Twelve pounds of golden goodness, John Hendrickson of the San Diego Fly Shop displays a fine carp recently landed on a fly at Lake Henshaw, which will be our host lake for the Carp Throw Down on June 8th….
For more information on the Carp Throwdown please visit our website! Last year’s tournament found us in a wild hopper hatch with many fish caught on the surface. Can’t wait!
photo by Jeff Priest
on a pending women’s fly fishing igfa record corbina on 16 pound tippet, caught this past mother’s day in our own south bay.
drawing and design by Al Q for Abel Fly Reels
Playing off the beautiful hand-painted fish finishes on Abel’s custom fly reels, I conceptualized this image by dropping an actual Abel reel onto a pencil drawing of a trout. I entitled it “putting the soul into fly fishing” I was going to do a redfish and a striped bass as well. Unfortunately this design was not chosen for a tee shirt but maybe it will resurface as an ad campaign or a poster some day, no pun intended.
photo by Al Q
photo by Al Q
After watching all the fine haibut being caught in huntington beach on saturday’s one surf fly, i really got pumped up and decided to hit one of my favorite halibut holes in the south bay early sunday morning. I had hooked a nice halibut about a month ago in torrance that I dropped at my feet so I made sure this time, my hooks were sharp and went with straight 12 pound tippet. the fly i used was a red, orange and brown clouser tied on a #4 mustad. The hole I was fishing was almost exposed so I had to wait an hour or so, for it to fill in on the rising tide. Once It filled in I got two small halibut around 20 inches each to eat the fly, fair hooked and released. mission accomplished, one small perch later I called it quits and went home. i met a really nice guy name Mitch who watched me land one of my fish. I had heard there was a big perch landed around a month or so ago and totally by coincidence it was Mitch’s fish. It was a 17.75 inch perch that he got using a lucky craft anchovy lure. I asked Mitch if he had a pic and he sent me one on his iphone. We have had some really big fish in the surf this season, but this was the biggest perch I have seen this year! check it out!
a 17.75 inch,barred surf perch landed by Mitch Orquiola a few months ago in the South Bay! Photo by Mitch Orquiola
A big Halibut unfortunately foul hooked by Bill Heard during the One Surf Fly in Huntington beach last saturday. I was very impressed how Bill played this fish and landed it without sacrificing his fly, which would have knocked him out of the event. Photo by Al Q
super large arbor reel, 20 weight, 0ne piece, 6 foot fly rod with fighting butt, straight 200# tippet, 40/0 seal fly, cast less than thirty feet, presentation irrelevant! probably do not have to reach the water for a take. oh, and good boots with metal spikes! this would not be catch and release, it would be catch and run for your life. (grin)
faux golden trout on sale from the central market in Poulsbro, Washington. they are actually farm rasied gold trout! photo by John Whitaker
a farm raised gold trout.photo courtesy of Stanley Beringhele
there are a few chunky yellow fin croaker still eating flies in the early am. photo by Al Q
got out for a few hours on saturday morning, i fished up in santa monica. tide was falling, surf was a little off color.
there was a strong current as well. glad I had my t-11 shooting head. i was looking for a spring halibut, i was throwing larger olive and white bend backs but received no love, so I switched up to fish a few smaller perch patterns and immediately got slammed by a few nice yellowfin croaker. later i met another fly angler and he asked me what flies are preferred to catch these croaker. in my experience any fly that represents bait. these fish usually school and push bait close to shore in the early am, i usually catch them in low light, once the lights come on they move to deeper water. chartreuse/white, olive over white, red and brown/orange flies tied a little longer clouser-style with flash on #4s will usually get the job done.
beach power plant in el segundo. photo by Al Q
pop fly with a fat barred surf perch that was released. photo by Al Q
Surf fishing buddy, Jim Solomon with a fine yellowfin croaker that ate a small clouser in tight…photo by Al Q
it doesn’t get better fishing with pops and your buddy on a beautiful spring friday morning just before work. water clarity was a little murky, there was some salad from the past few days of wind, but the sea was laying down and the high falling tide gave up a few nice fish. it was good to get my dad back on the beach, it has been a while and i think he got the surf fever again, hope to see him on the sand more often in the coming months. the old baseball stories at breakfast were epic too.
flies, sand & surf 