing Fly Angler! Jon is great to have on the boat (his or mine), as he is one of the best saltwater fly tiers and a great caster & fisherman.
So for the day, we had Calico Bass, Sand Bass, Johnny Bass, Opaleye, Bonito and some Mackerel thrown in! Quite the species list!
Tight Lines,
One big ass Opaleye!!

One big ass Opaleye!!

Even I caught a few.....

Even I caught a few…..

12/4/2016
Got out today with Jon in his new Parker 21 – very nice boat. The boat is new so we were still getting Jon used to it. Low tide was as at 5:15 AM and we had a nice little incoming tide all morning. Crystal clear skies so you never know if the fish will bite or hunker down in the rocks. Today they decide to bite!!!
Now it was not completely wide open and they were not huge, but they were actively feeding on the weed edges. On the 7 and 8 weight rods meant for some fun times.  Great grabs and lots of laughs. Just have to keep Jon from playing that god awful 80’s British pop music…..
Tight Lines,
Early riser....

Early riser….

good start to the day

good start to the day

Mid morning fun!

Mid morning fun!

11/26/2016
Well folks it was time for a little post Thanksgiving fishing! While most folks were hard at work “shopping”,  Lori and I decide it would be best to hit the Santa Monica Bay instead. We knew a storm was headed in later that day so this would be a quick trip and hit a couple of spots and bring it back in.
All I can say was it was COLD. Yes, we were not expecting it to be quite that chilly! With the drop in temperature in the water, you can imagine the bites were tough to get. Yes, we had a few and we missed a few with our cold hands. Still a great day, awesome sunrise and fishing with my favorite partner!
Tight Lines,
Clear Skies - Cold cold cold.....

Clear Skies – Cold cold cold…..

11/15/2016
Just got back from fishing the California Delta during the Simms Pro Day with Capt. Vaughn Podmore. This would mark the third time Capt. Vaughn and I have made the trip and it was even more amazing than the previous years. As always we stayed at the Sugar Barge RV park in one of the rental trailers. This year we were lucky as we actually got the last rental available! All the rest of the SoCal guys had to stay in a hotel in Brentwood, a short drive away.  Being on site and having access to launch the boat quickly was a breeze.
Fishing was great with our best day being over 70 fish! Lots of small Stripers, but a few nicer ones thrown in made for super fun days. Capt. Vaughn even caught a very nice Large Mouth Bass.
The Simms Pro Day event was fantastic to say the least. Great new gear coming out, great seminars and so much fun to see old friends and make new ones! Couple of trips even set up for us going up north and some guides coming down to fish with us. Capt. Vaughn and I are already talking about next year!!
Tight lines,
Getting ready to head out!

Getting ready to head out!

Getting it started with a schoolie

Getting it started with a schoolie

Fun size on the lighter rods

Fun size on the lighter rods

Nice Large Mouth

Nice Large Mouth

Over two dozen double for the weekend - all sizes

Over two dozen double for the weekend – all sizes

Capt. Vaughn gets it done!!!

Capt. Vaughn gets it done!!!

11/6/2016
I got a phone call last week and it was a blast from the past! A great former client Kenny was wanting to go out and take along a father and son. Seems like Kenny had promised the son a trip for a few years and now as time to pay up.
Yuda, Sherwin and Kenny met me at the dock and off we went for a day in the LA Harbor! Yuda loves fishing and had only been out a couple of times and never with a guide, so I was honored to be able to show him some of what is in our backyard. This young man is going to be a great angler!
Fish was a bit slow, but everyone caught fish and had big smiles. Fun to catch up with Kenny on life and fishing stories too. Looking forward to getting Kenny back out and chasing more fish. I also would love to get Yuda back out and keep his excitement growing.
Tight Lines,
Yuda working the spinner

Yuda working the spinner

Smile says it all !!

Smile says it all !!

Sherwin was looking for the one....

Sherwin was looking for the one….

Kenny working the wall

Kenny working the wall

10/8/2016
Headed out for a quick AM session with good friend Jon into SM Bay. Plans were to hit a few of our spots and end up at the office. We encountered some red tide which made the water luminescence as the lines pulled thru the water. Fun to look at in the dark, but really turned the fishing off. We scratched at them and over all very slow at our first couple of spots. We then headed to the Office with the bite a bit better. Still not on fire, but fun. Great sunrise at the Office, makes it a fun way to go to work!!!
Tight Lines,
Sunrise at the Office

Sunrise at the Office

Love the grabs in the dark

Love the grabs in the dark

smaller model

smaller model

10/2/2016
It was time to get back into a little local fishing and off to LA Harbor it was. The wind had blown a bit and I heard that the water had cooled down and bit and was off color. That was in fact the case. Fishing was ok, but nothing to write home about. Do not get me wrong, both Lori and I had grabs all day long, just not the size we wanted. Totally a fun day and lots of bent rods.
Tight Lines,
Lori in the hunt for the one.....

Lori in the hunt for the one…..

9/5 thru 9/13/2016
Lori and I spent the last 10 days in Alaska on the Kenai river in Cooper Landing with Drifters Lodge. Let me start by saying this as our first trip to Alaska, but most certainly not our last! I have always traveled south for vacation fishing some of the best saltwater spots in the world. I even some what shunned Alaska. So at turning 60 this year, Alaska was on the bucket list!
Our experience with Drifter Lodge could not have been better as our intro to this great fishery. Amazing outfitter, world class guides (Josh Abrams is so so damn good!) and great accommodations. Service and hospitality is amazing!!! Yes, we are extremely high on this place! I let some pictures tell the story……
Tight Lines,
The Lodge

The Lodge

Our view from our cabin

Our view from our cabin

Big Dolly Varden

Big Dolly Varden

Nice one for me!

Nice one for me!

Girl has it going on!!!

Girl has it going on!!!

Lori with her 28.5 Rainbow !!!

Lori with her 28.5 Rainbow !!!

8/21/2016
Had Leo back out with one of his friends, Mike. Mike is a freshwater fly angler and we wanted him to experience the local Saltwater. We knew it would be tough since the water had turned over and the temps had dropped. No worries, we headed out to the LA Wall with optimism. We caught some, lost some and had a great time. Mike was surprised on how hard the fish pulled. Nothing super big, but fun fishing.
Tight Lines,
First Saltwater fish on the fly...pulled harder than most trout!

First Saltwater fish on the fly…pulled harder than most trout!

Solid San Bass for Leo

Solid San Bass for Leo

New Species - White Seabass for Leo

New Species – White Seabass for Leo

8/20/2016
Had a couple of new folks out today, Dylan and Jeremy. Decide to hit the LA Wall and chase Calico Bass. Wind had blown for the last couple of days and the water turned over and water temp dropped about 5 degrees. That does not sound like much, but it does put the bite off till the water stabilizes for a few days. So we grabbed them here and there – not on fire, but lots of laughs and smiles. It was a great introduction to two local guys about fishing the fly in our back yards.
Tight Lines,
Starting it off in the dark

Starting it off in the dark

Jeremy fishing the plastics

Jeremy fishing the plastics

P1060010

8/14/2016
Today was a quick half day with John and MDR was our spot. Met at the crack of dawn and hit the usual spots along the MDR Wall and Office. Had a few hours before the top of high tide and knew with no cloud cover the window was small. Our Calico Bass fish best in low light. Early AM, night time and overcast days are always best.
Not wide open, but a steady pick and had a chance for John to see what was in his back yard. MDR is a great spot to get out for a few hours and have plenty of time for the family the rest of the day. Fun morning with a great angler.
Tight Lines,
John gets it done.

John gets it done.

8/7/2016
Today was a day with Lori!! I am so so blessed to have a wife that absolutely loves to fly fish! She is the love of my life and my fishing partner. The LA Wall was our choice this morning. Lori was doing a great job of putting the flies in the pockets and the fish were eating the flies hard. Some great grabs, lots of laughs and a few F.U.’s if she missed them, so damn funny. Awesome day on the water!
Tight Lines,
oh yeah

oh yeah

Very focused.....

Very focused…..

Smile says it all....

Smile says it all….

8/6/2016
Had two new clients on board today and made the run to Catalina Island. Water was a bit bumpy and we knew the wind could be a problem, but off we went. The water and wind made for some tough fishing, although John did get an amazing fish on that made a couple of huge runs before coming undone. We scratch at them all day – great anglers and cools guys. I can not wait to have them back and get after it again.
Tight Lines, El Segundo Holiday Parade2010 067
7/28 thru 7/31/2016
Leo and I were off to our annual trip to the Chesapeake Bay to chase some Striped Bass. Once again Rick and Vicki were our host and shared their amazing home with us and of course their boat and friends!! Their home by the way is done by Marmol and Radziner, Leo’s firm.
Tons of fish, lots of laughs and some great food. Nothing huge, but bent rods all day long. We are already booked for next year……
Tight lines,
The Lodge........

The Lodge……..

All about the Stripers!!

All about the Stripers!!

7/24/2016
Tried to make the run to Catalina Island with long time client and friend, Leo, but the swell and bump was not fun so we decided to fish our favorite spot, LA Wall. Clearly this was a wise choice as the Wall was on fire!! Leo was putting the wood to the Calico Bass and at one point went 7 for 7 – 7 cast and 7 fish!
Awesome day and great fishing and catching! Just goes to show that you do not have to drive over fish to find fish…..
Tight Lines,
Leo, getting it done

Leo, getting it done

I even caught a few.....

I even caught a few…..

7/16/2016
Got to love it when it all comes together. Had the opportunity to have Jon back out on the boat and with the great weather we headed to Catalina Island. Our goal was to hit the 3 B’s and add in some YT’s. Easy crossing – almost 30 MPH all the way out.
As pulled in and set up,  two cast later Jon gets a big hit from a Yellowtail!! Reel screaming, rod bent, this is how you start the day!! After a nice back and forth battle Jon gets the first fish of the day in the boat, Yellowtail. Fishing was not wide open, but we picked at them all along the front side hitting all of our favorite spots.
We did take a short break and watched the turn around of the Long Beach to Catalina Waterski race. WOW these boats are fast!!! Those poor guys hanging on to that rope are amazing!!
Back to fishing…. set up at one of our spots, I get a big hit and the reel begins to scream again! Here we go, Yellowtail on! So we have Bonito, Calico Bass and Yellowtail to the boat. No Cuda, had a few follows, but could not close the deal.
Great day on the water – 30 plus MPH all the way home.
Tight Lines,
Getting it done

Getting it done

Great fish on the 8wts

Great fish on the 8wts

One for me

One for me

I love these speedsters!!

I love these speedsters!!

7/10/2016
Tides looked good this morning so Jon and I made a short run out to Santa Monica Bay. We hit a few of our favorite spots and fishing was slow.  We did end up checking out the Office. Great idea because we went off! Great bite on quality fish right up till the tide stopped. Some really nice Calico Bass were landed this AM. Back at the dock by 9:00 AM – Great morning get some quality fish in a very short time.
Tight Lines,
Nice Chunky Calico

Nice Chunky Calico

Although small, it is a White Seabass - Jon's first.

Although small, it is a White Seabass – Jon’s first.

7/9/2016
Did a quick run to Catalina Island today to try to get Lori a shot at a Yellow Tail. Grabbed half a scoop of anchovies and off we went. Mild bump going across with a cross swell, but nothing horrible.  We had a special spot we wanted to check out after getting some good info.
As soon as we set up and started to fish, the catching began!! It was a fish a cast for a while. Lori than slammed a nice fat Bonito! That fish took her quickly into backing and made her reel scream! The Calico Bass were wide open. A short time later, Lori got her  Yellow Tail! Great little fire cracker that was fast into backing and made quite the bend in her 8wt XI3 Sage. She also grabbed a Barracuda, so a full house on the 3 B’s, plus the YT. Way to go girl!!!!
Tight Lines,
Her first yellow tail!!

Her first yellow tail!!

Nice fat Bonito!

Nice fat Bonito!

I grabbed a few also...

I grabbed a few also…

7/2/2016
Happy 4th of July weekend! Had a chance to get Leo and Lori out on the water together. It has been a while since this has happened and it is great fun. Both anglers give so much crap to each other I feel like a referee! We caught fish all morning long, lost a couple of real big fish!!! We got hammered a few time and could not stop them from going back into the rocks.
Big fun with two of my favorite people, my wife and a great friend.
Tight lines,
Lori doing her thing

Lori doing her thing

She loves her fish!!!!

She loves her fish!!!!

I even got in a few cast.

I even got in a few cast.

6/25/2016
Had chance to do a run with long time client and great friend, Leo this morning. We headed out to his favorite spot, the LA Wall. The act of putting a fly into the tight pockets all along the wall is what Leo loves!
We started off on a small spot that we normally do not hit a lot, but can be amazing and yes it was! Leo gets bent to the cork on this one! The 8wt rod was bent full over and it was a tug of war. We did not know if we would get it up as it was using the kelp and structure to hide in. Finally after a bit of struggle it started to come up. A quick scoop of the net gave Leo is personal best Calico Bass at 5.25 pounds!! What a great way to start the day.  We continued to grab them here and there as the tide started to bottom out. I love LA Harbor!
Tight Lines,
5.25 pounds of SoCal Calico Bass

5.25 pounds of SoCal Calico Bass

All smiles today !

All smiles today !

Another solid Calico Bass

Another solid Calico Bass

6/19/2016
Happy Fathers Day to All! I was asked by my daughter, Chenin,  to take her fishing today so off we went to the LA Wall. Had a great tide, but there was no cloud cover and we knew we had a short window before the bass would pull back into the rocks. Fishing in the bright sun can be challenging, some times good, sometime tough. We hade a nice steady pick and catching them here and there.
Worked with Chenin on her fly casting nd made a little head way, but need more time on that. She went back to the soft plastics and soon was hot into small White Seabass! Funny thing I had one on a few hours earlier only to have it come off boat side.
Great Father day!!!
Light Lines,
White Seabass

White Seabass

My girl Chenin

My girl Chenin

6/13/2016
Happy Birthday Leo!! I have guided Leo for over 25 years and today was his birthday and he brought the kids! What a great angler and super father. Part fishing trip, part harbor cruise, 100% fun! I am honored to have spent the day on the water with a dear friend and an amazing dad!
Tight Lines,
Leo and kids

Leo and kids

She is looking for the one!

She is looking for the one!

Little guy gets hooked up!

Little guy gets hooked up!

Proud dad with one on the fly.

Proud dad with one on the fly.

6/12/2016
Quick trip out to MDR Wall to test a few flies today. They were very well received and had solid action all morning. Just fished the tide swing and was home by 9:00 AM!! Got to love being so close to the water.
Tight Lines,
Octo Chuppa

Octo Chuppa

LuLu

LuLu

He liked it!

He liked it!

Little fatty

Little fatty

6/4/2016
Lori and I slept in a bit and did not do our normal run in the dark to the LA Wall. So after a morning cup of coffee, off we went. On the water by 6:30 or so with a slight wind already blowing. The challenge is that south wind rolls right up the Wall not giving you a place to hide and makes fishing a bit tough. We worked at it and grab one or two here and there.
After a bit we ran inside the basin and fished near the Vincent Thomas Bridge and began to get them pretty good. Fishing the pilings was the right choice. Out of the wind and fish biting! Even had a 2.5 pound Spottie!!
Tight Lines,
Johnny Bass

Nice start

fishing the docks

fishing the docks

Got to love it!

