Dan Blanton is author of many articles on saltwater flyfishing. He is a famed fly tier, having invented the Blanton Whistler
Santa Cruz and Monterey, California
Fly-Rodding Monterey Bay Kelp Bass
By Dan Blanton
©1996 Dan Blanton
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First to take a kelp bass on a fly? ... I would probably name the late Myron Gregory...
Small boats bobbed all around mine for as far as I could see, craft ranging from bright yellow, wooden rental skiffs, to rubber inflatables and center consoles. Most had fly anglers standing on their decks or squatting on their seats; many had as many as three long rods bent simultaneously, humping under the strain of hefty Pacific Kelp bass.
Swirls, busts and boils made by feeding bass could be seen here and there and my LCD fish-finder graph had a school of fish marked that stretched off the screen. I knew it was going to be another great day on Monterey bay. "Yeah! We're in the Bucket, guys!" I said, as I tossed over a brightly colored marker buoy with one hand while grabbing my 9-weightfrom the rack with the other. My companions, Bob Von Raesfeld and Server Sadik didn't need a New York second to follow suit. Within minutes Bob was lip-gaffing a four-pounder, followed shortly by Server and then "Moi". We were into them!
There were more than 20 fly-rodders beating the bay that morning. Normally there wouldn't be a half dozen. It was my fly fishing club's annual Monterey Bay, Kelp bass fish out, the first of two we hold on the bay each season. By noon, when it was time to rack the rods and head for the upper harbor to chug a couple of cold brews and chomp down on one of Dave Burn's famous Barbecued Italian sausage and bell pepper sandwiches, every Fly caster - I mean every single one!- had landed and released (excepting a few kept for food) from 50 to more than 100 kelp bass, ranging in size from less than a pound to more than five. Not bad fly-rodding considering the action took place within view of a major metropolitan area.
There are more than 50 varieties of Pacific Kelp bass and they come in a gaggle of shapes, colors and sizes. They range from water as shallow as 25 feet to depths of more than 300 feet. They are true bass, although they are often referred to as "rock cod" or just plain cod. They are not a cod and they truly look like a bass, closely resembling a fresh water Large Mouth bass. They are strong, eager fish, that will strike a brightly colored streamer or bucktail with a vengeance. They are extremely competitive because of their schooling nature. If a Kelp bass was tied tail-to-tail with a Large Mouth, I couldn't swear the sea bass would win the ensuing tug-of-war. I can guarantee it would be at least a photo finish, though. Ditto for their table quality. Their fillets rank right up there with the best!
For obvious reasons, Monterey Bay fly-rodders seek out those kelp bass that inhabit the near shore waters; and while you might imagine we would almost always be tossing our flies against the edge of a kelp forest or floating paddy, most of our fishing actually takes place in open water, in depths ranging from 40 to 80 feet where the bass often gather in dense schools, suspending over reefs and pinnacles, often a mile or more from the nearest shoreline kelp beds. These schools will consist of three of four varieties, the most common being Olive, Blue, and Black Kelp bass; and when the conditions are right, most of the fish will be suspended in the first 10 to 15 feet of the water column, within easy reach of a fly fisher casting a #4 to #6 density, sinking shooting-taper, the fly line of choice for those who embrace this sport.
Fact is, the fish will often be holding so shallow that conventional tackle anglers will find themselves unwittingly fishing too deep and going fishless, while fly casters stick a fish on nearly every cast because they are putting their fly where the fish are, keeping it there during the entire retrieve.
Monterey Bay Kelp bass aren't always near the top, though, and unless you are there when conditions are right, the tables will be turned and you'll be watching the boys with the ganglions pulling five at a time from the reef top while your fly goes unscathed. Let me explain.
There are two conditions that have to be met in order to provide the fly-rodder the greatest opportunity. The first condition is one the angler can control and that is being there on the correct tidal series.
What is the best tidal series? It is what is referred to as a "Neap" tide, which occurs only during the quarter moon phases. Neap tides do not produce strong, extreme high or low tides. There is very little exchange between high and low periods with very moderate current flow. This means the bass don't have to hang onto the rocks with their fins just to keep from being swept away. Consequently, the bass (and baitfish) float up and suspend near the surface to feed, making them easy flyrod targets. The opposite of Neap tides are "Spring" tides, which produce extreme variances between high and low water, which mean ranging currents. During Spring tides, which occur during full or new moon phases, the bass will beholding deep, over reef tops, where the current is weakest, much like trout do in a stream. Tidal conditions are the ones you can control, so pick them accordingly!
The other ingredient is one that you can't control but can only hope for. It is the condition of reduced light caused by high overcast (coastal fog). Kelp bass, just like their fresh water cousins, are happiest during low light periods, and are more apt to frequent the upper layers of the water column then. On bright days, even during perfect tidal periods, they will often hold deep, refusing to float up. On Monterey Bay, however, particularly from late spring through the middle of fall you can usually have both optimum conditions since it is almost always overcast until around noon. By then the bass are usually off the bite and the wind is up, a good time to head for home!
This is not to say you can't take Kelp bass during high skies. You can, but you'll have to plumb the bottom by counting your line down to 30 or 40 or more, and a lead-core head would be my first choice of line density. The other negative to having a bright sky is that the wind will be blowing, or will start to howl much earlier, usually before noon.
