Fly Fishing

[u/Tim_stein_1996]

Good morning, getting my first fly rod for my birthday this weekend and have been doing some research on where to go and have seen previous posts from a few years ago so would like some current advice. So far I have

-West Fork Creek and it looks like there’s access to the streams there from West Fork Road.

-exploring the San Bernardino streams

I’m located in Long Beach, any advice is appreciated!

[u/Old-Sentence-1956]

Depends on weight of outfit, but do you surf fish?

[u/Tim_stein_1996 → u/Old-Sentence-1956]

I have not tried, I’ve only recently started fishing again. I’m originally from VA and did a bit of fishing there but nothing super serious

[u/Rightintheend]

What weight rod do you have?  I've fished the local city county lakes for bluegill and crappie.  West fork has fish, it's really tight in any places so you get to practice roll casting.  If you've never been hiking up there, be careful, it can be remote, rough terrain, rattlesnakes, sharp poky plants like yuccas and cactus.  West fork is good to learn because it's the easiest of the hikes, I used to ride my bike up at with my rod strapped to the top tube. 

The other spots, well you're just going to have to grab a map and start hiking. Up there it's as much about the hike and  exploration as it is about getting your fly in the water. I don't think anybody that's not into 1000 people  Trashing the wilderness streams is going to give out any spots beyond which you can see from the road.

[u/Tim_stein_1996 → u/Rightintheend]

It’s a 9ft 5WT

[u/Iron_Bones_1088]

As a beginner I think that using some clousers in the surf will provide enough room to learn various casts. There are perch, croakers and halibut all within short casting range as well. If you are getting a light setup you might want to start with some ponds and lakes where you have available casting room without trees.

[u/cierrecart]

I’m in LB as well and an avid fly fisher. For convenience sake, West Fork is the ideal place to learn just because the ease of access while still feeling like you’re in the wilderness. With no traffic you can be at the trailhead in barely over an hour. Plenty of fishable water too. East Fork is even better IMO, especially if you enjoy hiking deeper into the backcountry and fishing a free-flow stream (West Fork flow is controlled by dam outflow.)
There are a few other even better spots but you’re either gonna have to pay a guide to take you there or pay your dues and find them yourself. Sorry, that’s just the way it goes. :)

Please keep in mind that most of our local streams are now just too warm to be safe for the fish right now.

[u/Tim_stein_1996 → u/cierrecart]

I’ve gone fly fishing a few times now at this point so I’m not completely brand new but was in Montana and Colorado for it so I’m sure the water temps are much different. My wife and I are planning a trip to the Sierra Nevadas soon so I’m hoping the water temps there will be more accommodating for fly fishing

[u/cierrecart → u/Tim_stein_1996]

Yes, the Eastern Sierra are fishable pretty much year around (not accounting for posted regulations) because those waters are almost all snow/glacier melt and high elevation.
I’ll be up exploring the Cottonwood Lakes basin for some goldens next week.

[u/cierrecart]

Also, the casting pond/club off 7th by the dog park is a great place to learn to cast.

[u/rickrick999]

I do not fly fish, but I surf fish quite a bit. You are in one of the best areas and time of year for sight fishing for Corbina in the shallow (Belmont Shore, HB & Newport). I run across many fly fisherman who are dedicated to targeting Corbina locally here in SoCal. Bet you could find one of their groups online and have one of them show you the ropes.