Fishing withdrawal

Nicolai

Active Member
Man with this Rona going around and preventing us from going to Mexico for any fishing I'm only wondering what next season will be like? With minimal fishing activities going on you guys think anything will bounce back next year? Bigger fish maybe or more plentiful??
 

Stuart

Aye carumba!!!
Staff member
Well, as much as I'd like to agree with you on this enforced break having a positive impact for us worm drowners and squid dippers when lifted... it won't.

But why, Stuart?

Because only us recreational types are shut down. Business as usual for the pangas and commercial types. And they're the ones that rape the Sea of Cortez. Not us sportsmen.

Color me not optimistic.

Does anyone think there will be any vaquita left at all when this over?
 

rplarry

Well Known Member
Well, as much as I'd like to agree with you on this enforced break having a positive impact for us worm drowners and squid dippers when lifted... it won't.

But why, Stuart?

Because only us recreational types are shut down. Business as usual for the pangas and commercial types. And they're the ones that rape the Sea of Cortez. Not us sportsmen.

Color me not optimistic.

Does anyone think there will be any vaquita left at all when this over?
Probably not, so very sad.

And the totoaba are getting crushed as well, after almost making an incredible comeback. One that would have been epic for
Sport-fisherman.
 

Mexico Joe

Cholla Bay 4 Life
Probably not, so very sad.

And the totoaba are getting crushed as well, after almost making an incredible comeback. One that would have been epic for
Sport-fisherman.
Agree! The Totoaba are coming back so well that Jerry's buddy in Santo Tomas is catching them regularly it looked like a few years ago until someone told him to STOP taking pictures and putting them on the internet! ja!
 

Mexico Joe

Cholla Bay 4 Life
Imagine one blowing up top water plug 10 yards off the rocks! 50 lb'ers... Some of the pictures that Lucky Chucky has of his dad's catches in the 50's and 60's you'd wet your pants. No with pee either...
 

Kenny

Well Known Member
Imagine one blowing up top water plug 10 yards off the rocks! 50 lb'ers... Some of the pictures that Lucky Chucky has of his dad's catches in the 50's and 60's you'd wet your pants. No with pee either...
Stuart knows this too. If you get on T Bass the only thing you can do to get away from them is to move. They are very easy to catch compared to a WSB. I had a double hook up once with a couple who were around 30lbs each, and I swear they worked together like old friends.
 

Nicolai

Active Member
Wow, that's to bad guys, I'd like to think even the fisheries are slowed down due to this but maybe not. But on the other bright side maybe the beaches will be cleaner. I would have loved to been able to fish in the 50s. It would probably be a totally different experience than today not just for totoaba but other species as well.
 

Mexico Joe

Cholla Bay 4 Life
Wow, that's to bad guys, I'd like to think even the fisheries are slowed down due to this but maybe not. But on the other bright side maybe the beaches will be cleaner. I would have loved to been able to fish in the 50s. It would probably be a totally different experience than today not just for totoaba but other species as well.
ALL OF THEM!
 

Mexico Joe

Cholla Bay 4 Life
Wow, that's to bad guys, I'd like to think even the fisheries are slowed down due to this but maybe not. But on the other bright side maybe the beaches will be cleaner. I would have loved to been able to fish in the 50s. It would probably be a totally different experience than today not just for totoaba but other species as well.
Think of Jurassic Park
 

Kenny

Well Known Member
Wow, that's to bad guys, I'd like to think even the fisheries are slowed down due to this but maybe not. But on the other bright side maybe the beaches will be cleaner. I would have loved to been able to fish in the 50s. It would probably be a totally different experience than today not just for totoaba but other species as well.
You would have loved it in the 50's early 60's. They were still targeting and catching billfish in those day's and I remember my dad and uncle pointing out the different colored flags they were flying coming back into port that signified their catch. But still, even then, I heard fisherman say if you want some good fishing these days, you need to go out of Guaymas. Two things need to happen if it's ever going to come back, and I don't see either happening.
 

Stuart

Aye carumba!!!
Staff member
As one who has fished Guaymas for many years, yep. It dead. Zero enforcement of the pangas and long lines is a joke there is none.

Used to be able to go out and troll some nice Dorado and bill fish (released) for fun. Not so much anymore. Sold my boat, stopped going. Got tired of cutting turtles off of broken long lines and being challenged by Mexican pangas when I did so. Always had the bigger boat and stuck it on top of some pangas when I needed to do so.

For the 9999th time, Mexico is its own worst enemy regarding anything to do with preserving their fisheries.

Sorry to say that, but it's the troot.
 

Kenny

Well Known Member
Kenny,
Do you ever head out to Goldwater for a bit of freshwater fishing? Looks like a cute pond.
I did, my cabin was almost exactly 1 mile above the lake, so I drove by the entrance on Senator Hwy daily. Back and forth to work for 8 years. Put and take trout, some bass, and bluegill. Oh, and of course some channel cat, but they close at dusk. I didn't fish there often, as I don't care much for put and take trout. There is very little cover, and no baitfish to speak of and that makes a not so hot of a habitat. If you have a canoe or a couple of kayak's the Bass fishing over here on the Verde River where I live now is good. Catching some big trout too, if you're lucky.
Goldwater is very nice. Facilities for family gathering and such, with tables, scatter for picnicking with walking trails all over.
 
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Mexico Joe

Cholla Bay 4 Life
I did, my cabin was almost exactly 1 mile above the lake, so I drove by the entrance on Senator Hwy daily. Back and forth to work for 8 years. Put and take trout, some bass, and bluegill. Oh, and of course some channel cat, but they close at dusk. I didn't fish there often, as I don't care much for put and take trout. There is very little cover, and no baitfish to speak of and that makes a not so hot of a habitat. If you have a canoe or a couple of kayak's the Bass fishing over here on the Verde River where I live now is good. Catching some big trout too, if you're lucky.
Goldwater is very nice. Facilities for family gathering and such, with tables, scatter for picnicking with walking trails all over.
Kenny, my dad retired and moved up to Prescott Valley about 5 years ago. He's over at the Stoneridge community. I've driven over to Lynx a few times to scout it out. Really pretty back in there. Is Lynx or Goldwater a better place to kayak fish? I wouldn't mind either fly fishing for trout or bass fishing up there sometime. at Lynx, the handicap spots are bout 10 feet from the boat ramp. IDEAL! My gf also did a marathon 2 years ago that started at Goldwater and ended at Watson. We camped at Watson. Pretty scenery but I've read no decent fishing at Watson? Only Goldwater and Lynx. Which is fine because I like that forest feel...
 

joester

2 salty dawgs
Saw on AZGFD that a 4lb rainbow trout was caught at Goldwater in early January. We almost always head NE to White Mts for cool weather fishing, Big Lake one of our faves. Really like the streams all around there too. Got frustrated with WMAT prices and conditions of trash all along waters edges, used to love Reservation Lake, but experience there about 7 years ago just turned us off. Different forks of Black River are fun to hunt for the pools and native trout hiding out. I miss fishing.
 

Kenny

Well Known Member
If I had just bought a Kyak, I'd go to Willow Lake, across 89 from Watson, but both have better bass fishing than either Goldwater of Lynx. Some years ago a kid who was living in the dorms caught a Largemouth at Watson, and I saw it, that was close to 7lbs. Ha, he was at the end of that little fishing dock, and since was used to fishing for smallies, he'd pitched his Gitzit at a shadow he thought was a Carp just for the heck of it. Willow Lake should have plenty of water and it has good cover for bass and there's baitfish too. I walked the shoreline a good part of the way around Willow years ago and saw tons of Bass and Bluegill fry and fingerlings. Me, I'd stay 2 days or so with dad and hit either Willow or Watson first, and Lynx or Goldwater for trout later. Way more people at Watson than Willow.
 

Mexico Joe

Cholla Bay 4 Life
Saw on AZGFD that a 4lb rainbow trout was caught at Goldwater in early January. We almost always head NE to White Mts for cool weather fishing, Big Lake one of our faves. Really like the streams all around there too. Got frustrated with WMAT prices and conditions of trash all along waters edges, used to love Reservation Lake, but experience there about 7 years ago just turned us off. Different forks of Black River are fun to hunt for the pools and native trout hiding out. I miss fishing.
When I was 14 or 15 I went with my godfather who is an avid AZ outdoorsman to the Black River to fish for smallies. It was EPIC! Last week I was actually scouting satellite imagery of the black river and trying to remember where he took me. I know we entered through fort Apache and by the looks of it maybe 7 mile road???? Waaay back in there and then I remember we had to go down into this canyon where we parked the truck. Got a bunch of crawdads in our creels and then started hiking up river to some of these holes he knew of. It was epic and years later being even a more avid addicted to fishing person I would love to go back. I'm trying to scout somewhere that I could get my truck down into obviously because of being handicap that would be the only way. The upper part of the river near Alpine, up and around MT BALDY and Sunrise it looks like I could get pretty close and fish from shore. I've also been told to hit up all the reservation lakes but don't really know much about those bodies of water. I used to go to the white mountains every single year of my life for snowboarding until 2010 but after my accident I've only been there once...Still want to go camping/fishing up there. My GF has never been to the white mountains. We're trying to make that a reality this summer. We usually just settle for the rim lakes, Woods Canyon, Knoll ....
 

Mexico Joe

Cholla Bay 4 Life
If I had just bought a Kyak, I'd go to Willow Lake, across 89 from Watson, but both have better bass fishing than either Goldwater of Lynx. Some years ago a kid who was living in the dorms caught a Largemouth at Watson, and I saw it, that was close to 7lbs. Ha, he was at the end of that little fishing dock, and since was used to fishing for smallies, he'd pitched his Gitzit at a shadow he thought was a Carp just for the heck of it. Willow Lake should have plenty of water and it has good cover for bass and there's baitfish too. I walked the shoreline a good part of the way around Willow years ago and saw tons of Bass and Bluegill fry and fingerlings. Me, I'd stay 2 days or so with dad and hit either Willow or Watson first, and Lynx or Goldwater for trout later. Way more people at Watson than Willow.

Thanks for the info Kenny! I might have to hit those up sometime. Prescott is so close. I live in central phoenix and my dad's house is only like 75 miles away. 40 from Carefree Highway I believe. Not far at all. Easy drive. Just have to worry about getting home sometimes with the I-17. I've gotten stuck/held up in Prescott twice in the last 3 or 4 years for brush fires off of the 17.
 
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