Posted: Wed 05/13/09 8:51 am Post subject: California Saltwater: Looking For A Good Outfitter?
Hey guys, Soxeez here I am a new member. I will be in long beach California in June, who do you recommend out there? This has been a dream of mine to finely fish the Ocean.
Welcome to the site! You are going to love fly fishing the saltwater. There are a lot of guys from the west coast on this site and many west coast salters who are always really helpful. And, there are lot's of guys who have traveled out that way to fish too. So, I think you will be able to get some great insight and helpful information from good people and fisherman just like yourself - in regards to pointing you in the right direction for outfitters, etc.. in that region. I will also shoot out an email to some folks I know who are pretty well connected in the saltwater scene - and see if I can get them to come over here and help point you in the right direction. Again, welcome to Flies And Fins.
There can be some really good fishing for calico kelp bass, bonito, barracuda, and the occasional white seabass along the Long Beach Breakwater, as well as the kelp beds, reefs and oil rigs outside the harbor and Catalina Island.
Both Bryan and Bill are excellent fishermen, know the waters well, and are just generally nice guys. They both have well-equipped boats (Bryan has a 20' Parker CC, Bill a 22' Sea Pro CC).
Bryan has guided some of his clients to world-record or world-record class fish (bonito, barracuda, white seabass), and Bill (I believe) has an entry in for a WR Calico.
June is a good time to go - the weather will probably be pretty good, and the swell will be down. But bring a light jacket - it is usually overcast in the morning (maybe even foggy).
Equipment-wise, if you can only bring one rod, a 9' 9wt, with a fast-sinking integrated shooting head would be the best bet. I usually have an 8wt. and a 10-11wt rigged.
A large-arbor reel with around 250 yds of backing and a decent drag, and short leaders in the 10 - 20lb range will cover you, and most anchovy-sardine-mackerel-generic baitfish patterns will be fine. I spend most of my time with a #2 - #1/0 Olive/white or Chartreuse/yellow Clouser Minnow or Half-and-half, but Lefty's Deceivers, ALFs, Mushmouths are all good.
Or...if you go with Bill or Bryan, they have all the gear.
If you want more details, you can check out some of the articles I have on my website: Beyond The Breakwater (http://www.btbff.com). I have an ongoing series of articles on getting started fly-fishing SoCal coastal and offshore water.
Now...if you are primarily interested in fishing from shore, that's an entirely different ballgame. Let me know, and I put you in touch with people that know the surf.
Thanks John! I knew you would be the man to reach out too .. thanks for helping out with this. Soxeez, definately be sure to check out John's site Beyond The Breakwater
- It's a great resource for California Saltwater fly fishing. Thanks again John.
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