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. 

Ben Engle Reports on 12.11.2019

So I had the day off and decided to hit as many beaches as possible.  We started at Baker beach at sunrise and one person in our cohort of 3 ended up catching perch on the south end of the beach.  Fishing was ok but I wasn't quite satisfied with the numbers so I decided to push up north.  

Stinson was absolutely great.  I noticed that since this last big storm the shelf has really moved in close to the shore and the perch are easily accessible.  Also its REDTAIL SEASON! Redtail Perch are some of our favorites because we can't get them year-round.  They also tend to be one of the largest species of perch we can target from our California beaches.  

Remember perch are simple creatures.  Don't worry about what fly you're using! Throw on something orange and flashy and small and they will grab it. If you need surf perch flies get'em here.   Just make sure you cover a lot of water and don't get sedentary.  These fish tend to school up in the most food abundant areas so it's all about finding buckets and troughs.  Sometimes the best-looking spot doesn't hold the fish so if you've made 20 casts without a perch at a spot it's plain and simple, move on down the beach. Soon enough you'll find a school of them!

Ben Engle Reports on 10.17.19

North Coast Beaches

Been seeing decent stripers off a lot of the beaches I've been fishing recently.  The north coast beaches at first light have been extremely productive.  Get out there with a warm cup of coffee for that 6:45 sunrise and you will be rewarded.  Perch have been thick on the coast.  Don't take these small fish for granted.  I really enjoy targeting perch because it's an efficient way to find where groups of fish are located on the beach.  Once you find the perch, the striper are generally right behind them! Fishing a two fly rig using a twisted dropper loop is an extremely efficient way to multiply your hookups and fish a that "searching rig" while learning the topography of our local beaches.

Any time I'm on the coast it's rare that I throw anything less than a T11 sink rate (7-8 inches per second). Its important to fish a fast sinking line to get through that top turmoil of the surf so your flies get down to that strike zone. 

The Bay

The bay has been producing some solid numbers of stripers as well.  Been hearing great reports from the East, South, and North Bay. Fish an intermediate line, as most of these sand flats are shallow, with an Adachi Clouser and if the fish are around they won't be able to resist.

Crissy field has been solid when it's on. Best times I've seen numbers of fish caught have been in the evening.  If you get a falling tide right as the sun sets out there its a great recipe for success. Throw a Type 3 sinking paired with your favorite surf fly and make that commute a little more fun after work.

George Revel reports on 9.12.19

Local fishing has been awesome. Fish are moving around quite a bit and we have been seeing a lot of bait around.  The LCO crew has been out fishing and we have been finding good numbers of fish morning and evening. We have of course had the usual skunk days that come with chasing fish in the suds. These upcoming warm days usually mean the wind will be down making attacking the surf with a fly rod a hella of a lot easier. The full moon will provide some bigger tides and great night time fishing opportunities. The World Series bite will be here and gone before you know it. So get ready, get your lines dialed, flies in order, and most importantly make some room in your calendar. We have surf guides and Capt's ready to get you out on the water. 

Your tides for the weekend:

Evan Praskin reports on 8.23.2019

Salty stripers, blue bird skies, lots of bent rods, and quality fish. That pretty much sums up the 2019 bass season, and we still have roughly a month left in the Monterey Bay region! What an incredible year we’ve had for the striper run. Plenty of quality 5-10lb fish have been landed throughout this spring/summer, including many going over 10lbs!  A dream come true for the west coast salty fly chuckers. Not only has the bass bite been top notch, but the perch have been giving us steady action throughout the season.  Sadly we are all feeling summer coming to a fast end. Schools are back in session, work grind continues, but guess what? The beaches are less crowded now!! The October “World Series bite” is fast approaching for the SF Bay so it’s time to stick that rod in your trunk or to the side of your bike, get up early before work or stay out after you’re off, and catch that fish of a lifetime. Sometimes all it takes is a handful of casts. I’ve witnessed some amazing things go down with a 30 minute time crunch session.  I’ve been fortunate this season to pass along the passion of fly fishing the surf to many first timers who immediately caught the bug and I’m sure have a long future with this amazing recreation. Some even catching their fish of a life time after only a few days trying. The surf fly chargers are a small community of guys and gals who all share the same love and respect for our ocean and local beaches. A special breed of fly fishers, kind and very accepting to first timers. It’s all about spreading the passion with safety always in mind. Don’t be afraid to reach out with questions, swing by the shop and pick our brains, and don’t forget to get some Adachi Clousers while you’re there. Hope everyone had a fantastic summer, we’ll see you on the beach!