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?
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!
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.
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?
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
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.
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.
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.
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!
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.
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.
Try Rick Hammer. Rick is from Phoenix and can teach you a lot. I like to use a 1-2 oz pyramid sinker when fishing from shore. On the Las Conchas side at low tide you can see where the rock piles are. I used to catch nice sand sharks with squid. http://www.rockypointboattrips.com/boats/cuates.htm
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?
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.
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!
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?
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.
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?
I have limited experience fishing from the Los Conchas side. So, I'm not sure if the Encanto side would be a better spot. BTW, I do most of my fishing from this side. There is a deep channel which cuts around the spit of land I was referring to.... hence the fish use this as a superhighway on the incoming tide. Perhaps Kenny, AZ Beachboy or Shorefisher have knowledge about the Los Conchas side. BTW, I've never seen anyone fishing the estuary from the Los Conchas side (coincidence?)n the incoming, while I've seen half a dozen on the Encanto side.
On the Los Conchas side, there is a pool which fills on the incoming tide about 150 yards east of the old Playa Elegante boat ramp. You can see this area at low tide. As Stu said shiny lures/bass fishing equipment.
If you go to exposed reef at the mouth of the estuary, there are some small rock piles n/w of the reef, about 150 - 200 yards. These piles are scattered throughout the area, running n/w. A portable depth sounder would be invaluable finding them. Use fresh/lively fish from the sabiki rigs for small groupers.
I've heard sand sharks/guitar fish are great eating, the fin (head?) makes great scallops imitations. Haven't tried em. Strong jaws small teeth.
Triggers are known as the poor man's lobster.
I fished Playa Encantada in a kayak this spring. At low tide I couldn't catch a thing. I couldn't launch at incoming or high tide due to big waves. But as the tide went out I would launch and catch nice Corvina (24") about 50 feet off shore, just past where the waves were breaking.
I was trolling blue and silver Rebel Fastrac minnows. Rapalas would probably work too.
Casting off the beach we could catch plenty of sand sharks and a few puffers (no good to eat) on squid fished off the bottom at high tide. I understand you can eat the sand sharks but don't take my word for it.
Stuart, thanks for the tip on the panga company. Checked out their site and looks like they have some great boats for any size group and various fishing opportunities ie pangas, mid-range and long range boats.
Don, again very helpful. I agree with you that whenever I have been out in the estuary, I am frequently seeing folks fishing on the Encanto side. Makes sense about that channel. Do any guards or guard gates on the Encanto side prohibit folks who are not residents from getting over there to fish? or Playa La Jolla?
Also, I did pick up a few sabiki rigs. In my ignorance I thought it was a rig with various hooks to put small bait on whether live or not. I quickly saw that the rig itself is a fish cathing device! very cool. Does anyone ever put bait, live or not, on a sabiki rig? Don, you had mentioned putting lively/small fish on the sabiki for leapords and am curious if it is another type of sabiki or if I can use the ones I bought that are jig-like in nature? Can you just thow live bait on those, although the hooks would seem quite small?
You don't need any bait on a sabiki. Don was saying to use the small fish you catch with the sabiki as bait on a larger hook/different set up for trying to catch leopard grouper.
One trick I have seen used with a sabiki is to put a lure like a Kastmaster on the bottom instead of a torpedo sinker. This will often attract and catch larger fish on the bottom, like sierra. However, sierra will hit the sabiki rig as is with just a weight.
Sabikis are a jigging type rig. Drop it slowly all the way to the bottom. It will often get hit on the way down. Don't leave it sit on the bottom, it can get snagged. Once your weight hits the bottom, take the reel out of freespool and start bouncing the weight off the bottom. Then work it up a few cranks at a time, lift the rod tip up and down a few times, then crank it up a couple more turns. This allows you to work the whole water column. When we're making bait like mackerel or sardines, they are often just under the surface. If you want to catch sand bass, sierra, and bonefish, work it closer to the bottom.
Make sure you have a set of needlenose pliers for releasing any fish that get hooked deeply. Also, be VERY careful with the sabiki hooks. They are small, but extremely sharp. I always get at least a couple good pokes when I'm taking fish off and making bait. Just the nature of six sharp hooks and bunch of slippery, squirming fish.
If you just want to have fun and catch some fish, a sabiki can't be beat. You'll often bring them up with a fish on every hook. Be sure to carefully release the little guys and the wrasse-type reef fishes. :fish: :fish: :fish:
When I've stayed there, Playa Encantada has a gate so you can only drive out there if you live there or are renting a place. Of course there may be a way around it.
When I've stayed there, Playa Encantada has a gate so you can only drive out there if you live there or are renting a place. Of course there may be a way around it.
