Weekend fishing

Kenny

Guest
shore is, : )
I guess it was, you called it that what, twice?... Now I've heard Ric have little conversations with big Grouper, but it was more about who's the boss, or maybe it was about who was the king of the reef. :p
 

Mexico Joe

Cholla Bay 4 Life
shore is, : )

Thanks for posting, where is that? La Jolla? They catch a ton of WSB out of La Jolla. Pretty funny, Im watching this at work with the sound up and you yell mother pucker, lololol... still have my job. :-D
 

rplarry

Guest
View attachment 4096My neighbor caught this 37lb white sea bass just off Encanto beach on Tuesday.Going to put some filets on the grill tonight!View attachment 4097
QUESTION: Was hoping we could get some advice on what type of lures to use for Pinto, WSB, small Grouper or any other fish that could be caught close in and over the reefs near the estuary or of the rocks/reef around Competition Hill or Cholla Bay. Normally I primarily use the kastmasters & crocodiles for corvina, trigger, rock bass, etc while trolling from the kayak. Would like to at least try to hook into something different and larger if possible. Any thoughts on what kind and color and size of lure? Looks from the picture from Encanto that he used some sort of Rappala or other crank type bait.

Thank you for any input.
 

mondone

Whitecaps
QUESTION: Was hoping we could get some advice on what type of lures to use for Pinto, WSB, small Grouper or any other fish that could be caught close in and over the reefs near the estuary or of the rocks/reef around Competition Hill or Cholla Bay. Normally I primarily use the kastmasters & crocodiles for corvina, trigger, rock bass, etc while trolling from the kayak. Would like to at least try to hook into something different and larger if possible. Any thoughts on what kind and color and size of lure? Looks from the picture from Encanto that he used some sort of Rappala or other crank type bait.

Thank you for any input.
It was a rapala or rapala-type lure and was silver and blue in color.
 

moore_rb

Stay Thirsty My Friends
The original silver and blue jointed rebel fastrac has been a Sea of Cortez staple for decades, but they are really hard to come by these days- been out of production for years.

Many guys have written about the productivity of "white with red head" colored crankbaits for near-shore groupers as well.

deep diving Yo-Zuri crankbaits in the 5 to 6 inch size have also been quite productive for me as well.

-Just remember when you drag a crankbait behind you to use a wire leader- especially in summer, because if there are sierra in the area, they will absolutely maul your gear.

I have crankbaits in my box that actually look like they took a spin in the kitchen sink garbage disposal.... but they still catch fish.
 

rplarry

Guest
The original silver and blue jointed rebel fastrac has been a Sea of Cortez staple for decades, but they are really hard to come by these days- been out of production for years.

Many guys have written about the productivity of "white with red head" colored crankbaits for near-shore groupers as well.

deep diving Yo-Zuri crankbaits in the 5 to 6 inch size have also been quite productive for me as well.

-Just remember when you drag a crankbait behind you to use a wire leader- especially in summer, because if there are sierra in the area, they will absolutely maul your gear.

I have crankbaits in my box that actually look like they took a spin in the kitchen sink garbage disposal.... but they still catch fish.
Thank you for the information. Very helpful.

I picked up a couple Rapala X-Raps. At $16 a piece, definitely would like to do as much as possible not to lose them (although it's always a strong possibility).

So, one more question por favor: is 15-20lb test to light to troll with these lures? It's one thing losing a lure to a fish diving in the rocks, getting snagged, etc. But, would hate to have the line just snap if trolling and was not using strong enough line.

Thanks again Robert.
 

moore_rb

Stay Thirsty My Friends
is 15-20lb test to light to troll with these lures? It's one thing losing a lure to a fish diving in the rocks, getting snagged, etc. But, would hate to have the line just snap if trolling and was not using strong enough line.

Thanks again Robert.

My pleasure...

In my opinion, for trolling a big deep diving crankbait, 15lb is too light. 20-30, combined with an 8 inch 30lb sevenstrand wire leader, will set you up to handle most everything near shore except the really big gulf grouper.

