Hey there, so here’s the deal… I have a boat moored in Quivira Basin and have a full saltwater fly setup including flys. The problem is that I have never fished saltwater. I know casting technique, but as far as where and how to fish, I am lost. My proposal is this, if you are fairly experienced in fishing the kelp beds off San Diego, but don’t have access to a boat, you can come fishing with me! No cost to you, you get a day of fishing for nothing more than showing me the basics of fishing the kelp. I am not expecting any kind of fly fishing “lesson” per se, just some guidance on location and the like. If this sounds good to you, send me a message. Cheers.

Chris

Welcome Chris! Things have been pretty slow locally for some time due to cold water temps. Are you more interested in learning techniques, or is catching a few on fly more important (I know both would be ideal)?

Im looking to get the basic info I need to be able to fish competently, pretty much how to go about it. I’m interested in figuring out the details via trial and error, but I need somewhere to start! I’ve fished the rivers of central Oregon, and when I came back down here I was keen on trying the saltwater, so I went to SoCal Flyfishing and got all setup with proper gear, but quickly realized I could use a little bit of knowledge to get me started. I figured the forums would be a good place, and maybe there’d be somebody out there that could trade some know-how for a boat ride…win-win!! I know it’s not the best fishing right now, but I would still love to be able to kill some afternoons out on the water with a little bit of a clue what I’m doing!

Chris, as John said you walked into the epic bad season followed by the other epic bad season. I fish offshore a lot when the conditions are right so I have been exactly where you are. This is a different situation down here it can be spectacular and it can be a bust. What type of boat do you have because that somewhat dictates where you can fish. If it is just fishing the kelp beds info then a day with a local guide is well worth the money. Scott Leon, Peter P or Jeff Stock are great choices. If your boat is big enough you can run to the islands the Coronados have some good fishing when the water warms a bit and Catalina had an amazing white sea bass bite this year that has yet to be dialed into with the fly. SD bay is fishing well right now if you want a quick fishing fix. Offshore was really bad this year. Last year was horrible as well but I caught my largest yellowtail and yellowfin off the coast. In a normal year there is some pretty amazing kelp patty fishing 30 miles out starting in about May. We had just started to dial in that fishing when La Nina hit and the fish never made it past 140 miles south. In may there is a really good barracuda bite that is fun on the fly and some years there is a migation of huge bonita that are fun. Then there are the sharks. Right now about 9-10 miles out the big blue sharks have moved in and you can catch a 100lb plus blue on a shark. I hope that is a good start. The kelp beds off LJ traditionally have been very good but this year were plagued with cold dirty water and fished poorly. I have a couple of boats so getting on a boat is not so much of an enticement. But I sure understand where you are starting out as I did that about 8 years ago. It took me several years before I knew enough to be in the game. I sure would have liked to shorten the learning curve. Information is held pretty tight down here especially when the pelagics come in or there is a short and concentrated bite that goes off. That said the fly guys which there are few usually help each other out. Welcome if the water temps return to normal this coming season get ready for some really big fish.

Randy