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Fishing Report

Central Coast Fly Fishing Report

Central Coast Fly Fishing Report

Dagur Guðmundsson reports on January 19th, 2025

Not a drop of rain from the sky is the theme so far for this winter, with every morning starting the same, with temperatures in the low 20s’ and highs of 65-70. There’s good and bad things about this stable weather, the good being that the trends through each day are pretty consistent on the Central Coast lakes, with a few carp scattered in the surface film early in the morning hitting the scum lines, feeding on midge emergers and big clusters of water fleas, which will cluster near the shoreline and around scum lines. These microscopic food items are hard to imitate one by one, so your best bet is to imitate a cluster of them. We’ve been having a lot of luck drowning Griffith Gnat style flies in sizes #14-18, which imitate a cluster of midges by using long fluorocarbon leaders and having the fly sink just barely beneath the surface. Just be aware that with smaller flies, you have to fight fish a little bit differently than with the bigger carp hooks we use during the warmer months, or you’ll straighten out the hooks.

In the afternoons, once the temperatures reach 60 degrees we’re seeing a lot more fish coming up to feed on the massive midge hatches taking place. These are some of the biggest midge hatches I’ve seen on the lakes here, probably due to the consistent weather. By mid-afternoon, the surface is covered in these flying insects and the carp are happily chowing down on these flies in every stage of emergence. Try to focus on targeting fish that are moving and feeding. You’ll see a mix of fish sitting still and slurping down food items, or fish that are moving like sharks in the surface film cruising and chowing on the hatching bugs. The ones that are cruising are more aggressive and will hunt down your fly more, allowing you to put the fly in their path as
opposed to the ones that sit still which are easier to spook, as presenting the fly to them is harder when they’re not moving.

The biggest mistake I’m seeing anglers make on the water is not moving around enough. During this time of year, especially when we’re in this weird pocket of the same weather every day and around here that includes almost no wind, the fish are not constricted to one area of the lake you’re fishing. The wind actually concentrates the food in a few areas, which makes them a bit more predictable to find. When you have multiple weeks like we’ve been having with very limited wind events, the food is scattered, so the fish are scattered. Don’t get stuck in the pattern of looking for fish in the same areas, move around and search until you find the fish. Both Lake Nacimiento and Lake San Antonio have a lot of carp feeding on the surface during this time of year, but these are big lakes, with a lot of areas where the fish can be. And most importantly of all, don’t get sucked into casting at jumping carp. These fish are not feeding, but adjusting their air bladders, which is why you see the most jumping activity in the morning and evenings. Keep moving until you see feeding fish.

This is a great time of year to be out on the water in the lakes on the Central Coast, the scenery is pretty, the carp are big and plump, and there’s even trout around that make their annual truck migration from the hatcheries in Fresno to die in the lakes here at the hands of fishermen or the inevitable heat of summer. Bring layers, bring sunscreen and bring reels with smooth drags and plenty of backing. It’s fun out there.

To book a trip, email me (Dagur) at dagurgud@gmail.com or check out my website at dagurflyfishing.com

 

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