La Pinta

[Shore_Fisher]

Any shore reports from La Pinta since the weather has heated up? Itching to get down myself, but I'm not sure I'll manage it for a month or so - Does the Corvina action slow up as the water warms, or does it keep going right through until the cold weather hits?

Ed

 

[don]

My past experience (only thru beginning of July) was the corvina action got better as the water warmed. Can't say anything about late July /August.

 

[Shore_Fisher]

I used to use the little rubber-cored weights with really small (<1/2oz) lures and clip them to the line just above, but I always doubted they worked very well under the water, and I don't really think there are many situations where less than 1/2oz gives you any more action than the 1/2oz lures do.

My recommendation is to go to <insert your local low-cost fishing supply shop here> and get a stick that is designed for casting the lure weight you want to use. You may not be able to get quite as far out there with a 1/2oz-based setup as a heavier setup, but I'm not too sure you need to get out that far, and it sure is a lot more fun trying to pull them in with the lighter gear....

Real shame there is no action, but thanks for the heads-up. I was planning on a trip down and to hell with the heat on the beach, but now....

 

[don]

You fellas every try fishing at night?

Usually thats when we go. And very seldom are we are skunked. We'll start maybe an hour or two before high tide, through until an hour or so after it peaks. We use 'chovies, and to get things going we'll also chum the water.

 

[Stuart]

I used to think that corvina were only a cool weather fish, but they *are* at La Pinta all year long. Have caught plenty of them in August. Try fishing the mud reefs that are just to the left as you come onto the beach, rather than the oyster reefs to the north. I've tried and tried, but never had very good luck catching anything further up the channel. And you've got it right - get there at low tide and you can scope out the mud reefs and cast out into the channel. The corvina come through in schools as the tide comes in. You can fill a bucket in a couple of minutes, then they move on. It's all about being at the right place at the right time. I will generally fish bait (squid) until I catch my first corvina, then I'll switch to a Kastmaster (the ones with the single hook and white bucktail are the best). 1/2 to 3/4 oz. I like throwing a Zara Spook, too, but only if there is no wind, which is rare.

 

[Stuart]

You fellas every try fishing at night?

We used to camp at La Pinta and fish at night. Seems all I ever caught was stingrays! Was holding one very carefully removing the hook and he still managed to whip that tail and hit me right in the end of the finger. Swelled up like a bratwurst and hurt like the dickens! After that, standard procedure dictated putting them on the sand, using pliers to break off the barb, THEN taking the hook out. I've caught some stingrays there and further up the beach past the Mayan that were as big as truck tires. They will suck to the bottom and you think you're snagged. Steady pressure eventually loosens them and it's like being hooked up to a locomotive; takes a long time to tire one out and get it in. Then a quick picture and release it back into the surf.

In those days, I still fished "East Coast" style - a 12 foot Master surf rod, huge spinning reel, and 30 lb. test mono. Would use a special surf rig with two small leadered hooks and a 4 oz pyramid sinker at the bottom. I could cast that rig nearly out to San Jorge Island from the beach!!! :lol:

Since those days, I've gone much lighter for surf fishing Rocky Point. A 7ft. Ugly Stick and typical lake-size spinning reel with 15-17 lb. test mono.

 

[Stuart]

I've always had good success at the mud reefs. I think you're right; the fish channel along there. It's easy for them to ambush bait schools there as they move up the channel. I've seen pangas come right in when I've fished there and wrap those mud reefs right in front of me. Very frustrating!

 

[Shore_Fisher]

Here is a picture of the east side of La Pinta, where I normally fish
[attachment=3:f5q92p6i]Pinta1.jpg[/attachment:f5q92p6i][attachment=2:f5q92p6i]pinta2.jpg[/attachment:f5q92p6i]
The only place I have ever really fished before is the area marked 3b. When the tide is low, you can walk over the small mud/calciferous reef area that is marked as point 7 below (That is actually where i am sitting in the photo to the left) and you are fishing directly into the channel.
[attachment=0:f5q92p6i]pinta4.jpg[/attachment:f5q92p6i]
I never seem to find the time to mark out where the little reefs are at low tide, as I am too busy fishing, but if I were organized, I would take note of all of the reef areas up the beach and consider the tide and my casting distance to modify my fishing position to be working my lure over a reef area all of the time.... Maybe next time....

The area marked below just jumped out at me on this satellite image and I had thought to try there some day. Is this the northern reef you discuss?
[attachment=1:f5q92p6i]pinta3.jpg[/attachment:f5q92p6i]
Regarding gear, I am a UK person, and my childhood was also spent torpedoing out 4oz weights into the cold winter night with a hefty 12ft rod and 20+lb test mono. But now I go even lighter than most people do here - My current rig is 4lb line with a 7ft spinning rig sized for 1/2oz casting. I have recently opted for braided line and a 2ft Fluorocarbon leader so that I can get a few hundered yards of line onto my ultra-light reel. I have the (probably totally unreasonable) view that this may allow me to actually try and land something bigger than a couple of pounds if it happened along....

 

[Stuart]

3b is where I generally fish. In the old days of "Nacho Beach", you used to be able to get Nacho to take you across the channel in his panga and fish the point (currently Mayan property) where the main channel comes in. He'd just motor close to the drop-off and we'd throw Kastmasters towards the beach and score sea trout after sea trout. Those were indeed the days!

I've run that stretch of beach a lot. All the way down to the end at San Jorge and wadefished the back bay there, as well as miles of sand flats from La Pinta south to San Jorge. Never much success in the back bay or on the flats. Lots of mullet in the back bay, but not much in the way of game fish. Only the occasional sea trout working the flats when you'd come across the deeper cuts/channels.

We also used to take panagas with an outfit called Sea Eagle charters out of San Jorge out to fish the island. Launching and recovering was a treat because the sand flats extend for miles. They'd often get the panga trailer stuck or wedged as they tried to cross a small cut. After we'd finally get launched, I was always amazed at just how shallow the water is most of the way to the island. Seems like on an extreme low tide, you could nearly walk out there!

 

[rockyptjoe]

Shore_fisher.....where did you get those excelent satellite images?

Thanks!

 

[Stuart]

If I'm not mistaken, the photos are from Google Earth, a free program that's you look at most any point on Earth. I use it often to check out different places. You can zoom in fairly close, but start to lose resolution if you zoom in too close. Check it out, it's great!

I was looking at San Felipe and San Jorge Island yesterday on Google Earth.

http://earth.google.com/

 

[Kenny]

Roberto I've been giving this a lot of thought. :? I can only think of one thing that you might have forgotten from our talks and that short trip to La Pinta. It can make all the difference between success or failure. Did you remember to spit on the lure or bait. :?:

Kenny

 

[rockyptjoe]

~~~ HEY KINNEY ~~~ WHY DON'T YOU TRY RUBBING SOME DIESEL FUEL ON THE LURE ~~~ THERES PLENTY ON THE OTHER THREAD ~~~

~~~ HERE ~~~ :fish: Y :fish: Y :fish: Y ~~~ COME AND GET IT ~~~

Hey Happy...we're just high on diesel fumes.....that's all!

 

[InkaRoads]

how about some asparagus diped in diesel? on th eother hand it might give the fish the runs :lol: :lol: :lol:

 

[InkaRoads]

:lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: