February 5, 2012
Scott McGaugh and I fished the Back Bay this morning. There was a good outgoing tide after 800 AM and we expected some good fishing. It was a rather slow morning but we landed a number of 13”+ fish. No birds working but lots of smelt and mackerel in the water. The spot by the Navy Yacht mooring was good again today. The water temperature is holding at 59 degrees in the Back Bay.
February 4, 2012
Jack Riney from Ames, Iowa fished with me this morning. Jack and his wife Shirley are here on vacation and he wanted to get in a little fishing. He is a Muskie and Walleye fisherman and really knew how to handle the fish once on the line. It was an up and down morning until we headed for the Navy Yacht mooring and found a nice load of bigger Spotted Bay Bass around 930 AM. We fished just south of the main opening for a dozen legal sized Spotties. We left the spot and gave it to one of the boats in the San Diego Bass Tournament to help them out.
January 26, 2012
Outdoor writer David Williams from Bellevue, WA is in town this weekend with his wife who was running a writers conference at San Diego State. We fly fished San Diego Bay together on another beautiful San Diego “Chamber of Commerce” morning. Unfortunately the tides were not great and the fishing was slow. We landed 10+ Spotted Bay Bass and a couple of wonderful Lizard Fish. Dave is working on an article on fly fishing San Diego Bay and is hoping to pitch it to San Diego Magazine. He is fishing tomorrow with Captain James Nelson in other parts of the bay and hopefully some better luck.
January 25, 2012
Matt Dunkinson and his wife Nicola are visiting San Diego from England this week. Matt is a professional videographer and was referred to me by Orvis to do a video on Fly Fishing San Diego Bay. We had some success on the Spotted Bay Bass today and Matt was able to get the footage he wanted. We also had Nicola using spinning gear and live Ghost Shrimp for some success as well.
January 13, 2012
Mark and Melissa Castleberry from Texas were in town for a nutrition convention and came a day early to fish San Diego Bay with me. It was a low tidal exchange of 3.3’ but the fish cooperated early for us off the 36 buoy. Mark immediately started catching bass, smelt and a small halibut on the fly. Melissa needed some instruction on casting a spinning outfit and then she started catching some fish on Berkeley Gulp Shrimp. The bite lasted only 1.5 hours and then it was tough fishing as we looked in numerous spots around the bay. The weather was again cool, clear and windless for a beautiful morning on the bay.
January 8, 2012
Look time fishing friend Craig Boegler got back on En La Mosca again. It was another clear, cool and windless day on the bay with a decent outgoing tide. No working birds were found by us and hardly a bit the entire morning. There was a report from a friend of mine who fishes the Back Bay often that the fish were near the Navy Yacht Club with birds working. We never saw them but Rick did.
January 7, 2012
Scoot McGaugh and I gave the bay a try for the first time in 2012. The water temperature was up to 58 degrees with clear, cool skies and no wind. The fishing was slow on the late incoming tide and the outgoing tide. Maybe 10 Spotted Bay Bass between the two of us. No birds working.
December 26, 2001
Dennis Panish, an old friend from my past, fished with me today. This was his first time on the bay with a fly rod and a shooting head. His normal fly fishing is done in the Sierra’s and Montana. After a few tips on the shooting head he was hard at it. The weather was again calm with light winds from the east and clear skies. By 10:00 AM it was down to t-shirts for fishing. Unfortunately the fish were reluctant to bite and there was hardly a bird in site. We ended up with 3 Smelt and 10 Spotties for the morning but it gave us a chance to get reacquainted after 15 years.
December 24, 2011
I fished the Back Bay for a few hours this morning before heading to Long Beach for Christmas with my wife’s family. The area around the 34-38 buoys was loaded with birds just sitting around doing nothing. Occasionally a few gulls and pelicans would fly around looking but no terns in the air. The bait was on the meter but near the bottom and not coming up. The Spotties were equally lazy with only a ½ dozen landed. The water temperature has dropped to 54-56 degrees in the entire Back Bay. It was another cool morning with light winds from the east and flat sea and clear skies.
December 11, 2011
My brother Gary and I tackled the Back Bay today. Gary was using spinning gear with a 3” white Berkeley gulp while I was fly fishing with a purple and orange Clouser and then a chartreuse and white Clouser. We had a great incoming tide until 9:30 AM and today was the famous day before an incoming low pressure system. The Spotted Bay Bass were jumping in the boat under a flurry of working birds. Everyone was fishing in the area around the 36-38 buoys. At one point we had 6 double hookups in a row on Spotties up to 15”. Gary also had 10 fish in 11 casts at one point. When slack tide hit the fish were still biting on almost every cast. I guess there is something to be said for the day before a low pressure system!! We landed at least 70 fish with most of them Spotties with the occasional smelt.
Tom Evenson, head of the Orvis Guide Endorsement program, called me Friday to discuss the program. I have been asked to be one of their endorsed guides!! I want to thank the many people who have fished with me and helped me develop my skills and the En La Mosca Adventures program. These include my brother Gary, Scott McGaugh, Norman Orida, Steve Piper, Craig Boegler, Conway Bowman, the late Mark Beckerson, my wife Kathy and many more. Without each of you giving me input and guidance En La Mosca Adventures would not have been possible.
December 8, 2011
Hutch Hutchinson, Orvis Wholesale Rep, fished with me this morning. It was another clear, calm and cool morning on San Diego’s Back Bay. An excellent outgoing tide made for some consistent fishing for Hutch with a number of good sized Spotted Bay Bass landed. The main purpose of the outing was for Hutch to evaluate me and En La Mosca Adventures for the possibility of becoming an Orvis Endorsed Guide. The only other Orvis endorsed guide in San Diego is Conway Bowman so I am obviously honored to get the chance. Stay tuned for more information in the next couple of weeks. I believe I did well.
|
