LA River Gold | by: Patrick Mapes
With 19 degree weather and snow in the forecast, I figured there was no better time than now to book a weekend trip to L.A. and explore the urban jungle of the L.A. River. This inner city river system is becoming more and more popular for fly fisherman looking to land the elusive golden ghost on the fly.
Due to low oxygen levels and high-water temps, carp thrive in the L.A. River. Known as the poor-man’s bonefish, they spook easily and are highly alert to what’s going on around them. They can hear and see you coming, and it’s more like hunting than fishing. These characteristics make them a highly sought after species for fly-fishermen. Once you are lucky enough to hook into a Tijuana Trout, they fight like a bulldog and can take off like a rocket. They can easily grow to double digit weight even in polluted water, and put up the fight of a lifetime.
I left Denver after work on Friday and after a few ice-storm delays, made it to L.A. at 11pm. @rhino_net was nice enough to let me crash at his place for the weekend and show me the stomping grounds of his home waterway. We prepped our fly cases and rigged up the fly rods to hit the road at 6 a.m. in an attempt to beat L.A. traffic.
We were on the water by 7 and Andrew had the first carp in the net within 10 minutes. The rocks and natural structure of the river force the fish into narrow runs and we fished green mop flies through them, just like fishing for trout. Any slight tug on the line was a sign a carp had it in the current below. An indicator a few feet up the line made it much easier to see the takes in the early morning sun.
I had my first fish on a few minutes after Andrew but it threw the hook. A few casts later I knew I was into a big fish by the way my 9ft. 8wt. was bent down with pressure. After a 5 minute fight and a deep forearm burn, my first L.A. River carp was in the RhinoNet. An easy 10 pounder and the perfect start to the weekend. I honestly would of been happy with one fish all weekend, but little did I know it was just the start to an epic weekend.
We ended up having an epic first day on the river and landing 7 carp each. There are a few holes you could camp on and just pull fish out of all day, but we explored new areas and covered about 5 miles of the urban jungle. @lariverfishing joined us and took some awesome pics of our adventure. Andrew knew almost every fisherman we ran into, and everyone was friendly and happy to share some pointers or trade a few fishing stories. We headed home to celebrate our successful day on the river and tie a few more flies to prep for Sunday.
We started the morning bright and early and jumped in the river at Red Car Park. The early morning sun made it tough to sight fish so we explored the area and fished deeper runs. Andrew was throwing a loco moco fly and I stuck with the mop fly. We ended up spooking a lot of fish since we couldn’t see them until we stepped on them.
The morning was slow and we made our way under the the bridges looking for drop-offs and any deeper channels that might be holding fish. Just as we thought the day would not be productive, the afternoon sun turned the switch and the fish became very active and very hungry.
We hit some of the same honey holes we had hit the day before and started putting fish in the nets. The middle of the river is usually overgrown but a recent river cleanup had cleared brush and weeds and we were able to explore and fish both sides of the islands that run down the river. We saw early signs of the carp beginning to spawn as they were packed up together and chasing a few females around. These fish are naturally more active as they chase each other, so they were not as spooked by us catching one of them and fighting it in. The sun was finally high enough to sight fish and once we started putting the fly right in front of them, it was game on. We walked 7 miles on Sunday and put 18 mud-suckers in the net!
We only had a half day to fish on Monday before having to head to the airport. We knew what spots we wanted to hit after 2 days of recon, and as soon as we got there, Andrew stalked one in a shallow pool. It inhaled the fly but took off with such force, it immediately broke off! As I was kneeling down watching, I found an old tennis racket laying in the weeds! Another racket net for inventory… L.A. RiverRat edition! @lariverfishing joined back up with us and we showed him some of the big spawning schools we had found the day before.
@fishshootbrew and @analiza_del_rosario happened to be out on the river that day and we traded a few fishing stories. Analiza got her first carp on the fly, and Andrew helped Celine land a nice golden ghost after a 10 minute fight that pulled them down the river!
We combined for 8 more fish that morning to bring our weekend total to 40 carp on the fly! Andrew even scooped one up with the net that was sunbathing and didn’t seem to care he was there! It was an epic weekend and if you ever have the chance to explore the L.A. River or stop in for just a few casts, we highly recommend this awesome urban fishery. #fishyourcity
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