Thanks for the report. I grew up spending a lot of time down there, but not since the 90's. I'll be back in December with a full quiver of rods and a bunch of flies.
Hey Angler, welcome. A couple thoughts before you head down:
I also have been coming down since the early 80's. It's still one of the real treasures to live and visit, IMO. At the same time, things have changed a lot. Some really good, some not so good. Life, right? As far as fishing goes, and I am far from being an expert, shore fishing and in-shore/close to shore fishing has changed dramatically. (at the same time, guys still seem to be killing it for big grouper, white sea bass, snapper, etc out at the far out / 12-50 mile reefs). We used to be able to catch huge trigger, fat bass, and plenty of corvina in abundance and almost every trip down. That is not the case any longer. Not sure the exact reasons, but the abundance of fish available close-in has definitely waned. In December, the fishing from shore can be really slow. Sometimes you can get lucky throwing metal and hook up with some nice flounder, an occasional but small trigger, small bass, etc. Of course, every now and then you'll get something worthwhile, but by in large, the size and quantity of fish caught from shore has diminished greatly. And, the primary reason to share this is not as a downer, but if you come with proper expectations and not compare to the 'good 'ol days', your time fishing will still be very enjoyable. Your cooler will just be a bit lighter.
Best of luck and enjoy the "new" Penasco. Still a special place for so many people.