Got to love it!

Nice Spotted Bay bass

Nice Spotted Bay bass

5/29/2016
Our boat was in the shop for some annual maintenance so we hitched a ride with Jeff and Michelle. Out to MDR for a quick morning session.  Michell prove to be the hot stick in the AM getting some solid grabs. Slow bite over all, but once we got off the water we had a great breakfast and relaxed the rest of the day.
Tight Lines,
Good Morning everyone...

Good Morning everyone…

Hello Jeff....

Hello Jeff….

Michelle is all smiles..

Michelle is all smiles..

5/22/2016
I had Alan and Ben (Father and Son) out today for a half day trip in Marina Del Rey. Although the tides and weather looked great, the wind had blown hard the night before creating quite the bump outside. This made for a tough boat ride outside the wall. Ben was new to the game of Fly Fishing, but after a few pointers he was soon into fish. Ben’s first SoCal fish was our Calico Bass! Over all a slow day with chop and water temp dropping a bit. Fun on the water with two great guys and a little father and son time.
Ben got a few today

Ben got a few today

Alan and Ben

Alan and Ben

5/11 thru 5/15/2016
Spent the last five days in Key West chasing tarpon with Capt. Lenny Leonard. Jon and I decide to get back into our annual trek to the Sunshine State to get schooled on how to catch this amazing fish. I landed one about 70 plus pounds and jumped a few more as did Jon. Saw lots of them, but getting the cast just right and getting them to eat is another thing. Great water, one crazy, but amazing town and good fishing with a great friend.
Tight Lines,
Hooked up!!

Hooked up!!

This is why we chase them!!

This is why we chase them!!

5/1/2016
On the water today with my wife, Lori. I talked her out of the normal yoga class and decide to get back out on the LA Wall. As always Lori is looking for the one! She is a 3 time IGFA record holder and has her eye on a few more. We had 6lb on one rod and 20 lb on the other and off we went.
Fishing was a bit slower than the day before as the wind had blown hard all night and the temps had dropped a bit. None the less we were soon into fish. Once again we ran into the Pelagic Red Crabs, thousands of them! Yes, we fished the red flies and had great luck with them.  We fished till about 10 AM and called it a day. Great morning and fun fishing!
Tight Lines,
Pelagic Red Crab

Pelagic Red Crab

This is how you start the day

This is how you start the day

My first fish of the day

My first fish of the day

Nice fat Sargo on the fly!!

Nice fat Sargo on the fly!!

4/30/2016
Had Leo out today and of course, he wanted to fish the LA Wall. Leo loves the target fishing and putting the flies in all the pockets and edges. So off we went in the gray light to get a jump on the day. After just a couple of cast, Leo was into fish! The Calico Bass were happy to help him this morning! Leo had over 40 fish to the boat today and caught, Calico, Sand Bass and Johnny Bass.
Couple of big highlights were the amount of Pelagic Red Crabs floating in the water, a feast for all the fish and birds! Got to fish the red flies on days like that!
Tight Lines,
Early Morning grab!

Early Morning grab!

Smaller model, but what a great grab!

Smaller model, but what a great grab!

The Capt. gets one or two also.

The Capt. gets one or two also.

4/24/2016
Weather forecast was Gale Force winds and Small Craft advisory today. Jon and I knew that the winds would be calm inshore in the AM, but only for a few hours. Let’s fish The Wall! Low tide at 5:30 AM, we could fish the incoming tide till the wind picked up. That was the plan, so off we went.
Today Jon decided he was “guiding” me! While I did still drive the boat, raise and lower the trolling motor, control the boat with the remote, Jon did pick our the spots (nothing new, just which ones he want us to fish first) and of course gave plenty of instructions……. I did also use one of Jon’s new “Lemmy” flies and it kicked some serious butt!! Fish on the first cast, many more grabs all morning. I did get a big slam on my fly and bent the 8wt to the cork! After a bet of give and take, up comes a super nice 5lb Calico Bass (that is real weight on the certified boga folks).
Soon it was starting to get light, that is when the bite fizzled out. Ran to a few of our spots, picked one or two here and there. Decided to call it a morning by 10:00 AM. Great morning with great friend and “guide“, Jon. I wonder if he is going to ask for a tip? Oh yeah, he did take off one fish for me…..
Tight Lines,
Now this is how you start the morning!!!

Now this is how you start the morning!!!

4/18/2016
Was it a great day in the Delta or what?? Wow, yes it was a great DAY in the Delta!
Came up for our grandson’s birthday on Saturday in Livermore and thought as long as we were up there we should try to get a day on the water in the Delta. Capt. Steve Santucci had Monday open so we took it. First time fishing with Capt. Steve, but not the last I can tell you that!! This guy is great and knows the Delta very very well. Not to mention his 25 foot Yellowfin bay boat with a monster 350hp Mercury on the back! Nothing short of a rocket ship!
The day was nothing short of perfect, weather was amazing, almost no wind and the fish were biting! I am here to tell you, NO FISH STORY, but 103 fish caught fore the day!! Nothing huge, although we did lose a couple of double digit fish right at the boat. Most were in the 4 to 8 pound range. This was Lori’s first time in the Delta and first time catching Stripers and she is hooked!
Big big  thanks to Capt. Steve for one hell of a day and god bless the Delta.
Tight Lines,
Lori getting things started

Lori getting things started

Over 20 plus double hook ups for the day

Over 20 plus double hook ups for the day

Great fun on an 8wt rod!

Great fun on an 8wt rod!

She is hooked on Stripers!

She is hooked on Stripers!

4/9/2016
The forecast was no rain and we made the move to get out and see who was at home. Once again we targeted Santa Monica Bay. It was dead calm as we slid the boat into the water, soon we were heading out. Long time client and friend, Jon, was with me again this morning. Clear skies means that we only had a few hours to see if any of the big fish would be lurking around. Once that suns comes up they tend to hang a bit deeper into the cover.
Started off at one of our usual spots and Jon went to work. This guy was putting on a clinic and I was the student! Jon had tied up a batch of “Motorhead” inspired flies, “Lemmys”, that were the hot ticket! Jon was picking up fish after fish along the wall. I had a grab or two here or there, but Jon was on fire!
As the light came up we headed to the Office! The office is a spot were we seem to do a lot of “work“. Once again Jon was the hot stick. Later in the drift I started to get a few going. By the end of the morning (9:30 AM) the count was Jon over 30+ fish and me with maybe 15 fish. That my friends is a solid morning!!!
Tight Lines,
Jon doing what he does best, catch fish!

Jon doing what he does best, catch fish!

What they eat.....

What they eat…..

One for me

One for me

Bass Thumb - the measure of a great day!!

Bass Thumb – the measure of a great day!!

4/3/2016
Well today was and early morning attack on one of our local breakwaters for some bass in the dark! Jon and I set off to get a few hours on the tide change and fish at one of our spots in Santa Monica Bay. We only had a few hours to get it done as high tide was at 7:00 AM and it would be starting to get light outside.
As soon as we got into position my first cast was hit on the drop! Not a light hit, but the kind that tries to take the rod out of your hand! Well folks, that one was tough, he got me way back into the rocks and after a long battle the line gave out from rubbing on the rocks. The whole leader was shredded. Time for another one!
We both caught a few and Jon was definitely getting it done with many quality fish. I did manage a couple myself, but also a very nice 4.5 plus Calico Bass in the dark! Nice to get a bigger fish out of the bad neighborhoods we fish in. Great morning with a great friend and also one hell of a fly tier!
Tight Lines,
Not all of them were big.....

Not all of them were big…..

Jon, getting it done

Jon, getting it done

Uno mas

Uno mas

Things that go bump in the dark.....

Things that go bump in the dark…..

3/27/2016
Happy Easter to all! Lori and I did our annual Sunrise Service on the water, we have been sharing this moment for several years now. Nothing better than to share some love and appreciation on the water. So off to Catalina Island for us. We had a bothersome south wind which made for a little ripple, nothing big but annoying.
As we got to the island, we quickly saw that the wind was coming up the face, not the best for us. None the less, we were on the water and at Catalina! We picked a few here and there and share Easter baskets and cards, hey, why not!
As we were working our way down the island, we came across this very familiar boat, Salty Fly! Capt. Vaughn and his wife were camping on the island for the weekend. We spoke on the radio and tied up to his boat. We than had him come out with the dingy and we went ashore for a bit. Great to spend a bit of time with them!! What a great day on the island, not a lot of fish, but lots of smiles.
Tight Lines,
The Boat....

The Boat….

Happy Easter

Happy Easter

Cutie....

Cutie….

Morning on the Isalnd

Morning on the Island

3/19/2016
Got a very nice treat today, got to tag along with good friends and clients Jon and Frank aboard Salty Fly with Capt. Vaughn Podmore! The goal was to try for a few yellowtail at Santa Catalina Island. Met Capt. Vaughn with Jon in San Pedro and off we went. Very smooth ride over on Vaughn’s 26ft Century, big boat and very smooth.
Fun day on the water with lots of Bonito, Calico Bass and 2 Yellowtail struck by Jon! Great angler and fun watching him stick the two. Frank and I also had great day, but missed out on the yellows due to some constantly annoying seals. Oh well hat is fishing!
Tight Lines,
Jon gets it done, Island Style!

Jon gets it done, Island Style!

2/27/2016
I had the pleasure of guiding Lt. Colonel Keith Keana and his kids, Maddie and Seth out on the water today. The LA Wall was our target and showing the kids some fun with our local bass. We started off the morning right with Maddie catching of all things a Garibaldi !! That was a first for me and yes it was in the mouth! She was the hot stick for the day with many great catches. Not to be out done, Seth and his dad went to work getting in on the action.
Fun day on the water with these two amazing kids and of course their dad. The last time I fished with Keith was 6 years ago before he move out of state and it was great to have him back on the boat. Such a great day of tugs on the lines, laughs and family.
Tight Lines,
No this is a first!!

Now this is a first!!

Maddie showing us how it gets done.

Maddie showing us how it gets done.

Keith closes out the day with this solid fish

Keith closes out the day with this solid fish

Doubles for Seth and Maddie

Doubles for Seth and Maddie

2/14/2016
Happy Valentines day to all! Great day to spend time on the water with your gal and show her some love. Foggy foggy day in Los Angeles Harbor and tough going. Thank god for the Lowrance mapping as it shows all the details. Took our time and worked our way over to the wall, staying way out of the shipping channels and being very safe. We than worked our way down the wall slowly and safe all day.
Saw Capt. Vaughn Podmore of Salty Fly Guide Service and his clients, Jon and Frank, it was Jon’s birthday so we wished him well.
Not a great bite, but managed 14 fish for the day, some small, some good, missed a couple of real big ones, but time eating breakfast on the boat and enjoying the morning with Lori is priceless. Back to guiding next week.
Tight Lines,

A better one

IMG_1510
Happy Valentines day! we love our fishing!

Happy Valentines day! We love our fishing!

2/4/2016
Had a couple of quick sessions with Lori to shake off the cobwebs and found the bite to be a little tough, but we did grabbed a few. We hit MDR wall and than LA Harbor wall at some of our favorite spots. Nothing Epic, but great grabs and lost a few toads! Wow those big girls get you back in the rocks fast!
Tight Lines,
The girl can fish!!!

The girl can fish!!!

Add another species

Add another species

Smaller wall fish, but she loves the grab!!

Smaller wall fish, but she loves the grab!!

1/22/2016
Been a while since I posted an update – too much “other Job” ….. Opened 5 new restaurants last year and got no time to really guide and fish. Now we start a New Year and back to guiding and fishing on a regular basis. Here are a few picture of random times last year.
IMG_0611P1050452P1050502 P1050518 P1050695 Bill & Leo & Lori - fishing 003 Bill & Leo & Lori - fishing 020 Bill & Leo & Lori - fishing 031 IMG_1304
 Bill & Lori - Honeymoon in BC 132 Bill & Lori Honeymoon BC 104 Bill & Lori Honeymoon BC 126 Bill & Lori Honeymoon BC 145 Bill & Lori Honeymoon BC 154 Leo's Birthday 003 Leo's Birthday 018 fishing 019 Lori & Bill.. Bassin 004 Jon and Bill at the Wall 004
2/14/2015
What better way to spend the Day of Love than with the one you Love? Yes, folks I am taking about Valentines Day! Since my love for Lori and Fly Fishing the Salt go hand in hand, it was to be a morning on the water with my gal.
We headed out to one of our favorite places, the LA Wall and began to grab a few. With bright skies forecasted and no cloud cover we knew that as soon as the sun came up the fish would be deep in the rocks. This only gave a few hours to get at them.
So not a great day of catching, but an amazing sun rise, time with my gal and few grabs to go along with it! Best start to a great Valentines Day!
Tight Lines,

Oh My, such a sight

Starting the day off right!

Better than a box of Chocolates

Romance and Fly Fishing – Great Combo

Had  a couple of great guys out this AM, Joe and Doug. Since We had the Ft3 film Festival later that day I could only squeeze in a half day for them. It turned out to be a nice morning! Nice steady pick at the Calico Bass and Sand Bass and lots of laughs by all. We lost a couple of “oh shit” fish that broke us off, but we stayed after them.

Doug was hard at work at the “Office” and got slammed! After a big battle of tug of war, up comes a Sand Bass that bounced between 6.5 and 7.0 pounds on the Boga Grip! Hell of a fish!

Tight Lines,

Show Time

Always fun!

Joe, getting it done!

Big Ass Sand Bass!!!

1/19/2015

Such  great weather, Lori and I had to do another run to Catalina Island! Flat calm morning and great crossing. We got there in the early light and started catching right away! Bonito were everywhere, and Lori was fast into them. My gal got her knuckle banged a few time when her fish headed  for the deep water. Big smiles on her face all day long! She was on fire and was schooling me on the catching! It was hard to keep up with her. What a way to spend a day.
Tight lines,

She was putting on a clinic

Girl and her Bonito

Of course she catches a nice Calico Bass also!

1/17/2015

Had to make a quick run over to Catalina Island and get in on some of the great fishing that has been happening. quality Bonito and still some Yellowtail around! Great friend, Jon, and I hit the flat calm seas early and were fishing at sun up!

Jon got hit on his first cast, straight into a very nice Bonito only to have a seal come up and grab it! The only good thing about that was that that was the last of the seal trouble all day.  Nice steady action and great weather! We got Bonito, Calico  Bass and I even got a small Yellowtail. Not the bigger models, but what the hell, it pulled had on an 8wt!

I love the sunrise on the water!

Lots of this size

Firecracker Yellowtail

1/11/2014

I had Mike out this AM all the way from Minnesota! Mike and his brother in law, Jim, were brave soldiers as we knew is was going to be wet! We hit the wall in the dark and no rain! We grab a couple here and there. Water Temp had drop a few degrees so bigger models had lock jaw.

Than the rain started to come, light at first, than steady drizzle. At tide change we ran to one of the Oil Islands that has been very productive, but we had a dog (sea lion) swimming in circles  in the slot that put the fish down. That sucked! We worked the outside for a bit, Jim got a nice Barred Sand Bass. Than the rain started to be a little harder. We were going to hit the Wall one last time, but the rain told us it was time to run back to home. Not a lot of fish, but great guys to have on the boat! Let’s get them next time with out the rain!

