This week’s tides were some of the biggest of the year, with flood highs and minus lows. Jeff & I headed over the hill at o-dark thirty to catch the last few hours of the early morning outgoing and see the beach at the lowest tide we’d witnessed yet. We weren’t sure what to expect from a surf-perch-catching perspective and this was the only way to find out.
…continue reading A Crabby Day In The Surf

Hit the surf with Jeff for a few hours one morning this weekend. The holes were really gaining definition compared to weeks past, but the barred little buggers were scarce. Other than one little guy that took a pattern Jose had given me during the grey-light hours and a really nice one that grabbed in a rip at the bottom of the tide, just as the sun was hitting the water, it was a slow morning.
…continue reading Surf Perch, slow morning, but not fishless!

After fishing a couple of seasons with Jose Silva I’ve learned quite a few things. Aside from new angles on holding water, fish behavior, tidal influence, and an ancient recipe used by the Peruvians to prepare a fine carp for the dinner table, the one thing that’s been drilled home time and time again, through experience, is this: Out-fishing the guy is simply impossible.

…continue reading Steelhead in the Surf

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.
…continue reading Surf Perch, it’s been a few years

It appeared that our long awaited nice weather had finally arrived for good. The sun was out and the temperatures were in the 80’s. The stripers were chasing bait in the big lake, the carp were rooting in the shallow ponds, and Monterey Bay’s surf perch were feeding in the salty wash. It looked as if the Golden State’s winter of record rainfall was officially behind us.
…continue reading Bay Area Slam