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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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Central Coast Fly Fishing Report

Central Coast Fly Fishing Report

Dagur Fly Fishing Reports on December 15th, 2024

 

It’s that wonderful time of year when midges emerge from the Central Coast lakes by the thousands and provide the king of sportfish, the common carp, with a giant buffet of food in the surface film. We’re finding big groups of carp scattered around deeper river channels in Lake San Antonio and Lake Nacimiento feeding on morning and afternoon midge hatches, providing plenty of action on midge emergers, midge clusters and even some terrestrials following the rains. This is technical fishing, where you need accurate casts and delicate presentations, but the rewards are some of the largest carp of the year, as we tend to run into fish that don’t often come up shallow during the flats season. 


The spotted bass fishing at Lake Nacimiento has been solid, a good start to the winter season. Dead sticking leeches and unweighted baitfish on a sink tip is a good way to get into the suspended schools of bass, which have been grouping up along main lake points and steeper bluff walls. This is also a good time to use the bobber and get them on balanced baitfish flies if you’re feeling lazy. 


If you’re feeling salty, this is the start to my favorite time in the surf zone, when the larger mama perch come in shallow. The beaches north of Morro Bay have been productive, but my favorite beaches are in the stretch from southern Big Sur and into San Simeon. These small isolated beaches make for a fun day, as some will fish better on incoming tides and others better on the outgoing tide, and jumping between beaches can be very productive. 


Winter on the Central Coast is awesome, and the mix of different fisheries keeps things interesting all through the cooler months. The occasional rain storm moving through freshens up the lakes with different food, and creates structure on the beaches. It should be a killer winter season!

 

 

 

 

 

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

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

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Central Coast Surf Madness!

Central Coast Surf Madness!

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.

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