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… Read the rest of this entry

OK, maybe “crushed” is a bit strong, but at 24 pounds, that 20 pound barrier that has been kicking my butt for years – is now officially behind me. And from the surf of all places… Read the rest of this entry

Persistance pays off… I was out on the beach a few mornings ago looking for surf perch with Jeff, and we got skunked – again. I don’t know what’s happened, surf perch were never a difficult fish for me to find in years past, but recently it’s been a completely different story. Read the rest of this entry

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Pulled the boat back over the hill for another day out fly fishing for Delta Stripers. Jeff joined me for the day and as usual, we had a great time. I think those short-sleeve fall days are finally behind us now. It wasn’t too cold, but the beanie and gloves did make their way out of the boat bag between spots for the first time this season. Read the rest of this entry

Another quick striped bass fly fishing report – Got out again to take another whack at this year’s delta stripers. The tides were predicted to be really good (or far better than when I’d been out with Brandon the previous week) and the weather forecast was for a flat, windless day – perfect conditions for delta stripers! Read the rest of this entry

It was late morning as I hurriedly tossed the boat bag, fly rods, fly reels, and sleeping bags into the back of the truck. The clock was ticking and Brandon’s flight was due to arrive in San Jose any minute. I quickly backed the truck in, hooked up the boat trailer, and headed for the airport. 2 hours later we were digesting “Super” breakfast burritos as we zipped across Franks Tract. Read the rest of this entry

Another tricky case of jet lag had me wide awake and bug-eyed at 3AM this morning, despite going to bed at midnight. My flight had departed at 2pm and landed 11 hours later at 8am the same day; yeah, try and figure that one out.
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Finally got out on the the Delta for the first trip of the season. With all the steelhead fishing lately I’ve got to say that 9′ 9wt felt awfully short and took some getting used to. The first spot I hit was empty as well as the 2nd spot, but the 3rd stop paid off with a real bruiser that went a good 11 or 12 Read the rest of this entry

I hadn’t pestered the local surf perch for a couple years and after a long Delta season spent dealing with all the hassles involved in being “the guy with the boat” the simplicity of a short, trailer-less drive, a single rod, a handful of flies, a pair of waders, and the scenery & solitude of a Monterey Bay beach at sunrise was sounding pretty danged appealing.
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