Ben Engle Reports 9.18.2020

STRIPERS ARE BACK IN THE BAY!!! 

Join Us for a Surf Clinic

Fishing has been picking up the last month in the bay.  From as far north as San Pablo bay to the south bay more and more people are hooking into striped bass, halibut, and in some cases closer to the gate even surf perch.  For most of you Crissy field is the best option as far as either honing your skills in an area with some fish around.  Whether you are just learning the cast or a skilled caster Crissy Field is a great option right in our backyard!

As far as tides go I tend to like the hour before and the hour after BOTH low and high tide.  Keep in mind that the wind in the mornings and the evenings is significantly less. Any time you have less wind out there casting is always a little more "Fun". For the next couple of days and into next week our mornings are looking pretty prime.  Low tide at first light tomorrow and similar times through the weekend should add up to some fish

What you'll need to be successful out there:

Rod: any 5-8 wt rod (Switch or Single Hand)

most of the fish we find off crissy tend to be in the "schoolie" size and come in between 16 and 24 inches.  While these fish pack a punch crissy can be a great option for either throwing your traditional 8wt or even lining down to a rod that makes the smaller fish a little more fun (like a 9' 6wt or even 9' 5 wt) Hit us up at the shop if you have any questions about converting one of your favorite trout rods into a potential surf stick!

Lines: Intermediate Sink (1-2 ips )or Type 3(3-4ips)

Either of these 2 lines will work but i prefer the type 3 for most days out at crissy.  The intermediate line allows you to play with the fly a little more through the retrieve with longer pauses through your retrieve due to the slower sink rate. Conversely you can throw a faster sink line out there (like a type 6 which is 6-7 ips) if you want to get deeper but make sure you are stripping quickly as you will definitely bump bottom on some areas of the beach. Learn more about fly lines for fishing the the surf. 

Leader: Wingspan (4-6feet) of 20-25lb fluorocarbon 

Flies: Adachi Clousers!!!

There are tons of flies on the market but as a fly tyer myself, I can say there are few I buy, but i buy Adachi Clousers.  As far as lifespan of a fly nothing compares to these three step epoxy coated beasts.  And they fish better than anything.  Grab a couple of both the size 2's and the 1/0's for the bay. Shop Flies

Capt. Greg Holland Reports on 5.28.20

Bass are moving through the bay on there way out to the Ocean. These images are from the last 3 weeks. Please join us to experienced the most beautiful salt fishing in the state @featherdogoutfitters

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:

Capt. Kevin DeGulis reports on 5.30.19

The surf and Crissy field has been fishing exceptionally well, especially for California Halibut. It's funny; I initially believed that Halibut hottest month would be March or April, but this has not been the case. This entire May people have been coming into the shop, showing off butt pictures, always the same story too didn't cast far, and the halibut was 15ft out from the beach.

Smaller clousers have been the trick, next time you are out at Crissy field to make sure to have at least one or two size 2 bucktails clouser : either in chartreuse, black, pink, white, or orange.

Captain Greg Holland reports on 5.14.19

The Bay is fishing well right now with gentle tides and fin bait moving in. 

Clarity has been great with no wind most mornings making conditions perfect for chasing bass on the fly. 

Please join us for one of the most beautiful places on earth to fly fish for Stripers. We have all gear necessary for your day.  Call the boys @ LCO to set up your trip.  

Capt....

Capt. Kevin DeGulis reports on 11.2.18

Angel Island 

Striper Island! (Angel Island)! October is known as the world series bite in the San Francisco Bay for Striped Bass. 

LCO hosted an educational surf clinic on Angel Island to celebrate the fantastic fishery we have right here in our backyard. 

But this was no ordinary surf clinic; it involved Capt. Gregg Holland from Featherdog Outfitters, bringing...