Tight lines,

Mike working the “Wall”

Sand Bass in the rain…..

1/10/2014

Just a quick run out to the Office this AM. Hit a couple of spots on the way out. Second cast I connect with a fat Calico Bass – great to be back on the water in the dark.  Spent the rest of the morning getting lots of medium size fish. Nothing big here today, but watching the sun come up is never boring!!

Jeff P and his crew were out also. They had several nice fish as well. Jeff had a 4 + pounder! We ran to the Pipe where we got hit by the incoming rain. I headed for the launch ramp. I knew this was going to be a wet one and I had clients the next day!

Tight Lines,

God’s light….

Sunrise at the Office

12/27/2014

Post Christmas day and we needed a quick spalsh on the salt! Nothing huge, lots of fun and yes, Lori is catching them!

Tight Lines,

Just one more before the New Year!

12/15/2014

Well I got back from the Yucatan all in one piece. Wow, what an adventure! I got a chance to fish with 7 super anglers and try my hand at chasing Permit! Well folks, it ain’t easy thats for sure! These fish will flat out make you crazy!

Our goal was getting Permit, but we also ran into Bonefish, baby Tarpon, Snook and some Great Baracuda. We were just outside the town of Punta Allen at Pecadora Lodge. Super place to be, it really needs to beon your bucket list!

Here are some shots of our groups sucess

The Holy Grail….Yucatan Permit!!! That’s how you do it…!

Snook – amazing fighters

Even a small Permit is well respected

Nice Yucatan Bonefish

Hatch Reel and Sage Method Rod ….. searching

Watch out for your fingers!

This is how they fly

Nice Baby Tarpon

12/5/2014

Hello All,

I am off to the Yucatan at Pescadora Lodge to chase Permit, Tarpon, Bonefish and Snook for a week!! Flats fishing in December, you got to love that!!! A full report and pictures when I return.

Tight Lines,

11/30/2014

Leo called and wanted a post Thanksgiving day Catalina Island run. So we met early and headed out in the dark to get a jump on things. The crossing was easy and fast. Leo was alittle under the weather with some back pain, but that would not stop him. When we head to the Island, all he has on his mind is Bonito!!

So we had a little south wind coming at us once we arrived which made the drifts a bit challenging. No worries for us as we metered lots of fish and there was tons of bait in the water. We began our day….. Leo immediately gets a grab that came off right away, I get a solid hook up the end up with a Bonito pushing 7 pounds! So the day goes on with Leo getting quality fish all morning long. It was not wide oipen, but there was plenty of fish to make those rods bend and reels scream. These bigger Bonito will take out over a 100 yards of line!!!! We were fishing the new Sage Salt Rods and Method Rods in 8wt matched with Hatch Reels. Boy, did we ever put some bends into these rods! We could have / should have fished the 9wt or 10 wt, but like fishing light. The drags on the Hatch 7 Plus reels worked amazing – they really helped land these fish.

We had Capt. Vaughn on Saltyfly come by with his clients and they were into fish also. I do get a little boat jealous when you see his 26 footer cruise by, but then when it come to gas and maintenance, iam right back to my senses!!

The winds started to blow a little harder so we cut it short a bit and headed back. What a fun day on the water and some real quality fishing at Catalina Island!!

Tight Lines,

First Fish of the Day…. Now that is how you do it!

So much fun

Yes, we caught Yellowtail …. at least when they grow up to be one…..

On an 8wt Flyrod !!! OMG

11/11/2014

Well folks, it was time for our annual run up to the California Delta. We make the run each yeat in November and the last two years it was during the Simms Pro day so we get to hang out with all our friends also. I  had Capt. Vaughn Podmore with me again this year. Such a great friend and fishing partner. We fished Friday afternoon, Saturday till 11:30 before the event and than all day Sunday.  There was 4 boats from Southern California up there this year and everyone caught fish! If you have never had a chance to fish the Delta, it needs to be on  your bucket list.

Home base for us was the Sugar Barge RV Park and Marina, we had the boat in the water with covered berth that had power to plug in the charger for the batteries, 32ft RV right on sight and made the whole trip so easy!

We fish a lot of water looking for the one, we never got the big girls we wanted, but boy did we ever catch some fish. Many times it was none stop for hours! Tons of fun, great folks to hang out with and such a fantastic Event put on by John Sherman and Simms. We will be back again next year both for the event, but still looking for the one.

Great weather all weekend – Starting our day…

Lots of Largemouth in there also

These fish pull hard!

Capt. Vaughn getting it done

Over two hours on this spot

Doubles again….. Lots of double

10/25/2014

Well gang, once again I have been running around like a crazy man. Great news is that my fishing partner / fiance and I were married on Sept. 21, 2014 up in Mammoth Lake over looking Lake Mary. We did have a bachelors party of float tubing the morning before the wedding on Lower Twin Lake. Caught two small Rainbows, not a bad way to get ready for a wedding!

Here is an assortment of pictures from the last month or so.

Tight lines,

Catching these all day long is FUN!

Searching for the “One”

Oh Yeah !

Post wedding “Angerette”

Chef Sterling is now a fly fisherman

Married my best friend

Wedding Jitters? Go fishing before the wedding….

9/7/2014

Quick call with Jon and we both said lets grab a few early hours in Santa Monica Bay. Just wanted to fish the incoming tide. Jeff Priest, a fellow guide and his gal Michelle, met us at the ramp for an early session. By the way, did any of you catch the Moon Setting?

Today was a slow day, nothing like it has been, but that is fishing. We ended up with a few, nothing huge, but what a sunrise.

Tight Lines,

JP launching in the dark, as we always do!

Sunrise on the water, never gets old….

Nice Chunky one….the Fish! …. not Jon!

9/6/2014

With all the big swell we had last week, Jon and I needed to take a look at the LA Wall. We knew there would be some new structure and had to check it out.

The tide was not what we wanted as it was goingt o top out by 8:15 AM or so, but we hit it in the dark. Had a nice steady pick at them all morning. There are some big holes in the wall and made for so interesting currents. Cloud cover was no existent today and we new the fish would be sliding back in tight quickly.

All in all a solid morning with some nice Calico Bass, a few “Oh Shit” misses!

Tight Lines,

Where did all the rock go…….?

Sand Bass came to play

Good one for the guide….

Nice Fatty!

8/30/2014

Kurt gave me a call and said his good friend Casey was coming out from back east and they needed a day on the water. We decide we would hit the LA Wall and inshore for the day since we had a huge swell earlier in the week and there was lots of new structure to explore.

Now when I say new structure, I mean three big holes in the LA Wall blown out by the big surf, biggest enough to move some serious rock!

We hit it early as we always do and it was non stop most of the AM. We had good cloud cover till after 10 AM which kept the fish out of the super tight spots. Also with the high surf last week, a lot of the kelp has been cleared giving us clear shots are areas we could not touch before.

These guys where friends since high school and had fished together for years. This made for some great stories and tons of laughs all day.  To top it off both guys could put the fly anywhere they wanted it or where I instructed them, this is huge plus when fishing the structure. Great anglers and so fun to have on the boat. Best part for me, two new friends!

Tight Lines,

Hole in the wall…..

Start in the dark

Early light

Nice one!

Fun times

Casey called them “Saltwater” Smallmouth, I like it!

8/24/2014

Spent today fishing with some great friends, Leo and Greg. It had been a little while since Greg was on the boat so I was excited to have him join us. Greg is a master fishing net builder and really does some works of art. Check him out at Sierra Nets on the web. We are talking heirloom quality stuff.

We stopped at the bait barge and they only had big sardines, not what we wanted at all, but we grab a few. We would later regret that as they died quickly and were worthless. The run to Catalina Island was fast, making the first part of the crossing in the dark. We were at the Isalnd by 6:15 AM.

So we chased the Calico Bass, the Bonito and were in the hunt for Yellowtail, but never connected with them. Tons of boat traffic made the fish nervous and with out chum bait it was a little tough. None the less we caugh fish all day! Lots and lots of laughter, fun and super anglers!

Great day on the water,

Masked Man

Oh yeah……

8/23/2014

Today was fishing with a local  that wanted to know more about his own back yard, Santa Monica Bay. I met Brian at 5:00 AM at the launch ramp and off we went into the dark. I promised that I would show Brian the places I fish and give him a good opportunity to get some hook ups. We hit a little spot that I know and it did not take long for Brian to feel the grab. It was game on! Brian was very impressed with grab and pulling power of the Calico Bass.

We worked that area then moved over to the Office for a few more, always talking about technique and tactics on how to fish the area. He was a great student and great guys to get on the water.

By the way, he emailed me a couple days after and he is already on his paddle board out there fishing and doing well! I love sharing the sport.

Tight Lines,

Brian at school…….

say Ahhhhhhhhh

He is hooked….

8/10/2014

My long time client and great friend Leo called and said he needed some “target” practice….. That means only one thing, hitting the LA Harbor Wall and putting flies in tight places! He absolutely loves this type of fishing. He wants to find the perfect pocket and drop in that fly and have the fish jump on it hard. He lives for the take!

So, for Leo this was going to be a day of steady bites and lots of laughs. The banter with Leo is none stop all day and I am constantly reminded why I do this, when I see Leo’s pure joy on every fish no matter what size it is! Just for the record, this guys works way too hard in his career and does not fish near enough, but he is also an amazing caster and can put the fly anywhere I tell him! Awesome day with one of by best clients and friends.

Tight Lines,

Let’s start the day!

Leo doing his thing, fishing tight to cover

Very happy and laughs at these too!

Happy Camper

8/2/2014

My good friend and client, Jon, was up for a early morning secrect spot mission. We hit the MDR launch ramp early and headed out. We had a falling tide and knew where the fish should be stacked up. As we pulled up to our starting point it was clear this was a special morning…. There was bait being attacked everwhere! It was unreal to see the onslaught of baiting fleeing for thier lives!

First cast and we were into fish! Steady pick on a great grade of Calico Bass! Awesome morning with many fish caught and a few “oh shit fish” that broke off (we were using 20 lb. tippet). Got to love the secret spots we all have….

Tight Lines,

Oh yeah, that’s a good fish…….

Little Sand Bass action also

This little piggy came to play….

7/27/2014

Lori and I needed to do a quick get away so we headed up to Mammoth for a quick sesion on casting dry flies. We fished Rush Creek & the Upper Owens River and had an amazing time with small fish on the dry. Tons of fun, in small water on the hunt. Even the salty guys need to get fresh once and a while.

Shes hunting now…..

Getting a little fresh on….

I love the take on these little guys

Tight Lines,

7/20/2014

It was over to Catalina to get into some of the Bonito fishing that everyone has been talking about. Pretty flat crossing after picking up a half scoop of Anchovies. Now Lori had caught some Bonito before, but in the samller two to three pound class, today we were looking for 5 to 6 pound fish!

As soon as we pulled up and threw out a few chovies, the fish were on the boil…! Fast cast and she gets hooked up. This fish was head out of town…. with the reel handle spinning Lori did get her knuckles whacked a few times and she was fast into backing. She did a great job of getting back on the fish and it made several more  big runs the kept her smiling. We stayed on them most of the morning with a dozen to the boat all in that 5 pound plus range. Great day on the water!

Tight Lines,

Smiling with her knuckles whacked…..

These fish are so fast…..

7/19/2014

Just a quick early morning session with Lori out to the Office in Santa Moncia Bay. We got after them early and put a couple good fish in the boat. Very flat water with an out going tide (falling). Nice set up for the few secret spots…..

Tight lines,

This is how she starts…..

Always the stylish one!

6/29/2014

Fished this morning in Santa Monica Bay with Greg, who was traveling thru on vacation from England. Met Greg at his hotel and off we went to hit a few spots on a half day trip. Our goal was to try a few of our Calico Bass spots and see what we c ould bring to hand.

We launched out in the dark at MDR and soon came on to the first spot. Greg was a little new to throwing the weighted lines, but quickly got the hang of it. After a couple of misses on “drive bys” grabs, Greg stuck one and was very impressed at the pulling power of these fish! First fish by 5:10 AM! We countinued to work our first spot picking up fish even as the local seals started to stir. Then it was off to the “Office“. The “Office” normally bites best on a higher tide for me, today we had super low, but it was comiong up fast. We had a nice steady pick and yes, Greg got the “Oh Shit Fish”! You know the one, the one that kicks your butt and goes right back into the rocks! Even though we missed that one, the look on his face was priceless!

Tight Lines,

Fun morning on Santa Monica Bay

Smile says it all

6/22/2014

Today was Lori’s day! She has been wanting to hit the Office and few other spots in Santa Monica Bay, so we headed out in the dark, on the water by 5:00 AM

Pulled up to first spot and  she was hooked up! It was a fish or so every other other cast for her! She loss a big one that popped the 8 pound tippet she is using (she wants the 8 pound tippet record now!). We hit a few more of the spots around the office and had a great morning inspite of a south wind, that was really rolling the chop a bit much.

Decide we would hit one more drift, before head back in and Lori throws a nice cast to the boiler rocks, Wham! Fish on! This was a good fish. It would take some line, she would get it back, it would take more line, she would get it back, she was doing all the right things and we knew this could be the “One“!  As she started to get the line back in I grab the net with excitement and up comes a 5 plus pound Trigger Fish! I am stoked, but Lori say ….oh Shit! She is hooked on Bass and I love her for that!

We had a great day on the water, she caught lots of fish, lost a few big ones and added a new species to her list.

Tight Lines,

We start in the dark!

Oh yeah….

5 + Trigger Fish – that is tough on an 8wt rod!

6/21/2014

I had the “Fantastic” John Hart out for a day on the water today. I decide he should go to the “Office” to do some work…… Today was a “NO Fly” zone as John was a light tackle and plastics guy. Well, John went right to work putting on a clinic on how to catch lots of quality Calico Bass. John caught fish all morning long. There were a few “drive bys” that made us go “WOW, what was that!”

Great morning, fish busting bait all around us, great sunrise, flat calm and tons of fish.

Tight Lines,

Good morning world…..

Great fishing on the light tackle

All smiles this morning

6/15/2014

Father’s Day 2014…Got an invite to fish with two great friends / clients (Frank and Jon) and my dear friend, Capt. Vaughn Podmore of Salty Fly Guide Service today. What a treat!! Rode down to the dock with Jon, picked up at the dock by Capt. Vaughn and Frank and made our way to Catalina Island. Capt. Vaughn has a bigger boat, 26 ft, which does nice job on the bumps. Now this is service! LOL

We had a bit of wind and fair amount of bump as we started to fish, but that did not hurt the fishing, it was epic! Vaughn has really got the island down. We hit a spot and spent the entire day in that same general area and put over a 100 fish to the hand. All I can say was amazing day!

We had Calico Bass (major case of Bass Thumb), Bonito and Barracuda to the boat. Jon even had a big Yellowtail on till a seal (aka Fur Dog) came over and spooked the fish and it popped the line. So many fish, so many laughs and stories.

If you get a chance, give Capt. Vaughn a try, I have him linked on this site. Many, many thanks for my friends for a great Father’s Day on the water.

