Hi everyone, I just recently (moving in May 24) rented a home in Las Conchas for the next year. Im from Tucson and plan on going up at least twice a month. I love to fish, fish for Bass quite a bit at Roosevelt, Apache, etc. I have not tried shore fishing in RP but plan on buying gear this week to take up Memorial weekend. Ive been reading threads and have the basics...kastmaster is king I know. Anyway, I would really like any info about fishing Las Conchas. I'm about a 1/2 mile from the guardhouse and would love to get up in the morning (or evening) and walk over to the beach and fish. Any suggestions on rigs, bait, lures and technique. Truly a newbie to shore fishing but I know my way round rod and reel.
I have really good luck fishing from a kayak with Little Cleo spoons. You could try bait fishing from shore with squid? But you may catch stingrays...:notme:
Don't listen to the guy above about shore fishing Last summer we had kids coming by that had never fished catching up to 2 foot long Corvina.I find just before high tide with your feet out of the water (don't ask me why) you will catch fish. Use shrimp on a hook bobber combo or a 3/4 oz kastmaster (encourage the lure as it makes fishing a more action sport for older kids ) The Corvina cooked on a grill on aluminum foil are the best for Fish tacos
You sound a lot like me. From Tucson, know your way around rod and reel, but inexperienced with this shore fishing thing.
I haven't seen anyone catch a Corvina from shore at Las Conchas for quite a few years. I'm sure it happens, but I believe you're odds will improve greatly if you go to an estuary or cove. La Pinta would be my first choice, Marua my last, and points between north Sandy Beach and Cholla Bay somewhere in the middle. You might even try around Safe Marina. More experienced folks can correct me, but that's my impression.
I stay away from baits because you aren't catching Corvina when you're pulling in sand bass and releasing them. It's like fishing the Northern Rockies with lures instead of flies - after releasing so many whitefish, you learn to stick with flies. I learned to stop using some wonderful swim baits at La Pinta because the sand bass just won't leave them alone.
I'd never thought about keeping my feet out of the water, but it's probably a good idea as it should also help keep the sting ray barbs out of your ankles. I like to allow the incoming tide to rise to mid-thigh or higher, especially in yhot weather, but once I've hooked a fish I tend to start moving. That's when it can get dangerous. I should probably start keeping out of the water.
Thanks all. I do have a small 15 ft aluminum basstracker that i retired about two years ago...i now have an 18 foot nitro that i use. The tracker is sound with a 25 hp and trolling motor. Could i use this boat in RP? Im thinking just offshore and on the calmest days?
Audsley, what do you use to catch Corvina that doesn't also catch tons of sand bass? I always just have to deal with pulling those off every other cast.
Audsley, what do you use to catch Corvina that doesn't also catch tons of sand bass? I always just have to deal with pulling those off every other cast.
Catching tons of sand bass (Spotted Bay Bass actually) is a GREAT thing if you want to catch Corvina.
When there are Spotted Bay Bass in the area, then there are baitfish in the area.
Spotted Bay Bass are home-bodies - they typically hang around their home rocks. Corvinas are roamers - they never stop swimming and they roam up and down the shore in schools.
The best places to find Corvina are in places where there is a breakline where the speed of the water changes- this might be a sand bar, or a rock outcropping, or the mouth of an estuary, but a Corvina bite can erupt anywhere along the coast when a school of hungry fish encounters a school of bait fish. Watch for diving birds, jumping baitfish, or boiling fish- throw a kastmaster into the middle of the melee and hold on...
drop shot rig with a pyramid sinker (1oz) hook about 1 foot above the sinker. put squid or cut up baitfish on the hook. you can even hit the tides in the early AM and pick up snails and store them in some water and break them open for good slimy bait. you will catch rock bass, trigger, and more. caught a nice corvina last summer from the shore in las conchas and will be fishing 4 days straight from the shore this june. shore fishing rocks when you cant get on a boat
I've caught corvina and flounder casting the sand beaches from Las Conchas to La Pinta estuary. Kastmasters and blue jointed rebels have worked well for me. I do best when the tide is coming in, near high tide. As Robert said, if you see the birds diving, get there quick and cast. I do better on the edges than in the middle and catch fewer birds that way. Also. use light tackle and line. When I switched from 8 lb bass rig to a 30 lb surfcaster, my catch rate dropped by at least 80%. From Las Conchas, try the inlet to Mora estuary east of Tessoro. That can be good in the right conditions. Good luck!
