SHARKS???????

[paulegan81]

Where When and How can my self and my wife get into a couple of Lepard or sand sharks on the fly, have a pick-nick and geta massage. the last two only if the fishing slows down.
we live in sac but an over nighter is an opption
Paul
thanks for all the help in advance
....

[lee s.]

Contact David Lee. He is awesome with leapords. :wink:

[David Lee]

Without giving up any spots that can't take public pressure .....

I'd try Tomales Bay - Miller Park , specificly . When you get there .... hike NORTH . There's a HUGE flat that extends out into the bay (like WAYYYY out into the Bay) , you can wade it . Watch out for soft marl (most of the bottom is Eelgrass and sand ....) . Be careful not to step on any Rays ....

The Leopards you will see will be spooky - try to lead them 10-20 feet . Most will ignore flies , but you can usually tell when one is 'happy' .

You want the happy ones . Dead low tide when the high is coming in is the best .

8 wt. rods are the minimum , 15-20 lb. mono tippets . I like 1/0 Chart/White Clousers . Please release them .

Don't forget .. Leopards don't have any bones - they can contort in ways that seem impossible . DON'T GET THE CHOP !!

David

[PaulC]

David isn't kidding. I had a 2-3ft one today almost get me releasing it going into a full U while chomping at me. It was on the borderline size of should be cool to tail grab it and put it back in the surf.
Pretty fish but man are they definitely are working on their yoga. lol.
-Paul

[David Lee]

PAUL GETS ANOTHER LEOPARD !!!!!!

Right on !!

Details .....????

David (green w/ envy ....) Lee :D :D =D> =D> :D :D

[Bryan Morgan]

David, is a shooting head required, and if so, what type do you recommend? What other type of fish do you target ther? I have only been there once. :)

[David Lee]

David, is a shooting head required, and if so, what type do you recommend? What other type of fish do you target ther? I have only been there once. :)

Hi Bryan !

If you're in a boat , blind-casting .... a sinking head is good .

For the flats/Eelgrass beds ... a full length floating line (if the wind is up ... use an I line) is the way to go .

As far as different species ...... there are Halibut , Starry Flounder , Stripers (a few , anyways ...) , Silver Salmon , Steelhead , Surfperch , and , I would assume , Rockfish in there . Lots of Bat Rays , dunno if they take the fly though .

My last trip out there .... friend Joseph N. hooked something big (Leopard ??) on a 1/0 Popovics Jigshrimp ...... bring your box of goodies and see which one pulls the trigger .

Hope this helps .

David :D

[PaulC]

Hey David,
Don't get too excited. Both were fouled near the mouth while blind fishing some structure. Still had to release them though and as usual I saw my backing.
Didn't feel like they ran through my line and the take was sudden, so my guess is the went to check it out and turned away last minute.
Visibility was 2-3ft due to the rain we had on Friday.

Come to think of it, I think I've only had one leopard fair hooked AND sight casting. Definitely cool when both of those come together.
The sight casting opportunites are usually a 1 cast 2 cast shot at the fish before its disappeared into the surf.

No pics of the leopards (fouled), but here's one of what unfortunately has become a rarity in the surfline. First one of these guys in my time in the surf..hopefully not the last.

Also threw in a gratuitous smoothound shark picture from a while back. Do you get those up there also?
For us its pretty much leopards, smoothounds and shovelnose that you run into on an occasional basis depending on the time of year.

Batray wise, I think I've only had one of those things fair. So they will take the fly, it just isn't a frequent occurance.
Watch out for the venemous spine at the tail. Some will try to get you with it when releasing.
-Paul

Rubberlip
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v715/Cronin/rubberlip2.jpg

Smoothound
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v715/Cronin/Shark.jpg

[David Lee]

Cool Rubberlip Paul !

We get both flavors of Smoothhound up here - the Gray one is more common and now and again we see the choclate ones w/ the luminous Green eyes .

Looks like you've been a busy fella !!

David :D

[lee s.]

Watch out for the spines near the fins on those little green-eyed sharks too. Dang, they make you ache!!!

[Bryan Morgan]

Thanks for the info. David :D