LTFF Step 3 Intermediate - Surf Fish-out

  • 11 Jun 2017
  • 6:00 AM - 1:00 PM
  • Palm Beach State Park, new Watsonville, CA
  • 0

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This LTFF Step 3 Intermediate Surf Fish-out will be a joint event with the club's Surf Rondy on Sunday, June 11, 2017, starting at 6:00AM that day.  Our guide, Bill Sharninghausen, is a very experienced Northern CA surf fisherman.  He will be leading (4) LTFF Intermediate students and up to (4) more experienced anglers (8 total) to Palm Beach State Park, near Watsonville, CA.  Directions will be distributed to registrants.

We will meet at the entrance to Pajaro Dunes Resort, which is next to the entrance to the Palm Beach State Park, by 6:00AM and both wader & gear up upon arrival. There is very limited free parking at this entrance so carpooling is well advised. Bill will offer a brief talk between 6:15-6:30AM before leading the group down to the beach. You will only be fishing the incoming tide through the morning cycle before returning home in late morning or early afternoon at the latest.

Gear:  Rod, can be EITHER one of the following:  1) a 7-8wt single hand rod with an integrated shooting head (250 to 300 gr.) or a shooting head set-up with Type 4 or Type 6 heads; OR  2) a 7-8wt switch rod with sink tips (for overhead casting only, not Spey casting). It is best NOT to use coated type floating running line in the surf -- an intermediate running line or a slow sinking mono line will not be as impacted by wave action.  

Leaders should be 10-15# mono or preferably fluoro straight tippet. Go light when fishing in the surf and carry only the barest essentials such as hemostats, nippers, a spool of tippet, and your surf flies in a waterproof fly box, possibly carried inside jacket pockets or in a small chest pack, sling, or hip pack (no fishing vests).  

Also bring your waders (booted-foot type is best if you have them since they keep sand out of your boots); if you do a lot of surf fishing using your stocking-foot waders, then either scuba booties, Teva sandals, or "flats" boots are better than your normal wading boots (since saltwater can corrode the metal eyelets in std. wading boots).  

Other gear includes:  a wading belt (this is a "must have" -- and two belts are better); a good wading rain jacket (tied up tight at the bottom) or a kayak dry top; a hat with strap, or a baseball cap to wear under a buff or hood to hold it securely; sun gloves or a tennis/golf glove for your line hand to help land prickly fish; sunglasses with strap; stripping fingers or stretchy pet tape to wrap one or two fingers; and a stripping basket (optional, if you are comfortable using one).  

A PFD is highly advisable -- the club has a few padded-vest type PFD's to loan out, but bring your own vest or inflatable PFD if you have one.  (A wading staff is NOT recommended in the surf.)  

Remember to be sure to thoroughly rinse all your gear (flies, rods, and reels especially, but also forceps, nippers, boots, etc.) in freshwater as soon as you can after fishing saltwater!  

Anglers should have river fly fishing experience, be able to cast a sinking shooting head or sink tip, and be comfortable wading in knee deep water.

There'll be a Surf Fishing Clinic at the California Fly Shop in San Carlos, at 10:00AM on Saturday, May 20th that you SHOULD definitely attend if you have not seen Bill's excellent "Surf Presentation" slide show previously.  Besides giving a thorough introduction to fly fishing in the surf, Bill will discuss what to expect, fishing techniques, gear, and other logistics. Sign up for this free Surf Clinic on the club calendar now. 

Surf perch, our primary target, eat a lot of mole crabs in the surf zone. But local surf flies (the best are usually tied in orange or root beer colors, or dark green with orange or root beer undersides, to imitate the mole crab's egg sac) can be rather hard to locate.  This is another good reason for attending Bill's clinic since CFS staffer Shawn Reese will have tied up some good surf flies for your purchase while there. Note that Bill will not be supplying any flies or other gear for this fish-out.  

The fee for this Intermediate Surf Fish-out is $60, which covers the guide's fee, but not his gratuity.  You will need a valid California Fishing License if you have not yet purchased one this year.

Register quickly for this very limited, but unusual fishing opportunity. There is no closer fishery to you than the ocean, which is open for surf fishing most days of the year. Learning to fly fish in the surf is a challenge -- but once you gain more experience and confidence doing this, there is a whole LOT of good fishing to be had on a great many beaches in our area.  

For further information, contact either--

John Murphy  jmurphy7599@gmail.com

Bill Scharninghausen  billsch8@gmail.com

  




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