Tight Lines,

Frank gets another Cuda

Capt. Vaughn and Jon

Great Capt – Vaughn Podmore

Fun Fun

Balvenie Double Wood Scotch, Sage Rods and Hatch Reels a great combo

6/14/2014

Brian came down today from Bakersfield to get a little time on the saltwater action. Our goal was to try and look at Catalina Island, but due to the cross swell, the bump made it a little to much to make the crossing. We chosse to hit the LA Wall and Harbor instead and avoid the beating….LOL.

Not on fire today, but some good grabs and lots of laughs and smiles all around. We did go outside and work a spot that we know is very good and Brian got the “Oh Shit” hook up! This fish hit like a train and started to take line back from Brian, I could see the line ripping through his fingers! As hard as Brian tried, the big fish got deep into cover and broke off, but the look on Brian’s face was worth it. This is why we keep coming back, to get a shot at the big ones.

Tight Lines,

Brian on the WALL

Lori grabs one off the Oil Island

The team……

5/31/2014

Had Milford back out and this time he brought his good friend Phil. Now Phil had done a little surf fishing, he had never done any fishing in the salt off a boat. So this was going to be a fun day introducing someone to the “grabs” of Calico Bass on the Wall.

We started the day off with a few grabs, than the blue bird skys came out, which are great for sun bathing, but make the fish a little shy and you have to put the cast right on the rocks. These guys kept at it all day and we had tons of fun, good “grabs” and Phil was hooked! I think he liked the tug that these fish give you. “Tug is the drug”

Great day, with great guys!

Tight lines,

Oil Island gave up this one…..

Nice one for Phil

Phil’s first Calico Bass

5/25/2014

Did a quick little trip to the LA Wall with Lori along with JP and Michelle (they were on their boat). Not a wide open morning, but fun for a few hours  and THAT my freinds is what it is about….. FUN

Tight Lines,

My gal Lori starting the morning off right!!!!

New species for me…..

JP and Michelle

5/24/14

My good friend and client “Leo” was feeling the stress of work and asked if we could hit Catalina Island and of course my answer was YES! Although we had a little bit of a mixed swell, the crossing was pretty good making it over in just over 45 minutes to Yellowtail Point. As we hit the island, we were on the hunt for Baracuda, Calico Bass and Yellowtail.

We soon found ourselves slowly being surrounded by a large number of boats that clearly had the same plan in mind. Although we had several great hookups, closing the deal was tough and the boat pressure kept the fish down. The Barracuda and Yellowtail were hard to get, but we hammered the good quality Calico Bass all day. All fish were stocky and full bellies.

All in all another great trip on the water with Leo…….

Tight lines,

Great start to the day

How can you not be happy!

All smiles

5/8 thur 5/12

I had to get out of town for a bit and we decide to make a run to the Green River, Utah. I had not fished this river for almost 20 years and I can only say it was my mistake! This place is as wonderful as I remember it! I am going to add this to my annual trips.

We fished with the Trout Creek Flies group out of Dutch John, Utah. This was who I had fished with years before and a few of the orignial guides are still there! We got to spend a couple of days with “Boomer” Stout on the water and what an amazing time. Awesome fishing, fantastic canyon views and super guide. I highly highly recommend this river and this outfitter!

We got ran out by the huge winter storm that rolled through – that was dicey to say the least.

Tight Lines,

The Green River

Lori’s big fish of the trip

My Birthday “Brownie”

Snow was coming down prett quickly

Very scary conditions

5/3/2014

We had a early morning seesion on the LA Wall. We knew it was going to be a blue bird day with bright skies so we tried to hit it early for some gray light action. Had a nice steady bite most of the morning than it slowed a bit.

Highlight of the day was Jon getting Calico Bass, Sand Bass and Spotted Bay Bass for a Bass Slam today. Great to get all three in one day. The Spottie was a nice chucky 2.5 pounder.

Tight Lines,

Great morning as always…..

Jon with a nice Spottie

4/20/2014

Easter Sunrsie on the water is a tradition for me and I was going to hit Santa Monica Bay. Jeff Priest and Michelle where going to be on the water also in their boat. JP called the night before and said they wanted to hit it very early…like 3:00 AM early! I told him that was too early for me, but I would see them at 5:00 AM.

I am getting my boat in the water at 4:30 or so and my phone is ringing, I see it is JP, but I keep working and getting underway. As I am running down the channel I check my message and JP is saying Michelle just laned a 6.5 pound Calico Bass! Game on!

I meet them on the water in the dark and they are having a field day catching some quality fish. Jeff has some up to 4 plus pounds and lost some bigger ones, Michelle is getting worked over and had the big Calico, things are on fire! A few cast later Michelle is bent again and this one is kicking her back end , but she is sticking some serious heat on it. Up comes another big Calico that is just shy of 6 pounds!

We fished the first stop till it slowed up that made a move and were quickly back into the fish again. Wow, what a special morning and great sunrise also. Off the water by 9:00 with big smile, a case of bass thumb and sore arms.

Tight lines,

Things that go bump in the night…….

The team……

Nice Sand Bass

Big Fish Honors…..

Now that is a toad…..

4/19/2014

Spent the morning on the Wall with good friend and client Jon W  today. We ran to the outside and hit some of our spots and had a nice bunch of grabs – Jon was putting on a clinic at one point showing me how to catch fish! This guy was unstoppable…. WTF? Even catching a great looking Cabezon!

So we do a bet each morning, dollar for the first fish, dollar for the biggest, dollar for the most and dollar for the most species. Well today we had a side bet of $5 dollars for the first over 5 pounds……. I got my butt handed to me! So why does the guide have to pay the client $9.00 dollars????

Oh yeah, when the tide went slack we hit some inside sections and got a few more and I missed a really big hit. The next thing I know Jon is hooked up and bent to the cork. he is putting some serious effort in to what ever is on the other end of the line. Well after abit of time, he is making head way and up comes this big Halibut! Over 32 inches and 10 pounds!

So much fun,

The fun started very early

Big Cabezon

10 popund Pacific Halibut on the fly……

$9 dollars richer….

4/12 & 13/2014

Fly Fishing Event at the Fishermen’s Spot in Van Nuys this weekend. What a great turn out for one of our great shops. Cool list of vendors / guides along with tons of customers getting in on the lessons, classes and seminars. I did my program on Southern California Saltwater Opportunities to a full house and I was the first program on Saturday morning!

Also some great food! Captain BBQ on Saturday along with Grilled Cheese Truck on Sunday, simply amazing.

Tight Lines,

It’s Show Time……

Now we’re Talkin……….

What a spread…….!

4/6/2014

Had the chance to run down to the local beach with Jeff Priest and his crew today. The tide was not great and the swell made it a tough morning, but such fun with friends. We caught the usual Barred Surf Perch Perch up and down the beach. The best part was running up to the lcoal El Segundo Breakfast spot and chowing down on ham and eggs!

Tight Lines,

Usual suspects

The crew

3/27 thur 3/29/2014

I had the pleasure of working on a video project with author, lecturer, former guide, amazing fly fisherman and a great friend, Ken Hanley. Ken’s site is pacificextremes.com and if you have not visited the site you should, there is a ton of info on his site and some amazing video projects.

We got Jeff Priest and Dave Valedez to help out with the project and it will be released at the upcoming Fly Fishing Expo at the Fishermen’s Spot on April 13th. The Expo is actually Saturday and Sunday. I will be there on Saturday with my boat and I have a show in the AM. Please stop by and see me and Ken.

Now making the video was a ton of fun, the catching however was a challenge as the water temps had drop by 4 plus degrees. When this happens the fish get lock jaw and we had a tough time, but did manage a few.

Tight Lines,

Dave and JP going over the plan

JP at work

The Master……

3/23/2014

Fighting off an anoying cold, but had to go out for a few hours – hit the LA Wall on a falling tide, but did nolt get much love today. Had a few misses and one huge slam that took Lori right into the rocks! That was one of the hardest hits she has had in a while. We have her fishing IGFA 8lb with a 20lb bite tippet so it is really tough to get them out of the rocks.

Had fun, great morning watching Jeff Priest work his boat with his new trolling motor. That guys is loving it! Whole new level of fishing the LA Wall.

I love this Place !!!!

She’s ready for the grab……..

No big ones today….LOL

3/15/2014

John from Bakerfield came down to hit the saltwater today. We decide to make the run to Catalaina Island in search of some of the Bonito that have been hang around. Quick stop by the bait barge for a few anchoives and we hit the road. We had a easy crossing and arrived at the island just before sun rise.

We set up and I throw out a hand full of the anchovies and it was game on. Second cast I was hooked up to a little firecarcker Bonito. What happend next has the been the story as of late, a “herd of Sea Lions” came rushing the boat. The seals have been keying in on us when we begin to get into the fish shutting the bite down hard. We move around the area, but could not shake the dogs anywhere near where the Bonito were.

Fished the rest of the front side trying to keep away from the seals and managed a few Calico Bass, but not a great day – although the weather was sinply amazing!

Decide to make our way back across the channel. Mid way back we saw a small  Minke Whale and as we slowed up ro watch it, it came right over to the boat and began to follow us. It played with us for 25 minutes or so before we had to continue back to San Pedro. Watching this amazing anaimal circle our boat, coming up beside it and looking at us was very cool. He would stick his head out of the water and check us out. What a great way to end the day with a very cool encounter with this whale.

Tight Lines,

So fun on the 7wts.

Got a few little ones today

Just cruising around us…..

Checking us out, the Minke Whale

3/9/2014

Well it was time to get “Sir Charles” and Jon back on the water this week. It has beed a while since Charlie was on board and dad wanted to get the young man out and get some fresh air in his lungs. Charlie was a little on the tired side with a late night and daylight savings time, but was a trooper and hung in there.

Solid bite beweeen 6 AM and 8 AMon the WALL, than soften up a bit and the brighter it got the slower the bite. We love the blue bird skys, but the fish like a little cloud cover….LOL.

Jon had several very nice fish and than hooked “the One” ! This is humbling when you see the client getting his arm pulled back out with the line and the client can not turn the fish…… Fish 1 – Client 0 on this one. We like to call these the “Oh Shit” fish, because that is what you say when you hook them and try to pry them out of the rocks! Well we will get him next time!

Tight Lines,

God is saying hello with this sunrise…….

Nice fish in the late morning dark

“Sir Charles” get a good one on the plastics

2/23/2014

My client and friend Jon, was speaking about the “office” in Santa Monica Bay, so that was our plan for a few hours in the AM. Hit Marina Del Rey launch ramp to a fair amount of fog, but still safe enough to run slow to our spot. Fishing was steady with a falling tide. Jon’s new “Night Stalker” fly for me was the hot ticket. I bagged a few nice fish including a fat Sand Bass that put a great big bend in my Sage Xi3 8wt.

We only had a few hours, but had a great time! Being on the water and watching the sun come up is always an amazing sight! This spot was not on fire, but all the signs looked very good. This place will “blow up” as we move into late winter / spring and we will begin to spend some quality time there searching for the “one

Tight Lines,

Rock Fish will eat the fly also…..!

We love the grabs………………..!

This will put a bend in the rod!!

2/15/2014

Some of our freinds have been doing the “Night Shift” on the Wall as of late and have been having some amazing action. Although I am not a night person anymore (up at 4:00 AM most days), we decided to hit it last evening. Perfect weather, great tides and low wind.

We put in at 4:30 and headed to the Wall. We began to work it in the fading light, catching a fish here and there. As the light faded (maybe me a little bit too) it became a challenge to judge the right distance on the cast. We “donated” a number of flies to the Wall last night, but had a lot of fun. It is not an easy trip, you must be on your game.

We did not get the big guys we were after, but had tons of fun catching. We had dinner on the boat, Lori had a hot cup of tea, thanks to her new Thermos she got for her birthday, all in all a great night, We ending it at about 10:00 PM and I must say I was tired on the drive home. In the dark all your sense are on high. You focus to see what little structure you can make out, you focus hard on the feel of the line and you try to keep the boat in the perfect spot. So if you want as shot at some of the big boys, try the “Night Shift“.

Tight Lines,

Lori working the Night Shift

2/8/2014

Ok, so I am busy and have not been keeping up. So here some randon shots for the last few months. Funny how time flies….. I would rather be fishing than on the computer.

Big Calico on the Night Shift

Double for Jon and Lori

Beach fishing has been great!

Jeff on the beach with Mr. Wiggles

Early Morning Grab

Winter Wall fishing can be very good!

Johnny Mack gets a nice one off the Wall

12/1/2013

Had the chance to buddy boat with Capt. Vaughn Podmore of Salty Fly Guide Service and his clients last Sunday for a trip to Santa Catalina Island. Capt. Vaughn and I were saying how much fun we had up in the Delta for the Simms weekend, that we needed to do a trip together in our own backyard, so off we went.

Capt. Vaughn has been working the island a lot this year and we share a bunch of info. I knew he had it dialed in since I had not been over in about two months. We both grabbed some anchoioves to use as throw bait to get the Bonito going and blasted the channel. It is about a 27 mile run from the San Pedro to the east end of the island. The run was fast as it was flat calm. I was pushing 38 mph plus on the last 5 miles or so on my 18 ft Edgewater!

We found the fish right off the bat, exactly where Capt. Vaughn said they would be. Funny I have been fishing this very spot for over 20 years and it still produces at the right times. My gal, Lori and I had instant doubles on our first cast, the game was on. Double were very common all day long. Capt Vaughn and his folks were fast into them also. The Bonito were not super sized, mostly 3’s to maybe 5 with tons of 4’s, smaller ones also. We fished the 6, 7 and 8wts, but alot on the 6wt and 7wts. Fantastic day on the water. Lori and I had to head back a little early with other obligations and left the fish biting, now that is fun to say….
Great Day with great friends,

Crossing the channel at Sunrise

First Bonito on the fly…but not her last…..

Capppppy Tannnn Vaughn

Fun in the sun

11/30/2013

Jon and I had to get a quick trip to the LA WAll this AM. We both wanted to try a few new flies on the Wall. Off we went, but had a run in with a piece of wood that I did not see in the water! I really keep my eyes peeeled for thsi sort of stuff since I leave out early most mornings. Well today it got the better of me and banged up my prop some. We still head out to the Wall and got in great hook ups and laughs.

We called early and slowly head back in. Got home and put on the spare prop and ready for the next day!

Fire in the Sky…. never get old seeing this from the water

Leaf Fish…….

Fat one !!

In the dark

11/8 thu 11/2013

Well everyone, it was time for the annual trip up to the California Delta. The timing was great as we would hit some great weather and the Simms Delta Day Event. Capt. Vaughn Podmore and I hit the road early Friday AM with my boat in tow. We had also talked Dave Valedez and Matt Wilson into coming up with Dave’s boat. We met them just outside of Bakersfield on Hwy 5 and headed up. The drive was easy and perfect. We had both rented RV’s at the Sugar Barge RV Park and had coverd boat slips to boot! Now this is first class!

Day one was Friday afternoon, just a few hours of exploring and fun. Found a spot where we started to get some grabs, not huge, but more than fun!

Saturday was an early half day fishing than the Simms Event at noon. We had Trent, a guide from Truckee fish with us that morning as he was down for the event. Now this was a fantastic day! 50 plus fish in a few hours , Wow! Simply outstanding for a half day. Trent was amazed to say the least.

