This article originally appeared in the September/October 2009 issue of Southwest Fly Fishing.

Mission Beach is located in the center of the city of San Diego’s coastline, book ended by Ocean Beach, across the Mission Bay Channel, to the south and Pacific Beach on the north. Easily accessible from Interstate 8 as well as Interstate 5, the break is popular among surfers and this stretch of sand from Mission Beach to Pacific Beach is the most widely used beach in San Diego. Summer will find thousands of people jogging or riding bicycles on  the boardwalk, playing volleyball or just simply enjoying the beach. Mission Beach also houses Belmont Park, the oldest amusement park in the area. The beach’s iconic wooden tracked roller coaster, The Giant Dipper, looms over the beach challenging beach goers to get in line. The original roller coaster was built in 1925 and a refurbished replica still operates today.

For fly fisherman the beach can be broken into to distinct areas based on parking availability and proximity to the roller coaster: South Mission Beach and the area to the north of the roller coaster (Belmont Park) which I will refer to as North Mission Beach. South Mission Beach generally starts at the Mission Beach Jetty and continues north to the roller coaster (West Mission Bay Drive). On most days parking is at a premium, but usually early in the day, or late in the afternoon, free parking is available in the large lot at the southerly terminus of Mission Boulevard. A bathroom and showers are available at the western end of the parking lot. Free parking is also available for those wishing to fish north Mission Beach. It is generally located to the immediate south of the roller coaster along the western side of Mission Boulevard. This area also includes bathrooms with showers to wash off the saltwater from you and your gear.

Appropriate Gear

With the limited published material about the Southern California surf, many anglers mistakenly believe they need 7- or 8-weight rods that are more typical in the central and northern areas of the state. However, on all but the most extreme days this

A nice barred surfperch from the local surf.

beach can most comfortably be fished with your typical 5- or 6- weight trout rod. Some local anglers even swear by 4-weights. A trout weight rod paired with an anodized reel that includes a sealed drag, and the capacity for at least 100 yards of backing, will handle most anything this beach can throw at you. Fast sinking integrated shooting heads, such as the Rio Striper 26DC, are ideal for getting your fly down in this ever-churning environment. I prefer a 200-grain shooting head for a typical 5-weight rod and find that a 250-grain line better complements a 6-weight rod. Later in the summer, when the opportunity for sight fishing for corbina or spotfin croaker presents itself, I will fish a clear tip intermediate line sized appropriately to the rod I am using. Most of the year leaders are best kept simple. A number of manufactures are finally producing leaders specifically for the surf and I prefer these in either 6- or 8- pound test. In addition, I will typically add 3 or 4 feet of fluorocarbon tippet to this if sight-casting to fish in the shallows or when I have clipped the leader down. This leader is typically looped to the end of the fly line and attached to the fly with a Kreh Loop.

Another piece of gear every surf angler should at least try is a stripping basket. These line management devices are worth their weight in gold when there is a lot of seaweed present and can really cut down on the amount of false casting required to launch your line. Stripping baskets also seem to keep the line from tangling around itself and your feet. You can buy one or make your own, there are a number of websites and bulletin boards that include instructions. Always think about safety when wading in this unpredictable area and make sure you have a quick release belt on your stripping belt that will allow it to detach in case of emergency.

With the exception of corbina and spotfin croaker, most fish in the surf are very opportunistic feeders and will aggressively attack just about any fly that is presented near them. The constant churning and pounding of waves gives most surf zone inhabitants little time to closely inspect your offering, but flies with some bright orange or red in them seem to increase your chances. I believe that this mimics the bright orange roe sac of the mole crab and acts as a triggering mechanism for some fish, prompting them to eat. Many fly patterns are available that seek to match the mole crab and in my experience they do not work as well as those flies that are more impressionistic, such as size-4 and -6 Solis Foxy Crab, Clouser Darter or a Rootbeer Surf Rat.

Where to Fish

The surf zone is a tumultuous environment, with waves constantly pounding the shoreline redistributing sand, creating structure and churning up food. Add the wind and currents into the mix and the surf zone can be a downright violent place for

Casting over incoming surf ensures contact with the fly.

both the fish and the fly angler. Areas that have structure are the areas that will likely hold fish. A great way to identify structure along the beach is to walk the beach you intend to fish at low tide and make mental notes of where the beaches features are located. If you take a minute to look over your shoulder and find a landmark you can return to this area once the tide has filled in.