For lure fishing anything silver and flashy will catch fish. Ive yet to catch a corvina on a lure but then again have only got into corvina once and it was a blast. Goin to go lighter with my line as parrot head suggests for my next trip and see how that works out.
I agree on all counts Parrothead. Kastmaster is the best lure due to how easy it is to throw, and fish love 'em! Rocks, estuary mouths and anywhere you can see bait or pelicans diving is where to fish. Do work the edges of bait pods and also cast out beyond if you can as fish often are pinning the bait to shore.
Here is what I would add: Surface lures! If the water is calm I use surface lures almost exclusively. If fish run too small I go to kastmaster right away. If it is choppy I also go to a kastmaster. Most of my friends use spoons all the time, and I do catch fewer fish on the top. The ones I catch are also bigger on top so to me it is worth it. The other benefit is I am always the first one aware that fish are present. Corvina follow the topwater baits more that they hit it. The biggest benefit is how fun it is to see them hit on the surface! Poppers do NOT work well. Any type of slider, or twitch bait, is very good. The rattling Zara Spook in silver and blue or chartreuse and green is a good bet. My absolute favorite lure though is a double prop bait with large propellers front and back. I vary the speed of the retrieve until I get hits then stick with that speed. Usually a moderate steady pace that just keeps the front prop kicking up a little water is the best. The big fish in my profile pics was caught on a silver and black woodchopper FYI. First lure out of the box to this day!
Use light line 10-8 lbs, keep your drag light, and do not play the fish rough! Corvina have a soft mouth and you can pull the hook right out if you bully the fish. Just to make it even more challenging I use single barbless hooks on my spoons and barbless treble on my surface lures. It makes it easy to shake off all the small fish. I do lose a few keepers that way, but I am OK with that. I am not in it to fill the freezer, just to have fun!
Rays are easier to step on at LOW tide. Always shuffle your feet and kick up sand to scare off the rays (the famous "Cortez Shuffle"). NEVER walk into the Sea of Cortez bare footed! I wear neoprene wading shows, at least put a sneaker on those tootsies. I have had a direct ray hit on bare skin and I still have a dent in my ankle from 1975. It is not fun.
Another note one high tide, always cast a few times before stepping into the water. At times the Corvina are pinning bait in very shallow water. If you get hits right before the lure gets to you, walking into the water will spook all the fish you seek. I noticed this once and my friends ignored it until I realized I was the only one catching fish. Cast first then wade.
When this was discussed a couple of years ago, it was also emphasized that early and late in the day is important. Has anyone had luck with a high tide in the middle of the day?
yea but I think if daytime high tide is higher that the previous night tide you do better.
audsley said:
When this was discussed a couple of years ago, it was also emphasized that early and late in the day is important. Has anyone had luck with a high tide in the middle of the day?
Thanks everyone for the info. Just stocked up with plenty of spoons and kastmasters. Raided my bass gear for anything silver and shiny, especially topwater. I also bought some weights and hooks for bait. I'm gonna try a medium action 6'6 rod with a spincast. Putting on 20 lb spectra braid (6 pound equivalent diameter) with 12 lb flouro leader. I'll also take one of the my bass baitcasters. Im leaving Thursday evening (be in RP til Tuesday) so I'll let all know how your advice has worked. I'm not familiar as to where estuaries are in RP but I'll figure it out. Gonna try near the house at Conchas first though. One last question. What should I do to keep (or limit) the saltwater from affecting my gear?
