One Surf Fly Beach Classic Coming Up!

I never had the chance to attend one of these events. But I'm really gonna try to make this one. No promises though. It's a long trip up to Ventura from Orange County. Not to mention it's early as hell. I still can't get myself up that early in the morning to swing a rod.

Fishing Report Silverwood Lake: No Fish.....at least for us.

Word was going on that the bite was starting to pickup after the snow melt. So, a few weeks a ago we decided to check out Silverwood lake. After seeing a few pics from a fellow fisherman, I was almost sure that it was time. We were on the hunt for big bass. It was our first time to Silverwood Lake so we were not to sure where the fish are. Anyways we decided to ditch work early an head out on a Friday. The word was to head down to Miller Canyon, a short 1 mile hike. The scenery was quite nice along the way. We tried for carp and bass. We failed. However a few guys down the way caught some really big trout. Unfortunately, we were not equipped to take on the trout. ---skunked.

Sclulpin: Good Fly for Largemouth Bass.

Dark Green Sculpin - Produced some decent size largemouth bass at the urban OC lakes for me. Like this bass. It's a little difficult to cast this fly. After getting wet it weighs quite a bit, but my 8wt rod handled it pretty well. You gotta wait till your back cast is a fully extended plus a split second delay before you forward cast. A good double-haul will launch it well.

Video: Movie Trailer "Calico Syndicate" Fly Fishing Southern California

This Group of local guys came out with a movie fishing the Southern California Salt. It's interesting to see guys fly fish beyond the typical trout and steelhead fisheries. This movie trailer shows them off the coast of Catalina Island pulling in some meaty Calico Bass. I haven't gotten the chance to try for Calico Bass, but it looks like I'm gonna have to get some new gear. From what I hear, they've made custom sinking lines to get down into the kelp beds quick. Yeah, this is for sure on my bucket list. Best thing is, it's local. Hope to meet up with these guys to go on a guided trip someday.

Video: Bass On The Fly

 I must say this video impressed me. Ever since I saw this video I've followed Catch Magazine. They really put effort into their fly fishing videos. Not to mention helped me out the best lure to use to catch these bad boys. On my off days, I'll just watch these guys videos all day long. Thankfully spring has just started and I'm now out and about my local lakes.

Favorite So Cal Fishing Spots

Yorba Regional Park 

 This has always been my go to spot since growing up in Yorba Linda. Has big largemouth bass, carp, bluegill, and catfish. It does get stock with trout seasonally. It gets pretty crowded on the weekends, parking is $3.00. Best times I like to fish is on the weekends. It has three lakes, plenty to choose from. Best fishing spots are subjective as everyone who fishes here has their own little niche.

Tri-City Lake 

 Located in Placentia, it's got some big bass and carp. We pulled a 20 pound carp outta here. Has a large main lake and a smaller pond. Parking is free, Sport Chalet just down the street if you need extra fishing supplies. Trout stock seasonally. This park is crowded even during the weekday. Just a warning for those of you territorial fly fisherman.

Laguna Lake

 This lake is located in Fullerton, in a suburban area. Lots of big bass here. No carp what so ever. It's fairly nice for a man made lake. It's a little tight and not much room to cast a fly rod. Roll casting is suggested, as you might hook a pedestrian or horse on the south side of the lake. Has seasonal trout stocking as well.

Irvine Lake 

 You gotta pay to play at this lake. Admission fee per person. Has boat rentals, fishing shop, and restaurant for a quick burger. Always stocking with trout. The bass bite here is killer, but strictly catch and release. Huge carp here as nobody fishes for them. The high entrance fee is usually worth it - except when you get skunked. Boat rental is recommended if you are going to fly fish as not much of the lake is accessible by shore, and usually the shore zones are populated which hinders fly casting.

Santa Ana River Outlet Newport

Located right on the border of Huntington Beach and Newport Beach. Free parking along the roads in the adjacent neighborhood. Can get really crowded during the summer months. You'll find corbina, halibut, perch, spot fin croakers, leopard shark. It's safe to fly cast off the jetti, but you must still be very careful about bystanders. Gets really crowded during mid day. Most fly fishermen tend to fish in the early morning sunrise

Big Bear Lake 

 Really nice natural lake. Mostly trout fishermen here. It also has largemouth bass and carp. Some of the larger carp have been taken down by bow fisherman. Which would suggest the bass and trout fishing should improve. Using the fly rod here can be difficult from shore. However there are a few areas that are secluded where you can cast.

First Bass on The Fly Last Spring

Nice catch at one of my favorite spot. It weight out to be a 4 pounder. Not bad for an urban lake. This was caught last Spring. I had never caught a legit size bass on the fly before. This was actually a first for me. I've caught them on plastic worms but never with a fly rod. It was quite a challenge. I'm just hoping that last die-off isn't going to affect the fishing in this area. One thing I know for sure, is that the bigger lures catch bigger bass. I've caught a lot of juniors with the dries and midges. I used a sculpin pattern.

Yorba Regional Park's Lake Recent Die Off?

It has come to my attention that the aerators and water pumps broke down at YL park just a couple months ago. I saw a few large carp crowding near the waterfall in search of oxygen. It didn't look to good. Most of the time these carp get spooked at any sight of pedestrians. But I was able to approach them, even touch them.

A few days later I ran into a fisherman that had seen the DFG do a stock of trout. Within an hour, they were all belly up dead, and the park rangers were scooping them out by the bucket. The local fisherman also said that a few big carp were also scooped up. From the way he put it, I got the impression that the lake had totally died. But that was not the case. The extent of the damage is yet to be determined.

At the time of this writing, it appears that one of the pumps was working on the far east lake. We tried to throw out some  bait to catch some carp at our favorite spot, and sure enough, it had produced a nice 7 pounder. A little relief on my part, I thought the lake was doomed. Seems like this part of the lake is doing ok.

I did a little scouting on the west lake, and found only 2 pods with 5-6  carp each. Not like last year when I saw the carp rising in multiple pods of 20-30 carp. Who knows. It's been a little cold, and I'm not sure if the spring spawn is  in full swing just yet. Otherwise, they look strong and health. Hopefully things improve in the next few weeks.

We'll Keep You Posted.

Greg C.