Salomone: Urban angling opportunities

Even when you’re far from home waters, new fishing opportunities can surface at a moment’s notice. Urban angling opportunities exist everywhere. Frequent travels — around metropolitan Florida on the East Coast and southern California’s urban centers along the West — have taught me to find any water I can to cast a fly.

Whether it’s carp in the L.A. River or non-native species from around the world in the urban canals criss-crossing southern Florida, warm water species fill ponds, lakes and reservoirs all across the United States. You might not be pursuing trout. But with a little tweaking, fly fishers can fish their familiar trout flies for fish like largemouth bass and bluegills — everywhere.

A whole new angling industry developed around the non-native species in Florida. For decades I have caught peacock bass on the fly along with a growing list of other invasive species such as oscars, jaguar guapotes, tilapia and Mayan cichlids. Snakeheads have secured a place in the southern Florida water and pose as desirable targets for adventurous fly fishers.

For a lot of fly anglers, this is a throwback to childhood days wherein a new pond held all the wonder and possibilities of what might be caught. I’m not striving for size when I explore a location. But a mouth on a fly, a splashy hook set and a bent rod mean any fish can make you giggle and smile. Even the diminutive bluegill delivers adolescent enjoyment that can be enough of a fly-fishing distraction to keep you feeling good.

Google searches are a great place to start for travelers looking for new locations. City, regional or veteran’s parks all can be sources for a small pond or lake. Bike paths are often located beside water, whether it is a concrete river in California or a man-made canal in Florida. State wildlife areas are good locations to explore.

Support Local Journalism

Donate

The benefit of public parks comes in many ways. They are always mowed and maintained. Park employees keep the area clean. The presence of other anglers, people using the park or park rangers elevates the safety in the area. Other anglers are always willing to talk, especially if they see a fly rod. Restrooms are an often overlooked bonus in public areas.

On a recent outing to a location in southern California that I had never fished, I took a 5-weight fly rod and some generic trout flies: a mix of prospecting flies and attractor flies. I knew the small lake was stocked with trout in the winter and largemouth bass and bluegills for the warmer months. Catfish were in the lake and proved to be the fish most anglers targeted. A paved sidewalk meandered around the lake, which made a quick look around easy. As usual, I was the only fly rod on the water. Since you could see the entire place at once, I knew the other anglers were watching me.

In an hour and a half, I had only seen one catfish caught. Then, I deciphered the game to attract some action from the little bass prevalent in the lake. The bass were all small, 10-inch long, stocked fish. The bluegills were the same — little. This early in the season and the summer stocked fish have not had any time to grow.

After catching four bass and two bluegills the other anglers had taken note of my action and were making nonchalant strides towards my location. The effectiveness of a fly rod creates curiosity and inquiry. None of the fish were of any size. But I ventured out to a new, urban fishing location and achieved success.

Gear is a matter of convenience. A generic 5-weight rod covers a lot of presentations. A decent reel, preferably one that can handle abuse. Floating lines are perfectly functional. The addition of sink tips allows for subsurface presentations. Prospecting flies like woolly buggers and Clousers reach a lot of water effectively. Surface flies like chubby chernobyls, terrestrial patterns and your favorite dry fly will entice fish. Top-water poppers are an attractor fly I always carry. And if things get tough, a variety of leech flies usually puts a fish on the hook.

I always travel with a fly rod. There are days when my wife tells me, “Just go fishing.” At times like that, any water is good.

Michael Salomone has lived in the Eagle River valley since 1992. He started his professional guiding career in 2002 and currently guides for Vail Valley Anglers. He lives on the bank of the Eagle River with his wife, Lori and his youngest daughter, Ella. His published writing has appeared in Southwest Fly Fishing, Fly Rod & Reel, Eastern Fly Fishing, On the Fly, FlyLords, the Pointing Dog Journal, Upland Almanac, TROUT, American Fly Fishing, USA Today Hunt & Fish and Fly Fisherman magazines.