CONFLICT BETWEEN ACR-MLG CLIMBING AND GA-SMA.

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DEPARTED ONT ON POM 1. USUAL ALT RESTRICTION. AT APPROX 2 MI NW OF POM ATC ADVISED 'VFR TFC 12 O'CLOCK; 6 MI; NO ALT.' NEITHER F/O NOR I COULD SEE ANYONE AND I REPLIED; 'LOOKING; NO CONTACT. PLEASE KEEP US ADVISED.' SHORTLY AFTERWARDS I CAUGHT A BRIEF GLIMPSE OF A HIGH WING SINGLE ENG ACFT PASSING SIDE WINDOW JUST BELOW US AT 9:30 AND A 45 DEG ANGLE TO OUR REVERSE COURSE. I ADVISED ATC AND WAS GIVEN FREQ CHANGE. ADVISED LAX WE WOULD BE FILING A NMAC RPT. IT WAS SUBSEQUENTLY FILED. FACTORS: WE WERE BOTH LOOKING 11-1 O'CLOCK; BUT TFC PROBABLY WAS AT 9-10 O'CLOCK. HAD WE BEEN LOOKING AT 9:30-10 O'CLOCK; WE MIGHT HAVE SEEN HIM. BUT; SUN WAS RIGHT AT 12 O'CLOCK AND WITH THE HAZE IT WAS VERY DIFFICULT TO SEE ANYTHING; SO PERHAPS IT WOULD NOT HAVE MADE A DIFFERENCE. WE WERE VERY LIGHT AND HAD A HIGHER THAN NORMAL PITCH ANGLE/CLB RATE (WE WERE CLBING AT LESS THAN 4000 FPM). ALTHOUGH PITCH ATTITUDE MADE SEEING DOWN DIFFICULT; IT MIGHT HAVE ENABLED US TO MISS OTHER ACFT. OBVIOUSLY; IF OTHER ACFT HAD ALT ENCODING; THIS PROBABLY WOULD NOT HAVE HAPPENED AS THE POTENTIAL THREAT WOULD HAVE BEEN RECOGNIZED AND A VECTOR OR CLB RESTRICTION GIVEN OR ASKED FOR. I DO NOT KNOW OF ANYTHING ELSE WE COULD HAVE DONE TO PREVENT THIS; EXCEPT PERHAPS REQUEST A VECTOR AROUND TFC. BUT; IF YOU REQUESTED THAT FOR ALL VFR TFC (ON THE W COAST); YOU WOULD NEVER GET TO DEST.