I can't tell you who was the first angler to take a Pacific Kelp Bass on a cast fly. If I were to make an educated guess, though, I would probably name the late Myron Gregory of international fly-casting fame. I know that Myron was the first fly-rodder to use a lead-core shooting-taper in saltwater and that was used to take kelp bass from the rocks and jetties along the coasts of California and Oregon more than 50 years ago. At any rate, taking Pacific Kelp bass on a fly is certainly not new. In fact, myself and friends have been doing it on Monterey bay for better than 25 years.
Twenty five years ago the bay bass fishing with a fly was nothing short of phenomenal. Like most things it didn't last, though, and by the end of the Viet Nam era, fishing got pretty bleak with kelp bass numbers in Monterey Bay reaching an all-time low. Increased inshore gill-netting was to blame. Many of us quit fly-rodding for Kelp bass during the late seventies up through the mid-eighties.
There is good news to this tale of woe, however. By the mid-eighties, the gill-netters (result of the Marine Bird and Mammal act) were forced offshore (three miles and out) and the inshore Kelp bass fishery in Monterey bay rebounded to nearly what it was during the " Good Old Days". It should remain as good as long as the netters are kept out and some other ecological disaster doesn't occur.
Monterey Bay offers protection from the elements of the open ocean. Accordingly, anglers fishing from small to medium sized skiffs usually enjoy calm waters during summer and fall, the peak of the bass season. Not all of the bay produces good fly-rodding, however. The three top producing areas are found within sight of Monterey, Santa Cruz, and Capitola. The apex of the bay, near Moss Landing is devoid of shallow reefs and kelp beds, offering the fly angler little opportunity.
While good fly-fishing can be found out of the city of Monterey, along the kelp beds from Cannery Row to Spanish Bay, the best areas, based on my experience, are those found near Capitola around Soquel Point; and the Santa Cruz reef area between Santa Cruz Point (the Light House) and Natural Bridges State Beach. The edge of Santa Cruz reef is only about a mile west of the Santa Cruz Municipal pier(within sight), and a mile and a half from the Santa Cruz Small Craft harbor, which has an excellent 4-wide ramp.
The Santa Cruz / Capitola areas of Monterey Bay offer the visiting tourist myriad activities coupled with some of the finest restaurants in the Golden State. It is a great place to spend a family vacation - a place where mom and the kids can knock themselves out having a great time at the beaches, boardwalk and shops, while you take a morning or two, rent a skiff and motor from the Santa Cruz Municipal Wharf, or from the Capitola Pier, to get into some fast Kelp bass action on a fly. Indeed, many anglers, fly-rodders included, take advantage of this great fishery by renting one of the stable, wooden skiffs from one of the two piers mentioned (see sidebar for more details). Remember, though, I said that the best fishing is closest to Santa Cruz, and that is where I'd head first if I were renting a skiff.
I indicated earlier that the best action didn't occur near the fishy-looking kelp beds, rather it was further offshore over reefs and pinnacles in water ranging from 40 to 70 feet in depth. One of the best ways to locate the suspended schools of Kelp bass is to use a good locator/graph, while simultaneously slow-trolling a fly about 70 feet behind the boat. If you mark a school followed by a confirming hookup, toss out a brightly colored marker (an old bleach bottle painted hot orange works great), and get with it. If you don't have a fish-finder, just troll until several hookups in an area warrant tossing out a marker. Once a good school is pinpointed make your best toss and count the fly down to about 15. That should put you in the bucket. And remember - the larger fish will hold deeper in the school, so fish accordingly if you want the big Moes.
Another neat thing about this fishery is that you don't need to possess the casting skills of Lefty Kreh. The bass aren't boat shy and I've seen folks who couldn't push a shooting head 35 feet, catch fish all morning.
When it comes to productive flies, almost anything bright that moves through the water will get their attention. However, our Kelp bass do have a profound penchant for my Punch series, my favorite being the Tropical Punch, followed by the Lime Punch and then the Sabalo Punch, all in sizes 2/0, which are about 3- to 3-1/2 inches in length. Other excellent producers are small Lefty's Deceivers in yellow, yellow/red and white/red. My standard Whistlers in the same colors are very productive, as well as my Sea Arrow Squid in size 3/0 or 4/0. Fishing flies with hooks smaller than 2/0is ill advised since there is always the possibility of hooking into big Ling cod, or even a bruiser King salmon. And, while I am not of the "always pinch the barb down" philosophy, doing so will facilitate unhooking and releasing these critters a lot faster and easier.
A couple of words of caution: It always behooves you to follow the prescribed rules of water safety - have lifejackets on board and heed foul weather warnings. Don't stay out until waves start capping, you should have been in long before then. If you get seasick, or if you don't know if you do, don't take a chance, take something for it - you won't be sorry. And for God's sake, always wear a hat and eye protection, particularly when fishing two from a small boat.
Fly fishing for Monterey Kelp bass is fun, easy angling, that is a breeze to get to and won't cost you the Family fortune. I encourage you to give it a try, whether you're a local, an out-of-towner, or a visiting vacationer. If you do, I have no doubt you'll be glad you did. Hey, maybe I'll see you on the bay this summer