Surf's Up!...

[Mr. Noodle Rod]

Holy cow! It's been over 6 months since I last posted something on the Kiene board. I apologize for not being more of a frequent participant. Time really flies when the fishin's great!

The intervening months did not pass without experiencing some incredible action in the local surf around the SF Bay Area. I spent much of this year (& still am) chasing these guys:

http://home.att.net/~striped.perch/Aug18-07/081807im-14.jpg

I got bit by the striper bug (& it bit me good!) I always knew these guys lurked around the beaches during the Spring & Summer, but for some reason I never bothered to seriously pursue the stripesides until this year.

Otherwise, the surfperch have been providing loads of entertainment. Hopefully, this winter will be a productive one as the mating season for perch draws near.


- Mark

[Loren E]

Mark, great to see you back on the board! I've been staying up to date with the reports on your site, way to go on the linesides this summer, you slayed em'! Tight lines -Loren

[Mr. Noodle Rod]

Hey Loren,

Thanks for the kind words. I've read a few of your reports from fishing abroad this year - they're awesome! Hope to see ya out on the beach sometime before the year's out.

- Mark

[Darian]

Hey, I thought you'd given up on us.... :D Like loren, I was reading your reports on Stripers in the Monterey surf. I should've made the drive down there to give it a try.

Good to have you back and am looking forward to more reports and info about your new discoveries/flies.... :D :D :D

[Adam Grace]

Wow, that's an awesome Striper!

[Bill Kiene semi-retired]

That's a huge perch in your avitar photo 'noodle rod'.

I would love to catch a Striper in the surf someday myself.

[k.hanley]

'atta boy Skywalker! You had a fantastic season this year. This has been one of the best surf striper years I can ever remember. Proud of you man.
Cheers, Ken

[erhetta]

Hey Mark,

Thanks for coming back to the boards. I like to see stuff from all over. Gimme a jingle sometime if you are coming up this way for some Sonoma Coast action. I would love to hook up with you and check out the surf action.

-Eric-

[Anne Vitale]

Welcome back Mark. We missed your reports here. Like several of the others, I have been visiting your web site to get your almost daily reports. I can't imagine how you remember so many details of your trips.

I notice that you were using a 5wt spey rod to go after those stripers. Good idea. I'll have to give it a try up here in Marin. I've been to Drakes a couple of times this summer but the best I have ever done is catch palm sized barred perch. The beach at Drakes is as flat as a pancake. Hopefully with the on coming winter storms, it will start to develop some character...and draw in those big, spawing red tails.

Good to have you back........Anne

[Mr. Noodle Rod]

Bill, Darian, Adam, Obi-Wan, Eric, Anne & others. Thanks again for the kind & warm welcome! It's great to be back on the Kiene board.

I've never encountered so many stripers in the surf as I did earlier this year. I certainly enjoyed the thrill of feeling the tremendous pull from the bigger fish as they tore through the waves...

http://home.att.net/~striped.perch/Jul15-07/071507im-22.jpg

Anne, the lightweight 5- & 6-wt speys have been a real hoot in the surf. They're a bit under-gunned for the larger stripers, but clearly not as spineless as the 3-wt & under rods. I'll eventually dust off the 0-/00-wts for the perch later this winter, especially the next time I visit Drake's.

I hope to see many of you on the beach or fly fishing exhibitions in the near future.


- Mark

[jbird]

Mark

Really enjoy your reports! They always have pictures :D And its a world I never really see. I love that last shot of the rod going bendO :shock: :D That could be a mag cover!

Looking forward to having you around again.

Jay

[Bill Kiene semi-retired]

Great photos.......exceptional thread here.

Thanks Noodle

PS: Good picture for rod company brochure or fly fishing magazine.

[Adam Grace]

Mark ,that bend in the rod is awesome, what a pull.

[Anne Vitale]

Mark...it's me again....Obviously you were using the spey rod to overhead cast and get out as far as possible but, if you don't mind, what was on the terminal end of that set up? ..and did you strip in the line like you do for perch? Inquiring minds want to know :D :D

Anne

[Mr. Noodle Rod]

Anne,

I've been using a shooting head system for the speys, typically 26 to 28 ft of Rio T8 with 17-lb Suffix Elite or Stren Original mono running line. I'm considering trying Rio's T11 in the near future. The tippet is comprised of a triple-fly set-up,

http://home.att.net/~surf.perch/dropper.jpg

using various fly patterns designed to target whatever fish may be nearby.

