Stonefish

Anyone have one of these lying around gathering dust? I need a back up rod for an upcoming trip. 9'6" 8 wt. Thanks, SF

Any sturgeon in that area? If so, perhaps foul hooked one? SF

Redington Classic Trout series are very nice. If $500.00 is your price point, you could get three of them in varies weights and lengths for that amount. SF.

Straight downstream after the swing takes can be some of the most difficult to keep buttoned. An addition hook set strip or two may have helped, but every situation is different. i'd imagine a size 10 streamer doesn't have a very big hook as well. The jump with a barbless hook could have also created some slack. When i throw streamers, I like to use a 6 wt at minimum with a sinking line (Airflo Streamer Max Long) so I can throw some meat that has bigger hooks. Good job hooking a nice fish. It should still be around there for your next trip. SF

Heading to the crab grounds..... SF

Agree about the line weights. Not saying it is your rod, but lines will cast differently on different rods or rod actions. If you fish with other folks who have different 8 wts rods then yours, try your line on their rods. Just my opinion, but some rods and lines are magical combos well others don't work well together. I had a similar experience recently with a bass / pike line. It didn't cast well on one of my 8 wts but cast great on another one of my 8 wt rods. SF.

That is a sandlance version tied the same way but with no wing. SF

West coast flat fish version. Fun site fishing for these. SF

Did some hillbilly crabbing today. Stake up a garden pole with a bait box full of chicken. Pretty fun to watch the crabs run out of deeper water following the scent trail and earning their place in the pot. Site fished some sand dabs while waiting on the crabs. SF

No fishing with a rod today, just a net. Opening day of Dungeness crab season. SF

A buddy and I hit the eel grass flats of the crab opener today. SF

A few from my neighborhood and nearby beaches on Puget Sound. SF

A few tips that I've found that make clousers tougher for beach fishing. . Ditch the lead eyes and use brass. Real Eyes, Real Eyes Plus, Pseudo Eyes or Dazl eyes. Once you tie the eyes in and apply some super glue, tie in a piece of flat diamond braid over the eyes and tie it down on both sides of the eyes.. Don't tie the belly in over the eyes, tie them in behind the eyes so it doesn't split. Wrap the belly with flat diamond braid then coat it with UV cure. Also coat the flat diamond braid between the eyes and your thread wraps in front of the eyes. Synthetics will last longer but nothing beats a clouser tied with bucktail as far as fly movement in my opinion. Consider tying some stinger clousers. That way you can replace the hook if it gets dinged on the beach. Always add red or orange thread gills behind the eyes, Here is example of a stinger clouser using the above tips. SF

Ten-lined June Bug SF

No doubt the blob did damage, but it has been gone now for about three year. Our fish face a lot of the same challenges your stripers do and the list is long in regards to the reasons for their decline....... I hope your striper stocks can rebound. SF