Monterey Surf Fly Fishing Report

Evan Praskin reports on 4.12.18

Surf

We had some seriously unpredictable weather lately! With the forecast showing lots of rain and wind for the weekend, I wasn’t so sure it would be fishable. I kept a close eye on the wind and swell all week and by the time Friday rolled around it looked just doable. I was joined by bay area local Dan Costello who met me at first light, in the pouring rain, with a slight onshore breeze, …great…. Luckily Dan was seasoned and some rain in the face wasn’t going to stop him from a day charging the surf. 

By the time we got down to the water the rain had let up and the wind shifted to just off our shoulder. We fished the outgoing tide that allowed us to spot some great contour in the crash zone. The water looked and felt very fishy, but for some reason, the fish were not eating hard and acted hesitant to commit to the fly. As the morning went on the skies cleared and the sun started to show itself, and just like that we were almost back to spring! The tide bottomed out and the sun showed us that beautifully clear, teal Monterey water. Just as I was about to comment on how great the water looked in front of us “There’s one!!” Dan set the hook and landed a beautiful female Barred Surf Perch. 

Barred Surfperch!

That was it for our morning session, so we headed back to the truck for some hot homemade Chili w/ cornbread the wife made for us the night before. All in all, we were both very happy with the day and even had a beautiful fish to show for it. Also, who could have predicted that weather!! Stripers are on the move around the bay, but you will need to chase them down! don’t be afraid to throw those bigger closures all day, the perch love them too!

We still have dates open in April/May so give us a call/message to get on the books. Hope everyone has a great week and we’ll see you on the beach.

Evan Praskin Owner/Operator www.stokeventuresflyfishing.com