Another tip when trolling- keep a second pole, pre-rigged with a metal or feather jig, standing by. White seabass, corvina, sierra and Leopard grouper are all schooling fish- catch one trolling, and after you land it, work the area with the drop jig to see if he had any buddies hanging with him... :wink:
 

rplarry

Guest
My pleasure...

In my opinion, for trolling a big deep diving crankbait, 15lb is too light. 20-30, combined with an 8 inch 30lb sevenstrand wire leader, will set you up to handle most everything near shore except the really big gulf grouper.

Another tip when trolling- keep a second pole, pre-rigged with a metal or feather jig, standing by. White seabass, corvina, sierra and Leopard grouper are all schooling fish- catch one trolling, and after you land it, work the area with the drop jig to see if he had any buddies hanging with him... :wink:
Wow, glad I asked that question! I'm not super well versed in what rig to use when fishing anything other than from shore in Penasco. This info is very useful. Thank you. And, to bring a second pole is always a great suggestion when fishing form kayak. In fact, funny story.... a buddy and I were yak fishing the kelp beds over in La Jolla. He hadn't fished all that much from a kayak prior. We are out there, next to one of those huge H&M or Islandia 'cattle fishing barges'/charters. Well, I'm fishing and my buddy is behind me. I hear this faint 'yelp' and when I turn around, his yak is upside down, he's completely submerged and his Starbuck's cup is floating off. He manages to get back on the kayak, totally cold and soaking yet, a bit embarrassed with all the people on the charter watching... he then rights himself, gets his oar and begins to go back to fishing when he realizes his pole is gone and at the bottom of the ocean. At that point I couldn't contain myself and I must have laughed for 5 min. straight! Needless to say, we had to head in because we didn't bring a SECOND POLE!

Thank you for sharing Robert. If i don't report back, then there was nothing to report. Hopefully that won't be the case!

Thanks again.
 
I mostly use the Rebel Fast-Trac, but any crankbait that runs at the right depth seems to work. A suspending Rapala jerkbait worked very well. I watched a bunch of fish follow it, then I stopped the retrieve and right when that lure stopped, the biggest corvina grabbed it.
I usually use blue and silver, but an orange one I used also worked fine. I catch triggers, corvina, pompano (i think), flounder and, of course, rock bass around Morua and la pinta.
I think the main selling point for the Fast-Trac was that it could track well at fast trolling speeds and ran at a nice depth for the sea of cortez so the guy that wrote that book recommended them. They are hard to find and I think about any blue/white saltwater crankbait of about 4" length would work fine as long as it runs at the right depth (i like about 5-6 feet).

I also use light line from the kayak - 12lb. hybrid mono/fluoro. The kayak is a secondary drag, so lighter line is nice. I could see using heavy braid if you're concerned about breaking a fish off in the rocks. Or maybe a wire leader for sierra. Man, I need to get down there fishing!
 

moore_rb

Stay Thirsty My Friends
With the hump back (which might also just be a photo distortion from the head being propped up); and the smallish dorsal fin, my guess would be bull shark.
 

moore_rb

Stay Thirsty My Friends
I am revising my guess....

Sand Tiger Shark.

Sand-tiger-shark-swimming.jpg

That is the one I was thinking of with the hump back and the short dorsal fin... not the bull shark.

Sand tigers have the high back, pointy nose and jagged teeth.
 
I guess I need to take my inflatable out down there. It has a depthfinder and an ewlectric motor so I should be able to find the reefs.
How far out are they ? And the best bait or jigs.
 

moore_rb

Stay Thirsty My Friends
When do the Pompono , Leather Jacks, show up? They are so much fun to catch on ultra light gear.
Hi Bill-

Mid May for the Pompano, Corvina and leather jacks.

The reef ledge is about a mile off the beach on the Encanto side of the estuary- and runs from NW to SE. If you have a depth finder you'll see it drop from about 40 feet down to 50.
 
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