Dave & I headed over to the beach for an early morning striper session a few weeks ago to strike while the iron was hopefully still hot – and sure enough, it was.

Dave has joined me on the beach for surf perch in the past but this was his first striper fly fishing outing to the suds, and from his awesome results, I’m sure it will not be his last…

We met at the old San Jose Fly Shop in the wee dark hours of the morning (for old time sake), dropped off his car, and headed over. I really miss that shop.

I was fully caffeinated-up and in my rip-roaring fish-nazi mode to get there at first light. The drive went quickly for me as Dave nodded in and out of consciousness, but the clock was ticking and the sun was on it’s way.

Dave can be the king at dilly-dallying and I love to give him a bad time about it. When I found that his rod wasn’t rigged (as I’d suggested the night before that he do), out came my inner nazzi, “Just throw your waders on and grab your stuff. We have a long walk ahead of us and you can rig it up on the beach when we get to the spot. There’s no sense in both of us missing the magic hour”.

As Dave was lacing his boots another truck pulls up and in what seemed to be one single motion the parking brake was set, the doors flung open, 2 guys in waders jumped out, grabbed their rigged rods from the open bed and were over the sand dune in seconds.

“See Dave, that’s how it’s done.”

We made it to the spot and I started working the hole at the shallow end as Dave sat in the sand mounting his reel, piecing his fly rod together, lining the guides, and tying-up a leader.

I was about midway into the hole when Dave started working his way into the surf. I sarcastically shouted down to him, “Man, that’s the quickest I’ve ever seen you rig-up”.

He nodded an obvious “what ever”, flipped his shooting head out, rolled out a little more line, then a little more, and promptly hooked up with a striper.

I couldn’t believe it.

Served me right.

Good for Dave…

Dave with his 9 Pound Surf Striper

Dave: 1
Fish Nazi: None