Fish have definitely started showing up on our coastal beaches.  Been noticing a lot more birds hanging around Ocean Beach and Stinson which means they're chasing the same thing the Stripers are, and that's baitfish.  

Get out there early in the morning to avoid wind and keep an eye on tides.  Remember out there that a long cast can help but even if you're casting 40 feet you have a solid chance at fish.  Make sure you are keying in on rips, buckets, and troughs out there and make sure as always that you are covering water efficiently and not staying in one spot for too long. Most of our local beach parking lots are officially open as well but feel free to give us a call if you have any specific beaches in mind and are wondering if they are open.

Evan Praskin Reports on 6.20.20

Hey everyone, here is a fresh update for the Monterey Bay surf. Stripers are still being caught throughout the bay from Santa Cruz to Monterey. The fish have spread out a bit more now giving many beach chargers a shot at connecting with one of these salty beauties. SC side has some MAJOR bait balls in the area, some half the size of a football field!

Lots of bird diving action along with bass “Blitz’s”( what is this the east coast?!) though we have had some slow days, the action overall is very good. Halibut are also being caught close to shore on the calmer beaches in town, along with some amazing perch action to fill in the slow periods. Some really nice size models are being caught towards the high tide as everything fills in.

The usual small clouser and crab patterns are the ticket. For the halibut let your fly sink and strip it with a slow, repetitive pop retrieve. Hope everyone is enjoying summer as best you can, we’ll see you on the beach! 

Evan Praskin Reports On 6.8.20

Schooools out, for, Summa! Well here we are folks, we made it to summer break. Not sure how we got here so fast, but I think we all were ready for some hot and sunny days! The striper action remains great in Monterey Bay along with some really nice sized perch mixing in. Currently the water in Monterey county has been pretty dirty with a red tide. If you're committed, and know where to look, you can find some clean areas or just contribute to cleaning the ocean of weeds and kelp until you get a bite. Watsonville/Santa Cruz water has been very mellow and much cleaner so if you're planning to get out I would head towards the north side for now. 4-6" clousers chart/white green/white blue/white have all caught fish, but with the mellow swell don't be afraid to bust out that intermediate and throw some deceiver style flies or even some topwater!

I will add that just as many bass are coming in on the sand crab patterns, so pull out those trench bombs and swing away! Some bass caught on the double fly setup have chosen the crab over the clouser so don't be afraid to give them some options. The top of the incoming tide or close to it have produced the most fish, but lately we have been catching them on the outgoing as well. Hope everyone is out and safely enjoying the fresh air, we'll see you on the beach!

Evan Praskin Reports on 5.28.20

What’s up all my surf fishing people! Hope you all are hanging in there through these crazy times. Wanted to get out a quick surf update and let you all know some of the low down for the Monterey Bay beaches. Unfortunately during the last few months rules and regulations were changing back and forth with some false or misleading info mixed in as well. First let’s talk about the fish! The stripers are here and have been for some time, of course during the same time the SIP was ordered. Along with the bass, there has been some very good perch action to fill in the slower days. In general we have had some beautiful weather with very fishable conditions. Typical clouser patterns 4-6” are working for both perch and bass(Chartreuse over white/ blue over white), of course your smaller sand crab imitations are catching fish as well(fish them both!) 

Ben Engle Reports on 5.6.20

The bay has looked absolutely awesome recently.  With the shelter in place I've been trying my best to stay away from beaches but with the conditions being so great I've had the chance to sneak out a couple times.  Crissy seems to be fishing best on a rising tide.

The clarity in the bay has been phenomenal the last few days so don't be afraid to throw smaller flies.  Size 2 clousers and decievers seem to be a great match to the bait around the beaches right now but I've never thought stripers are that picky so throw what you got and keep those flies wet! 

Max Garrison hooked a great fish out at Crissy during one of our fishing sessions and was lucky enough to land after 3 trips into his backing so fish are there but it seems to be a right place right time kind of thing.  Remember that Crissy Field isn't necessarily a place that fish hold.  I think this is because they move up and down the beach with the tide while searching for food so make sure to cover water! 

If you have any questions on where to fish around these parts right now please don't hesitate to give us a call over at LCO and we're more than happy to help out.

Ben Engle Reports on 3.11.2020

Finally made it back out to the beach after a little steelhead hiatus and was rewarded with yet another great day of perch fishing on our northern California Beaches.  I'm still finding most of my fish around high tide and they are definitely consolidated on the beach.  We would walk the beach and not get anything at decent looking water and then all of a sudden you couldn't keep perch off your line once you hit the right area.  So my advice to any angler trying the beach stuff is simple. COVER WATER

a good recipe for success out there is anything bigger than a 6wt with at least a sink 6 line.  For flies, you'll need a handful of small clousers, a couple of mole crab patterns, and pack some 25lb test for leader material.  Keep it simple and hit all the good looking rips and buckets and you will find fish. 

I still have guided perch days available out there if you're interested in learning some beach techniques before our striped friends show up in the surf.  Please don't hesitate to contact me if you have any questions about guiding or just need some insight before charging the surf with a fly rod in hand 

Also, make sure to check out our page on fishing the surf.  Some great info in there for the amateur and experienced angler

ben@lostcoastoutfitters.com

Ben Engle Reports on 2.7.2020

It's a great time of year to be perch fishing.  Big fish have pushed up on the beach and are starting to spawn so the large females and males are extremely aggressive.  A couple of the grabs I had out there made me think it was striper season all over again. 

I found that fish weren't everywhere but when we found them we really found them.  One of the approaches I try to always teach is that you NEED to cover water out there.  If you have gotten 5 solid retrieves through a bucket or trough without a grab you probably should move (whether that's 200 feet or 2 steps is up to you).  

We have a great selection of perch flies here in the shop at LCO.  My personal favorites are the LCO Perch Shrimp, the FM Sand Flea, and the LCO Mole Crab

Use a wingspan (around 5-6 feet) of 25lb tippet for a leader.  These fish aren't tippet shy at all and this is a great size for striper as well in case you do luck into one of the resident Stripers.  Always remember that anything can happen out in the surf so throwing heavier tippet can help to potentially land a fish of a lifetime.

Remember to look at tides, wind, and waves before you get out there but conditions this weekend look pretty solid! I've been doing the best fishing around high tide and particularly the fall right after high tide.  Low light also is beneficial out there so if you can get out in the morning or late afternoon I highly recommend it.   

Ben Engle Reports on 1.22.20

This time of year fishing on the coast can be tough.  The constant storms that are pushing in make the wave activity significantly larger which makes for rather dangerous fishing conditions.  Ideally you want to look for the breaks between storms. I've been having really great luck on the 2-4ft projected swell days right after the storms.  Large swell days move sand around like crazy out there so on those calm days you'll be able to access these developed sand bars and troughs which hold all the fish.  

For flies just remember perch are pretty simple creatures.  I've always applied the rule of if it's orange and flashy a perch will eat it.  I find that fly selection is far less important out in the surf than finding where the fish are so as always, make sure you cover water out there! Don't zone in on a spot just because you caught fish there last time.  Chances are something has changed and the perch are somewhere along that same beach.