Instead of going up top and going down the main street into Encanto, take the bottom road that cuts right. After a 1/2 mile or so, after you pass Bella Vista, go through the entrance that says Marua estuary club. You will find a parking area at the end of the road... Please do not take a dog or a quad out onto the peninsula, it's a wild life refuge, and birds nest out there... Plus it's against the law!
After passing through Marua gate keep to your left. Launch your kayak from the parking lot for a short paddle to the low tide exposed reef. This area (East side in eddies) of the exposed reef can be great for pompano's. BTW, from the reef paddle east you'll see more shallow reefs.
Stuart, thank you for the explanation on the Sabiki. Your description on jigging helped out a lot. That makes a lot more sense. Also, the heads up on the sharp hooks is much appreciated.
Thanks for the direction Don, both for parking and fishing. (you too Kenny) Have been out there a several times in years past and your directions are pretty much how I remembered, however I do remember a guard at a particular area back there. Just didn't know how things may have changed or not. Very helpful if making that drive from LC over to Encanto.
Well gentleman, I guess I'm out of excuses. Been given a wealth of local fishing knowledge here. May pop back on for a couple minor questions, but time to put up or shut up and go fish! Muchas gracas gentlemen.
Don, Stuart and others who were so generous with your tips and time, just wanted to report back on my little fishing trip on the 17th -19th of July.
Hopefully better late than never... Have not been back on as frequently since before heading down to Penasco last month.
On the 17th, almost decided NOT to head out for the evening incoming tide because it was that 'lazy', slack tide that I personally have not had very good luck with. Well, not this time. By the time I got set up and started fishing I had to wade out to about waist level. However, from my 2nd cast on, I got hit or caught a fish for 35 straight minutes. It was unbelievable. Have not ever experienced catching corvina like that before, although I have heard from several friends about them having many similar experiences. Was happy though that my kastmaster was tied on so well and was able to handle that barrage ! Then, because I was out waist and soon to be chest deep, along with deciding to head out at the last minute, I was not prepared to stringer any fish. So, it was catch and release of about 15-20 fish in that time-span, which was just fine as I ended up keeping and eating some really nice fish in the days to follow.
I took Stuart's advice from when I asked about going out in a panga for sierra, corvina and fish other than trigger & rock bass (although I do like eating trigger, I have just caught so many and wanted to experience somethng new) so I called the company Stuart recommended. A very nice lady answered and I told her I wanted to go out with an english speaking guide/captain, covererd canopy, etc. She said she would track down a boat and call me right back but she never did. So, I just went down to Pampano's and found a guy myself. Went out Saturday the 18th at incoming tide and only for about 4 hours, but it was great. Got into a pod of dolphins that followed the boat out and they dove under and around the boat for about a mile. Very, very cool experience. We went over to some reefs by the smokestack at Playa Encanto and got into quite a few sierra. They were really great fighting fish and fun to catch. Hit another couple reef spots and caught a variet of fish - all which ended up being great eating fish. All in all, a great couple days fishing with Friday evening being absolutely epic.
Stuart, I did try the sabiki a few times , however the captain kept moving and I never did catch anything with it. Not sure I was working it correctly, even though I'm sure it's not rocket science! Next time I'll give it a shot from the Kayak, which by the way, I ended up not going out by boat or kayak after Saturday because the wind really picked up.
A little caveat and speaking of weather, I was shocked as to how comfortable it was while out fishing in JULY! Granted, as long as there was a breeze, it was more than tolerable with the mornings and evenings being awesome. Did not expect that at all for July with the typical added heat & humidity. By the way, it must be mentioned that one of the best parts of this trip was the Friday night downpour and the subsequent 'lightning and thunder show'. This downpour lasted for about an hour with lighting completely lighting up the entire sky and ocean. I saw one bolt that went literally from the point where El Capitan is, horizontally all the way to Bird Island! They thunder pops were deafening at times with the corresponding lighting illuminating the night sky and seemingly turning the darkness into temporary daylight! It was like God was doing a little showing off in all His glory! Pretty spectacular site to witness for sure. (not sure if anyone else was able to see this as well as I don't think I saw a mention of the storm on this blog?? I was told by my waiter at La Curva it was the first rain Penasco had received this year...)
Well, thanks again for the tips and info from all. It's a great way to learn and also live vicariously through the reports, until we can get down to Penasco again.
Wow! Sounds like great fishing, thanks. I just found out we are making another trip down in October - this time at the Myanmar end of the beach near the other estuary. I hope I can have similar luck.
Glad you had a good trip! Whenever the corvina are running like that, it is truly epic fishing. A fish every cast! I've quickly filled a five gallon bucket with the bigger ones and let all the smaller ones go. Lots of fun!
