What's in the surf and inshore this time of year?

[Justajester]

I'm sure this question gets asked a lot and I apologize guys. I did my searching around the web and this forum and am getting conflicting information. My dad and I are heading down and want to fish the surf, piers, shore, etc a little.. I've only really fished the surf in Texas so I'm not familiar with the area. I'm seeing one site that says flounder, mackerel, sea trout, company, and corvina are in season this time of year. Then I see old posts that seem to indicate that's not the case. I'd like to chase some flounder and sea trout if they are out there. Also, what kind of mackerel is it down there? Is crabbing this time of year productive and if so, where is a decent spot for some blue crabs? And are shell fish safe to eat right now?

 

[Jungle Jim]

Hey Jester..............

Welcome aboard!

You might start out with this site right here. Just go to the first message of almost 11,000 in the FISHING forum and start reading and dreaming. Another good site for the Sea of Cortez fishing facts is MEXFISH.COM. You might spend several days perusing that stuff.

Around Puerto Penasco and without a boat you have three choices for shore fishing: the esteros, the open sandy beaches and the rocky shorelines of Whale Hill and La Cholla. There are plenty of locals that can take you out for a fee and guarantee a load of fish. Most of them even supply all of the gear and bait.

If you have your own boat or fishing kayak the whole scene will change along with a whole new list of fish species available. Just a hundred feet out from shore you can get good sized Groupers, Yellowtail, Sierra the local King Mackerel, Corvinas, Flounder, Triggerfish and at least a dozen more.

Watch out when catching "Sea Trout" as there are none here and it's kind of a catch-all word for a half dozen species of juvenile croakers to include the endangered giant Totoaba and baby White Sea Bass that should not be taken under three feet in length.

The fish charts published online showing what you can catch in what month are total tourist BS with no factual knowledge what-so-ever. Plan on being flexible and prepared for anything at any time. I always carry four spinning outfits on my Jeep as well as some fresh shrimp and a handfull of lures like Castmasters, Spoons and Diamond Jigs as you never know when a feeding frenzy might appear right in the surf with big Pinto Bass, Sierras and Corvinas chasing sardines or smelt in just two feet of water!

You don't need a Mexican Fishing License to fish from shore or from a local charter boat, but the LAW down there is DEAD SERIOUS when fishing from a private boat. Most seem to think they can just gaff it off, but when the Mexican Navy boards your boat you had better have every document for your boat and a current fishing license for every person on board at you fingertips.

Tight Lines,

JJ

 

[Justajester]

Hey JJ I appreciate the response and was aware of quite a bit of that information. This is a very good forum and I've done plenty of reading. But, my actual question is what fish are running close to shore right now in July? And also I'm very curious about crabbing in July and if they are safe to eat right now.

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[DRDTbone]

At Encanto last weekend:

Plentiful: Big Sand Bass and Bigjaw Leatherjacks

A Few: Ladyfish and Cochitos

Nada señor: Corvina and Mackerel

 

[Jungle Jim]

Hey Jester..............

This time of the year you can get almost anything from shore,.....if your lucky. Offshore fish come into the shallows as they follow schools of bait fish like sardines, herring, smelt and mackerel. You can see the bait fish from shore as dark slow moving patches in the water that can be a hundred feet across. Those schools of fish will almost always have a contingency of aerial and submarine killers following them. Look for Terns, Gulls and Pelicans diving in groups close to shore. Toss your spoons and jigs beyond the surface action and pull them through the bait. That's when you just might get a Corvina, Cabrilla, Sierra or even a Yellowtail.

As for crabs, the only species large enough to bother with is the Gulf Blue Crab. They are everywhere at this time of the year and are excellent eating with no worries concerning being "SAFE" to eat as they are not plankton feeders. The best time to load up with them is at night especially during a low tide.

Clams of a dozen species can be had on any shoreline. The only time they might be considered hazardous is if and when the event known as RED TIDE might be in effect. The filter feeding mollusks eat the microscopic dinoflagellates and end up with a concentration of toxins in their bodies that if eaten by a human can kill. I personally have never seen a red tide around Puerto Penasco although some claim to have. A year or so ago someone posted some pix of a red tide and you could plainly see that they were some species of harmless crustaceans known collectively as Krill.

I think that before you go out hunting you might want to get a copy of the current MEXICAN SPORTFISHING REGULATIONS. It clearly states: "It does not allow to capture any mollusks or crustaceans, and their capture by anyone is strictly prohibited". Sure, everyone does it, but you had better have a good excuse if and when the local Mexican LAW decides to enforce their own regs.

JJ

 

[Justajester]

Thanks JJ and DRT that helps a lot. Gonna go give it a shot.

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[DRDTbone]

Thanks JJ and DRT that helps a lot. Gonna go give it a shot.

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I fished almost every bait cloud of anchovies that came by (and there are quite a few) and it was all Leatherjacks, no Corvina, quite a bummer. Did much better on Rapalas than spoons. Good luck and let us know how it goes

 

[Mexico Joe]

I'm sure this question gets asked a lot and I apologize guys. I did my searching around the web and this forum and am getting conflicting information. My dad and I are heading down and want to fish the surf, piers, shore, etc a little.. I've only really fished the surf in Texas so I'm not familiar with the area. I'm seeing one site that says flounder, mackerel, sea trout, company, and corvina are in season this time of year. Then I see old posts that seem to indicate that's not the case. I'd like to chase some flounder and sea trout if they are out there. Also, what kind of mackerel is it down there? Is crabbing this time of year productive and if so, where is a decent spot for some blue crabs? And are shell fish safe to eat right now?

From shore this time of year IMHO you're going to be catching one of many types of fish. Sierra Mackerel (Spanish Mack), Leatherback Jacks or sometimes referred to as Pompano in RP, Cochi (Cochito, Triggerfish), Cabrilla (Sand/Rock Bass), my favorite, Corvina (Sea Trout, Weakfish) the same as your Specks and maybe a Bonefish or Grouper (Juvenile) in certain areas (Cholla Bay).

IMHO There are no Flounder in the water this time of the year. Flounder is November through May maybe June. Good luck! Check out Cholla Bay for some good shore fishing over rocky bottom. Other spots for Pelagic action, Corvina (Sea Trout) and Sierra Mackerel would be the beaches East. Las Conchas and everything east. Encanto, Miramar, La Pina Estuary which is the Mayan Palace. Since we're going East I might as well inform you of Santo Tomas, a great fishing/beach destination just outside of Penaso about 60 miles. Private trips and world class solitude awaits you. Venture South 40 miles to Puerto Lobos and experience a whole new world of shore fishing possibilities. That's 100 miles of Mexican coastline... Have fun! Tight lines!

ChollaBay4Life​

 

[Justajester]

We fished Tucson beach out of cholla with kastmasters caught a ton of rock bass and my dad snagged a few of something I wasn't close enough to see well but I thought it was a skipjack

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