Monterey Bay Fly Fishing Report

Evan Praskin reports on 1.21.19

Winter swells! This winter has been excellent for perch fishing if you can find a window in between the surging swells. The benefit of all this energy is it creates some great contour on the beach giving those perch some good grounds to hold in. 

The days are hit or miss so if you find yourself struggling out there during these heavy conditions be sure to keep moving until you find the school of fish, sometimes they are pulled off the front shelf and staged further back out of our fly gears reach, so keep exploring until you find a close cut that is reachable. PRO TIP: if you can manage keeping in contact with your fly, try leaving it in the zone as long as possible by stripping tight, pausing, and let your flys swing into the trench or holes while throwing in a few strips to maintain contact. This swinging technique has helped saved the day more than once. 

When the surf is so turbulent the perch sometimes have trouble tracking down the fly, this method will increase your chances by keeping your gear in the zone a bit longer. On the days the beach is too rough we search  for other options, local tributaries and runoff streams have been keeping us busy in the meantime with their residential striper populations.

The great thing about this time of year is that we have plenty of options to get our lines wet while we wait for the striper migration to return. I have a feeling this year will be a good one for surf stripers!! Hope you all enjoyed the holiday season, looking forward to what 2019 will bring. We’ll see you on the beach!!!