24 Hours in the City by the Bay
The best weather and fishing are in the first weeks of May and again in October, when the temperatures are reliably in the 70s. The City’s mild climate does catch some off guard. However, a San Franciscan never leaves home without a jacket.
CRISSY FIELD
If you are new to surf fishing, try Crissy Field, a beach created after the demilitarization of the Presidio. Crissy offers majestic views of the Golden Gate Bridge, Alcatraz (worth visiting), the Palace of Fine Arts (there are carp in the ponds), and the City.
Gear
Choose an intermediate or type-3 shooting head and size 2 surf-brown Adachi Clouser tied on 4-6 feet of 20-pound fluorocarbon. A 6-9 weight rod is appropriate.
For clothing, dress warmly, in layers on your top half. Leggings or board shorts and bare feet are adequate on bottom. A stripping basket is helpful but not essential at Crissy Field. If you don’t want to travel with gear, you can arrange rentals with Lost Coast Outfitters, the City’s only fly shop.
Technique
Use aggressive strips punctuated with pauses to entice striper, halibut, ling cod, and even salmon during mid-to-late summer. Make sure to strip your fly to the beach.
Timing
Crissy fishes well from mid-March through November. Get out just before the sun comes up. The beach is incredibly peaceful in the morning, but dog walkers take to the beach as the sun rises, so watch your backcast, and I recommend crimping the barb. “Dog parents” are among the scariest things I’ve experienced living in San Francisco. By about ten o’clock, the beach resembles something from the Westminster dog show, sponsored by Lululemon. When I see my 30th dog breed prance by, it is about time to grab some food and coffee. There are showers in the main Crissy Field parking lot to rinse off.
Grub
Nearby, Rose’s Cafe offers a nice sit-down spot, or grab “The Hangover” at Marina Deli if you’re on the move.
OCEAN BEACH
If you visit in May-Sept and are an advanced angler with a solid double haul, you may find Ocean Beach (OB) more dynamic than the tranquil Crissy Field. Your odds of catching a fish on a one-day trip to San Francisco are much better at Crissy than the turbulent OB, but the allure of the Pacific Ocean is hard to deny. The waves here are far more significant and have much more force than the beaches inside the Bay.
Gear
Choose an 8 to 9-weight setup loaded with a fast-sinking line. I like a 2/0 Adachi Clouser tied on 30-pound leader to a 30-foot section of T-14 rigged on a 50-pound monoilament running line. Here, a stripping basket is a must. When fishing OB, one must keep their wits about them, as swell and wave energy become a significant factor. Make peace with the ocean and figure out ways to work with it. Dance with the waves, rather than battle them, and never turn your back on the ocean. Find holes near the beach that you can fish rather than attempting to fish water that you wish you could fish. Finding good water requires covering ground. Look for the holes and trenches near the beach. The water from Lincoln to Sloat is my favorite.
Grub
I recommend an after-sesh breakfast sando at Devil’s Teeth Bakery or go to Tartine for the best morning bun you’ll ever eat.
GOLDEN GATE ANGLING AND CASTING CLUB
Next stop: Golden Gate Angling and Casting Club. Built on a mesa in San Francisco’s exquisitely landscaped Golden Gate Park, this treasure offers the most idyllic setting to perfect your cast. Only the faint sirens or occasional bum walking through are a reminder that you are in the City. You can book a casting instructor through Lost Coast Outfitters to tune up your cast, or grab a spot on the walkways separating the three ponds. The casting ponds are part of Golden Gate Park and are open to all. GGACC is a good place to rinse your gear after a morning of fishing the salt. If the clubhouse is open, take a tour of the locker room and the main room. Artifacts from Cal Bird, Lew Stoner, and even the Dette flies from back east adorn the 90-year-old clubhouse. Notably, Russ Chatham’s 1966 World Record Striper hangs above the back door in the locker room.
Grub
By now, you should be getting hungry — San Francisco is a food-lover’s paradise. Cuisine from all over the world is expertly prepared and available at various price points. I recommend a stop at Swan Oyster Depot to enjoy some of San Francisco’s delicacies, like sourdough bread and Dungeness crab. If you are looking for a more casual lunch, San Francisco has perfected the burrito with the best being in the Mission District—El Farolito, La Taqueria, and my favorite, Taqueria Guadalajara. However, these are far off the beaten path. For that reason, my go-to spot is Tlaloc Sabor in the financial district. If Mexican food isn’t your bag, head to North Beach for a slice at Golden Boy Pizza or a sub at Molinari’s Delicatessen, a San Francisco institution since 1896. Enjoy lunch at Washington Square Park, which you might recognize from the cover of Richard Brautigan’s Trout Fishing in America. If you want something more exotic, Sai’s Vietnamese or Hun’s Wun Tun House are among my favorites.
SAN FRANCISCO’S FLY SHOP
As a fly angler, it is only natural to stop in the local shop. For a period of time San Francisco was without a fly shop. Believing wholeheartedly that a world-class city deserved a great fly shop, I opened San Francisco’s fly shop Lost Coast Outfitters (LCO) in 2013. We take pride in taking care of people and sharing our knowledge in a warm and welcoming setting. You can expect a vast and curated selection of gear from the best brands in fly fishing and some of the best shop staff and dogs in the industry. Thousands of unique fly patterns are neatly organized in this Jackson Square gem. Fly-tying material can be found in the back room, and there is usually a beer or whiskey on hand if you come after 4 pm.
You can test rods on Gold Street at Balance Street in front of the former assay office where gold and silver were tested for quality in the mid-to-late 1800s. The shop is on the old Barbary coastline, on the edge of where a creek entered the Bay at the confluence of Jackson Square, the Financial District, Chinatown, and North Beach. Pro Tip: Parking can be tough. There are two spots in front of the shop and four garages within two blocks of the shop.
If you are up for it and time permits, an evening session on the beach is warranted. At midday, the winds typically pick up, then calm down in the last 30 minutes of the day. You will have the beach to yourself again and can enjoy the best sunset in the world. Or, if you’re worn out from your morning session, snag a beer at Vesuvio, Comstock, Spec’s, or enjoy a cocktail and dinner at Bix (their Bloody Mary is the best I’ve ever had). If you stay out too late, Sam’s Burgers, featured on Anthony Bourdain’s show The Layover, is there for you until 1 a.m.
LODGING
For the more discerning traveler, consider the Lodge at the Presidio near Crissy Field.
For those on a budget, check out Seal Rock Inn by Lands End.
