So Cal Fly Fishing

Peter made my boyfriend and I feel welcome as soon as we walked into his store. In addition to the great selection of gear, he took his time offering in depth local fishing tips. Maricela was also very helpful. She gave me great feedback on her personal experience with different brands of women’s waders and boots. Excellent service and stylish gear selection for both women and men.

INCREDIBLY HELPFUL!!! I walked in knowing very little about fishing the fly in saltwater. The staff were amazingly helpful and got me the gear I needed plus some and gave me quite a bit of knowledge and information about the area. I will definitely be going back and reccommending this place to anyone and everyone. If you fly fishing or are looking into it stop by and they will get you fixed up

These guys are so helpful and have the very best knowledge of San Diego’s fisheries. I highly recommend this shop to anyone who needs to buy any fly gear. It’s always best to support local shops!

I love this place! The staff is very friendly, knowledgeable and always willing to answer any questions you might have regarding equipment, techniques or the best flies to use. If you’re new to saltwater fly fishing, I highly recommend taking one of the classes they offer. I’ve taken two and I’m so glad I did. Peter (owner) is very passionate about fly fishing and you’ll learn so much from him. Even if you’ve been fishing salt for awhile, you should consider taking a class. I guarantee you’ll learn something new.
The shop is beautiful and full of high quality fishing gear. And even though there are endless online shopping options, I would rather spend my money at SoCal because customer service still means something and I want to support my local fly shop.

What a great place! I had a class to learn how to fly fish and was very happy I took the class. Mac gave me the lesson and he did a excellent job. Very easy to learn from and he really knew how to teach. I will practice then come back to make sure I am doing it right. If I don’t want to wait till I go back home and get a old pole I bought last year I may go back and buy a rod and reel he showed me while I was there. I think I might like doing this a lot and start fishing a different new way. I will learn how to use the pole then I have to learn how to fly fish.
I went Back and bought a rod and reel

So Cal Fly Fishing is not simply the best fly shop I have ever visited, it is the BEST RETAIL SHOP I have ever visited. I stop in before each fishing trip and typically fish water ranging from surf to SD/​Mission Bay, freshwater lakes, and mountain streams. Mack is laid back and quite knowledgable about the local waters. The staff never pressures a sale and a few times, Mack, in particular has given me short casting lessons and demonstrated casting techniques at no charge.
This is the place for beginners and experienced fly fisherman alike. They carry quality gear at a very good price. A bonus is that they give a generous military discount and are always willing to work within your budget.
Love this place, check it out!

This place is awesome! I am a hair stylist and came here looking for feathers for hair, So Cal Fly Fishing have a wide and beautiful selection of feathers.
Peter was very knowledgeable and took time to explain what the grade of the feathers mean, where they come from, how they are colored and how to find the best feathers. He also had different colored peacock feathers.
Unlike other fishing stores i have been to that feel like some dudes dirty garage, this store was warm, welcoming, clean, organized and super cozy. I highly recommend it.

Awesome local fly shop. All the guys who work here are class acts. I’ve bought supplies here a few times. Fly fishing isn’t a cheap hobby but their prices are certainly reasonable. I took their surf fly fishing class and had a great time. The staff are very knowledgeable (Peter’s a biologist, so, yeah) and are very helpful and willing to answer any questions you may have. They offer all sorts of classes, will help you learn to fly cast, and are in general very helpful. They’ll let you use the money you paid for the class towards a new rod-​and-​reel setup which is great. Support your local fly shop!

My husband visited this shop last week for information on where to go for surf fishing. He was helped by Travis and Alex who were both very helpful. They set him up with the right gear and gave him some great advice on where and how to surf fish. From what he told me, it sounds like they have amazing customer service. Thanks guys for giving my hubby great advice, he had a great time. We will be back.

A really great neighborhood tackle shop, Peter and his staff are very affable guys and they are always willing to help you out and answer questions. My wife recently purchased a surf flyfishing class with SoCal, and from there I went and purchased my set-​up, the cool part is that they let you apply your money from the class to you’re purchase, good deal.
I’m an avid freshwater bass fisherman and never had gotten into flyfishing. However, with the ocean so close by and the all the bays and inlets along with the fact that I could double up my newly purchased fly-​rod and reel and fly fish for bass in the local lakes, it was time to transition & progress as a fisherman, SoCal helped me do this.
Again, Peter and his staff are very helpful and informational and helped me with this, my wife even came along to see the process. Fishing has never been cheap, my 70 year old father attests to this as his father used to buy fly tackle for darn near the same price in the 1940’s and 1950’s, they too had to hide it from their wives! HA!!!
This isn’t you’re ordinary tackle shop, it’s a beautiful space full of very high quality gear. It’s a flyfishing shop, a very cool space and lots of gear choices to choose from. With Stone Brewery opening their long awaited second location, right next door, this is surely going to make for a stop.

What a great fly fishing shop! It is beautiful inside and so much gear!!! All the guys are great and have always answered all my questions as I learned about fly fishing. Now I have gone out with Pete on his boat a few times and what an awesome experience each time, but if you haven’t gone to the Kelp beds with him yet, you have to try it out, words can’t explain!!!
You can check it out by clicking on the SEE INSIDE icon at his Google+ page.