Sunday was a day of looking, we got fish here, there and than hit the spot from the day before and it was game on!Lost count on how many fish we caught. One of the highlights later that afternoon was that we got to share a cocktail with one of my favorite mentors and fly fishing legend, Dan Blanton! He is Mr. Delta !

How we start the day…….

Dave and Matt

Trent grabs a nice one!

Scrappy ones!

Any color will work as long as it is Chartreuse….

Booyaa !

Cappy Tannn and Stripey

Team Flytime aka Team WTF

Guarding the slough

so …..WTF is the story here?

Capt. Dan Blanton and Capt. Vaughn Podmore

All in all an amazing trip with some great frineds and fantastic fly anglers!

11/3/2013

Nice early morning fish

First cast of the morning….. First fish of the morning

Early Morning Sargo – Santa Monica Bay

Jon bags a very good fish out of the rocks !

Nice Santa Monica Bay fish !

The girl was hunting…….

Little industrial area – nice fish…

Little tug for this guy

Great colors on this fish’s cheeks !

Big Perch are on the bite!

Island Calico

Can you say…2nd Women’s World Record???

Things that go bump in the night…

Doubles off da “Wall”

Bob and his Leaf Fish……

Leo off da “Wall”

Mark and “Raymond”…….

Chef Sterling casting

Chef Sterling’s first saltwater fish with a fly!

Match the Hatch !!!

Nice Sargo of the wall…. Secret spot???

Throw a little beach time in,,, Great perch and yellowfin croaker bite

Dylan all the way from England – Nice Halibut

Oh yeah, now we are talkin……..

One for the Guide

Good Morning Mr. Calico Bass

Bad case of Bass Thumb……

Great start to the morning

Lots of quality fish today!

Nice was to start the day!

Two loves, Lori and flyfishing………

Nice Catalina Calico

Lori bags a nice Cuda !

Capt. Vaughn and Frank with Cuda

New fishing rods !

Emi and her Sand Bass

Dad even caught a couple !

Take your kids fishing

Oh yeah !!

The girl is good I tell you!

Trigger on the fly……..

Nice way to end the day

First Cast, First Grab!

Father and son double hook up!

Charlie with the last one of the day

What a great team!

Jon with a big Sargo

Can you say big Mackeral???

New Fly works very well……

Frank and his first Cuda of the year

Very fat Calico

Great cast = nice fish

Working the Wall

Bent again……………

Smiles all day

Great fun on the 7wt

Dave get a nice Sand Bass also

Dave get a nice Calico Bass

Yes, double hook up!

Yes, they do fly….

Couple of locals came down to say hello

Frank grabs the first one of the day

Franky grabs the biggest one of the day

The boyz….. Frank and Franky

California Sunrise on the water

Geert’s first California saltwater fish

Opal Eye

Now this is funny….

Fiesty little guy…..

We had some Sand Bass thrown in also

Smile says it all

Now this is a Fly Rod fish !!!

Happy Girl – personal best

I love the sunrise on the water

Starting off the morning right

Tanner and his San Bass

Caught on his own fly!

Happy Camper

Sculpins, sculpins and more sculpins

The “Net”

The Boys

This is how you start the day!

Big Smile in the early morning

Quality Sand Bass

Big Cabazon

Lots of big boat traffic today

Oh yeah, that what we are talkin about

Little tied up

Proud to have Hatch Reels on the boat

Nice start to the day

On the Wall with Charlie

All smiles

What happens when you fish tight to structure

The start of our day….

There is a smile in there somewhere….

Eating the Sculpin

Happy Girl, she is on fire !!

Great Color

The wall entrance

Inside Wall

Still biting in the cold

Nice inner harbor fish

As we begin 2013

Lori starts off the new year right!

I even got a few

Nice Sandy

Barred Surf Perch

Getting better all the time

End of the session

Just got over being sick with the flu for a week! Man, I am to old to get beat up like that……. Needed to get some fresh air and talked my gal, Lori into hitting the Santa Monica bay for a few hours this AM. This also gave me  a chance to try out my new propeller and tune-up on the boat. Boy, does the boat run GREAT!!! Big improvement, not that it needed one.

We worked our local hot spots for a slow pick. Dropped a few really big hits, I blame my slow reaction due to being sick….LOL. Lori mean while had a nice steady pick going.  Ending up with a nice Calico Bass off the MDR Wall. As is the situation, Lori was asking for “just one more” cast & fish.

“Just one More”

Fishing early

10/6/2012

Had short day on the beach this AM. Client needed a little tune up and asked for a couple of hours. Hit El Porto and got into a  few Yellowfin Croaker right off the bat. Added in a few Surf Perch here and there and topped it off with a Shovel Nose Shark that went over 10 pounds.

Very happy client indeed! Not to mention that we worked on his casting  – nice way to start the day.

Tight Lines,

9/29/2012

Johnny Mack came down from the heat in Bakersfield to fish Catalina Island. Weather looked good at the start, but had a small wind from the north. Got to the island only to find that the wind was blowing right onshore on the front side of the island. This is not the normal wind, we are very protected from wind on the front side most of the time.

Fished all the usual spot and had a nice pick going on Calico Bass and lots of laughs going back and forth. Johnny and I set up our usual bet, Dollar for the first fish, the most fish and the biggest fish! I have to say, my new name is “Three Dollar Bill” – yes he took my money!  How is a guide to put food on the table????

The ride home was a mess! Not good at all. Nothing dangerous, but sloppy and wet. White caps, wind blowing from the north, it was bad! We crawled back running 18 MPH or so, some times less for most of the way. One and a half hours on a trip that normally take half that.  Glad I had my Simms Rain gear, really great stuff and dry as a bone. Check it out on their website – it is the bomb!

Tight lines,

Great colors!

He counted this one too!

Johnny Mack and his winnings

9/24/2012

Was out fishing the LA Wall with a client and had my good friend Jeff Priest (guide) and his girlfriend, Michelle in their boat fishing the same area. Weather was great and we all had a steady pick on nice Calico Bass.

Michelle decided to cast into the channel and away from the wall, resulting in a major hook up!   The fish took her around the boat, deep into the backing and was not coming in. After a while she finally asked Jeff for some help and handed off the rod.  Jeff put some wood to the fish and still had a battle on his hand. Again doing some laps around the boat. I came over and started to shoot pictures for him from my boat.

After a while the fish slowly started to come in, it was a Thresher Shark hooked in the mouth!!!! I told Jeff to be careful of the tail and he was ready. As the fish tired, Jeff grab the tail and boated the fish. Truly an amazing catch!!!  This is the first Thresher that I have see fly caught and fly in the mouth. Had Michelle not handed off the rod – I see IGFA all over it. Next time I am sure you will not be able to pry the rod out of her hands……!

Tight Lines,

Hang on buddy!

Thresher Shark on the fly

9/8/2012

Client and his son out today for half day trip in Santa Monica Bay. Forecast was for light winds and small swell, it turned out to be small, but pushed together making for a lumpy day. Nothing huge, just harder to get set up and hold tight to the cover we were fishing. Add in a very small tide changes makes for a slow day.

Had a few of the SWBA tournament guys out prefishing with the same results…slow.

Great sunshine and a day on the water is always good, just wish we had a few more to the boat. Father was on the fly and son was on the spinning rod. Numerous short strikes all morning long. We had swim bait tails bitten off, small hits on the flies, but the fish were not helping us close the deal. We work all the normal spots. It was great to get them on the water and at least show them what’s in out back yard. We’ll get them next time for sure!

Tight Lines,

9/3/2012

Ran out to the LA Wall this AM with Lori in our boat along with Jeff and Michelle in their boat. Fishing had cooled down a little since the day before, but still was a great morning. Everyone caught fish and had lots of laughs.

Met Mat from Santa Barbara on the water. He was out on the wall with his boat banging a few fish. Great guy, gave him a few flies to try.

Tight Lines,

Sunrise on the water…always a good thing

Lori and her Sand Bass

Wall fish……

9/2/2012

Forecast was a large swell and early winds for the weekend, but Leo had a day booked and he was not changing his plans. Although he really wanted to go to Catalina Island – I told him that I had gotten some Intel that LA Harbor Wall was on fire. My good Friend Capt. Vaughn Podmore filled me in that the big swell was washing bait off the rocks and the inside was fishing really well.

We hit the water early in the dark and motored to the spot. We were soon into fish! The swell would hit the outside of the wall and we cast into the wash water. The fish were stacked up waiting for things to be pushed out of the rocks!!

Officer Bo PakLong Beach PD came by this morning to check in and hand me some new Sculpin flies to try – Articulated Woolies. The flies were tied on and put to work! I slammed a very nice Calico Bass first thing!!

I think we ended the day with about 50 fish!!!!  Big Sands Bass of almost 4 pounds, lots of 3 pound Calico Bass and one solid 4 plus pound Calico Bass, with many many more. I even got a huge Sargo!  Always fun with Leo on the boat, he has been a great cleint and friend over 16 years! I am looking forward to fishing with him again later in the month.

Tight Lines,

Happy Leo……..

Eating the Woolie Sculpin

Leo and Nice Sandy

Huge Sargo!!

8/24-25/2012

Good Times…..

Flies by Officer Bo Pak – Long Beach PD

Ken is all smiles

Wall Fish

Mr Wiggles….

My Corbina

Lori with great form….look at the toe point

Frank with Bean

Emmy and her catch!

Leo after lunch……

Long Beach’s finest, Officer Bo Pak

Now that is a nice box

Very Nice…….!

Off the Pipe

Opal Eye on the fly!!!

Just one more……

Hooked on Flyfishing

Very Nice!

Oh Yeah, she flyfishes

Big Horn Ranibow

Big Horn Brown

Now we’re talking!

Big Cuda for Jon

Nice Calico for Frank

Halibut on the fly

Small White Seabass

Nice Calico Bass out of the rocks

Big Sargo!

Had two new clients out today – John and “Cob”. John was an experienced fly fisher and Cob had never really fished! This was going to be a fun day! Cob did not know how to cast a flyrod so we set him with the spinning rod and plastic swim baits. I worked with him on his casting a little and we were ready to start the day.

Once again the winds were up early and had us looking for places to set up. All of our fishing was inside the wall. It was a cool and overcast morning, but we soon started getting the hits! Cob did get a hit and landed his first Calico Bass – nice job!

The Calico Bass had amazing orange color on their faces, spawning colors, very cool to see. We worked lots of the local spot and had a steady pick on Calico Bass and Sand Bass. We tried the outside of the wall, but the bump was just too much. Very hard to work the surge.

Ended the day with two guys with big smiles and one than maybe might be a budding “angler“!

Tight Lines,

Cob’s first fish….!!!

The Starfish were biting again………LOL

Great Colors

Chunky Sand Bass

6/9/2012

A very good client and his grandson were the guest today for a session on the L.A. Wall. The winds had been up all week and we even had early morning winds blowing right out of the south. Very few places to hide.

Well we got into them in spite the winds – working the wall and hiding behind oil islands all paid off for us. A nice steady pick all day. Even a few very big fish that broke off! The Calico Bass all had full bellies and were very healthy. These guys hit the fly so hard, this is why we chase them.

Ended the day with two happy campers and great day for a grandfather and grandson on the water.

Tight Lines,

Starting the day off right

Nice Sand Bass

Oh Yeah…!

6/2/2012

The winds had been up all week and getting over to the Catalina Island was out of the question. The plan was a session on the L.A. Wall. The Calico Bass had really been going off according to the reports.  As we headed for the wall the wind was already up a bit and we thought it was going to be tough.

We were wrong, Jon got a hit on his very first cast! It was non stop action after that!! The Calico Bass were eating the fly hard, major hits. We lost a couple of really big fish. The client and I had a serious case of “Bass Thumb” (were you catch so many fish and from lipping them your thumb get raw).

We did make a run outside to the Horseshoe Kelp as we heard that there was Barracuda. The bump on the water made for tough fishing, but we did manage a nice fish and a couple of lost ones.

All in all a great day in spite of the winds that kept changing all day.  Jon even got the infamous “Starfish” ! You know you are fishing tight to cover when you peel one of these guys off!. Laughs all day long!

Amazing fight….LOL

Cuda on the Horeshoe

All smiles

In the dark

5/12/2012

One of my regular clients had his father out from England and he wanted to get him over to the Catalina Island. We set off in the early AM of a flat calm morning. The trip over was fast, just under 45 minutes. Water looked great, weather was outstanding, but the tide / water movement was a little light.

We had reports of tough fishing, but had high hopes. We got a couple of big hits, but never close the deal. However we had a major “Mack Attack”, plenty of rod time with these little fighter! All in all a great day on the water.

One of the highlights was seeing a 300 pound plus Mola Mola and having Jon’s father on board. Just was we started to motor back up after that we spotted two Minke Whales cruising right in front of us!! We followed those two for a while and it was amazing! Our English visitor now has some great memories to take back with him.

Tight Lines,

5/5/2012

I had been promising my girlfriend Lori, that we would spend some time on the water, so I suggested we try the L.A. Wall. Lori has only been casting the fly rod a few times, but is really liking it. I spoke to JP about going, so he and his girlfriend buddy boated with us this morning.

Water was flat on the inside, but had a bump on the outside with a 3ft swell. Started to work the inside on the Los Alamitos side. Worked with Lori on her casting, trying to get her to let the rod do the work. She started to get the hang of it. I know some of my friends think teaching her with weighted lines is a bad idea, but those are the lines we use the most on my boat, so she has to learn with those in order to fish with me. Oh well, she’s a trooper.

After a few strikes, but no hook up we move to the Oil Island only to find a 17 ft boat with 5 guys in one of my hot spots! These guys were fishing shoulder to shoulder!

Jeff had moved to the opening and the outside Wall and told us to come outside that the bite had picked up. So off we went. Started to work the Wall with Lori in the bow and my job was getting her into position to cast. This was a little more bump than I would have wanted for her on the first trip outside, but she wanted to stay. Said she liked the challenge and wanted to get after it!

She made a nice cast into a pocket and on her first strip back she got slammed! The fish was pulling hard and she was screaming. I was laughing my back end off. She did a great job of bringing it in. Netted her first Calico on the fly, a chunky little pound and a half.  Smiles all around! We than picked up a few more before we called it a day. Great fun with Lori, JP and Michelle on the water.

Tight Lines,

All smiles……

She’s hooked…..

4/28/2012

Today was the adventures of “Johnny Mack and Two Dollar Bill“. Johnny was in the mood for Catalina Island and the weather was perfect for the crossing.

As we headed out, we soon heard a sound behind us, it was the Harbor Police! They were doing their job checking fast boats heading out of the harbor in the early AM (looking for drugs and illegals). They ran through all of our paperwork and we were soon back on our way. Frankly, I am very glad that we have these folks out there working to keep us all safe.

We arrived at the island and soon “Johnny Mack” was into fish. Great weather, no Bonito, but way too much fun had on the boat today! Lot’s of laughs. So I challenged “Johnny Mack” to a bet of $1 for the biggest fish of the day and $1 for the first Calico Bass. Johnny got both! Hence, I am now known as “Two Dollar Bill“. Johnny ended the day with over 30 fish! Perfect crossing on the way back.

Tight lines,

Catalina in the morning light

Smiles all day!

