Tyler Vanosdell of Pacific Beach has found a way to parlay his fly fishing skills and intimate knowledge of the local waterways into a profitable enterprise.
At night, you can find Vanosdell working at Trader Joe’s. By day, he’s managing his fly fishing guide service.
“I worked last night until 10:45 p.m., then got up with the sun today,” said Vanosdell, describing a typical weekday. It was his spouse who encouraged him to “give it a shot” when he suggested angling could be a sideline business. That was back in April when his fly fishing website missionbayflyfishingco.com went live.
The public response was more than he’d anticipated.
“Right away we got at least 15 to 17 people out on the water and exposed them to what fly fishing in San Diego had to offer,” Vanosdell said. “Shore fishing is really great along the bay and is very accessible here in San Diego.”
Fly fishing in fresh or salt water is an angling method in which an artificial “fly” is used to catch fish. The fly is cast using a fly rod, reel, and specialized weighted line. Casting a nearly weightless fly or “lure” requires casting techniques significantly different than usual. Fly fishermen use hand-tied flies resembling natural invertebrates, baitfish, other food organisms, or “lures ” to provoke the fish to strike (bite at the fly).
Vanosdell’s fished everything from muddy brown irrigation water in Arizona, to clear stream trout fishing in Utah and Montana to the open salty ocean in San Diego. He noted the main thing about fly fishing “really is the change of gear.”
And the approach.
“Typically, you keep your fly on top of the water,” said Vanosdell. “But fly fishing here in San Diego you need a weighted fly line that sinks. You also use designed flies that look like crabs or shrimp, which in the bay, is the main diet for fish here mimicking what they eat.”
On a recent weekday, Vanosdell started fishing at sunrise in Mission Beach. “I like to get out early to beat the crowd,” he said, characterizing fly fishing as “a niche within a niche.” He pointed out the angling craft is “rewarding but a lot of work.”
Vanosdell books clients ahead of time, picking them up or meeting them at their destination for typically two to four hours of fishing. His clientele is a healthy mix of locals and tourists.
Fly fishing can be done year-round in San Diego though the types of fish caught – corbina (ghost of the coast), corvina, croaker, halibut, spotted bay bass – are seasonal.
Vanosdell charges $25 an hour for fly fishing instruction, $65 an hour for guiding.
“I take them to spots where the fish have been hanging out and help them,” he said, adding he coaches them on “casting a lot farther to get more distance.”
The fly fishing guide described San Diego’s waters as “special.”
“There are miles of beach to cover in the bay alone, not even counting the surf along the shore,” Vanosdell said, adding his mission statement stipulates “having fun” is a primary objective. Mission Bay Fly Fishing Co. What: $25 an hour for fly fishing instruction, $65 an hour for guiding. Info: missionbayflyfishingco.com, [email protected], 619-929-2013.