Way back - on Feb 22 of 2009, I took a good friend fishing.  It was his first fly-fishing attempt and the results were pretty typical... maybe even a bit above average.  I've said it before, and I will say it again; If you want to catch fish today, don't attempt to learn how to fly fish.  If you want to enjoy a hobby that like golf or chess will be impossible to easily master; you've found what you are looking for.

A gem of a lake located about 20 miles off the 101 freeway near Paso Robles.  There are lots of rocky points to target Bass and plenty of decent fishing from the shore.  The primary drawback are the sporadic and ballistic winds.  I fished from about 6am to 10am and it was mostly calm with the occasional gust out of nowhere, lasting about 2 or 3 minutes before going dead still again.

I learned about the Monterey Bay fishing scene from one of my favorite fly-fishing publications; The California Fly Fisher.  In the April 2009 issue there is an article written by Robert Keltey titled Monterey Bay Rockfish.  The article is terrific, but has a mistake and a slight ommission; Capitola wharf has a tricky ladder that you must climb down to get into your rental skiff, and Rockfish season doesn't open until May 1st.  Now that that's out of the way lets get to the good stuff.

There is a nice campground with a path that lead me to this spot.  Even though the campground is on the inland or east side of the PCH, there is a path which goes under the highway for safe access.  The campground is called San Simeon Creek Campground, and lies right against the creek.

Don't plan on fishing there unless it's Steelhead season though.  Check out the regulations at http://www.dfg.ca.gov - my understanding of the current regulations for steelhead fishing in this area is: Dec 1st through Mar 7th, but only on Sat, Sun, Wed, legal holidays and opening and closing days. Only barbless hooks may be used and there is a zero bag limit.

The Arroyo Seco River is one of the most beautiful streams that I have ever seen.  It supports wild steelhead - a fish that I would love to go after next season - but, this season has already ended.  Be sure to check http://www.dfg.ca.gov for the current regulations for fishing this river.  There is an excellent campground nearby named (oddly enough) Arroyo Seco Campground, and it is very clean, green and quiet.

Located in the Monterey Bay, this is an beautiful beach with lots of fly fishing potential.  The shoreline was a bit steeper than it looked, and a sinking line is the only way to go here.  If you go, watch your step because the shore has a wicked drop-off.

After staying the night in San Simeon, we drove a short distance to the public beach at Hearst Memorial.  It's a great little beach with a pier and good rock structure near the shore.  Dogs are allowed on the beach - leashed - and that was a plus for us.  I threw a razzler pattern (by Dean Endress) mostly, but also hucked a Clouser Minnow with no success.

One of the first stops we made for a little surf fly fishing was at Morro Bay.  It's fairly flat and sports some nice rock formations that can be easily walked out onto.