David Siskind | Sunday, 13 September 2026
Southern storms drove big swells up the SoCal coast. They washed away a lot of sand on the West facing beaches. Waves broke over the jetties and big rogues did some damage. There was some impressive erosion. And worse, the latest heat wave drove me off the river - so hot and humid here - very rare. We’ve had weeks of 90 degree plus heat, some warm rain, and no relief overnight. It never cools down. It’s awful. Was 103 degrees (40 C) last week. So it’s been park practice on the grass or nothing. I practiced in the morning at first light and still worked up a sweat. My recent emphasis on extending carry and tuning hauling movements seems to be bearing fruit. I have Walter Mitty-ish day-dreams of joining Gould, Rajeff etal. on the competitive circuit as a 76 year old rookie and being carried off on the Team’s shoulders in triumph (BTW congrats to all). I might get there in another 5 or 6 years, maybe 10. I’ll shoot for that. So I practice mindfully. I hope I can still afford the entrance fees.
My biggest challenge lately is to force myself to turn and look at a rear target when making the OSD backcast. I’ve been keeping my gaze on the forward target and imagining the bell-target going back. That wasn’t working well but I'm having a little trouble turning my head. Old habits. But that’s how Paul does it so I will too.
My work-friend Chloe has started fishing the LA River. She bought an Ugly Stik kit. I’m not sure from whom. She loaded the spinning reel with un-rated craft mono sold for stringing beads. I set her straight, specifying some braided dacron and fluoro leader material, then I met her at the beach a couple of weeks ago to show her what’s what. I was impressed with her eager independence. Once I schooled her a bit she walked, searching for corbina and covering a lot of ground - I lost sight of her. We caught nothing but she seemed happy. I think she’s gonna stick with it. I should loan her a fly rod.
She sent me a picture of a LA River largemouth yesterday. It was a nice bass for this river. She fished the pools slowly retrieving a Senko (soft plastic) worm. It makes me wonder. The river is rich in biomass. There might be some real decent bass in there. I’ve always ignored the pools while stalking carp but I think I’ll cover them with a wooley bugger next time out. Maybe tomorrow morning. Chloe said she saw “a shit ton” of carp and sent me a pin marking her access spot. I’ve never been there! It’s up in Glendale on an E-W stretch of the river near its source at the Sepulveda Dam. I typically fish well downstream. Maybe tomorrow. It’s the river or the beach. My last fish here before heading for NY, RI, Block Island and New Orleans.
I’ll have time to fish in the morning and pack in the afternoon. I’ll bring my HT10 and a couple of lines East. I get some Jackie Time, some promising fishing and, best of all, will see my daughter on Block Island for the first time this year. And Dave Berman - the guy I met fishing the beach there last year.
Later,
David Siskind