A Fine Fall Is Just Around The Corner...

Hi folks,

Thank you all for the support over the Labor Day weekend. The shop was very busy, and we were able to make some space for the all the new product we will be receiving shortly for the fall season. 

Some quick updates:

The Spot is offering a Crash Course Intro to Fly Fishing on Sunday, September 30th from 9am-4pm  and October 28th. ($125). If you or anyone you know wants to get involved in fly fishing, please have them call the shop to reserve their spot.

This coming weekend, September 13-16, The Spot will be at the Fly Fishing Fare in Mammoth, so if you are in the area, come stop by our booth and say hi. We will have some great products and sale  items at the show.

This last week the guys from the Saltwater Fly Rodders club went out and hooked and landed 7 Sea Bass on the fly! Some of these went up to 25lbs and they broke several off and it's definitely something I want to try.
This week, we got some great intel from our info providers...

Vaughn Podmore from SaltyFly Guide Service sent this over to us.

Beaches:

The beaches have been spotty down south and the Santa Anna inlet is your best bet right now. First light is best for targeting corbina and Yellow fin croaker. The top flies have been the "crabby patty" size 6-8 and the clouser olive/ white or orange/ white in size 4.

Inshore:

Newport Harbor has been struggling a bit, but if you put some time in, you will get results. The bays are fishing best on an incoming tide and the Long Beach break wall has been off the hook recently. We have done very well on Calico bass in Long Beach recently and our largest bass of  the week came in at 7lbs. Top fly has been the wool head sculpin. Also, the deeper reefs have been producing some good numbers of Calico.  Ask Ken at the shop for my fly patterns if you are heading down to fish the bay and he will hook you up.

Catalina:

Catalina has been fishing pretty well and we are finding decent numbers of bonito and barracuda. The biggest opposition we have had has been the warmer water, but if you know where to look you will find them. Top fly has been a blue and white surf candy and anchovy patterns in black and white are also doing well. If it gets too sunny and the fish are picky, switch up to a light color clouser size 2-4 and you will see results.

Offshore:

The offshore bite has been pretty good. Good size Dorado have been scattered around. We have been focusing on kelp patties around the 272, 209 and 189 spots. Sardine patterns are best and clousers 1/0 fished on 12lb leader.  Ask Ken about my fly pattern or recommended patterns for the Socal salt.

If you would like to book a trip, or if you have questions please feel free to call me. 

Vaughn Podmore
SaltyFly Guide Service
saltyflyhb@yahoo.com
http://www.saltyflyfishing.com/Home.html


Next up, our good buddy, Bernard, was down in the San Diego area last week, and judging by the picture, it's fishing pretty well right now. The Santa Monica area is seeing some good fish, and many of the beaches have healthy sand crab beds right now, which are providing an ample food source. Check in at the shop for suggested fly patterns for our local beaches.

If you would like a guided trip with Bernard, please call us at the shop: 818-785-7306 to check availability and reserve your day.


Joe Contaldi AKA "Matuka Joe" had this to say about Crowley and the Owens:

Crowley Lake is fishing well right now, but the water level is dropping. The most productive area is Mcgee Bay. We have been finding fish early in the mornings and perch patterns are doing best. The algae bloom is coming on and fish are keyed in on the perch fry in coves like 6 Bays as the cruisers are working the shoreline for the perch, but don't count out the midge bite as well. The lower  and upper Owens is coming on nicely and we are seeing some good fish on nymphs and dries.

 

Greg Forgatch with a 20+ inch Rainbow upper Owens river this week on a hopper pattern tan body size 14

Joe Contaldi,

Performance Anglers Guide Service, 760-709-5049

https://www.facebook.com/PA.guide.service

Thanks again, Joe Contaldi of Performance Anglers, for that great update. 

Make sure to find Fishermen's Spot on Facebook and follow us for daily updates from the shop and for  the latest info on upcoming sales, classes and trips. Hope to see you all soon and have a great rest of the week.

Tight lines,

Ken.

End of Summer Update

Hi folks,

It's been a hot summer, but the fishing has continued to stay strong on several of our Southern California fisheries, namely Crowley Lake and the local  beaches. The shop has been extremely busy, and we've been doing a lot of traveling on various fishing trips, but now that the dust has settled and our summer projects are winding down, we can focus on the fall line up that will be coming soon to the shop. The IFTD show in Reno was a blast and we got to see the new products for 2013, plus  we got to see some old friends. 

If you would like to view more photos from the IFTD trip please see our Facebook page.
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Fishermens-Spot/198061763342

The Fishermen's Spot is working to provide a weekly fishing update for Southern California and the Sierras, in which we will cover hot areas and hatches, along with general news from the shop.

This week, we've received some great intel from our good friend Joe Contaldi. Joe is the owner/ guide for Performance Anglers Guide Service in Mammoth and he sent these great photos and an update for Crowley Lake.

"The moon is moving into its full stage, and the bite this week has moved to later in the afternoon from 2pm until dark. There are some dry periods between your indicators going under, but the scenery is beautiful.

The McGee bay miracle bite has slowed to a crawl in the mornings recently with more of the little willies adding numbers to the count, but nothing like the bruisers we had test our tackle in the 4-6 lb range a week ago. The north end has been producing some big boys on streamers, and indicators and anglers have done fair in the mornings along green banks and the Owens river near the channel.

The best time for the North End is late afternoon, with good numbers of 18 to 20-inch fish being landed on both indicators or streamers with perch patterns. Streamers and perch patterns in size #10-12 are doing great, and the top colors are olive, gray and black. Make sure to use heavy tippet 3x-1x - there are some really big monsters out here this year so the heavy tippet will aid in making sure you land them. Indicator fishing with midge patterns in colors red and black, black and copper, gray, and silver back are all working well  in sizes #14-18 during the morning and afternoon bite. 

Adjust flies from 4 inches off the bottom to about 2 feet to find the location of feeding fish, or when your indicators are not going under after a period. Rods should be 9 to 10ft and  5, 6, or 7 wt. Floating line for indicator fishing with 4x or 5x tippet... Streamer fishing use a type 3 or type 4 sinking line and tippet 3x-1x.

We have openings for trips on Crowley lake next week and make sure to book your trip with us for the upcoming fall season on the East Walker River and Crowley Lake for the trophy Browns".

Joe.

Performance Anglers Guide Service 760-709-5049

https://www.facebook.com/PA.guide.service

Thanks again, Joe Contaldi of Performance Anglers, for that great update. 

As far as the local beaches go, the fishing has been solid. Bernard has been having great success on the beaches near Santa Monica. If you are interested in partaking in some of this action, call us at the shop 818-785-7306. 

We have several options available and are happy to get you set up with the correct flies, gear and services as needed for the beach as you can fish it year round. 

(Photo by Jim Solomon).

Looking north towards the Ventura area, the carp bite has been good.  I went up earlier in the month on my day off and just had a blast with a few carp. We carry a great selection of fly patterns for carp, but we also carry flies from local guide Lee Baermann for our local carp fisheries. Stop by the store and we can point you in the right direction.

Finally, the Fishermen's Spot will be having a big Labor Day Sale this weekend, with brands like Winston Rods going for a steal.  In addition to our regular hours, we will also be open Sunday and Monday from 11am-3pm in order to allow our customers to take advantage of the sale during the long holiday weekend! So come on by!

Make sure to find us on Facebook and follow our posts, classes, trips and daily updates from the shop. Hope to see you all soon. 

Tight lines,

Ken.