Channel Islands
Imagine fishing from a kayak off the shore of a beautiful island in the Sea of Cortez. In the distance, you see birds frantically diving from sky to water. You paddle over toward the diving birds and notice a bait ball, within seconds you hook a 15-pound skipjack. Line screams off your reel until all the backing disappears. You maneuver your kayak so it won’t tip over just before the fish tows you across the sea. Eventually the fish tires. You land it next to the kayak, release it with your pliers. You cannot believe what just happened.
This is a true story and happened to me on my first trip fly fishing in saltwater. I love saltwater fly fishing! The fish are strong and fierce fighters. This article focuses on fly fishing from a boat, kayak or paddleboard since this is what I’ve mostly done.
I have been on about twenty trips to fly fish in saltwater, and I am always looking to find the next one. My first saltwater fly-fishing trip in 2001 was to the Sea of Cortez, where we fished out of sea kayaks around the island of Espiritu Santo off the coast of La Paz (Baja California Sur). That first trip opened me up to a whole new world of fly fishing where I now crave any opportunity to fish in saltwater. Over the years, on family trips to exotic beach locations such as Key West, Hawaii, and Honduras, where fishing was not the main agenda, I brought my rod with hopes of slipping away to hook a fish in the salt.
Recently, in winter 2023, my buddy Mark, who owns a 38-foot cabin cruiser, reached out to me with an opportunity. He planned to move his boat from San Francisco to the Sea of Cortez and a new home in La Paz. The move to La Paz would take place in two stages. First, he planned to bring the boat to Ventura Harbor in Southern California. He would stay in Ventura Harbor for several months and enjoy periodic excursions to the Channel Islands. In April of this year, I had the chance to join one of these outings. Mark also invited me to join him on the second stage of the move to La Paz, hopefully to occur in November 2024.
LEARNING YOUR LOCATION
I knew little about the Channel Islands. I did some research about the area to prepare myself to fish it and get the most out of the experience. The Channel Islands, sometimes called the “Galapagos of California,” are an eight-island archipelago located off the coast of Southern California from Los Angeles to Santa Barbara. Five of the islands make up the Channel Islands National Park as well as the Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary, which covers the waters surrounding these five islands.
Our trip started in Ventura Harbor with plans to anchor and fish around one of the largest islands, Santa Cruz Island. Ventura Harbor is a nice place with many entertainment, shopping, and dining options. It’s also the home base for the national park where you can book excursions as well as go to the Channel Islands National Park Visitors Center to learn about the park.
To learn more about fly fishing in the Channel Islands, I used Google and YouTube to discover that in the spring, fly anglers target calico bass (technically known as kelp bass) in the kelp beds around the islands. There was also an opportunity to fish for white sea bass, barracuda, and yellow tail, but these were remote possibilities.
PLANNING THE LOGISTICS
We planned to be on the boat for five days. The boat comfortably sleeps four people. Our crew included Mark (boat captain), me, Barret, and Rich. Mark and I have taken trips together since high school. Mark is an adventure addict and a role model for me. He bicycles all over the world, taught skiing in Austria, and sailed for a year part-way around the world. Barret was my college roommate and has been on many excursions with me and Mark. Rich is a new friend, a retired physician, and the president of Gold Country Fly Fishers, of which I am a member.
After moving the boat from San Francisco to Ventura Harbor a few months prior, Mark prepared the boat for the trip the week before our arrival. Barret drove from Los Angeles, and Rich and I drove from Sacramento. Rich and I planned to arrive around noon with the hope of leaving for Santa Cruz Island that afternoon. Mark oversaw readying the boat, Barret handled the menu and food, and Rich and I brought kayaks for fishing.
With regards to clothing, we weren’t sure about the weather, so we covered all our bases with everything from swim trunks to warm jackets. Knowing that I would fish from a kayak, I also brought kayak pants and booties. I packed my Bedrock strap-on sandals since I use these for wet wading streams and hiking, and they work well in most situations.
I knew there would be plenty of downtime, so I brought along a deck of cards for evening games of cribbage and hearts.
I learned that the seas can be rough in the stretch from Ventura Harbor to Santa Cruz Island, and I have struggled my whole life with sea sickness. I needed a plan for this. This may seem strange to some, but recently I worked with a hypnotist to help with other issues and learned that she successfully treated people for sea sickness in her home state of Hawaii. She said it would take three one-hour sessions to fix my problem and was confident that she could cure me. We planned one session each month leading up to the trip. I was hopeful yet uncertain of whether I would be cured. If hypnotism worked, it would make saltwater adventures a lot more enjoyable.