These guys are great. Peter the owner and all of his co-​workers are very helpful and not the usual we know everything and your an idiot fly fishing types. This place has all the top notch equipment (Simms, Sage, Abel, Hatch etc.) and a comfortable environment to ask questions and prepare yourself for your next fly fishing expedition.

My wife and I decided to start fly fishing. Always wanted to, so thought now was as good a time as ever. Took a 2 hour class and it was great. Learned a lot. The people at So Cal Fly Fishing are very friendly and extremely helpful. Looking forward to getting completely outfitted and get out there on some great trips.
They make it very easy to get started. Mack, our instructor, has about 30 years of experience and made the whole experience fun and interesting. I would highly recommend them to anyone who is interested in trying fly fishing for the first time or has done it for years.

My wife and I like to fish. She already knew how to fly cast but didn’t have the gear. I had no gear and knew even less. Everyone in the shop is friendly, knowledgeable, and welcoming. We eventually got gear, and I just took the trout class from Alex. He’s an excellent teacher, and I finally feel like I’m fishing the right way. Fly casting takes some instruction, and practice, and I’m really looking forward to the practice part.
One thing nobody’s mentioned — these guys do not talk down to women. My wife has always been treated just as well as anyone else. They’ll suggest good, appropriate gear, and it won’t be pink. I really appreciate that, and I know she does too. So ladies, you do not have to brace yourselves for the usual sporting goods store treatment here.

Booked an introductory class after being out of the sport for over 15 years. It was exciting and made me want for more. The instructor was knowledgeable and helped everyone with their cast techniques. I got the bug back! I can’t wait to get some new saltwater gear and hit the surf.

Always wanted to learn how to fly fish. Driving by one day I saw a row of people learning how to cast. Yesterday, I was one of those people.
Alex, our instructor, was great. The class is well organized and I feel that I could go out and fish now. Probably wouldn’t catch anything without a lot more practice, but I truly understand the basics.
He went over the rod, reel and lines. We learned how to cast. There was a segment where he video taped us to help us see what he saw and it helped correct our casts. After that we learned about flys and how to tie on the leader, the tippet and the fly (you’ll learn what they are).
I’m planning to take the surf class to get some more instuction before buying my own gear. After the class was over Alex took time to answer our questions about how to get set up and had great recommendations about what to buy depending on where we were planning to fish.
I’m hooked (pun intended)

I have been to this shop a total of 2 times. First time, my van full of people, I ran in was greeted and purchase the surf fishing class (I can’t wait) and ran out a full 2 mins of quick talk. Alex told me to come back when I had time for some quick pointers!!!
Second time was just myself and son he is 2 ½, this time we spend a good amount of time, looking and talking about fishing options in San Diego. I tell them that I kayak fish, where I fish and my normal target fish. after testing a few rods and discussing line options, I finally make my selections.
Let me tell you this first hand. Alex and the «other guy» (sorry i forgot your name, lets call him mike, were the absolute best. they took great care of me, answering all my questions and let my son play with a rod with a rope on it, while I tested rods! I was able to focus on my selections while my son had a chance to play!
Thank you guys I appreciate the super customer service!!! I’m geared up and ready to learn a new style of fishing!!!

Yes just like all the reviews before. The owner Peter and staffer Alex are wonderful. Helpful and educational to help make the right choices. Tried a few poles casting on the grass and feel great about my rod selection.
The classes sound great. Can’t wait to learn more.

As other reviewers have pointed out, some fly shops are great and some treat you as if you’re not worthy to buy their gear and share the river with the staff. Peter and the gang at So Cal Fly Fishing are AWESOME. In addition to having an unbelievable selection of gear for any fly fishing situation this planet has to offer, Peter is one of the best stroke mechanics around. Whether you’ve never picked up a rod or you’ve been fly fishing your whole life, you owe it to yourself to spend an hour with Peter… he can break down your swing and have you feeling like a new man (or woman).
Cannot say enough good things about the shop and staff. In addition to casting clinics and situation specific classes, they offer guided trips and a discount for military personnel.

Everybody wants a neighborhood bar, a local farmers market, a great coffee shop, a mechanic they can trust, and a beat-​cop who looks out for them and their family. So Cal Fly Fishing is the outfitters equivalent to add to that list.
Whether you are a neophyte who just saw A River Runs Through It or a hardcore saltwater fly guy with 37 species under his belt and a winter home in Costa Rice, the guys at So Cal Fly are there for you. You won’t walk into the shop and get that gun-​shop vibe where the guys behind the counter stare you down to make sure you’re cool enough to shop there. At So Cal Fly Fishing you will always be warmly greeted as if you were part of The Gang. It feels good just to walk in there. Even when I don’t need anything, I go in there just to hang out and talk fishing, watch some fish porn, look at the latest greatest gear, fondle the flies, and sometimes cast a prototype in the yard. I learn something new every time I am there.
And it doesn’t matter what you are in to: the owner has guided for everything from NW steelhead to Yucatan tarpon. Want to talk roosterfish for your next Baja excursion? Headed to the Deschutes for the stonefly hatch? Want to stick some redfish on your next work trip to Texas? No problem — Peter can get you set up with local guides, gear, flies, even pre-​trip casting lessons to make sure you don’t farm the shot on your trip.
In short, So Cal Fly Fishing is awesome. Matter of fact, I think I’ll head down there right now.