Fishing experience, advice, info por favor!

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rplarry

Guest
I have noticed a bit of a slow down on postings lately. I would assume the cool weather in Penasco has nothing to do with it :lol:. Hopefully we will be able to get a little advice with current fishing conditions and a couple questions. We are ok fishermen, but do not have the experience so many of y'all have on this forum.

We are either going down this week or next, not sure, but was wondering what kind of fish are still close to shore?, ie. for shore fishing, kayak fishing, etc. Are the sierra still in or is it too hot now?

Does anyone have any advice for fishing in the first estuary (moura?) and what kind of fish are caught this time of year?

any halibut or sea trout? Also, there is that big reef there between Las Conchas and Playa Encanto. Has anyone heard of anything besides trigger, rock bass, etc being caught in that reef during a high tide? Curious if any of the smaller grouper, etc might hang out there?

Thank you for any tips or advice or thoughts!!!
 
Stuart

Stuart

Aye carumba!!!
Staff member
Plenty of sierra around right now. We were catching them on sabikis three at a time while making bait not a mile offshore last week. We were catching corvina (sea trout) on sabikis, too, so I assume they are still very close in.

Don't know much about the reef you mention, but wouldn't be surprised if you could pick up some leopard grouper there. We've caught smaller ones close in and right on the rocks near the island before with spinning gear and small lures.

And yes, it is very hot right now. Last week, I had extremely bad cramps due to the heat and dehydration. I was drinking water all day long, with an occasional beer. Don't let the heat fool you - drink a bottle of Electrolit (you can get it at Reggie's) the night before you go out and again in the morning when you go. Otherwise, suck down LOTS of Gatorade during the day!
 
D

don

Guest
Stu's correct about the fishing. If you fish the estuary, walk out to the point, about 200 yards from the parking area. We would only catch on the incoming tide, using chovies for bait. At this time we will fish at night to avoid the heat, you might take along bug repellent though. If your just fishing from anywhere along the beach at night, remember to chum, chum, chum; it helps.

We've caught leapords, gulfs and pargos off the reefs. Every year I'll catch at least one peanut dorado trolling.
 
R

rplarry

Guest
Don and stuart, sorry for the lag time in responding to y'all. I have been offline this afternoon. Thank you though for responding. In fact I am not sure if I am even responding properly on the forum but clicked a button that I am hoping will work.

Thank you for the legitimate warning on the heat. Sounds like it is pretty harsh right now.

I did not know there was a difference between sierra and sea trout . For whatever reason I thought that was the same fish. Thanks for the differentiation. I also did not know they could be caught on bait fish like anchovies ? I always thought of them as a game fish that would only hit on live bait or shiny lures. Can they still be caught from shore or do you need to at least go out by boat? It seemed liked you guys were describing fishing close to shore, but still in a boat?? not sure?

So it sounds like it is very hot right now and the bugs are out? Is that correct? Would it be miserable fishing from shore or in a belly boat or kayak, being eaten alive by bugs? or is that over blowing it on my interpretation?

Any other thoughts on fishing in the first estuary or from shore in Las Conchas this time of year?

Grateful for the responses so far. thank you.
 
B

bandicoot

Guest
Hey there everyone! I've been lurking here for a while, and thought it was about time to ask a couple of questions.

Do any of you guys and gals have a map of where to fish from shore? Also, where to buy bait, and what kinds to use?

I have never fished in the ocean before, but it looks like fun!

Any help you might be able to offer would be GREATLY appreciated!
 
D

don

Guest
Hi Larry,
Sorry for the confusion on Sierra and Sea Trout. When we (family, buddies) fish from shore, and I speak of only my experiences in the moura estuary area, we've only caught sea trout (Orange mouth corvina, http://www.mexfish.com/fish/omcorv/omcorv.htm) and the typical sandy bottom fish. These we'll catch on the incoming tide only. Its not worth the walk to the point I spoke of, if you miss tide. I've never targeted flatties in the estuary but my buddies have and done well. Usually we'll use bait, while others use castmasters, etc.

To beat the heat we'll fish at night, once again on the incoming tide and usually use a whole bag of 'chovies to get things started. BTW, on several different occaions we tested the chumming theory (its hard to believe in the vastness of the ocean chumming works). We would set up 1/4 mile apart, same sandy beach and the group that chummed always caught more fish!

We've caught larger sea trout trolling from an inflatable but not the same quantity from shore, (probably has to do with trolling through a school, versus having a school work the shoreline).

