the surf

[thepeacockspecial]

for those of you that fish the surf quite often, can you guys give me some tips on how to read the water?? I'll be in the Los Angeles area for a week.. figured I'd give myself a try there since I'll have the weekdays all to myself. Thinking about venice, manhattan beach.

thanks.

[Darian]

You might want to ask your question on www.Fliflicker.com (a SoCal BB).

In general, lots of places to surf fish in that area. You need to be aware of tide stages where you'll be fishing. It helps to be able to see the bottom structure (e.g. trenches, channels, holes, rips, etc.). The beaches in that area can vary quite a bit. For example, Playa Del Rey is a deep beach with a heavy shore break. Dangerous place to wade. Manhattan, Hermosa, Redondo Beach (north of the Breakwater) are shallower and are safer to wade. Torrance Beach (to the south of Redondo Pier is fairly shallow and deepens southward towards Palos Verdes but can hold lots of Corbina. Halibut come in closer in that area, too.

If you find that you'd rather fish from a pram in King Harbor (Redondo Beach), check out the following website:

http://www.rockypointfun.com

Inside the harbor, you can catch calico/sand/spotted bass, Mackeral, Bonito (sometimes) and Halibut on flies.

[thepeacockspecial]

thanks darian. i've been youtubing as many videos as I can.. and i kinda understand it.. venice and manhattan are two spots i will probably visit. i have a date with the local mountains there too for some natives. i do wish i hook up a leopard shark on the surf though lol

[Darian]

I forgot to mention that jetty's and the adjacent surf can be productive in that area. There're several on the beaches you mentioned.

A word of caution is in order here. Be careful in the surf zone. Don't take your eyes off the water.

Good luck!!! Bring back some photo's and a report. :D

[thepeacockspecial]

hmmm jettys ok. im guessing i'll be using a sknk tip for the jettys where the water will be a bit less crazy.. and a float line for the surf? i' e also been looking at low tide times.. should i be focusing on low tide? or it doesnt matter as long as i find good water?

i will post up a report of my trip there once i come back. got a new 10 footer i wanna test out there :D

[Darian]

Low tides are important for being able to readily see bottom structure as well as to fish. Arriving at high tide without any prior knowledge of where "things" are makes it more difficult to identify places where fish will hang out. Also, you may get a chance to fish in holes/trenches that you won't be able to fish when the break is closer to you.

Increasing and decreasing tides are best. Slack water is usually the least productive. Understand that this is a generality. If you get a chance to fish on the wrong tide, do it. You might get a surprise.

There are lost of opinions on what lines to use. But unless you're fishing in slack water, a floater will just get washed around in the suds and you'll be unable to maintain contact with your fly(s). I use Rio T series heads to match my rod. Also, I've found that I do best using mono running lines. Rarely do I use a full line. Of course, this is just my personal experience/observation. You should post your question on FliFlicker. Those guys are friendly/helpful and very knowledgeable. Plus, they have current info on what's happening down there..... :D

BTW, the major problem you'll have at Manhattan is access and parking. It's all residential and right down to the beach. Not sure about Venice any longer. Marina Del Rey is in that area and may be a possible place to park.

[Darian]

A very good website for the area from SF down to Monterey Bay is:

http://www.zenflyfishing.com/

Altho the website is local, it's got some very good instructive type info on it. Not sure what happened to the owner/author but he hasn't updated his catch info for several years now. Nonetheless, it has some very good info about surf fly fishing that applies all along the coast. Just another arrow in you quiver.... :D

[Darian]

Just in case you haven't noticed it, yet, Ken Hanley has put up a video in the saltwater section of the media library covering reading the surf zone. It's on his website:

http://www.pacificextremes.com

Check it out.... :thumbsup:

[k.hanley]

Thanks Darian. I appreciate the mention. So folks aren't to confused, the surf video is actually located with the following URL: medialibrary.pacificextremes.com

When you hit the surf stay safe out there guys!!!

Cheers, Ken

[Larry S]

Water temps on the rise. 55 back on April 12; now it's 64. That's bringing the rays and
croakers into range. Peacock - most of our surf fish down here are bottom feeders;
which suggest a sink tip. You'll be looking for seams in the water; areas where depths
or currents are changing. The beaches from Torrey south have a veritable explosion
of sand crabs this spring! The water around one's legs often resembles a crab soup.
Best,
Larry S

[fishabuoy]

I will add a +1 to watching Ken Hanley's excellent video just posted up on his web-site about reading water in the surf zone... Kenny is like "Yoda" of the surf - an excellent resource, full of sage advice.

I always tell friends new to the surf-zone - think like a surfer..... If you had to paddle out to the outside break - you'd pick the water that produced the "path of least resistance". This typically is the deepest water, at any point along the beach-head, and the area where the waves break the least. So when you study the surf, and it looks like a place where if you had to paddle out - it might make it easier.....FISH that water..... it also happens to be where fish congregate. Subtle differences in water depth....even a few inches can make the difference between fish and no fish.

While not dedicated to fly fishing the surf - the absolute most active, up to date web resource with reports on fishing the surf down south is the SC Surf Fishing (http://www.scsurffishing.com/forums/viewforum.php?f=2&sid=77559e9785a9ae7a033fd11a8165598c) board. Literally dozens of reports daily of guys plying the surf.....

In my experience, a good starter outfit for SoCAL would be a #6 or #7 rod, with a 30-35' (balanced for you casting stroke) T8 head (or T11 in bigger surf, currents, waves or windy conditions) looped to either mono, or coated running line. A 3-6' flat 10# leader is sufficient for most conditions/situations. If you're not used to shooting heads, a full sink type 4 to type 6 integrated line of your choice will get you in the "bucket". If you're going to target Leos - and you get a full-sized adult (or SNGF or Bat) - you're going to be very under-gunned with anything less than an 8 or 9wt. A stripping basket is highly useful, but not mandatory. Keep in mind, these are all very general suggestions.... bigger waves, stronger tide or current fluctuations, heavier winds, all require re-sizing ones gear.

Above all - heed the advice of "stay safe" (especially if you're inexperienced with the ocean) there is NO wilder place to fish - things can go from "hunky dory" to "OH CRAP" in a flash, with dire consequences.

best regards-
Bob V