Any surf action lately?

[Sheepdog8404]

Just curious if anyone is fishing the California surf lately. I know we have had a large swell and surf the last couple weeks but haven't really heard much about it in the past few days. Any Perch or Striper action? I am mainly curious with the Monterey/SF area. Thanks for the help!

[Bill Kiene semi-retired]

I think the spring, summer and fall is better for the surf like perch, halibut, stripers.

Fall and winter around the mouth of smaller coastal rivers and in the tidewater might be a shot at entering salmon and steelhead?

[avidangler]

I heard perch was good a while back near Moss Landing and the mouth of the Pajaro river. Bill is correct the stripers are a more springtime/summer show here but perch can be fat here in Jan/Feb.

[Bill Kiene semi-retired]

Thanks AA......

[Sheepdog8404]

I couldn’t remember if stripers were a summer or winter deal. But I hear the big female perch like to come in close during the winter months to give birth. I’ve been tying up a bunch of mole crab flies in case I get a wild hare to go hit the beaches in the next few days. My only concern is this storm and its effect on the surf.

[Tony Buzolich]

Hey, Sheep,

Shad are an anadromous fish and they don't spawn in the ocean close to the surf. They spawn in the freshwater rivers upstream during the summer months.
Tony

[Sheepdog8404]

Sorry Tony, I was half asleep when typing that last post. I meant Perch not Shad.

[Bill Kiene semi-retired]

Dungeness crab season is Nov 3, 2018 through June 30, 2019 so you can go to the coast and put a round trap off of almost any pier.

Limited per fishing license is 10 crabs and minimum size is 5 3/4".

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Dec/Jan/Feb is winter Steelhead time depending on the rain in coastal rivers.

Russian, Gualala and Garcia are possiblities.

Check with King's Sport & Tackle in Guerneville.

http://kingsrussianriver.wixsite.com/kingsrussianriver

[Fishtopher]

If you get seas are conducive to fishing, the perch will be in close. Looks like its going to be pretty nasty for the short term though.

Don't bother with tying mole crab flies. Anything that is orange or root beer colored will get bit if they're there. They have got to be one of the least selective fish I've ever caught. My favorite patterns are super flashy wooly bugger type flies in a size 6 or 8.

[Sheepdog8404]

When I was in San Diego, the fly I almost always found myself switching to was called the "Surf Percher". Just a clouser style fly tied with yellow marabou for the tail, a gold diamond braid body, red marabou for the wing and a small pair of nickel barbell eyes. Nothing at all like a mole crab but it sure did work.

[Bill Kiene semi-retired]

An old friend who fly fished over on the coast for surf perch around Dillon Beach said he would put a little piece of squid on the fly for the new comer he too over there. It gave them an edge until they got a few fish on.