We've never caught Sierra (http://www.mexfish.com/fish/srra/srra.htm) from shore. And we've never caught these on bait, only trolling (troll in the white water behind the boat! and use wire leaders).
Don
 
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D

don

Guest
Quick addition... I p/u my chovies in Phx., haven't found any in PP.

At the Great 2009 Great Corvina Hunt, I got an edumacation on using shrimp for corvina. I'd say we had more fish hitting the shrimp than chovies. Chovies are a lot cheaper than schrimp, but you gotta' keep em' cold or they get mushy (chum material) and'l fall off the hook.

Don't know of any shore fishing maps. Ric (http://www.ricsrockypointfishing.com/) not only has great lures, but knowledge about fishing around Pelican Point.
 
Stuart

Stuart

Aye carumba!!!
Staff member
Larry - I fish from a boat. Been a long time since I've even thrown a lure from shore. You were mentioning kayaks - sierra and corvina are both within your reach from a kayak right now. You don't even need to go a mile off shore. We make bait just a short distance out from the main harbor. Basically, straight west off the north end of the Mirador beach area, out from the big rock with the golf ball on top. 40-60 ft. of water. There are lots of bonefish (no good to eat, but fun to catch and my preferred bait for BIG fish), sierra, corvina, and the ever-many sand bass. Use a sabiki rig and you'll catch more fish in a 1/2 hour than you'll know what to do with. Let the little ones go, keep the nicer ones for dinner. Go EARLY in the morning and you'll avoid the heat! It's light at 5:30 right now. You could kayak out, get some fish, and be back on shore by 7:30 or 8:00. I'd take the kayaks by truck to the north end of the Mirador beach and launch from there. You could launch from the public harbor, too.

I would also suggest you shorten the sabiki to fish from a kayak. They are usually about 6 ft. long and have six hooks. Okay to deal with from a boat, but probably difficult from a kayak. I suggest cutting it in half (three hooks) and using a six oz. torpedo sinker tied to the bottom.

You can buy sabiki rigs at Phoenix Fishing Supply, Cabela, or BassPro in Mesa for about $3 to $5 ea. I order them in bulk from a supplier on Ebay for .75 each. They are generally a one-use item. The hooks will get bent, sierra will cut some hooks off eventually, and they get tangled up after a bit. But the fish cannot resist them. Surprisingly enough, I caught about an 8 lb. pinto bass on a sabiki while making bait near Cholla Bay last year. We all had a good laugh!

By the way, these ones from BassPro work great:
Click here.

Bandicoot - You can fish from shore virtually anywhere. No fishing license is required to fish from shore. Rocky areas are generally better, but you loose more rigs in the rocks. Get some squid for bait from Lee-Lee market and take it with you. Best bait there is. I prefer lures (kastmasters) when fishing from shore. Everything eats the squid, but only gamefish like corvina go after the lures. Saves me the time of unhooking a bunch of little fish I didn't really want to catch in the 1st place. As Don mentioned, best to fish the incoming tide when fishing from shore.
 
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S

Shore_Fisher

Guest
Have a look at some of my other posts (Click 'Community->Members List' at the top of this page, got to the second page of the 'S' link, then select Shore_Fisher, selecte the 'statistics' Tab and click on 'Find all posts by Shore_Fisher')

You should be able to get some info on shore fishing from those. I do not often go down in the summer, but the one time I did (At La Pinta) we still caught Corvina.

Good Luck!
 
A

azbeachboy

Guest
The heat is worse away from shore. I set up my beach umbrella on Saturday and Sunday and was very comfortable. In my opinion the water temperature is perfect right now. I didn't have any problems with bugs. I didn't think the humidity was very high. This is my favorite time of year for shore fishing. I liked it so much I'm going back this weekend!
 
D

don

Guest
We've experienced a bug problem only when fishing at night (with lights), close to the estuary. Not all outings, but often enough to make sure we take along repellent jic.

I've tried tolling at night from an inflatable, and like Stu and Ric, have caught nada.
 
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R

rplarry

Guest
Don and Stu, thank you both for your generous information and sharing. I really have learned a ton. There was a lot that you both added that I did not really consider or have on my radar screen.

Going to be running by Phoenix Fishing Supply and show them the post regarding the sabiki rigs as I had not heard of them prior. Those guys are always really helpful and seem to like to discuss fishing in Penasco, even though it's not really their expertise. They always reference guys like yoursleves for the tips they give out to customers.