Johnny Mack and his Fat Mack

4/21/2012

Today was the One Surf Fly being held at Dockweiler Beach in El Segundo. This event is amazing and a great gathering for 60 plus flyfishers all working a section of water. After the fishing we headed to the Fisherman’s Spot for the raffle and fund raising. Casting for Recovery was our charity for the event. This group provides “Flyfishing get aways” for women recovering from Breast Cancer and it’s effects. Over $2800 was raised for this group! I highly recommend this event to everyone who fly fishes.

Tight Lines,

The gang after the fishing

4/7/2012

Had a chance to spend a few hours on the L.A. Wall with Frank today. Frank was on call and could only fish till the phone went off. It did go off and we had to head back in, but before that I had him hooked up to a very nice Calico Bass! Always good to get this guy on the water.

Tight Lines,

Got to get out early

Morning on the wall with Frank

3/18/2012

Fished the beach today with fellow guide Jeff Priest. This guy has a great beach sense and really know how to read the water. We worked El Porto – Manhattan Beach with our girl friends and had a ball!  Leopard Sharks were the goal and they did not disappoint us.  If anyone is interested in a guided trip on the beach, I highly recommend Jeff – 310-489-6131.

Tight Lines,

Michelle and her Leopard

Lori’s first Fish in the surf!

The Gang

3/10/2012

After a great day on the beach, I decided that I needed to check out some of the local spots in Santa Monica Bay. I thought I would return the favor of the beach info by asking Jon to fish with me in the AM, he was up for it. Our plan was to just hit a few spots in the early AM.

As we launched the boat I saw that the water had dropped by over 4 degrees since the week before, seems like the storm that blew through mid week really did a number on the bay. When ever you get a quick temperature drop fish get lock jaw and the bite really slows. It takes several days for them to readjust and get back on the bite.

So the bites was slow, but had amazing water, lots of bait and all the signs that when the water starts to warm we are going to have some great fishing. The bay is ready, just need a good stretch of warm days and good warm current.

Tight Lines,

These teeth cause bass thumb!

Fun on the 7wt.

scrappy little guy

3/9/2012

Got a call from one of my clients who had a great day on the beach. Seems like the Leopard Sharks were in tight and very thick in the water on one of the local beaches. These are amazing fly rod fish! So the plan was to hit it on high tide the next AM

Got to the beach just before high tide and rigged up. We walked down to the beach and it was not long till we started to see them cruising the shallows . Wonderfully exciting, some were pushing 5 to 6 feet in length. It was at that time that I knew I had made a mistake by bringing my 7wt beach rod. Clearly should have gone with a 8wt at least.

As we started our casting it seemed like they really keyed in on the red and white clouser for me. I had a total of 4 fish on for the day with the shortest time of 20 minutes and the longest of 40 minutes only to have them come undone! Very tough to land on 12 lb leader with and 7wt rod. Jon, did manage to get a very nice one to the beach for a quick photo. Just amazing animals. During the fight for Jon’s fish he really put his new Winston to the test, not sure if I would have put that much pressure on the rod, but he pulled it off. Great job!

Tight Lines,

Bent…….!

Leopard from the beach

2/26/2012

Was asked to meet the clients over at Catalina today. It was Frank’s birthday weekend and he was spending a few days with his gal. Picked up half scoop of bait and made the run in the gray light. Flat seas made for a fast run getting to Avalon Pier by 6:30 to find them on the dock ready to go. The plan was to chase the Bonito on the front side of the island.

So we ran up the front side to a little spot that has always been good to us and Frank scores a nice Bonito on his first “cast”, actually he was getting ready to roll cast and the Bonito just had to have his fly! It was game on after that. Both Pat and Frank had a field day with almost 20 Bonito and over 50 fish overall! I was pretty tire working the center of the boat with these two putting on a clinic.

So much fun and so many laughs. Yes, we even had a few double hook ups. While most of the Bonito were in the 3 pound range, it should be noted that Pat was fishing a 6wt and Frank had a 7wt. Light rods equal amazing fishing on these size Bonito.  At days end I dropped them back off that the Avalon Pier so they could continue with their weekend and headed home. The channel was like a lake! Running almost 35 MPH all the way in. Great way to end the day.

Tight Lines,

Happy Birthday to Frank

Hook up…….!

Happy Gal!

Doubles

2/25/2012

Fished the LA Harbor area with couple of great guys on Saturday. These two gentleman have been fishing together for many, many years and were so much fun to have on the boat. I tell you it was amazing listen to the great stories.

We headed out to the “Wall” and had a steady pick on the Calico Bass even though the water was a crisp 59 degrees. Lots of bait in the water and the dolphin were chasing it all right next to us. They came within 20 feet of the boat! Seems like they were doing a better job fishing than we were!

Wind started to come up in late morning so we ducked behind the Oil Islands and continued to have a nice steady pick at the Bass.  So after being blown around for a while we called it a day and headed in. Excellent day on the water.

tight lines,

Early morning grab!

Bob’s got one!

Behind the oil island

Other fisherman

2/4/2012

Had Frank and Jon back on board and Catalina Island was our choice for the day. Had a little bit of a bump going over, but what a great sunrise on the water. It is just awesome to see this as we head across the channel.

Water had cooled off a bit at the Island only being 58.8 when we arrived. It did shut the bite down a little. We did manage to get a couple of Bonito to grab our flies! These guys are just amazing on the fly rods. We were fishing the 6wt and 7wt rods today and had a blast! Catching Bonito in February at the Island in t-shirt weather, now that is very cool.

Plenty of Mackerel around to keep the rods bent. Not wide open due to change in water temp, but I am sure that if we keep the warming trend the Island will be red hot very soon!

There is so much bait over there, you could see bait dimpling the water everywhere. We even had porpoise pushing and chasing bait right inshore all day as well. Good to get back over to the Island and great to have Jon and Frank back out – too much fun.

Tight Lines,

Sunrise as we head across the channel

Morning at Catalina Island

Jon’s first Bonito ever!

Bonito in February

1/27/2012

Jon and I tried to make it out despite the weather forecast of strong winds. The plan was to hide behind the Wall and some of the Oil Islands. Well we hit the water by 6:00 AM only to find that the wind was already up. In a normal windy day we usually have two to three hours of lite winds in the early morning, well not the case today.

No wanting to call it too early we headed for the Wall. That too was not going to work well for us fly guys! Next it was off to the Oil Islands. Found some relief, but no bites on the fly. We covered as much water as we could hiding in and out of the wind. All in all a “blue bird” day, but strong steady winds. We even had a few white caps in the harbor!

Well we did end up with one “grab”. A very very slow one at that… LOL. My story is that he reached for the fly with one arm and held on to the rocks with the others! I did manage to get him out of heavy cover…….. Too much fun and lots of laughs. Next time we’ll get them.

Tight Lines,

I say he grabbed it…….

1/8/2012

Got a call from John D needing to get his “saltwater fix” to start off the New Year right. Made the call to fish LA Harbor based on the fact that Santa Ana winds were going to blow that day and we need to find places to fish out of the wind. The night before was calling for small craft warning on the outside, so making the inside our choice was the right call.

Hit the Wall in the early gray light and found that the wind was coming right up the face. Normally Santa Ana winds blow across the wall and we can hide behind it and fish all day. Well we did manager to pick up a few here and there. Most of the day we found ourselves trying to find a place out of the wind – it changed direction all day! I have not seen that in a long while! Hit all the regular spots for only a hand full, but had lots of laughs with John. Great guy to be on the water with.

Tight Lines,

Off the “Wall”

Early in the morning

12/10/2011

New client decided to come out before the holidays with his son and get into some of the local saltwater action. We hit Santa Monica Bay for some of the hots spots searching for Calico Bass. Dad was fishing the fly gear and son was hitting the spinning rod and plastics – not sure what the case was, but there was a serious competition going on, these two were giving it to each other seeing who was going to get the biggest! Lots of laughs.  Well, this day the son was the winner with a very nice Calico out of the rock pile. Tons of fun and laughs with these two on the boat.

Tight Lines,

Happy guys!

On the fly…

Very nice!

11/7/2011 – 11/12/2011

Had the chance to spend another week in the wonderful California Delta, for those who have not tried this spot it really is an amazing place. The fishing was tough this year and we had to move around quite a bit. No huge fish, but a great week to get out of LA and see some new water.

Tight lines

Elmo grabs a nice one

I even got a few

Mike got one off the bridge

Mike’s first Striper of the trip

11/5/2011

John came out to fish with me from back East. He was visiting his daughter out here and talked her into an early AM session.  We head out the LA Harbor to fish the “Wall” and “Oil Islands“. Turned out to be a very fun day with John getting the Saltwater Bass Slam, the hard way…. Calico Bass, Sand Bass and a White Seabass! We were blessed with great weather and had big fun.

Tight lines,

Fishing “The Wall”

All smiles…..small white seabass

10/24/2011

Vic and Ed joined me today leaving out of Marina Del Rey. Vic had fished with me before and was bring Ed to see the Southern Ca.  Saltwater.

We started out at some of  the regular spots and found dirty water with some “red tide“. Red Tide is due to an algae bloom and depletes the oxygen out of the water so fishing slows down as fish either leave the area or sit on the bottom.  So we needed to find cleaner water. With that we ran up and down the bay.  The really good news was it was as flat a day as I’ve seen in a long time. Running the boat wide open.

We caught fish in a few places with both guys starting out with spinning rods and plastics. As we started to make our way back from Palos Verdes, we stopped at Redondo Breakwater and found some small Bonito. We broke out the fly rods and both guys got a few grabs and saw the rods get bent. So it turn out to be a good spot to work on the casting while getting in on some action.  I have even made a couple of cast going two for two, one Bonito and one Calico Bass. Too much fun. Great guys to have on the boat.

Tight lines,

Nice Color on this Sand Bass

Micro Bonito! Little bullets!

10/15/2011

One of  my clients wanted to take his son out for a short day on the water. Jon and I have fished several times together (great angler) and I thought it was a excellent idea. His only concern was Charlie had felt ill the last time on a boat. I needed to make sure that I kept an eye on our new fisherman to make sure he was in great shape.

I had no worries, small swells – very flat ocean and Charlie could have cared less, he was there to fish! We fished the spinning rods with little squid and some plastics along the inside of Marina Del Rey wall. Charlie was doing his own casting and and really working things well. Charlie said he wanted to catch a sting ray, well his dad did in fact did catch a Thornback ray! We got a couple of fish and slowly made our way outside. Charlie was in great shape so Jon asked if we wanted to make a run to some rocks we know of.  We asked Charlie if he wanted to go fast in the boat and he was all for it!

Got to the rocks and started fishing, next thing we know Charlie is bent hard on his rod and fish is taking line, although Charlie did a great job, the fish did get in the rocks and we ended up loosing it. Charlie said his arms hurt after that one! A wonderful day on the water sharing our love of fishing with Charlie was amazing.  Worked the area for a few more fish before heading in.

As we headed into harbor we had to stop at one last spot. Jon capped that one off by taking a very nice barracuda! Great times for father and son.

Tight Lines,

Charlie’s Fish

Nice way to end the day!

10/14/2011

Several weeks ago I met one of Long Beach Police Department’s officers who operate the Patrol Boat in LA Harbor. Come to find out he is a avid fly tyer! This guys can really tie up some great looking flies, top quality. The odd part is he did not fly fish! Well that had to change fast!

We met in Marina Del Rey to do a day of casting and a little fishing. The goal was to introduce him to the salt and fish his own flies. He picked up the casting part and soon was getting some bumps on his flies. He did manage to close the deal a few times and put some to hand. It was great to see him catch fish on flies he tied. This put everything into perspective for him. We now have a new fan of the salt and the fly as well as one hell of a fly tyer!

Great day on the water witha new friend.

Tight Lines,

His flies work!

10/8/2011

Final Stop on the SWBA tournament series today. All I can say is tough fishing. Storm just went through two days ago and we were going to try and make something happen, but it never did. We made a 20 mile run from Newport Beach to Long Beach Wall for only a handful of small fish. The good news it that is was a blue bird sky day and warm! The catching was slow, but the fishing part was awsome.

Tight Lines,

9/17/2011

This weekend was a early fall run with my friend Rob. We made an early morning run to Catalina Island. Slight bump on the water was not bad, but the wind was coming out of the south. I was concerned that it would be blowing up the face of the front side of the Island. That was in fact the case, not an ideal wind for us.

Made our first stop at Long Point, had a couple of grabs, but nothing worthwriting home about. The current was ripping aroundthe corner heading west bound. Really tough drift to get the flies down to the right depth.

We than ran down the front heading East were we would hook up with John Loo who was working on a project and needed some photographs. After helping John get some shots we were back at getting a steady pick, but on the smaller Calico Bass and a few Mackerel thrown in. Rob did manage to get on very nice bonito while we were on that spot.

The rest of the day was working down the island all the way to Church Rock. We never really found the fish, but had lots of laughs, nice weather (except for the wind). The run back was wide open throttle till just about 4 miles out than the usual bumps from traffic came in. Over all great day on the water witha good friend.

Tight Lines,

9/3/2011

It had been a short while since we had fished together, but had a chance to fish with my buddy Al “Q” this AM. We were going to hit the LA Break Water Wallearly for some pre dawn and gray light Calico Bass.

The tide was not ideal and had heard that the water temps had dropped. As we launched and got under way, Al looked at the meter and said the water was 58.5 degrees! I had to do a double take as this was a big drop. Yes, he was correct, it was COLD. We did not know what to expect since this normally shuts down the bite for a while.

Well, this did not stop “Q” from putting on a clinic! This guys was sticking fish like it was going out of style! He started with a “black fly” in the dark than switched over to one of his “Thin Lizzys“, both were on fire! I was keeping the boat on track and managing a few, missed a couple of big ones, but totally enjoying the show that “Q” was putting on.

We had a visit from some of Long Beach Police Department’s finest, Officer Bo and his partner came by to see how the bite was going. Bo is an avid fisherman and is just getting into flyfishing. Very cool to have these guys around keeping an eye on the port.

We end the morning as we had planned by 9:30 with Al getting over 25 fish! Master fly tyer, author, graphic artist and one hell of an angler! Great to get back out witha close friend, have some laughs, watch the sun come up with amazing clouds and all the while catching fish….. does not get better than that.

Tight Lines,

Bent at sunrise!

8/20-21/2011

I had the pleasure of fishing with Ken Hanley, Author, Educator, Guest Speaker and Fly Fishing Celebrity this weekend. Ken is working on a new video project and was kind enough to ask me to be involved in this segment. I have known Ken for over 15 years and was even in one of his earlier books, so to get a chance to spend a couple of days on the water with him was very cool.

Our goal was to work hard structure – Walls, Boiler Rocks, etc for Calico Bass. We had a series of images that Ken wanted to capture and set out to get the shots. Lots of fun showing Ken some of our local hot spots and how we do it in Southern Cal. The Calico Bass were very cooperative and had some great action. Even had an insane bite in the dark with Pelicans diving, Dolphin pushing bait against the wall, pure mayhem.

I think we got the images needed and now just have to wait and let Ken do his magic. I am sure he will do an announcement on his site http://www.pacificextremes.com/

Ken at work

The Man at the Wall

In the Dark

8/14/2011

Ran over to Catalina Island with John. Had a great crossing averaging 30 + MPH! Fishing was a little tough as the water turned over a bit since our last visit. It did however warm back up to 68 degrees and should be back on track in no time.