Like a trout stream, the fish in the surf look for areas where they can expend the least amount of energy and ambush the most food. Instead of hiding behind a large boulder in a steam, surf species sit in deeper holes and troughs waiting for the never-ending conveyor belt to deliver food to them. The easiest way to identify these fish holding areas is to watch the incoming surf and look for quick changes in wave height. As waves break and reform while approaching the beach you are looking for areas where waves suddenly grow or shrink. If the waves quickly get smaller you have identified a hole and if the waves get bigger you have identified a sandbar. The deeper area between sandbars is referred to as a trough. Troughs usually run parallel to shore and create superhighways for fish and prey to move along shore. Either way you have found structure that fish will use to ambush food.

Rip currents are another feature that will likely hold fish and should be sought out. A rip current is a current that typically runs perpendicular to the shore delivering food and detritus to the deeper water. Rip currents can most easily be identified by watching for areas where a strip of foam, which is created by breaking waves, is being pulled out to sea rather parallel to shore. Like a seam in a river, fish will typically line up on the outside edge of a rip current and wait for a tasty morsel to come by.

Residents of the Wash

With the pounding surf and the ever-moving conveyor belt of food available in the surf, the list of resident fish available to the fly angler is long. The most prolific of the surf zone predators is the Barred Surf Perch (Amphistichus argenteus), which is available along Mission Beach’s shoreline year round. The average surfperch is about 8 to 10 inches long and can be caught within 20 to 30 feet of the beach. Long casts are typically not necessary. The perch fishing can turn down right hot during the winter and spring months that coincide with their mating and spawning cycles. Usually starting around September and continuing into November perch will begin stacking up in the shallow holes and troughs along the shoreline looking to mate and waiting to attack a passing morsel of food. These trophy-sized fish (in many cases 12-16 inches in length) take on the look of large panfish and turn sideways and fight you with their whole body using the currents to their advantage.

The large perch will typically show up again from February to as late as July to give birth in the near shore surf. Surfperch give birth to live young rather than lay eggs like most fish and it is not uncommon to bring in a fish and have them deliver their young right there. These free-swimming juvenile barred surfperch can act as a chum line, bringing in other surf-zone species for the smorgasbord. Catches of other predator species such as halibut, corbina, spotfin and yellowfin croakers tend to become more common during this time of year.

Another species of fish that is perhaps the most prized among surf fly anglers is the California corbina (Menticirrhus undulates). Sometimes referred to as the ‘Ghost of the Surf” the corbina is Southern California’s answer to bonefish, permit and redfish.

Matt Hale finds a nice Halibut from the local surf.

Corbina can typically be found along Mission Beach starting in mid-May through the end of summer and into early fall. They are very spooky and require a stealth approach. Corbina are typically spotted in only inches of water feeding on mole crabs (sand crabs). They will ride the water as far up the beach as necessary to feed on the crab beds sometimes with their tails wagging and their backs out of the water. Just as quickly as they appeared they will disappear in the backwash.

Spotfin croaker (Roncador stearnsi) are also quickly becoming a favorite among Southern California’s fly anglers because of their toughness and ability to take you into your backing. Easily identified by the black spot at the base of its pectoral fin, the spotfin croaker is typically available along Mission Beach from June to September. Fishing for these fish can be excellent when fishing at high tide and can be downright spectacular when the high tide coincides with the low light of sunrise or sunset.

The real fun of fishing in the surf is that you never know what you might catch. In addition to the species mentioned above, the surf is full of other worthy fly rod adversaries. The California halibut (Paralichthys californicus) with its needle sharp teeth can be found in the surf year round. Fishing for halibut around grunion runs can be quite productive in Mission Beach. Walleye surfperch (Hyperprosopon argenteum) are also available in the surf year round and look very similar to the barred surfperch except that they are usually smaller, don’t have the distinctive bars and have larger eyes. Another species that you can expect to encounter in the Mission Beach surf is the yellowfin croaker (Umbrina roncador), which is typically identified by its yellow fins and wavy stripes along its back and sides. Catches of rays, leopard sharks and shovelnose guitarfish are also common along this beach.

Technique

While fly fishing the surf, it is rarely necessary to wade any deeper than your knees. On many occasions fish can, and will, be caught within 20 feet of shore. Anglers typically where waders, booties and a light rain coat for most of the winter and then typically wear a bathing suit and some sort of sun shirt once the water has warmed to the mid-60’s. Some diehards even fish year-round with just swim trunks.

