Evan Praskin Reports 05/29/24: Central California Surf

Central California Coast:

The surf is HOT! ... I repeat the surf is HOT!

Hello all you fellow surf chargers and suds club members. If you haven’t caught on yet, the stripers are out and hungry all along our central California coastline. Good numbers of fish are being caught all along the beaches south of the gate and down to the corner on Monterey bay. Not only are we catching the spunky stripers, but good sized perch are taking the same size clousers as the bass.

May/June are my absolute favorite months for hitting the surf. We usually have good tides/swells and low AM winds. Top of the incoming tides are producing as well as the drop off falling tide. One thing we always say is fish a changing tide either incoming or outgoing, this gets the fish active and moving. Go to flies would be a 3-4 inch clouser in chartreuse/white, black/cinnamon, or red/red. These will all catch bass and perch.

Keep hunting that different looking water, holes and shelf’s that are reachable and closer to shore. The fishing should continue to be good through the summer months into September. As the summer winds down we tend to see less numbers, but much larger fish. The good news is some very nice sized fish are already showing up in the 27+ inch range!

Please remember to Catch and release the big mammas when you can, watch your back casts, and wade cautiously! Hope to see y’all on the beach, live the stoke! 

https://www.stokeventuresflyfishing.com/about

Pyramid Lake-January/February '24

We have experienced a slow start to the action at Pyramid Lake in 2024, but great fish are being caught by those willing to persevere. Lately the most effective tactic has been running various colors of balanced leeches 8-11 feet under an indicator. As the water begins to warm up come March, the bite should shift over towards midges. Top patterns have been classic balanced leeches in olive, black, purple and white, pine squirrel leeches and moo minnows.  

Between passing storms that make it over the Sierra Nevada, the lake can be dead calm. During glassy conditions, the bobber bite can be tricky, and stripping can be much more effective. Guys have been sticking quality fish stripping smaller beetles and tadpoles as well as leech patterns. Top patterns have been Popcorn Beetles, Foam Boobies and Midnight Cowboys. 

As far as gear goes, we have been doing it all with the LCO Golden Gate rods. Switch rods have truly revolutionized the way Pyramid is fished, and the Golden Gate has performed perfectly. The ideal line setup for indicators for us has been the #6 420gr Rio Elite Switch Chucker with a Light 10ft floating Rio MOW Tip. It perfectly loads the Golden Gate rod. It is easy to hold onto, and even with frozen fingers, it turns over long and heavy bobber rigs like nothing. The Golden Gate is a great option for a stripping rig as well, in our experience the Rio Outbound Shooting Head in ST9S6 has been perfect combined with the Airflo Ridge 2.0 running line. 

Big indicator rigs can be challenging to cast. We like to start out with twenty inches of 20 lb Maxima Chameleon with a large loop on one end, large enough to pass a sizable indicator through without too much trouble. Using a blood knot, attach 6 ft of 15 lb Maxima Ultragreen and slide on a Large Size Jaydacator. On the opposite end, attach a Rio Micro Swivel. From the swivel you can attach different lengths of tippet depending on how deep you'd like to fish. For example, add 3 feet to your first fly and then 2 feet to the second fly. As for tippet we recommend, Rio Fluoroflex in 1-2 x. Pyramid fish can be a bit picky and unpredictable, especially the big ones, so it’s best to cover as many bases as you can to up your odds at a hog. It’s a big rig, but Maxima Chameleon is stiff.  A switch rod will make quick work turning over, even in the wind and chop. Consider adding a heavy split shot above the swivel, size SSG is ideal. Adding weight has a few advantages. It gets your flies down quick, but will also make your indicator sit a bit lower in the water. This allows the indicator to become a hair trigger, and will exaggerate the most subtle of takes. Very helpful in calmer conditions. 

Stripping rigs are much simpler, to the end of your shooting head,  attach 6ft of 1x Rio Fluoroflex. Then, with a loop knot, attach your fly of choice. 

Another option is to strip a two fly rig. Attach 4ft of 1x Rio Fluoroflex to your fly line, and create a small dropper loop about 18 inches from the end. Next, attach 6 inches of 2x Rio Fluoroflex to the dropper loop and with a loop knot, attach a weighted fly of your choice. We recommend the Beldars Bugger in black or olive. Finally, attach a buoyant fly of your choice off the other end of the tippet. We recommend a JF Popcorn Beetle or a similar pattern with plenty of movement. 

This time of year, where to fish on the lake can be a bit of a crapshoot. Just about anywhere on the lake can produce. Crowds can suck to fish in, but typically don’t mean there aren’t fish in the area. Find a rock or beach you like and grind it out. Fish are on the move and will make an appearance eventually. If not, roll a fatty, and enjoy the view.

Need help getting out on the water? We have the connects to get you dialed in! Give our friend Autumn Harry a call. As the first female Paiute Guide in the area, she has done a lot for the fishery and community locally. Furthermore, she is incredibly knowledgeable on where the fish are throughout the season, and how to get them to hand. 

https://kooyooepaaguides.com/ 

If you are a member of the Golden Gate Angling and Casting Club or Peninsula Fly Fishers, We highly encourage you to take them up on a fish-out they may be hosting up at the lake! 

Central Coast Surf Fishing

This season has been a record one for the number of fish we have been seeing/ hearing about on the Central California Coast Line. Striper are being caught throughout Seaside and up into Half Moon bay. 

Many more fish in the "Shaker" category have been found but many other "keeper" sized fish are in the mix as well. No monsters reported as of late, but that is to be expected post Striper Spawn.

Evan Praskin Reports:

The striper run this year is off to a crazy good start with nice fish already mixed in with the Diaper stripers.

I have the feeling this year will be one of those magical Surf Stripers years like we have been waiting for. Bass are being caught from Santa Cruz county all the way to the corner in Seaside with many fish in the 20-24” class and chunky.

These fish will remain in our system throughout the summer and get nice and fat on the baitfish that hold in Monterey bay. We should be seeing some mega Bass throughout the summer months.

Perch fishing has also been great for many anglers with some nice sized Barred beauties in the 15” range. If you head out, I’d be fishing 3-5” clouser patterns like the Adachi which should produce both species. Of course my go to Trench Bomb will be landing fish all season.

Can’t forget to mention that halibut are also in the mix right now with some legal length fish being landed on flatter sections of the coastline. You just never know what you will hook out here this time of year!

Be safe, watch your back casts, and I’ll see you on the beach!

 LCO Surf Clinics are in full swing! Join in this Spring/ Summer for a great event that welcomes you into the surf. We aim to help you develop a foundation that is based in understanding the surf, the equipment and the fish that we may run into out on the water.