The Dogtown Dispatch: Volume #02

Postcards from the Sand: 01

It's Here....

— THE SEASON BEGINS

The alarms are getting set earlier. Fly boxes are getting reorganized. Work meetings are being planned around tides. You know what that means.

Corbina season is here.

The first few weeks of the season have given us plenty of reasons to be optimistic. Fish are showing up on beaches throughout Southern California, backs are pushing through the skinny water, and every tide cycle seems to bring another report of someone getting their first bean of the year.

That said, if you've spent any time on the sand lately, you've probably noticed the same thing we have.

When they're on, they're on.

When they're not, they're gone.

This time of year is rarely about numbers. It's about timing. One beach can have fish sliding through every trough while the beach a mile down the road looks completely lifeless. A stretch that was loaded yesterday can feel empty this morning. The fish are moving. The structure is changing. The game is just beginning.

And structure is the story right now.

The high surf and heavy tide swings Southern California has seen over the last few weeks have been constantly reshaping our beaches. Troughs are forming, disappearing, and reforming almost overnight. Crab beds are getting buried and exposed again. Water that looked perfect yesterday might be completely different by the next morning.

That's why this is one of the most important times of the season to get out and scout.

Walk the beaches you know.

Walk the beaches you don't.

Take the long route back to the truck. Stop and watch the water. Look for crab beds. Pay attention to how fish are using the structure. Learn where the water wants to move and where it slows down.

Even if you don't see a single fish, you're gathering information that will pay dividends later in the summer.

The anglers who consistently find success in this fishery are usually the ones who spend the most time observing. Corbina have a way of rewarding patience. The more time you spend watching, the more you begin to recognize the subtle details that separate an empty stretch of sand from one that's about to come alive.

So far, the season feels promising.

We're not seeing fish stacked up everywhere, but we're seeing enough to know they're around. More importantly, we're seeing fish in new water, fish on different types of structure, and fish beginning to settle into their summer routines.

The best part?

It's only just beginning.

There are months of early mornings, blown shots, perfect eats, long walks, and stories still ahead of us. Familiar faces are already starting to show up on the sand, and every week seems to bring a few new ones into the fold.

That's one of the things we love most about this fishery. The fish are incredible, but the people who chase them aren't too bad either.

So get out there. Explore. Put some miles on your boots. Learn a new beach. Find a new trough. Make a few bad casts. Miss a fish or two.

Summer is here, the beans are back, and another season of chasing ghosts in the surf is officially underway.

We'll see you on the sand.