In my opinion, success in the surf zone is reliant on mastering two skills: timing your casts to ensure that your fly is in the feeding zone for as long as possible and keeping constant contact with your fly to ensure you feel as many takes as possible. Waves are constantly crashing and receding and an ill-timed cast will do nothing more than deliver your fly line to your feet. However, watching for a break between sets of waves and casting over the wave that is approaching you will ensure that you are casting over the strongest current and getting that fly down into the strike zone as soon as possible. Without being tight to the fly, many of the fish in the surf will quickly inhale your fly and then spit it without you noticing. In order to maintain constant contact with your fly you can keep the tip of your rod in the water as you retrieve your fly and even take a few steps back as your retrieve your fly.

Another “off the water” resource that can be employed to ensure success at Mission Beach is the internet. By periodically monitoring swell predictions, tides, currents as well as sunrise and sunset the shore bound angler can greatly increase the odds in their favor. For instance, if you only have a few days to fish Mission Beach and a couple of those days coincide with low surf, and a low or high tide at sunrise, you can bet that those are the two days you should choose. Web sites such as www.wetsand.com and a few new applications for your smart phone can get you dialed in with plenty of information to make an educated decision. Having said that, I like to fish Mission Beach on a rising tide. The rising tide seems to bring in more fish, searching for food on recently flooded areas.

Plan B

Having a back up plan is always a good idea. There is nothing worse that planning a trip to the beach only to find huge surf crashing along the shoreline or that there is so much kelp in the water that the fishing becomes impossible. Like a couple of other areas in San Diego County, Mission Beach has easy access to a completely different fly fishing opportunity only steps away – Mission Bay. Head west across Mission Boulevard and you will run right into it. You can fish from the shore and will find that armed with an intermediate or floating line and a couple of Clouser Minnows you can catch a variety of species from the shore. Spotted bay bass, halibut, spotfin croaker, corbina and an endless list of others can be caught from shore with a decent cast. Count the fly down, retrieve it over the weed beds and hold on.

Fly fishing the surf at Mission Beach is a unique way to spend a morning or evening. Spending time at the beach before most people have started their day or after the crowds have left is a peaceful and relaxing affair. With the unlimited supply of different species of fish that you might catch and the fact that you can typically be home in time for breakfast or dinner, fly fishing at Mission Beach is another environment for the fly anger to experience.

Mission Beach Notebook

The Giant Dipper located in Belmont Park.

When: Surfperch are available year-round, with the larger models peaking from January to May; corbina start to show up in late May and are generally around until October; halibut are frequently taken in March through July and the spotfin croaker fishing usually gets hot in May and lasts into September.

Where: The sandy beach from the jetty at south Mission Beach north to Pacific Beach.

Headquarters: Mission Beach, CA.  Beach access/local information: www.sandiego.gov/lifeguards/beaches. Local attractions: www.sandiego.gov/directories/visiting.shtml#animal. Local surf fishing info: www.scsurffishing.com/.

Appropriate gear: 5- to 7-weight rods, hard anodized reel with a sealed drag, sinking lines, 6 foot leaders with 6# fluorocarbon tippet. Intermediate or floating lines with longer leaders for sight fishing corbina and spotfin croaker.

Useful fly patterns: Solis Foxy Crab; Clouser Darter; Rootbeer Surf Rat, Gary Bulla’s Gremmie; Foxy Clouser; Razzler; Hanley’s Beach Ball; Skok’s Blind Crab; Walter’s Action Crab; MK Tweaker; Crazy Charlie and various other Bonefish style flies.

Necessary accessories: Polarized sunglasses, hat, waders (during winter), wading booties, stripping basket, rain jacket, sunscreen and a camera.

Nonresident license: $13.40/1 day, $20.75 2 days, $41.20/ 10 days, $110.80 yearly

Fly shops/guides: Solis on the Salt, 619.742.5888, www.solisonthesalt.com; Bowman Bluewater Guides and Outfitters, 619.822.MAKO, www.bowmanbluewater.com; San Diego Fly Shop,  858.350.3111, www.sandiegoflyshop.com; and So Cal Fly Fishing Outfitters, 619.224.4000, www.socalflyfishing.net

Books/maps: Fly Fishing the Pacific Inshore by Ken Hanley; Southern California Atlas & Gazetteer by DeLorme Mapping.