Saltwater Fly Fishing - Catalina and Ensenada

My wife booked us a cruise to Ensenada with Carnival through AAA and her work.  Having never been on a cruise before, and not knowing what to expect, I was reluctantly enthusiastic.

When she told me that we get off the ship and get to roam Catalina and Ensenada on our own schedule if we want – then, and only then – did I get excited.  I can smell an opportunity to fish like Hank (my Golden Retriever) can smell the cookie jar being opened.

The Internet is an ok place to get some saltwater fly-fishing advice, but it’s pretty sketchy.  I guess one of the problems is that the Pacific shoreline is a tad bit more expansive than your average river or lake.  Finding information about the exact area I would be in, and how to fish it, was fruitless.

So, I tied about 6 Deceivers and 8 Clouser Minnows in all different colors, packed my 7-weight rod, my biggest reel and heaviest line then set out to experiment.

My wife and I arrived in Avalon at around 8am.  I quickly found my spot to fish from the shore, but know this: there isn’t much shore fishing right around the town.  I tied on a Deceiver, and played around casting under the pier.  My biggest issue was that I didn’t add weight to them, didn’t bring weight putty or split-shots and left the sinking line.  I could see them – and I imagine they could see me – but they were much deeper than my fly, and they weren’t tempted enough to rise for it.

I switched to a Clouser Minnow that I had tied, out of habit, to look more like a baby brownie than anything else.  The water was clear enough to watch them chase, but they would pull up at the last moment.

Changing out again, I tied on my Clouser/Deciever hybrid.  It is tied like a Clouser and dressed like a Deceiver – with one difference – I used half a Peacock eye for the wing to give a dark and naturally reflective shimmer.  This fly yielded my first saltwater catch.

I’m told it was a Calico Bass, but it also looks like some Rockfish pictures I have seen.  Dunno… don’t really care.  It was fun.