PREPARING TO FISH
My past saltwater fly-fishing experiences taught me to be prepared for anything and everything. I brought along two rods that have served me well on previous trips, an Orvis Helios 10-weight and an Orvis Recon 8-weight. With trout fishing, I don’t find the reel to be critical, but with saltwater fly fishing a good drag system is a must. A few years ago, while fishing along the shore of the Sea of Cortez near Loreto, I realized that multiple spools with different lines helps a lot. On my first trip to Loreto I only had a fast-sinking line, which I had trouble using in the shallow water. I didn’t want to make the same mistake on this trip so I brought interchangeable spools of floating, intermediate and fast sinking lines for both rod/reel systems that could handle multiple situations.
Another consideration when it comes to the reel and backing is to be sure that the backing is put on with tight tension. I learned the hard way one time in Baja when I hooked a huge fish. Even with a tight drag, the fish tore line off my reel and I was into my backing in seconds. The backing had not been put on with enough tension and was pulled down into the spool and the fish broke off. It was a tough lesson to learn.
When it comes to leaders and tippet, I contacted my friend Gary Bulla, a guide and trip leader in the La Paz area of Baja. As mentioned earlier, I did my first saltwater fly fishing adventure with Gary back in 2001. We camped and fly fished from kayaks around the islands near La Paz. I credit Gary with my addiction to saltwater fly fishing. Gary recommended using a straight piece of 20-pound fluorocarbon tippet to the fly. I typically use around four feet. One of my buddies likes to say, “Over prepare and then go with the flow,” so I brought along many different tippet sizes to try. I didn’t need it for this trip, but if you are going to fish for toothy fish (e.g. barracuda, wahoo, king mackerel) use either a wire bite guard or a short heavy section of 60-pound fluorocarbon so that the fish don’t break your line with their teeth.

In my experience with open-ocean saltwater fly fishing, it doesn’t seem that specific flies matter that much. If you present a fly that looks fishy at the proper depth, the fish will go for it. However, I did ask Gary and others what flies they would use. Gary suggested anchovy patterns with a blue back. Rich reached out to Bob Marriot’s Fly Shop in Southern California where they recommended a batch of flies that Rich brought down with him. I brought a mix of flies like clousers and deceivers that allow me to fish shallow and deep. I also tied up a squid jig with hopes of having a shot at a white sea bass.
I mentioned earlier that Rich and I brought kayaks to fish from. I have fished out of kayaks since my first trip to Baja. I am comfortable doing this, but it is tricky, especially with wind and waves. Keeping your kayak in place to make the right cast can be tough because you need to use your paddle to position yourself. If you plan to fish out of a kayak, be sure to have a leash tied to the paddle so that you don’t lose it if it falls off your lap or you need to get it out of the way when fighting and landing a fish. If you plan to keep fish, set up a stringer tied to the kayak. Kayaks move quickly and well in the wind, and most often there is wind. If you have trouble casting from the kayak, another way to fish is to troll off to the side and behind the kayak.
“If you plan to keep fish, set up a stringer tied to the kayak. Kayaks move quickly and well in the wind and most often there is wind. If you have trouble casting from the kayak, another way to fish is to troll off to the side and behind the kayak.”
One friend on our first trip to Baja had never fly fished before, so using his fly rod he trolled and had a blast hooking and landing big fish. There are some tricks to trolling as well. One thing I do is hook the rod under my leg, so when a big fish hits, it doesn’t jerk the rod out of the boat. Also, be sure to set the drag tight enough to hook the fish, but not so tight that it breaks your line or pulls the rod out of the kayak. When the fish hits during trolling I like to give a good hard paddle to set the hook.
Kayaks were not our only watercraft for fishing the Channel Islands. I also figured there would be a couple of places from the mothership to fish. I planned to find spots off the front and back decks. In addition, Mark planned to bring along a stand-up paddleboard. We experimented because this trip was serving as a precursor to the longer voyage around the tip of Baja several months later.
BEING FLEXIBLE
Rich and I arrived on schedule at Ventura Harbor on April 25, 2024, around noon. Barret did the shopping. When we got to the boat, Mark was getting it ship shape and didn’t seem to be in a hurry to get us going toward the island. It turned out there was high wind and a red flag warning forecast for the next couple of days. Mark was not interested in taking us through the 34-mile channel in these conditions. We had to wait it out until things calmed down a bit. It wasn’t easy to wait since everyone was excited after planning this trip for months. We needed something to do to kill time until we could embark on the true adventure. That first afternoon, Mark took us off the coast just north of the harbor, where we tried some fishing and got used to the boat. It was rough, but not too rough. I was able to cast off the front deck of the boat as I stood about eight feet up from the water. Being careful to avoid tangling my line on multiple catch points on the deck or my feet, I got good long casts as the boat swayed back and forth and side to side. Fishing off the front deck worked out well. Also, my work with the hypnotist was tested. I happily double-hauled, putting out long casts without a touch of sea sickness. I felt great!
