NOTE THAT BOTH THE DATE AND THE VENUE FOR THE JULY FISHOUT HAVE CHANGED!!!!
The July Surf Fishout will take place at Palm State Beach in Watsonville, on Saturday, July 11th. The sun will rise at 6:00 a.m., and the only low tide of the day will occur at 9:59 A.M. We will meet at 6:00 A.M. sharp near the entrance to the State Park at 2660 Beach Road. (See the detailed directions below.) For information regarding equipment and technique, see the excellent instructions on surf fishing that Sam Bishop has published on our club website. The basic equipment is a five- to 7-weight rod with an intermediate to full-sinking line or sinking tip. Any type of Clouser pattern or anchovy fly will work for stripers, and small bonefish patterns (for example, Gotchas) will catch perch, especially if they have red or orange highlights. The only surf-specific piece of essential equipment is a stripping basket (which Sam makes and sells for $20 to benefit the club.) Face masks are optional while actually fishing, but, as of this writing, we expect that social distancing measures will still be in force, so all participants should plan to stay 6’ apart while gearing up and for the walk in over the dunes.
Directions: From Santa Cruz, head south on Highway 1 past the first Watsonville exits and take the Riverside Drive (Highway 129) exit. Turn right at the end of the exit ramp, then right again onto Lee Road. At the traffic light, turn left onto West Beach Road. Drive 3 miles to where West Beach Road ends just past the entrance to the State Beach and just across from the entrance to Pajaro Dunes. Park on the right along the row of eucalyptus trees.
Posted on June 26th, 2020