Mexico Joe
Cholla Bay 4 Life
Is it worth buying a few kastmasters with bucktails? Will corvina and sierra hit on the KM w/ bucktail? Thanks.
Bucktail kastmasters?
- Thread starter Mexico Joe
- Start date
Yeppers. I always fish the chrome ones with the white bucktails. Very worth it. Also note - get the saltwater ones with the single hook, not the treble hook. Or, swap the hook out yourself. The Kastmasters always flip up the right way on the retrieve so that the single hook points up. Makes it quicker to unhook your fish and prevents a LOT less snags (and lost lures) on the rocks and reefs!
On edit: The single hook white bucktail ones start at the 1 oz. size. But if you're creative, you can buy the bucktail pieces and single hooks to go smaller. I've never had a problem with the corvina being willing to strike the 1 oz. size.
On edit: The single hook white bucktail ones start at the 1 oz. size. But if you're creative, you can buy the bucktail pieces and single hooks to go smaller. I've never had a problem with the corvina being willing to strike the 1 oz. size.
Mexico Joe
Cholla Bay 4 Life
thanks
Thanks guys. Will pompano hit the kastmasters as well or is there something else to use? I'm thinking about going down this weekend to do some shore fishing in cholla bay, is there one species that's starting to heat up? Once again thanks for the info guys. My mentor is chuck Blair or known in cholla bay as "lucky chucky" , along with a few things I've learned from him and more useful info. I've found on here I'm starting to feel confident in landing some descent sized fish from shore. Don't have a boat, but caught my first sierra and now I'm hooked on salt fishing in cholla bay. I have a few honey holes in cholla, is there anywhere else that produces that's worth fishing?
Thanks guys. Will pompano hit the kastmasters as well or is there something else to use? I'm thinking about going down this weekend to do some shore fishing in cholla bay, is there one species that's starting to heat up? Once again thanks for the info guys. My mentor is chuck Blair or known in cholla bay as "lucky chucky" , along with a few things I've learned from him and more useful info. I've found on here I'm starting to feel confident in landing some descent sized fish from shore. Don't have a boat, but caught my first sierra and now I'm hooked on salt fishing in cholla bay. I have a few honey holes in cholla, is there anywhere else that produces that's worth fishing?
I've had pompano hit the Kastmasters. Actually, I usually end up snagging them, at least, the smaller ones. They strike, but are often too small to take the hook. Still, they manage to hook themselves somewhere other than the mouth on many occasions. Same goes for needlefish. Seems like every needlefish I've ever caught was snagged, rather than a clean "corner of the mouth" hookset.
I used to spend most of my time fishing the La Pinta estuary before I had a boat. It can be great if you time it with the tide. Start fishing at low tide when you can cast far out into the channel, then work the mud reefs as the tide comes in. When the corvina run through, you can literally fill a 5 gallon bucket within minutes. Just watch out for all the darn stingrays, they can get really thick there in the warmer months.
I used to spend most of my time fishing the La Pinta estuary before I had a boat. It can be great if you time it with the tide. Start fishing at low tide when you can cast far out into the channel, then work the mud reefs as the tide comes in. When the corvina run through, you can literally fill a 5 gallon bucket within minutes. Just watch out for all the darn stingrays, they can get really thick there in the warmer months.
Wood Spinner
Guest
Hey Stuart You mentioned the Stingrays. Will waders ward off the barb ? If not how about irrigators slip on heavy rubber boots? I would guess on these you would have to rig up a way to strap them so the mud did not pull them off
You'd need snake boots. Forget waders, they'll puncture right through them. They do make a set of stingray guards. You can see them here: http://www.accurategeneralstore.com/
One good jab from a stingray and you'll think that $56 or so is the best money you ever spent!
Normally, if you just shuffle your feet as you walk, the rays will scatter. They're not aggressive and I've had them swimming all over my feet while fishing. It's the one you *don't* see and step on that does the damage!
One good jab from a stingray and you'll think that $56 or so is the best money you ever spent!
Normally, if you just shuffle your feet as you walk, the rays will scatter. They're not aggressive and I've had them swimming all over my feet while fishing. It's the one you *don't* see and step on that does the damage!
Ed B
Small Potatoes
I catch a lot of corvina back in the harbor at Safe Marine when I stay on the boat. You can save yourself some money and buy cabela's brand or walmart's vs the original kastmaster. I think I bought a 20 pack from cabela's once and thay were only $1.50 a piece. Key is the white bucktail.
