Monthly Meetings
The San Diego Fly Fishers meet on the first Monday of each month at Sequoia Elementary School in Clairemont Mesa (see map). Meetings open with a "Bull Session" at 7 P.M. followed at 7:30 by the evening’s speaker. In addition to presentations by guides on "Blue Ribbon" trout waters, we have experts on fly fishing for other species, conservation efforts and fly fishing techniques. The meetings are open to the public and refreshments are served. Click here to find out about the speaker at the next monthly meeting!
Free Fly Casting Lessons
Every Sunday SDFF offers a free flycasting clinic at Lake Murray. The clinic begins promptly at 9AM and goes 'til noon. Plan to arrive a little early so you won't miss the beginning of the clinic. You can use your own equipment or borrow club equipment from one of the certified instructors. SDFF is very proud that it is one of the few clubs in the country that offers this service free to the general public.
Fly Tying Classes and Congress
Periodically, the club offers fly tying classes. The instruction is free for club members although there is sometimes a nominal charge for fly tying materials. When regular classes are not in session, interested members participate in a weekly tying congress to share and improve their fly tying techniques. For info, contact our fly tying clinic coordinator.
The fly tying classes and congress are held at the San Carlos Recreation Center near Lake Murray. The address is 6445 Lake Badin Ave. The congress meets every Thursday beginning at 6:30 PM. To get there from Hwy. 8, take the Lake Murray Blvd. exit just like you were going to the lake. Instead of turning into Kiowa, keep going on Lake Murray Blvd another 1.6 miles. When you come to Lake Adlon Drive, (first corner past Jackson Dr.) turn left. Go down three blocks and the recreation center will be on your right. It is on the corner of Lake Adlon and Lake Badin.
And .... if you tie your own flies .... check out our Fly of the Month Archive where you might find a new fly pattern you'd like to learn!
Trip Committee
SDFF's trip committee plans both long distance and local trips for our members. Past club sponsored trips include 3-day trips to the Eastern Sierra and longer
jaunts to places like the Flaming Gorge of the Green River and similar western "blue ribbon" fisheries. For more information, contact the
club's travel chairperson.
Chollas Lake Lend-A-Rod Program
San Diego Fly Fishers proudly supports an inner-city fishing program at Chollas Lake. Our Lend-A-Rod program provides rods, reels, and bait free of charge
to all children 15 and under. Our volunteers also provide instruction to those who have never fished before.
From the Chollas Lake parking lot walk to the Joe Bain Youth Fishing Pier. Then follow the path to the Southwest, this path leads directly to the Lend-A-Rod Shack, about 75 yards.
Monthly Newsletter
A member’s nominal annual dues includes a subscription to the club’s monthly newsletter, the Finny Facts. Finny Facts tells members about all of the upcoming events. It features articles from our president, regular reporters, biology and conservation experts and women’s focus writer. In addition, the phone and address list of all members is annually distributed with the newsletter. The club welcomes articles from any of its members. (Click here for details on where to submit articles).
Members may elect to receive the Finny Facts over the Internet! If you
are a member, contact the club's membership
chairperson and ask to be signed up for the Internet version of Finny Facts. Sorry,
this feature is only available for members.
Archived issues of the monthly newsletter may be found online here. Only members are able to receive the latest few editions,
but anyone may access older editions going back many years.
Fly Tiers !!! Our monthly newsletter often has a 'Fly of the Month' article and many of these may be found on this website in the Fly of the Month Archive.
Conservation Activities and Public Service
The club’s conservation chairperson organizes interested club members for a variety of projects. Here is a sample of some of the club’s conservation activities.
- Successful lobbying of state regulators to reduce the catch limit from five to two on local streams
- Support of a plan to restore steelhead trout to San Mateo Creek. Includes sponsorship of state legislation to enable restoration of the creek, and assistance to "San Diego Trout", a local conservation organization dedicated to the preservation and enhancement of trout fishing in San Diego County streams
- Projects to help restore the habitat of local streams including the San Diego River
- Planting juvenile trout and trout roe in local streams
- Monitoring and lobbying local and state government regulatory boards on issues that effect sportfishing in the region
- Annual contributions to local, state and national nonprofit conservation organizations that support watershed and fish restoration and protection projects
- In 1997, San Diego Fly Fishers was very proud to make a major donation to the City of Chula Vista Nature Center to help it create a live steelhead trout exhibit.
- Participate in restoration projects in the Golden Trout Wilderness
"The Wednesday Bunch"
Every Wednesday, "The Wednesday Bunch" meets at one of the local San Diego lakes, usually Cuyamaca or Morena, for a day of floatin', fishin' and gabbin'. Some of the clubs' longest standing members have been the core of TWB for a long time, but this friendly bunch is always glad to welcome newer members and regale them with tales of 'how it used to be'. Don't forget your lawn chair!
Annual Banquet, Fishing BBQ's and Prize Drawings
SDFF many events to help raise money for the club and to enhance the social benefits of being a member. The Annual Banquet is a party for members at one of San Diego's fine hotels or restaurants. As of 2010, the club has added "Fishing/BBQ/Potluck" outings to local bays and shores both as a social attraction and to encourage members to enjoy and/or learn about marine fly fishing. SDFF holds prize drawings at its monthly meetings and the Annual Banquet. In addition, one monthly meeting each year (typically June) is dedicated to our Annual Fundraiser where attendees may go home with high quality fishing gear or guided fly fishing trips.
The donations for the prize drawings form a major basis for the club's ability to support its conservation goals and fund its activities.
Online Forum
SDFF has an online forum exclusively for members. The forum is divided into subforums where members can swap gear, give or seek advice, talk about fly tying, talk about conservation issues ... or talk about other specific activities related to fly fishing.
There are many online public forums for fly fishing, but the SDFF forum gives members a chance to engage exclusively with people they know through SDFF. If you are an SDFF member and wish to know more about how to use the forum, contact the SDFF Website Administrator.