Had a steady pick at the smaller Calico Bass all day. We kept moving around searching for the Bonito, but no luck. John did get to hear his reel scream with a nice chunky Cuda.  That’s what keeps us coming back…..the anticipation of the next one!

Tight Lines,

7/30/2011

Had Frank back out today along with his friend John. We were looking at the island, but with the reports that the wind would be up early we made the call for LA Harbor – The Wall. That was the right call today! We headed out to the second section and began our drift. We had fish on straight away! John is an accomplished flyfisher, but this was his first venture into the salt on a boat. You would have thought he had been doing this for years.

Frank was great to give John the front of the boat and he took the stern. I am not sure if he did that to help John or the fact he had something up his sleeve. Frank was giving a “clinic” in the rear of the boat as he had hook up after hook up! Great bass fishing on the 6wt and 7wt rods. Great fun and great fights. We had fish on all morning! Both guys did great making the cast, learning the strip and getting the fish out of the rocks. They made my job easy.

So I am explaining to John, that even though we are picking up 1.5 to 2.5 pound fish there are big ones laying right in there also and to be ready. A few minutes later I hear John say he’s hooked up. I look back to see line going out through his fingers! This fish was taking line and heading back home! I used the trolling motor to help keep this fish out of the rocks and John got him to the reel. I have to say, John did and excellent job of fighting this fish. He knew when to put on the pressure and when to back off a little.  The 7wt Sage Xi3was bent hard! I got the net and was ready when the fish came up, as it came into view I knew this was speacial. I netted the fish and brought on board.

We were looking at a great flyrod fish, it was bouncing on the digital scale (movement of the boat) between 5.5 and 6.02 so we’re calling it and easy 5.75pound Calico Bass. No bad for his first day on the boat! John and Frank were all smiles. Great guys, great day on the water and looking to do it again.

Tight Lines,

His first, but not his last

Fishing The Wall

The “One” 5.75 Pounds

7/24/2011

Spent a wonderful morning fishing Newport Baywith Hack and Kathy. They had done some river float trips with the fly and now wanted to learn to fish the bay. They were also looking for a few pointer as they were going to the east coast later in the year. Fishing was tough, but had a lot of fun taking them to a new level of casting. I think with a little more practice they will do just fine chasing the east coast stripers. Now we are try yo get them to LA Harbor to fish the Wall to chase some big Calico Bass.

Tight Lines,

Newport Bay

She’s getting the hang of it.

7/16/2011

Santa Catalina Island was our destination today. I got some good reports from Capt. Vaughn Podmore that our spots were fishing very good. I had a new comer to the Saltwater Fly game with me today and I needed to put him into some fish. Met Frank at the dock and we left at 5:00 AM, picked up a half scoop of anchovies and off we went. Pretty good crossing with very tiny bump.

Pulled up to Long Point to make a few cast and get Frank ready for the day. Got a mackerel to start the day off, but the tide had not started to move yet. Decided to run to “the” spot.  As we pull up to “the” spot, I see Capt. Vaughn pulling in at the same time. Great to buddy boat as we can really get the fish going strong.

Well the next 5 hours were pretty much non stop action with Calico Bass, Bonito and Baracuda eating the flies like it was going out of style. Capt. Vaughn even got a couple of fire cracker Yellowtail! Frank had a follow on a nice yellowtail, but no take. I think Frank had to go home and take some “advil” for those sore arms! Way too many fish to count. Great day on the water with a super client.

Tight Lines,

Two of the 3 B’s

Frank with a Catalina Bonito!

7/10/2011

The Bakersfield Boys were back! Had the pleasure of fishing with Brian and Rocky once again. These guys are fun to have on board and are very good anglers. Decided to try Santa Monica Bay for the hot bass bite. Although the bump was a little more than we wanted, it still turn out to be a great day on the water. We headed for one of my spots and Rocky breaks the ice with a first fish on the first cast! From then on we had a steady pick most of the day. Than a boat load of divers show up and decide they want to swim in our spot? WTF?

We move on to another spot that had been real good the week before and it turn out to be a good call. As we arrived at the spot we saw another boat, turned out be another guide & friend, Jeff Priest. Now Jeff is a very good angler and he was putting on a show for us! We got right into the action. Lots of fun. One of the highlights of the day was watching Jeff on his small boat get a major hook upandbe towed around. Turned out to be a 70 + pound Bat Ray, he is now known as the BATMAN.

Tight Lines.

Oh yeah….

Better than 100 degree heat in Bakersfield

the BATMAN

7/9/2011

I did a show at Bob Marriott’s Fly Fishing store on “Inshore Tactics and Techniques” today. Tied some flies and spoke to some great guys on to getting set up and how to approach our waters. Good turn out and I think everyone walked away with some information that will help them on the water.

7/4/2011

Got the report that the Calico Bass were on the chew in Santa Monica Bay. Had a chance to hook up with another boat and tag teamed the area that we knew was holding fish.  Arrived on the spot,  made a few cast and were in to the fish. Both boats has multiple double hook ups and at times three or four going at once! Just outstanding.

We all had commitments later that day so this was an early morning session and we were not disappointed. Short run in the boat, great fishing and amazing sunrise. What a way to start off the 4th of July, with early morning fireworks on the water!

Tight Lines,

Hook Up!

Happy 4th of July!

7/2/2011

Had a chance to take out a guy “new” to the saltwater fly game. Launched out of Cabrillo with heavy fog. Use the mapping on the GPS to get us out the harbor and on to the “Wall”. It did not take long till we got big John his first Calico Bass on the fly! We worked the wall for a while and had a nice pick on the Calico Bass and Sand Bass.

The fog was lifting so we decided to head out to get in some of the Barracuda fishing that has been happening. We arrived at Horseshoe  Kelpto find the fleet of party boats and a host of private boats as well. All seem to be getting in on the “Cuda” bite. We made a few drifts and had solid hook ups! Blue and White Clouser tied on jig hooks did the trick.

I think we have another convert!

Tight Lines,

I think he likes the Saltwater Fly Game

7/1/2011

Made the early morning run to Catalina Island after hearing good reports on Bonito on the front side of the island. Easy crossing with very little bump.

Started off the morning with a lot of breezers coming through with a few hook ups. Still not the volume of fish that we had same time last year, but it looks to be building. Worked the section from Frog rock down to the east end with a steady pick.  This place is just ready to go off!!

Tight Lines,

Looking for the one…

6/18/2011

Well back to the guiding and getting clients on fish! Had Milford and his grandson Mack on board today. What a good couple of guys. Had Mack casting early in the AM on the fly than moved him over to the light spinning tackle a little later. Meanwhile Milford was throwing the fly with great success. We had a nice pick on Calico Bass on the LA Harbor Wall both inside and out.

Seems like Mack was a little competitive with his grand dad and the shots were flying back and forth, who’s was bigger, who caught the most, etc. Too much fun. So Mack goes to make a cast, it goes almost no where, we all start to laugh, than the rod goes bent! After a nice struggle Mack lands a 3 pound plus Calico Bass!!! So remember casting does not catch fish, fishing catches fish. So we end a great day on the water by chasing a few Barracuda outside ending with two and missing a few more.  Excellent day with two super fisherman.

Tight Lines,

Mack and his big Calico Bass

On the “Wall”

6/17/2011

Participated in the SWBA’s – Olive Crest “Hook Them for the Future” charity event in Newport Harbor. This event was a pro am tournament were we paired folks with various Captains for a day of fishing!  Something different that the normal “golf tournament” . We had 21 teams on the water and everyone had a wonderful time. Many of these folks had little to no fishing experience prior to this event. The event raise of $67,000 for the day and was a huge success. Very impressive all the way around. Just a note, the fishing was excellent with lots of big Sand Bass and Calico Bass willing to bite! Newport Harbor and the OC / LA coastline are all full of eager fish. We also had several White Seabass brought in (not part of the event) that went 30 to 50 pounds! There is a good chance at WSB this year on the fly!  So now is the time to get out there!

6/11/2011

Saltwater Bass Anglers event today in Newport Harbor. 65 teams of the best saltwater bass anglers on the coast. Since my fishing partner was in Florida fishing this was a solo day. Started off the morning working the docks in the back bay with over cast skies and calm winds. Had a steady pick on the Spotted Bay Bass, but nothing big. Moved out toward the PCH bridge and found more fish willing to take the fly.  Ended the day working the boats and edges of the eel grass in front of the Coast Guard station for a few more. Nothing epic in fish size but a lot of fun. I learn a lot from these guys! Always willing to share the information. You can take their tactics and color choices and adapt that to the flies and how we fish.

Tight Lines,

Is this the one??

6/4/2011

Pre fished Newport Harbor today for the up coming SWBA Spotted Bay Bass tournament. Had lots of takes in and around the docks. Nice grade of fish in the eel grass in front of the Coast Guard Station. Going to be a fun event. This is a great area for folks throwing the fly! No swell, great views and fun fishing.

Tight Lines,

5/7/2011

While fishing the beach the other day I met a father and son that happened to be fly fisherman. Well got a call from them a few days later asking if I had the next day open, which I did and the plans were made. Santa Monica Bay was going to be our target. Our goal was to get some grabs and show this team what we have to offer in our local waters.

Started off the morning with some nice Calico Bass eating the olive and white clousers. They had the bass on the chew! Not sure how many fish we had but it was way into the double digits. Added a couple of Rockfish also in shallow!

I had seen in the previous days fish report that a few Barracuda had been caught on the sport boats. I told the team that we should go outside and hunt some down. They agreed and off we went. Found the “fleet” in about 130 feet of water and they had the surface irons flying! We got a few  “cuda”  to grab the flies and make our reels scream. Great fight with these guys!  Oh yes, I had Stephan (father) on the 6wt CPX and Spencer (son) on the 8wt Xi3! Gotta love the light rods!

Great day with some new friends on the water and hope to have them back out again!

Tight Lines,

These eat the fly too!

Nice Pair

5/1/2011

Had a session on the beach here in the South Bay this morning. Found lots of hungry mouths to feed! The surf has really come alive with all the regulars, perch, halibut, croaker and some leopard sharks….. a few corbina also. Now is the time to get on the beach ad have some fun!

This will make your reel sing

4/16/2011

Pre fished Dana Point today.  Had a mixed swell and peaks running only about 6 to 8 seconds apart. This made for some tough fishing on the boiler rocks. We always think safety first and getting in tight with a bumpy swell can be dangerous. We did the best we could given the area and swell.

Although we did not knock a home run on the fish, we did manage to put a few in the boat and better yet, focused on learning some more details on this water. Lots of structure, kelp andboilers. We will be back on a smaller swell as this area has a ton of potential.

4/10/2011

LA Harbor was our target today and we called in right! Little bumpy outside so we decided not to try for Catalina Island and take the pounding. We started our drift along the outside of the “Wall” (LA Harbor Break Water) after a long 5 minute run. Gotta like those short runs to the fish.

Second cast on the first section and we were tight into the Calico Bass! We kept the pace up all along the wall. It was on FIRE all day! We landed over 40 fish to almost 4 pounds, all solid fish on the 7wtand 8wtrods. My cleint was laughing all day! Spring is here and the fish are waiting for us. Time to get that trip booked!

Chunky Spring Time Calico Bass

4/2/2011

My partner and I fished the Saltwater Bass Anglers Tournament in Marina Del Rey today. Over 70 boats of the best saltwater bass fisherman Southern Califonia.

We fished one of our “spot” with 13 of our “closest friends”. Wow, 13 boats all in our house, now that is tough. We scratched out a limit and began to cull to add to our bag weight. All in all a good day on the water. We came in Second Place in the Fly division, just missing the first place mark by 2 ounces!

Second Place MDR

3/27/2011

Hit Santa Monica Bay for a little pre fishing for the SWBA tournament. Water was still a little cold, but had started to clean up nicely! Quite a few other boats on the bay checking out the spots for the Calico Bass & Sand Bass. We had some real nice tugs on the flies and a great day. Yes, we did get a little rain and it was wet, but all good. The bay is going to break wide open with the warming weather patterns. Time to get out there so book your trip.

3/24/2011

What is up with the storms???? There are plenty of fishing opportunities, just need a little break in the weather!  Got a small break on Tuesday and spent a few hours in MDR Harbor in the float tube. Nice little pick at the Yellowfin Croakers– all eating the fly on the slow strip. Lots of fun and great to be on the water. Trips this weekend coming up, so I will give reports after those.

Tight lines

2/27/2011

Long time clients wanted to go out just after the storm, so out we went to L.A. Harbor. Although the wind looked like it was going to be a rough day, it in fact was a gorgeous day! Sun shining, good tide swing and lots of fish! The Calico Bass were on the chew. Our first stop was to two and a half hours. Never left the wall all morning. Adam was going to throw the plastics and Leo was on the fly.

Overall a 30 plus fish day! Mostly in the two to three pound size, but on a 7 wt, that’s big fun! We lost several big fish, but that happens when you fish light tippets.  All in all a terrific day on the water with two great guys, tons of laughs and some great pulls.

Tight Lines,

1/30/2011

Santa Monica Bay is starting to heat up. The Sand Bass are on the chew and the water is cleaning up. Not wide open yet, but given some of the warmer weather we should start to see the Calico Bass come alive.  We had  a fair size swell today that kept us off some of our “hot” spots, but still a great day on the water!

1/15/2011

Well gang, it was off to San Diego Bay with the Fli Flicker crew on their annual gathering. Some were in Kayaks, some were in float tubes and a hand full of us were doing the boat thing.

Started the morning off on a high tide so we headed to the back end and started to get into the spotted bay bass. Had a pretty good little pick the the spotties. Moved over to the Coronado Cays for another round of hook ups.

Overall a very fun sday with a great group of guys! Great BBQ afterwards as well.

Tight lines

12/14/2011

We had a chance to get over to Catalina Island before the storm. Overcast cold day, but beautiful water. Bald Eagle flying overhead (yes, there are Eagles on Catalina) Tons of bait, dolphin everywhere tearing it up!

Fishing was very slow, maybe due to the amount of bait and no current, maybe due to the slight drop in water temperature. A few days earlier one of the party boats had 60 plus Bonito to 7 pounds! They are still there, just a matter of finding the window. We are booking weekend trips as weather permits, so lets after them!

Tight Lines,

11/27/2010

It has been a while since I was on the local waters. Too much other work and than a week on the California Delta (Bethal Island). Check out the photo gallery for some Stripe Bass shots.

Al and I decided to check out some local spots in the Santa Monica Bay, although the water was a bit cold – 56.5 degrees! None the less, we hit our first stop and had a few nice ones. Al quickly put a 3 plus Calico on the boat that ate this amazing black fly he created.  We also grab a few of these rock fish on the fly as well.  A slow pick for a couple of hours before we headed in. Great day, crisp, cold, but still caught a few.

Tight Lines

This is what he does……

He ate the fly!

10/17/2010

Been off the water for a few weeks, my other job has been too crazy to book guide trips! Even though we had some overcast and a little drizzle, the ocean was flat calm! Made the run to Catalina Island at over at 30 mph plus and had lines in 45 minutes after we left the dock.

