Well, since the recent topics have been about fishing at Drake's, I may as well file another report on yesterday's excursion to the south shores of the Pt. Reyes peninsula. I snuck in a few hours with the 0-wt TXL soaking flies during the mid-afternoon slacktide. The skies were heavy with clouds that produced patches of light drizzle over the area. Unlike last week's sunny, placid conditions when I fished the beach with Anne & the gang, the day's surf was noticeably more agitated, but still fishable. A light southwest wind blew into the beach & kept the shoreline partially flooded into the minus tide. The water clarity was quite good, despite the increased wave action & surge produced by the building offshore swells accompanying the approaching storm system. I found more seaweed & other salad towards the west end of the beach. There were periods of calm, slackwater that kept the fish in the skinny portion of the surf for the first hour or so after I entered the suds:
With the increased aeration & turbulence of the surf, it seemed the fish were a little more active today than the last time while fishing the same period of the outgoing tide. Most of the fish were caught by allowing the flies (a triple of Slinky Seducers) to swing with the current & drift in the surfwash while maintaining tension in the line. I'd sometimes twitch the rod tip periodically to entice the fish into grabbing a fly. The day's catch included 5 BSP's, a redtail & a calico that were all released:
BSP
redtail
calico
Towards evening, I could hear the snorting calls of the bull elephant seals echo from the far west end of the beach. It's about that time of the year when it's probably best to stay clear of that side of Drake's Bay while the mammals congregate for their mating & birthing ritual over the next several months.
TL's
- Mark
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