Uncle Stu

^^ this. Forget legality. There aint enough wardens to enforce the law, not even close. Legality aside... There is a certain catch-and-kill mindset where these guys can't understand releasing a fish to swim away, nor can they stop fishing when they have their limit. I've seen wide open bites where a guy gets his ten surf perch (yes, 10!) and then keeps going, knows I don't have my limit and tries to start giving them to me but I kindly refuse. Asks me, why? I say, because I like to catch my own fish, and I want there to be some fish left for tomorrow or for the next guy. Those guys should spring for a commercial license so they can kill 30 fish if they want to. So often, they get licenses for their spouse and kids and then think its fine to catch several limits. I don't think they can understand the concept of being a sportsman (or woman). They want to fill the freezer with as many fish as possible of any size, even the tiny ones. Unfortunately I think the world will be more and more like this in the future. You can't always be a sportsman when your kids are hungry. It's called overpopulation, and no one wants to talk about the solution... birth control. Whoa, that rant went way off track. Sorry.

Nice! Got any photos of the spot? Nah, just kidding. You da man Kujo.

Amazing indeed. I love the fly AND SPIN rods hanging overhead. If like me you fish the surf 2-3 times a week, you need the gear to be ready for rough conditions sometimes.

HA!! humor can be hard to detect online. obviously.

Congratulations man--and may you catch many more! We are all with you. Keep sharing your pics. Side note--those of us who are concerned about spot burning are not all "haters" or "morons." There is a legit concern about sharing specific spots where the bite is on. I've never seen the Canal in person, and yet I recognized that bridge. That said, it also makes sense that spot burning the CCC may not be a problem since it's already overrun with anglers. (what do the locals think?) Spot burning can a real concern in other places. One day it's empty and beautiful, the next it's got a dozen yayhoos with white buckets keeping every fish they catch and leaving their beer cans behind. Next thing you know it's behind a locked gate. This is why we sometimes err on the side of caution. Let's not call each other names. Let's unite to protect our cherished beaches and our wild fish populations.

Nice to see some solid fish being landed on the fly. Also helps to see that I'm not the only one skunking out regularly this spring. As long as I get a decent fish once in a while, I can deal with the smell of skunk. I just have to wonder about the health of our striper populations, on both coasts.

I use thin super glue for the initial attachment, after wrapping with thread. let it soak into your thread wraps. It helps to circle-wrap your thread all the way around their base, between the eyes and the hook shaft, which pulls them up very tight against the hook. (do this in addition to your usual figure-eight wraps). When the fly is done, I coat the head with 2-3 coats of Sally Hansen Hard as Nails from the drug store. I've tried the UV stuff, and this way seems harder and tougher. My eyes don't rotate around the hook as much as they used to! (oops--this comment applies to barbell eyes, not stick on eyes, sorry)

Excellent discussion. Just lately I started tying some Merkin-style crabs myself, after I got a couple big surf perch on a Crab fly I purchased years ago. Our mole crabs don't have legs sticking out like other crabs do.

Black eye Clousers for striper and surf perch.

Thanks Graveyard! Yes--we can almost always hook a perch or two to avoid being skunked. Our "bluegills of the sea" can put up a stubborn fight that's a lot of fun on lighter gear. In summer, they are mostly small but they are everywhere, and can be good sport on a trout rod--really fun. In winter, they get big and fat, up to 3-4 lb. and 15-17". There are a few baits that can catch both stripers and perch: chartreuse or orange clousers, Lucky Craft Flashminnow 110 hard baits, and live mole crabs. I've been targeting stripers since early April and I'm 2 for 5 hookups this season. Lots of perch in between!

>>Hard to decide but taking skunking this frequently definitely tests your resolve. haha! you should try striper fishing with a fly on the West Coast. I'm so used to being skunked that I'm surprised when I hook a fish of any size.

are you hooking perch on the LC110 even after you add the beefier hooks? I think those tiny stock hooks work well for perch, but they are easily bent by a bass. My replacement hooks are almost the size of the ones on an SP Minnow.

albycor, that looks like a wide open bite! nice size perch for sure. after high tide in the AM? I went right after high tide, hooked a nice bass on an LC110 and we tussled for a while. lots of rocks and seaweed clumps, he got into some of the salad and the hook came loose. it bent, actually. I know. I'm replacing all of them today. sheesh.

As others have said--you will eventually end up with all sizes. Knowing that, why not go for the 7 now for more versatility? When I shop, I always skip a size, until that glorious day when I can afford to have one in EVERY size

Way to go boys. I can almost taste the tacos.