i have had some of my best luck during high tides around noon. i got some topwater lures last year but never ended up using them due to the rougher conditions. will give them a try this year if allowed. they are about 5-6 inches long and hopefully can get a good cast on them. 12 days till im down there!!!!
side note - my dad was down last week. said the people staying next door to our condo in las conchas were catching corvina, flounder, and pampano like it was going out of style!!! cant wait to get down there
Thanks everyone for the info. Just stocked up with plenty of spoons and kastmasters. Raided my bass gear for anything silver and shiny, especially topwater. I also bought some weights and hooks for bait. I'm gonna try a medium action 6'6 rod with a spincast. Putting on 20 lb spectra braid (6 pound equivalent diameter) with 12 lb flouro leader. I'll also take one of the my bass baitcasters. Im leaving Thursday evening (be in RP til Tuesday) so I'll let all know how your advice has worked. I'm not familiar as to where estuaries are in RP but I'll figure it out. Gonna try near the house at Conchas first though. One last question. What should I do to keep (or limit) the saltwater from affecting my gear?
Thanks again.
Ram
Ive been away for a few days from a beach cruising incident in Old Town Scottsdale. Let me say something about that, wear shoes while riding beach cruisers or you might cut the top of your big toe off. Now let me respond to a few of your questions and a few of the suggestions. I have never personally fished Las Conchas but of course there are fish and like Robert says they school up and are running bait. The Sierra Mackerel do the same thing, so for me and obviously this is out of a kayak but looking for the diving birds and bait schools is key. In regards to time of fishing and this is personal preference but I like the time of the day over high tide. Most of my productivity for Sierra Macks and Corvina has been an hour or two before sunset. If high tide is at or near sunset then double bonus but Ive never really been very productive on a mid day high tide. Obviously this can be argued and I think it really comes down to personal preference. In regards to lure selection, bigger the lure, bigger the fish IMO. I like metal exclusively for casting, nothing less than 2oz. With 2oz and up you can cast those things seemingly for miles. I disagree with the dont use this you'll only catch spotted bay bass, sand bass, rock bass. If you are it is because you arent working the lure correctly. The only time I catch sand bass is when the metal is worked extremely slow deeper in the water column and I dont think that's where the Corvina are. In regards to using other lures especially ones that you might use freshwater bass fishing, those lures can work but are extremely hard to get any distance out of the cast. In regards to line, you shoudlnt need more than 12lb. I wouldnt go higher than 12lb but once again pry personal preference. Lastly, in regards to equipment maintenance I recommend rinsing your gear with freshwater after use to prevent the salt from destroying everything. Im sure you have a hose at the house in LC so just rinse it and you'll be fine. Good luck and remember PICS OR IT DIDNT HAPPEN!
You have to shuffle Jerry when walking into the water, you can get hit in 3'' of water. Shuffling is basics 101. When I'm in 5' of water I can see them, but I'm looking and shuffling at the same time. I'm more worried about getting hit by a shark.
Wildcat10 asked about what goes on the line with Kastmasters. Does anyone besides me use steel leaders? I was once told that just about any ocean fish can bite your line in two if it isn't metal.
I'm sure they could, especially sierra, but I've caught tons (well, pounds) of ocean fish there and never had one bite thru the line. Always used 12 lb. mono/fluoro hybrid.
heres a pic of my standard "go to" lures. caught many types of fish with these. only problem is the one treble hook as opposed to the normal 2. Fish them in 1oz or 2. The two ouncers i find to sink a lot quick so have to work quick to stay on top of the water column. rarely fish spoons but will give those a shot sometime soon. I use the jigs a lot less than the others but fun to catch stuff on different lures. Got some large Bomber crankbaits ill be trying real soon too!
I'm sure they could, especially sierra, but I've caught tons (well, pounds) of ocean fish there and never had one bite thru the line. Always used 12 lb. mono/fluoro hybrid.
I agree, Ive caught many sierra without a steel leader. The lure or kastmaster would have to be down in their throat for them to be able to bite the line...