I did have a question about fishing from the 1st estuary. When you mentioned "walking about 200 yards from the parking lot", were you referring to the Encanto side or the Las Conhas side? I have primarily fished the Las Conchas side as that is where we primarily stay or it is quicker to get to from town then driving around to Encanto. If you were referring to the Encanto side, any tips or ideas for the Las Conchas side? Otherwise, I may try popping over to Encanto if you think it is a better spot?

A couple more questions and I hope I am not dragging this out or asking too many questions.... Was wondering when you referred to 'Kayak fishing off the main point with the 'golf ball' or by Mirador", how far do you have to go out from there to catch sierra or sea trout? Or, is it the reefs and/or depth that matters most? Just was hoping to avoiding paddling more than necessary or 'experimenting' in this heat.

Lastly, was wondering if anyone knew of a ponga captain or guide who can speak english who might take us out to a few of these close in spots, even off the main point, for sierra, sea trout or the leapords and not the ol' triggers or rock bass? The english part is really valuable once getting out on the water as my Spanish is weak at best. Does Pampano's have any english speaking ponga guys?

Again, have very much appreciated all the great input to date. Thank you.

ps - thank you also azbeachboy and shorefishefor the tips and info as well.
 
B

bandicoot

Guest
Thanks too for all the info!!

and what the heck is a sand shark? do they bite?:eek3:

Also, What can you eat? I really have no idea what is good and bad. I got the feeling from other posts that Mullet (the fish and the haircut) is bad. Whatelse? Can you eat stingray? Triggerfish any good?
 
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Stuart

Stuart

Aye carumba!!!
Staff member
rplarry said:
Don and Stu, thank you both for your generous information and sharing.

Lastly, was wondering if anyone knew of a ponga captain or guide who can speak english who might take us out to a few of these close in spots, even off the main point, for sierra, sea trout or the leapords and not the ol' triggers or rock bass? The english part is really valuable once getting out on the water as my Spanish is weak at best. Does Pampano's have any english speaking ponga guys?

Again, have very much appreciated all the great input to date. Thank you.

ps - thank you also azbeachboy and shorefishefor the tips and info as well.
Click to expand...
You're welcome! It's what we do here!

Contact Mark at www.rockypointboattrips.com He can set you up with whatever you need. His name is "Seadweller" on this board if you want to message him. He posts some great videos of on (and under) the water stuff in Rocky Point.

If kayaking, like I said, you don't need to go a full mile. Anything in 30+ feet of water and you'll start catching with a sabiki. :fish: If you get a panga, be sure to take a sabiki rig with you. Best small fish catcher ever!
 
J

JimMcG

Guest
What minimum type of rod and reel would you all recommend for shore fishing on a sandy beach in Rocky Point and besides those already mentioned what other type of lures?
 
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Stuart

Stuart

Aye carumba!!!
Staff member
Hi Jim,

My favorite for shore fishing virtually anywhere in Rocky Point is 6 or 7 foot Ugly Stick, a decent medium-size spinning reel, spooled with fresh 12 to 17 lb. test line. I have some setups like this, as well as some true 12 ft. surfcasting rods from my East Coast days. You can hurl a 4 oz. pyramid sinker about a 1/2 mile with those 12 foot surfcasters. Great if you're using bait and you want to really get it out there. I use the Ugly Sticks for tossing lures.

Small lures work best. Hot Lips, Storm minnows, small silver spoons, Mepps spinners (larger size). Many of the lures you'd commonly use for bass fishing will work. A Zara Spook (saltwater version) is great when the water is calm. Walk the dog in a Z pattern and the corvina will come right up and nail it. Rubber cocahoe minnows on a leadhead jig work great, too, but as I've mentioned in the past, trigger fish love these things and chew them to pieces. You spend more time replacing rubber minnows than you do catching fish.

Overall, it's still hard to beat a chrome Kastmaster. They have good weight and you can cast them a good distance. I prefer the larger size ones with a white bucktail and a single hook. As the Kastmaster swims on the retrieve, it automatically orients with the hook in the up position. Why is this important? It will save you money on lost lures! As you bump over rocks and reefs on the retrieve, the single hook pointing up is less likely to get snagged. The ones with treble hooks *always* seem to get snagged. You end up having to swim out and get it or breaking it off.

Ric makes some excellent little jigs for casting, too. Sierra seem to love them, as well as corvina.
 
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