Al “Q” was the first to strike, getting a very nice Bonito. After that fishing was quiet. Ran aroundthe island picking up a few here and a few there, but never really on fire. I will note that this day we did not stop for anchoives for chum bait andthat was our error. With the anchoives you can always get the bite going. I did manage to get a White Seabass, just not a very big one! Oh well, that’s fishing.

Fast run home with just a little bump at the 5 mile out range (40  minutes to cross the channel!)

Tight Lines,

Nice way to start the morning

Right kind, toooooo small

9/26/2010

With the warm weather for last couple of day I fished the Santa Monica Bay this morning looking for some increased water temperature. The water was back up to 65 degrees and I hope for the best. We did have the bright moon overnight (almost full) which can put the bite off a little.  Found lots of willing takers, but all on the 1.5 to 2 pound range. Farmed a good one, but oh well, that’s fishing. Still lots of fun on the 7wt rod!!

Tight Lines

Fun on the 7wt!

9/11/2010

The team from Bakersfield (Rocky and Brian aka… Bako Boyz) came back down to get another day on the water. Catalina Island was our choice to get in on some of the late summer Bonito action. Smooth crossing in the dark had us at the island at sun up. Ran down to the East End where we had good luck the week before and it was the right call. Started off with a few dink Calico Bass that got right into the Bonito! Both guys were fast into them. Reels screaming, clients screaming, it’s all good! Even had a few doubles going on! We lost a couple of real big fish, never even got to see them, but the runs were amazing.

We made a run to Church Rock, but no love there, so back to one more spot for more Bonito and little lunch. Ran into a couple of other boats doing the “fly” thing one being Dave V. who was fishing the quarry area. Chatted for a few moments than off we went.

Wind started to come up and so we made the call to get back across and had a little bump, but missed the nasty stuff. Great day on the water! On another note, Brian had won the Abel One Surf Fly” reel a few months back, so he got a chance to fish it and it worked flawlessly

Tight lines,

Bonito all lit up

Doubles

Nice one for Rocky

9/4/2010

Another round at Catalina Island today. Client’s choice, he said the Island and I said lets go! Made the run over in small bumpy water, but found smooth water on the East end of the island. Fished Church Rock for a few nice Calicos and a big line ripper that broke off, not sure what that was and can only guess.

Solid bite all day long with Bonito pushing 6 pounds. Great fun on an 8wt! The 3 B’sBaracuda, Calicos Bass and Bonitomade for an excellent day at the island.

Coming home was a different story…… very, very bumpy as the wind came up and the chop was tough. First time getting soaked on my boat in a long time, but I guess you have to pay for the fun.

Tight Lines

Checker Board

Now this is the good stuff!

8/15/20120

Catalina Report….. Bonito in the 4 to 6pound range are wide open in the areas near the quarry and the heliport! Had my regular clientLeo Marmol onboard and his 8wt Sage Xi3 had a bend in it all day! The fish seem to be favoring the Minty Mack clouser along with the gray over white clouser. With the fish there all growing and getting bigger we are looking at a excellent fall fishing season. Get those trips line up, I am sure you will be looking at  screaming reels.

Tight lines,

He saw the backing!

8/11/2010

The bay (Santa Monica) was so good from our last trip I had the pleasure of a new client who wanted to throw the plastics. We headed out to some of our favorite places out of Marina Del Rey and had nothing short of a amazing day. Calico Bass  ranging from 2 to 4.5 pounds! There were several 3 and 4’s in a row! We were using MC Swim baits in light green. My client had a great time.

Vic is all smiles on his thick Calico Bass

8/4/2010

Santa Monica Bayhas been setting up for a really big bite! Water is cleaned up, lots of reports coming in on White Seabass. We had a few hours on a half day charter to do some searching and although no WSB’s we did have a great day of Calico Bass! We even had a strange catch (or snag if I have to be totally honest……)

Very slooooow take! Spider Crab

7/24/2010

Mike and Al spent the morning with me on the water, hit a few of the local spots. The water had dropped a few degrees so fishing was a little tough, but we managed to get a few. Always a good time with these guys on the boat.

Wardy with a nice one

7/23/2010

Ron and Mike had won one of trips raffled with the local club. We decide to hit Santa Monica Bay and see who was home. Good day on the water, got to share some techniques and stories and grab a few fish as well.

Nice Yellowfin Croaker

Sargo on the fly? Yes!

7/11/2010

The NO FLY zone…. Fished with couple of guys to do the plastics and get away from the flies, not that I need that, I still prefer the flies! Just needed to get a little more practice from someone who really knows the plastics game. Lots of fun, lots of laughs and even some great fish.

Brian the “Master”

Fat Sand Bass

7/10/2010

Took a a great couple out to get a little saltwater experience. Spent the morning working on the casting since throwing a shooting head is different than a floating line. Even got to pull on one.

Thom with a nice Calico

7/6/2010

A “change of pace”, float tubing the Alamitos Bay (Long Beach). Hit the water this morning to fish some of the inner waters in the Long Beacharea. Glass like conditions withlight winds made for a great morning of kicking around.

Found the Sand Bass very willing to slam the fly today. Fished the boat docks for a fun filled morning. Lots and Lots of scrappy Sand Bass that made the Sage Xi3 – 7wt bend big time. Nothing huge, but tons of fun. Very relaxing on the water floating.

Tight lines,

Inner waters Sand Bass

7/5/2010

Had the pleasure of taking out Jim Soloman to fish the LA Harbor area. The tides were not ideal and water was pretty high with a strong 4 to 5 foot swell. The swell was spaced far enough apart that fishing the Wall was not a problem.

We found a steady pick at the Calico Bass all morning long. What was very cool was seeing the spawning colors on the faces of the bass. Beautiful orange all around the mouth almost like make up.

Spawning colors

6/26/2010

We went searching for the Barracuda off of Long Beach in an area known as Horseshoe Kelp.  The tide was uphill till about 11:00  AM so we hit the water by 5:30 AM and made a quick stop on the LA Break Water for a few grabs by the Calico Bass  then out we went.

We found the conditions to be the lumpy bumpy with a cross swell and little wind chop thrown in.  After some searching we got into them, not wide open, but a steady bite. Great to get the strong pulls and hard hits.

I heard that the bite was much better on the afternoon tide with many fly guys scoring on the cuda. There was also a ton of very, very large mackerel thrown in as well.

Tight Lines,

6/19/2010

Made the plan to run up to the northern end of Santa Monica Bay today and had a pretty lumpy ride all the way up. The plan was to go after the White Seabass that have been swimming around that area. When we arrived to some lumpy bumpy conditions we found 6 other boats on scene and a few kayaks.

Current going one way and swell going the opposite made for a tough drift. We worked it for a while getting a few misses and few Calico’s to the boat.  Good news (if there was any) was nobody else was catching either. Finally decides to move back down toward home and look at other spots.

Overall a slow day, good color water, good temps and just a little windy.  The bay is looking great with lots of bait and real clean water.

Tight Lines,

6/7/2010

Grab my partner in crime, Mr. Al “Q”, for a quick session at the “office” before he had to go to work. Launched out of MDR with heavy cloud cover and made a quick run to the “spot” only to find another boat “anchored” at the start of the drift!

This is the first boat andfirst time we had ever seen anyone on the spot!  There was room at the start of the  boiler rocks for us to slide in without crowding them, so we make the move. As we set up the boat position, both Al and I make the casts. The results were a double hook up on the first cast of the morning! Two quality Calicos to start the day off right.

The other guys in the boat just watched and very soon pulled the anchor and left after getting no bites.  The flies beat out bait again……. Good new is the the water is starting to really clean up  and get warm,  the bite should be on fire soon.

Tight Lines,

First cast of the morning

6/6/2010

Had the pleasure of fishing the “Bakersfield Boys” – Rocky and Brian, over at Catalina today. What a fun couple of guys, lots of laughs and even some fish too! Started the day early with a run across the channel, we were at the island with lines in the water by 6:15 AM!  The wind was coming up the face of the island and I thought we might have a tough time, but it soon laid down. Turned into a great weather day.

Both guys had not fished Catalinabefore so this was a real treat for them. Beautiful water, great scenery and about 50 plus, Toad Mackerel (pushing 3 pounds!), Calico Bass, Bonito  and even nailed a “Firecracker” Yellowtail!  Smiles all way round at the end of the day and couple of new friends that I am sure to fish with again.

Tight Lines,

Yellowtail

“Toad” Mack!

5/30/2010

Long Beach area was our shot today and it did not disappoint us. Launched out of Davey’s on 2nd street and hit the south end of the “WALL”. Started off with Calico’s on the first and third cast! Nothing epic in size, but great fishing on the 7 & 8 wt rods.

One exception was my client on the bow of the boat almost lost his rod after being hit hard fishing the olive over white clouser. He was working the wall and turned to ask a question during his retrieve only to get grabbed hard bending his rod to the butt section! The fish took him in deep to the rocks and the rest they say is history. If you let the big ones get their heads down and back into the rocks, it is very hard to get them out. What a rush, now that was a “oh shit” fish.

Next was the Barracuda on the outside of the “WALL”, not the 7 to 10 pounders that were in the area earlier in the week, but  2 to 4 pounders. We found (as usual) that they loved the blue and white clousers. If you missed the strike on one, another would come up and hit it! We just watched the birds and ran up and stared to cast, next thing you know you were on.

Another quality day on the water in the sunshine, Tight Lines.

5/16/2010

I was sure that Santa Monica Bay had cleaned up by now, but not quite so. There was still some off colored water, but the “bite” was starting to come back and the water temperature was back to the low 60’s.

I had a young man on board that we wanted to introduce to the Calico’s that make SM Bay home and that we did. Seeing this guy’s face light up time and time again as the bass just slammed his sculpin was great.  It was a learning curve for him to change up his strip to something that looked appetizing to the “Checker Boards“. After a few word of encouragement and a little direction on timing, he was fast into bass  all morning long and had a great day.  He was amazed how hard these fish take the fly. I think we have another saltwater convert.

Tight Lines

Happy Camper

5/7/2010

With all the off colored water around, I decided to check a little further north in the Santa Monica Bay. It was the right call. All the usual spots still had not cleaned up yet.

Topanga Reef was the spot and it was the right one! 20plus fish for four hours! Nothing huge, but fun fishing the 8 and 9 wts. Clean water, fishing the kelp lanes, gave you some serious strikes, the Calicos would come out and ambush the fly hard! Flies for the day, the “Minty Mac” clouser in 1/0 and the “Tan Sculpin” in 1/0. Both flies were equal in how they worked.

Calico out of the Kelp

5/6/2010

L A Harbor” was the spot for the day. With over ten miles of rock wall, oil islands, pilings, piers and other assorted structure, this place can be golden. Unfortunately we are still suffering from some dirty green water and red tide. So we made the best of it, hitting a couple of the good spots and had a nice little pick. Smaller calico bass, barracuda and sand bass were the call for the day.

LA Harbor Calico

5/5/2010

Fished the beach (El Porto – Manhattan Beach) this morning only to find the water off color and dirty. Very slow fishing with only a couple of small perch caught. The beach has some great structure  and with a little clean up I am sure thing will heat up fast. Great troughs and bowls in the sand will make for some good fishing.

Small Surf Perch

5/1/2010

Well folks, just got back from the “One Surf Fly – www.onesurffly.com” up in Carpinteria and what a great time! My hats off to Al “Q”, Shane Chung, Gary Bulla and the team for an outstanding event. Raised $1600 toward the Matilija Dam removal project on the Ventura River.

Over 50 flyfishers converged on the beach in the morning for a two hour fun filled event. Prizes went for first, biggest and most fish caught. Ton’s of raffle items that included rods, reels, flies, etc.  Many more items than at other events and this was FREE to enter!

Windwasupon Friday when we arrived, tough fishing in the Santa Barbara Harbor that day. The wind laid down over night for a nice Saturday morning on the beach. Water was a little off color, but very fishable. Lot’s of surf perch andleopard sharks around. I am sure with a few calm days this area will be red hot in the surf.

When up there please stop by the “Artful Angler” shop and say hello to Eric.

Tight Lines,

One Surf Fly

4/26/2010

The plan was to check out some of the spot in Santa Monica Bay that have been holding some good Calico Bass fishing.  Launched out of Marina Del Rey and headed north. Ran into some colder water, 63.0 degrees at the harbor mouth and 58.8 near the Getty Center rocks. This is a big deal since it was a fairly fast drop in temperature over the last several days. When the temperature drops quickly the fish can get lock jaw and the bite can be very tough.

We slowed down the strips and let the lines sink with a 15 to 20 count (25 to 30 ft of water). Short, slow strips were the only way to get a strike. Overall the north end was quiet.

Ran back to the MDR breakwater to finish the short day andfound a nice bite on the south end of the wall. Again, short slow strips were the call. Used olive/yellow over white clousers and dark sculpins to get 20 plus Calico’s all in the 1 to 3 pound range.  Not a bad day all in all. On the water tomorrow again and will run south to check that area out.

Tight Lines…

MDR Calico Bass

4/18/2010

Fished Catalina Island today with my good friend Rob Baldwin. Easy crossing with a little ripple out of LA Harbor in the early AM, but otherwise smooth.  Just a few miles out we had a large Minke whale cruising just off to the side of us, what an amazing animal. Fun to watch it come up and spray in the early light. We got to the island just on the tide change. Little slow starting out, but had a few Calico’s and one very big Mackerel (toad) to the boat.

Moved to an area that had some very fishy water (milky).  With several other boats fishing the same area, we knew they were looking for white seabass. We set up a drift through the area when I got a very big hit on a “Minty Mack” clouser. It was not doing the run of a seabassjustalotof head shaking, turned out to be a 10 pound halibut. Not what we were looking for, but fun all the same.

We added a few more smaller Calico’s at which time the windcameupblowing right down the face of the island. When the windruns down the face of the islandthereare few places to hide for the fly fisherman. With the windbuildingwedecidedto make it back across the channel. I think the island is ready to explode with great fishing and there are a few white seabass being caught already. Just a little more calm weather and it should be epic.

Tight lines,

Catalina Halibut

4/10/2010

The waters inshore are still a bit cool and most of the fishing has been off and on.  However we have had some amazing fishing on the structure for really big Calicoand Sand Bass.  These fish are sitting tight to the structure and it is a game of inches in getting the fly in the right spot. We just need a bit of warmer water and to have it clean up a bit from all the big swells and it will be on fire.

Catalina Island is starting to come on line with good fishing for Bonitoin the 2 to 4 pound range. The fish are spread out all along the front side. It is a matter of finding the schools andgettingthem working witha little chum, than hang on! Very fun on the 7wt and8wt rods. Calico Bass at the island are tight to the structure and are eating the fly very well. We just need a little warmer water there and it will be wide open! White Seabass are being caught by the bait guys, but still not wide open yet.

The bays are in getting better and cleaning up after the run off. LA Harbor has shown good Spotted Bay Bass & Calico Bass bite and a few Halibut for guys on the fly.

The local surf in and around LA has been once again, on and off. The bigger swells have really stirred things up and fishing has been tough. There have been a few breaks between swells and the fish come on the bite. Just watch  when the swells calm down  a bit and we should have a fun spring bite.

Nice Calico between Rain Stor. Lori was the hot stick an

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