Photo by Jorge Salas

A Little Bit of History About Riptide Rendezvous...

The first Surf Zone Rendezvous
(Photo courtesy Jay Murakoshi)

Gary Bulla wetting a line
Photo courtesy Gary Bulla

Back in 2004…Surf fly-fishing in Southern California was still in its infancy, and even though it had a growing base of hard-core supporters, the sport lacked a venue where practitioners could gather to celebrate and exchange ideas.

Thanks to grass-roots efforts from members of Fliflicker.com and GaryBulla.com, the first “Surf Zone Rendezvous” was held on December 4, 2004. Led by John Musulin and Jon Nakano, over 60 contestants gathered at Rincon Beach Park, including notable fly-fishermen Ken Hanley, Gary Bulla and Jay Murakoshi.

“Surf Zone Rendezvous” was the beginning of many similar gatherings to come, like "Pints and Flies" and "Trout Huggers Ball" from SCSurfFishing.com, and FliFlicker.com's “Meet and Greets” for their forum members.

photo courtesy Al Quattrochi

In 2009, Al Quattrocchi started the "One Surf Fly" event, a "for-fun" gathering that was held at different venues up and down the coast. It was an annual event intended to help support local shops and non-profits dedicated to protecting ocean resources. Modeled after the "One Fly" freshwater trout tournaments in Wyoming, OSF had its own fun twists and a non-competitive nature featuring a two hour time limit, a random fly exchange, and a "lose it and you're done" rule. It became a much-anticipated get-together.

OSF lasted eight years with nine events, ending in 2016 at Dockweiler State Beach...

Flashback photo, from Steve Piper's
office wall. Photo courtesy Steve Piper

After the end of OSF, the Southwest Council of Fly Fishers International (SWCFFI) decided to hold its own gathering, entitled “Riptide Rendezvous”. Through outreach and education, SWCFFI hoped to continue the tradition of supporting surf fly-fishing along the Southern California coast.

With input from Al, the event was closely modeled after One Surf Fly, and had the goal of continuing the tradition of fun and camaraderie that have been part and parcel of these gatherings since day one. The inaugural event was help in 2017.

In 2019, SWCFFI and Coastal Conservation Association California teamed up to hold a combined fly- and regular-tackle event. Patterned after the fly-only Riptide Rendezvous, the 2019 tournament was a success, with almost 100 fish caught in the two hour competition window! Both fly- and regular-tackle fishermen peacefully co-existed, and everyone had a great time. Check out the 2019 Riptide Rendezvous Results Summary page for the full results!

RR 2019 awards ceremony

Unfortunately, in 2020, COVID-19 struck. Almost all public venues were closed, and RR 2020's event permit was cancelled.

But now, three years later, with the relaxation of pandemic rules, SWCFFI has decided to resurrect Riptide Rendezvous. This time, however, RR will feature a new virtual format designed to minimize COVID exposure and increase opportunities for anglers across Southern California.

To see how things have changed, see the "How It Works" page.