No fish were landed, yet we thought Barret had a big one when he was jigging off the bottom. It turned out he hooked a big rock and was able to land it, which gave us a good laugh. The next day, the weather and wind were even worse. There was still no way Mark was going to take us out to the island, no matter how bad we wanted to go. Of course, he was right, but it was still disappointing. Being flexible and going with the flow is important in these situations. Barret and I decided to take the kayaks out for a spin and see if we might hook a fish in the harbor. We didn’t have any luck despite finding some fishy areas near the rock jetty. We had a chance to see the harbor and see the headquarters for the Channel Islands National Park.
After fishing, we went on a walk around the harbor, which is worth doing. The harbor had plenty of restaurants, bars, and shopping options to keep us entertained for the afternoon. That evening, Mark had some guests come by for dinner and drinks on the boat, so it turned out to be a fun day.
EXPECT THE UNEXPECTED
Part of the definition of an adventure includes embarking on an exciting and unusual experience, which can be bold, risky, and lead to an uncertain outcome. My guide business is called Mike Pease Adventures where I like to say I can guarantee an adventure, yet I can’t guarantee you will land a fish! One of my favorite quotes that has helped guide me in life is, “Life is a great adventure, or nothing,” by Helen Keller. So the next morning, on April 27, Mark woke us up early and said, “Let’s go.” The real adventure began.
The seas were still rough, which Mark classified as “sporty.” Mark and I have a long history since high school of teasing one another, and I felt him ready to pounce regarding the efficacy of using hypnotism to cure sea sickness. To Mark’s chagrin, I felt pretty good for about the first half of the trip across the channel. Rich had a couple of visits to the bucket, whereas Mark and Barret seemed just fine. After about three hours through rough seas, we made it to the tip of Santa Cruz Island and found respite in Smugglers Harbor outside of the wind. I did feel ill, yet I didn’t puke. I took about a 30-minute nap and woke up feeling great. Mark would have to find something else to tease me about, which wouldn’t be too hard to find in the next few days.
Barret and I got our gear ready and hopped into the kayaks to fish a kelp bed. I fished with my eight-weight using an intermediate sinking line and four feet of 20-pound fluorocarbon tippet. I chose an anchovy pattern, tying it on using a non-slip mono-loop knot that would give the fly action while stripping it back near the kelp beds.
Everything worked! I landed two calico bass at about a pound each (14” is the minimum size), which we kept. After we paddled back to the mothership, we cleaned the fish, and Barret made fresh ceviche, which became a daily staple. We were off to a great start!
The next day, we woke up to an incredible sunrise, pulled anchor, and traveled up the west side of the island, finding a new anchorage at Prisoner’s Cove, which was our home for the next two nights. On the way, we spotted whales and dolphins while admiring the beauty of the island. After arriving at our new home, we launched the kayaks and explored fishing the cove. We learned that it is not easy to get from boat to kayak and even harder to get from kayak to boat. It is doable, yet difficult.
Later that day, I asked Mark to get out his paddle board to see how fishing from a paddle board compares to the kayak. I found it easier to fish from the paddle board over the kayak, but not how you might imagine. Standing up on the board was too difficult, so I paddled from my knees. The board has bungies that held my rod while paddling, and I even trolled this way. When I got to the kelp bed to fish, I sat down, hanging my legs off the sides, which put me higher than a kayak. I maneuvered into position with my legs, which is much easier than using the paddle when in a kayak. I had great success casting deceivers into the kelp beds for the calicos.
One thing that was more difficult on a paddle board was getting fish onto the stringer. To do this, I had to turn my body around on the paddle board so that I was facing backwards. I had the stringer tied to a hook off the back of the board. Flipping my legs and body from front to back and vice-versa proved to be the most challenging part of fishing from the paddleboard, especially with waves and wind. Of course, this would be moot if you were practicing catch and release, but fish were a large part of our daily menu.
The other major challenge came when it was time to paddle back to the boat. The wind came up, and it became a huge obstacle. I had to paddle as hard as I could, and it took quite a while to get back. At one point, I wasn’t sure if I was going to make it and I considered paddling to shore and hiking back. I highly recommend paddling upwind to begin a fishing adventure so that when you are finished, you can use the wind to help you get back to the boat.
That evening, we enjoyed fish tacos with our evening cocktails. One of our traditions is playing hearts, so we taught Rich how to play. It was a perfect couple of days of adventure, fishing, and camaraderie.
LOOKING FORWARD
As I mentioned earlier, this trip was a prelude to a trip with a much grander scale that hopefully will occur this November. My first trip in 2001 whetted my appetite for more experiences in saltwater, where so many of the fish are strong and give intense fights. If this story has you thinking that you might want to try saltwater fly fishing, my recommendation is don’t hesitate, start now. Whether it be booking a trip with an established guide or guide service, taking a workshop through your local fly shop, or figuring it out on your own, you will most certainly be glad you took that step and entered a whole new universe of adventure with fly fishing.