As for line stripping, the philosophy & approach for the speys have been basically the same as with the other fly tackle. I'm constantly adjusting the style & speed of the retrieve in response to how the line behaves & "feels" in the surf. Staying in contact with the flies at all times is still essential. If I suspect stripers are lurking nearby, I'll use a more deliberate & erratic, short-stroke retrieve. Otherwise, it's mostly perch-style stripping.

Besides allowing for long casts, the neat thing about the speys is that they've been great for "nymphing" & high-sticking behind the waves when the fish are grabbing topside. It's certainly a fun way to tease & seduce perch & schoolies into taking a partially-suspended fly, often not more than a rod length away.

- Mark

[kokaneejr]

Hey Mark,

Like everyone else has said welcome back. I have been following your site regularly this sumer and have been jealous of all the stripers. My work schedule in the summer sucks so I haven't had the chance to join you on any excursions. In the next months though I will start to have a better scedule as I will have Fridays and Saturdays off so I will keep my eye on the Triple F club meetings.

If anyone still doesn't know Mark's awesome website with tips techniques and detailed reports here it is as Mark probably doesn't want to step on any toes in here.

http://home.att.net/~surf.perch/Main.html

See you soon...Craig.

[Anne Vitale]

Thanks you Mark....I should have known you would respond in amazingly complet detail 8) . You are incredible. I'll bet I am probably not the only one who captured that terminal tackle set up for their notebook.

There is a flooding tide at Drakes this afternoon and evening. I think I'll give it and my new Mangrove Hip Shooter a try. It's probably too late in the season for stripers (if there are ever any in there any way :? ) but I know there is a perch or two in there all year :D . Report to follow. Thanks again......Anne

[Anne Vitale]

Mark and Greg....Can you tell me where you get those yellow waterproof pullover (at least I think they are pullover) surf jackets you are wearing in your photos? None of the fly shops I have looked in have them. The light weight jacket I have been wearing started out being waterproof but is beginning to allow water to soak through :cry: .......Thanks......Anne

[Mr. Noodle Rod]

Hey Craig,

Saw your photos taken earlier this year in the photography section - terrific work! Good to know you'll be back on a more fishing-friendly schedule very shortly. Are you sure you're ready for more abuse from the surf this winter? (J/K) :lol: :lol: Let's head up to Anne's backyard saltwater pond sometime. :wink: It's been a while since we last wet a line up there.

- Mark

[Mr. Noodle Rod]

Hey Anne,

I picked up my jacket from West Marine. It's very water-resistant & durable for the saltwater environment. I like the pockets (both inside & out) - lots of room to store stuff.

Hope the surf was decent at Drake's today - the north swells & winds were up all afternoon along the Marin coast.

- Mark

[Anne Vitale]

Thanks Mark. There is a West Marine near my office in San Rafael. I'll check them out next week.

I went out to Drake's yesterday afternoon and came home shortly thereafter. First of all, even though I only live 20 minutes away from the beach and the wind was almost calm here at home, what I found out there was a different world entirely. The wind was howling. I could hardly keep my Westfallia on the road while driving on the bluff that parallels North and South Beach. :shock: :shock:

When I got there, I gave the west section of the beach a try because it seemed better protected from the wind. It was... but unfortunately the water was full of large pieces of kelp. Impossible to fish. I gave the other side a try and found it to be free of grass but too exposed to the wind. I figured I live too close to the place to put up with all of this so I was out of there and back home in only two hours.

I did, however, find out that my new "Hip Shooter" worked great. I was using 30lb amnesia for a running line and even in the high wind, it stayed in the stripping basket--most of the time. It was also nice to come home without the back of my stripping hand being all banged up as it used to be from hitting the rim on my old hard plastic basket.

One other thing....the profile of the beach has started to return to it's winter pattern. Rocks that were covered only weeks ago are starting to reappear. :)

Thanks again for the jacket info......Anne

[Mr. Noodle Rod]

Thanks for the update on Sunday's conditions at Drake's, Anne. It'll probably take a couple weeks for the dominant current to return & flush the debris out of the bay. The surf was sloppy at many of the exposed west-facing beaches along the south Marin shoreline this past weekend. I wound up plunking a few flies at Bolinas on Sunday within a couple hours of the high tide & picked up a few small BSP's. The surf was very fishable, unlike Stinson further to the south. The marine forecast for this weekend looks a little better - hopefully the predictions will hold or improve over the next several days.

- Mark