Corvina are at La Pinta year round. I used to think they were only there in cooler weather, but I've caught them there nearly every month of the year, including the dead summer heat of July and August.
Unfortunately, the sting rays are there year round, too. They are thicker in the warm months and cruise right in the ankle-deep shallows and surfline to feed, but I've actually caught small rays in Nov. and Dec., so I know they are there all the time. Most of them are small, meaning the size of a pie pan or dinner plate, but I have caught a couple of whoppers (3-4 ft. across) fishing the beaches from La Pinta all the way up to Las Conchas. Used to be, on flat mornings, I'd see pangas slowly cruising in very shallow water, practically on the beach. One guy would be in the back running and steering the boat and the other guy would be up front leaning over the bow with a spear. They were spearing rays.
I wouldn't let the rays put you off; never kept me from fishing. I simply point it out to make people aware that they are there, often in great numbers. Knowing and keeping that fact in mind (always shuffle along the bottom, don't step) while you're fishing is key to not getting stung. I've never been stung by stepping on one, have never worn anything but beach shoes. I have been stung twice in the hand, once while unhooking one and once while snorkeling when my hand brushed over one that I didn't see buried in the sand. It's obviously painful, but generally not life-threatening, unless you're prone to allergic reactions or such. Lesson learned - when you catch one while fishing, pull it up on the beach and use your fishing pliers to cut the barb off the tail *before* you try to unhook it! I mistakenly thought I was holding it in such a way that it couldn't possibly sting me. Duh on me. They can whip that tail virtually anywhere.
Hey Bill,
My fishing buddy purchased a pair of hodgeman ray guard boots from Cabelas after he had been hit by a ray. He's a big time surf fishermen and swears he was shuffling. Anyway he got a pair of those boots and has purposely put them to the test. Result is, no more injuries. My Daughter and I purchased some last year after feeling the brush of a ray scurrying away from our feet. I checked the cabelas site and they now sell a similar boot. The look similar to the hodgeman boots we use. Search for "ForEverlast Ray Guard Wading Boots, Item:IA-831338".
The boots are clunky, but they may be able to ward off an injury.
My fishing buddy purchased a pair of hodgeman ray guard boots from Cabelas after he had been hit by a ray. He's a big time surf fishermen and swears he was shuffling. Anyway he got a pair of those boots and has purposely put them to the test. Result is, no more injuries. My Daughter and I purchased some last year after feeling the brush of a ray scurrying away from our feet. I checked the cabelas site and they now sell a similar boot. The look similar to the hodgeman boots we use. Search for "ForEverlast Ray Guard Wading Boots, Item:IA-831338".
The boots are clunky, but they may be able to ward off an injury.
Great information. Thanks.
I would never have anticipated catching a sting ray while fishing for corvina. I just did some reading on them and see that they eat crustacheans and small fish, so I'm assuming a Kastmaster isn't likely to hook one unless I pause the retrieve on the bottom in exactly the wrong spot. I understand they are preyed on by sharks, so their abundance around Rocky Pt. probably helps explain the abundance of the Pacific longnose shark (AKA sand shark) in the same area.
I had hoped that fishing with lures would prevent me from hooking something I really don't want (i.e., scorpionfish, puffer, moray eel, sea snake, etc.) I tend to avoid fishing from shore with bait for that reason, and because if I catch something other than corvina I probably won't know what it is anyway. What else might I find at the end of my line throwing Kastmasters around Rocky Pt and La Pinta?
I would never have anticipated catching a sting ray while fishing for corvina. I just did some reading on them and see that they eat crustacheans and small fish, so I'm assuming a Kastmaster isn't likely to hook one unless I pause the retrieve on the bottom in exactly the wrong spot. I understand they are preyed on by sharks, so their abundance around Rocky Pt. probably helps explain the abundance of the Pacific longnose shark (AKA sand shark) in the same area.
I had hoped that fishing with lures would prevent me from hooking something I really don't want (i.e., scorpionfish, puffer, moray eel, sea snake, etc.) I tend to avoid fishing from shore with bait for that reason, and because if I catch something other than corvina I probably won't know what it is anyway. What else might I find at the end of my line throwing Kastmasters around Rocky Pt and La Pinta?
