Say what you will about the urban nightmares that await the casual visitor to Los Angeles. Traffic and congestion are a given, virtually around the clock. It’s pricey to visit—nothing comes cheap. Depending on where you go, it’s a bit gritty. But it’s a vibrant city, with a lot happening—the good that comes with the bad, so to speak. And while you may not think it’s a great fishing destination, you’d be dead wrong.
From mako sharks in the blue water just a few miles offshore to burly carp hiding behind rocks in the fetid water of the once-glorious Los Angeles River, the City of Angels can test any fly rodder’s mettle, as the new “Find Your Water” film from Redington and filmmaker R.C. Cone illustrates.
No, it’s not likely to become a serious fly fishing destination, but opportunity abounds for those who dig the urban angling paradise LA offers. The concrete-encrusted river holds wily carp, and inshore and offshore fishing can be really, really good, as you’ll see above. I think, perhaps, that the message is not as complex as it might initially seem. Most big cities have their fishy attributes. But finding wild fish in the shadows of the La La Land skyline drips with more than just treated wastewater.
There’s some irony there, as well.
— Chris Hunt