Throwing flies into the Pacific (correct post

[andy-ap emerger]

AY Maties! I'm going to the Central Oregon coast for a weekend w/ the wife. Since our condo is righton the beach, I want to fling some flies into the Oceans sandy shore for Surf Perch & Striped Bass. Any tips? What flies, rod weight, Lines, leader length???
Your reply's are appreciated.
Thanks!
andy"ap emerger"
--------------------
screamin' silver hotdogs!
www.oregoncarp.com (http://www.oregoncarp.com)

[skein]

Central Oregon coast, eh? Like Depoe Bay to Florence?

Try Seal Rock just north of Waldport. There's a little pull off just wide enough to park a half dozen cars just north of a day-use area. Go straight out from there, then work your way down toward Seal Rocks themselves (south). I've caught lots of them there, but not on flies. What's nice is it's also a nice beach to just walk along. When the tide's out, you can poke around the Rocks and see lots of critters.

Another place is off the rocks at Yachats, incoming tide at the river mouth. Again, not with flies.

This is a pretty tough time because of the breakers. Be careful.

Have fun and good luck.

Skein

[Mojo]

See my post on the other board! :grin:

[gstrand]

I've done it on a fly around Gold Beach with limited success, but it's a kick when you do get one on. Here are some links that are very helpful:

Northwest Surfperching - John Shewey (http://www.flyfishamerica.com/ArticlesReports/PacificRegion/Pacific/PAShewey97MA/PAShewey97MA.html)

Flyfishing Sandy Beaches - Ken Hanley (http://flyfishing.about.com/library/ffm/southwest/aakhsurfintro.htm)

-Gus

[RodRoss]

This isn't a direct flyrod/reel/flies suggestion, but one thing I've found almost a necessity for throwing any kind of flylines in the surf is some type of stripping basket. You can make them out of a belt and plastic wash basin or go buy one at the fly shop, but it makes casting and retrieving in any kind of surf so much easier and effective.

[andy-ap emerger]

Well, here's the report: :cool:
Not being as much of a daredevil as I used to be, I kept a pretty close eye on the "incoming" tide for the serf perch extraviganza. C O M I C A L at first :grin:
I had my 120lb chesy with me "Lahka" who just loves the ocean with all of his being. Twice he was used as a safety floatation device :rolleyes:
I realised that casting out when the breakers were coming IN was comedic. In 3 seconds I had 90 feet of flyline bunched up all around me. Hey...When did the ocean get so big & strong???
Oh, I see now. Cast when the break is around you. oooooh, Now I get it "wait, ah...bam!" a quick "snip snip snip" on the fly!!! What the h3ll was that? holy cow! I just had a fish on! Ahhhhhhhhhhhh hah! It's almost like a 'wetfly' swing. Cast out once the tide slowly starts breaking back to sea, the line gracefully forms an arch back towards you. The fly is perfectly sliding parallel to the shore line. Hmmm, neat. Those little fish (okay, the ones I had) were very quick biters. There sure seams like a lot to do & think about. Very tiring in this season (February) strong water, cold rain, cast hard & fast and A LOT. yet...Strangely alluring. This really could be a fun & challenging new experience.....

[TillamookChinook]

Nice report. I expect there are lots of us lurkers filing this away for some future trip to the beach. I tried once last summer around Florence, without any success, but I didn't really try very hard. I was with some people who were trying to find some clams, also without success.

We finally saw a dimple in the wet sand that might be related to a clam, but it turned out to be a decent sized dungeness crab under 3" of sand. That surprised me a lot. We found another crab like that a few feet away.

The really cool thing about the beach and marine waters is that there is so much varied life around there, you never know what you might find.

Maybe someone else will expand on this thread with their detailed experience of flycasting in the surf.

[True]

Try Gleneden Beach in September. Watch for rips and sneakers.

True

[garyk]

I don't have a lot to contribute, but here's a little.

Some years back, while marooned in California, I'd go to the mouth of the Russian River and surf fish. One day I took the flyrod and the 850deepwater Exress shooting heads that I used for chum fishing. I didn't like getting my running line and expensive heads tangled in the rocks much, though I did like the taste of the ling cod I caught.

The next is strictly hearsay, but from a reliable source - who'll go unnamed but lives in St.Helens and now has a famous stonefly pattern named for him. Several times he's told me it's a kick to go the the Tilly North Jetty on a warm summer night, when the tide is flat, meaning minimal difference 'tween high and low. Put out a lantern to attract the little fish and soon the big rock fish are there too. He always insisted it was a real kick with a flyrod and I've always thought about it but never tried.

[andy-ap emerger]

Hmmmmmmm...Interesting. graemlins/eek13.gif
might be kindof fun.
About the flyline getting all over the place, jeeeperz. That was the tough part. Rocks, dog, waderbelt, behind me in 3 seconds flat..... :laugh:

[Fishrite]

We've done well on the North Jetty of Yaquina Bay for Black Rock Bass at night with a fly rod. Even got them to come to the surface for poppers. I agree that if you can get a flat ocean and a windless night (like we had) it can really be fun. The Bass are really aggressive and when the tide is not running they really feed hard. Try it you will really like it. :grin: :grin: If you have a shooting basket it really helps. :dance: :dance: Fishrite

[Fly guy only]

I have long considered doing this as well- especially when the main land fishing is in the toilet. I have had a couple of conversations with Jay at Kaufman's and he has done it a lot. I don't yet know the regulations, but 4-5 different kinds of fish are common and believe it or not, Jay say keepign the sea gulls away from your catch when the going is good is harder than catching fish. Weather right now will REALLY make for a tough time, but fish are always there. Tides and things will help, but figuring out how to keep the line in the water in front of you is the biggest deal. I would call Jay (he's always there during the week) and he can recommend flies, area, technique, etc. The famous stonefly guy may be there and he is very personable and will definately help as well. I really do think these guys know more about salt water fly fishing than anyone I have ever come across.