San Diego & SoCal Fishing Forums

Yes, that is not a typo - Friday May 12th when the lake is closed!

So here's the deal - I'm outings coordinator for a local fly fishing club, and for the past several years I've jumped through hoops and rented the whole damn lake. You got that right - 60 people will have the whole lake to ourselves for 8 hours.

As of now I have 8 openings for tubes and kayaks before we max out, so I'm opening it up here to anyone, conventional or not and 45 bucks who can ditch work next Friday.

Sign up @ https://www.sandiegoflyfishers.com/barrett-lake-outing

Wow, this makes me want to buy a Bass Fly Rod. What a cool opportunity.

Can I put a bait caster and a butt on a fly rod?

I'm going to give the fluff chuckers first dibs, then open it up to anyone Sunday afternoon. I'll post back then.

Cool, put me on the list,(2) my wife and I if you have any spots for non purists

This is so hard to pass up, but I will probably have to.

I’d be interested in one or two spots if they don’t all fill with the fly guys

I'd be happy to take a kayak spot if you don't find enough fly fishers.

If you don’t fill your spots I can definitely call in sick that day

PM sent!! would love to join in on the fun!!

BT….I’ve been fly fishing Barrett for years and would love to join you. I can take the day off no problem….let me know and thanks! BTW I’m a tuber

PM sent

Alright - gave the fluff chuckers ample time to sign up - 10 spots left before we max out at 60. You conventional guys are now welcome to fill those last spots. Go to: https://www.sandiegoflyfishers.com/barrett-lake-outing

I’d hate to be fishing on the Saturday of May 13th, after the fly folks hammer them on the Friday, talk about getting slammed.

falafeluver wrote: ↑Mon May 08, 2023 11:24 pm I’d hate to be fishing on the Saturday of May 13th, after the fly folks hammer them on the Friday, talk about getting slammed.

Hardly - WAY smaller group than a normal fishing day at Barrett - and we are all by and large fishing top water...

Let’s hear the report.

Shorter window of fishing, didn’t get to explore too far on the tubes. Heard a guy killed it back in hauser. Wife and I made our way around the point going into pine by the old barge. Had good success on the Alabama rig and dingers deep in the flooded brush. It was slow until the breeze picked up. Breezy points were the ticket. A lot of fish still on beds. I ended with 17 to hand and lost around 10 shaking off and busting off. Wife got 10. The wind was hell getting back. On the way back to pigs, fighting the wind with no time left, a gigantic school of Shad was getting crushed in front of the big rock face, like offshore foamers. Pulled a few out of there and we would have stayed but with the wind, we barely had time to make it back for the appointed leave time.

I might have been that guy in Hauser. I heard someone else was doing great on Flukes, so I might not have been that guy, also. I started out over by Wilson creek and had some success, but no pattern at all. I pedaled over to the inlet of Hauser, and caught a couple on dropshotted roboworms, but still not consistent. Went around the corner and saw some surface bait activity. I switched to fishing a Fluke and a Rapala and it was very consistent. At the best time I might have been getting a fish every third or fourth cast. It seems to me that the fish are really tight to the shore, so the closer your cast is to the shore the more likely to get a taker. Nobody was really large, my biggest of the day was 2.5 pounds. The water temp was 69-71 degrees so I think the lake is really moving now. I cannot wait for the frog bite and whopper ploppers.

Thanks to San Diego Fly Fishers for hosting such a nice event and being tolerant of us guys who only catch themselves on their forward cast when fly fishing.

Yeah, fish were really tight.On the shallow points, I observed bass stocking blue gill and baby bass. Observed some deeper bed fish. Water is pretty clear in the main lake. There are definitely wolf packs in open water crushing Shad. My wife got a few casting out deep on drop shot in the wolf packs and also just random spots after getting frustrated on snags. So the fish are definitely mixed up. I would say the majority are tight but most of those are clones. The fatter ones are off the bank in deeper water. A few fish that were chunks were spitting up Shad at the tube.

Thanks again to the fly fishing club for the invite