You probably won't catch anything dangerous on a Kastmaster. I only relate about actually catching sting rays because of my method of fishing. I would fish with bait (small pieces of squid) until I caught a corvina, then switch to Kastmasters or other lures. Why? It can get pretty boring cast after cast catching nothing. Plus, I used to always have the kids along. They want to catch something, anything, and none of them could cast a lure without taking out somebody's eye - usually mine! So, I'd bait fish to keep them occupied until the corvina came through, then it was Dad's turn to have at it and they could hit the beach.
Some of the usual suspects you can catch at La Pinta on bait are small triggers, the ever-present sand bass and sting rays, mojarra (porgy), small pargo, wrasse, and some other little assorted odds and ends. That is, if you cast out into the deeper part of the channel at low tide, or as I used to do at times, use a 12 ft. East Coast style surf rod that could fling a 4 oz. pyramid sinker all the way across Baja to the Pacific! I also used to wade fish the sand flats from La Pinta down to the back bay at the end of the beach at San Jorge, fishing Texas style - a small lead head jig with a rubber Cocahoe minnow. You can nearly walk out to the island at low tide. The sand flats, however, are a wasteland and after a few times of trudging around out there in the heat without even a bump, so much for trying that again. The corvina, like Texas sea trout (specks), like to run in the deeper cuts, exactly like the channel that forms La Pinta. As Ed B mentioned, I've also caught them in the harbor. They often move in and out with the tide.
The only thing I've ever caught at La Pinta using lures are corvina and pompano. Once or twice, I managed to snag a mullet. Off the rocks near Cholla, I've caught needlefish in the summer months. You'll know them - they are long, skinny and silver like a barracuda, but have a much longer snout that's full of teeth. In Baja, they grow to be giants nearly 4 ft. long and will attack any shiny lure, but they all seem to be smaller models off of Cholla. Sierra and barracuda are also possible near Cholla, as well as some big orange mouth corvina. Ric has pulled in some hefty ones there.
Some of the usual suspects you can catch at La Pinta on bait are small triggers, the ever-present sand bass and sting rays, mojarra (porgy), small pargo, wrasse, and some other little assorted odds and ends. That is, if you cast out into the deeper part of the channel at low tide, or as I used to do at times, use a 12 ft. East Coast style surf rod that could fling a 4 oz. pyramid sinker all the way across Baja to the Pacific! I also used to wade fish the sand flats from La Pinta down to the back bay at the end of the beach at San Jorge, fishing Texas style - a small lead head jig with a rubber Cocahoe minnow. You can nearly walk out to the island at low tide. The sand flats, however, are a wasteland and after a few times of trudging around out there in the heat without even a bump, so much for trying that again. The corvina, like Texas sea trout (specks), like to run in the deeper cuts, exactly like the channel that forms La Pinta. As Ed B mentioned, I've also caught them in the harbor. They often move in and out with the tide.
The only thing I've ever caught at La Pinta using lures are corvina and pompano. Once or twice, I managed to snag a mullet. Off the rocks near Cholla, I've caught needlefish in the summer months. You'll know them - they are long, skinny and silver like a barracuda, but have a much longer snout that's full of teeth. In Baja, they grow to be giants nearly 4 ft. long and will attack any shiny lure, but they all seem to be smaller models off of Cholla. Sierra and barracuda are also possible near Cholla, as well as some big orange mouth corvina. Ric has pulled in some hefty ones there.
Shore_Fisher
Guest
I've found that the Corvina seem to stay out of the estuaries when the weather is particularly cold. The times I've fished La Pinta during a cold snap over Thanksgiving, I've caught very little. During 'normal' Thanksgiving weather I've always had good sport.
Shore_Fisher
Guest
On the sting rays, I can tell you that a headlamp shined into the shallows while fishing a warm evening will show you an awful lot of pairs of 'lights' shining back. When they start moving around you realize they are the little sting rays. Everyone of them appears to have different coloration: From black to light sandy. Very interesting, and a little disconcerting, seeing as they seem to like the look of your feet as potential cover....
I have been 'stung' twice, both times off of Sandy beach, in ~3ft of water, while standing still casting. I guess they just got surprised by hitting my legs or something. Never been stung while moving with the 'stingray shuffle'.
I have been 'stung' twice, both times off of Sandy beach, in ~3ft of water, while standing still casting. I guess they just got surprised by hitting my legs or something. Never been stung while moving with the 'stingray shuffle'.
Shore_Fisher
Guest
On the subject of species caught from La Pinta, in addition to Stuart's list, I have caught bonefish, puffers, and some other sort of bone-fishy/corbina-like things on bait. I have also been cut off at the surface on a lure by what I believe were Sierra, at the end of the summer.