SHORE FISHING PRODUCES HALIBUT TO 4 POUNDS

Nov. 28, 2005, Ryan Jenkins, Rocky Point (Puerto Penasco), Mexico Fishing Trip Report:

Over the Thanksgiving holiday Ryan Jenkins with his wife Christine, brother Barry and nephew Jeffrey shore fished the Sandy Beach and Choya Bay areas at Rocky Point (Puerto Penasco). Fishing was good but not spectacular. Only a couple species were caught including Spotted Bay Bass, Cortez Halibut, Leather Jackets, and Needle Fish.

The halibut fishing was fun but the tides were a little off for access to the best spots. A total of eight were caught with the largest about 4 pounds. All fish were taken on 6 pound test line with a variety of lures. The smallest fish were released so we could catch them again next year.

The Spotted Bay Bass fishing was wide open with at least 50 and probably way more caught between the group. All but six were released.

Rocky Point fishing water was cool but not cold, very nice for this time of the year. The weather was beautiful but the wind came up on Sunday 11/27/2005 so we packed it up and came home early. This is the time of the year to catch lots of halibut from shore in the Rocky Point and Choya Bay areas so get out and catch some.

We were fishing from shore. At Rocky Point, we use a variety of lures that include but are not limited to the following: 2 1/4" chrome spoons (the cheap ones work the best...If they have a white feather off of the treble hook then the halibut really love 'em.) Git Zits grubs with lead heads freshwater crank baits and jerk baits tube baits Rooster Tail trout spinners...and others too!

Lure color is very important when shore fishing at Rocky Point. The following is in order of what works best. 1. Chrome (spoons....1 1/4" - 2 1/2") 2. Light Blue (Jerk Baits) 3. Silver (Crank baits) 4. white or gray plastics 5. Motor Oil plastics 6. Chartreuse plastics. Any other color is a waste of money in my opinion. You can try others and will catch some fish but not nearly as many.

We fished two specific areas of the shore at Rocky Point. One area is all granite rocks and we were targeting Spotted Bay Bass and Corvina. There were no Corvina to be had. I think the locals have netted them to very small numbers. Average cast from shore is about a country mile or maybe 50-60 feet.

The other area we were shore fishing at Rocky Point was on the edge of a Calcareous Algae Reef. There is a small lagoon about 100 feet by 400 feet that we fish in for Cortez Halibut. There were flatties all around and when we found the right patterns we had no problem hooking up. We do lose a lot of fish due to the light 6 pound test line that we use. The average cast for the halibut is about 30-40 feet. Most were hooked up within 20 feet of shore. They are always in the sand right next to the reef. It is not uncommon to watch them follow your lure up right to the edge of the shore.

We also fished a Triggerfish hot spot that I have that is on the same reef. We used cut bait but had no luck. We know there were some triggers out there because we would reel in grubs missing their tails after some good hits while fishing for the halibut but didn't hook up any triggers.

Anyone can catch fish down there at Rocky Point but they need to change the way they think about surf fishing. I use a 6 foot rod with a Shimano 4000 reel and 6 pound test Trilene XL line. I use lures made for fresh water species and prefer very thin wire Owner hooks when fishing bait. It isn't very expensive to setup a good little rig and get some terminal tackle for shore fishing in the sea of cortez. Gone are the days of 13 foot surf rods with 20 pound test line and 4 ounce sinkers. We usually use #4 or #5 split shots for weights when needed. The only time we use heavier 10-12 pound test line is when fishing for triggers.

(See "Mexico Fishing News" online for current fishing reports, photos, weather, and water temperatures from Rocky Point and other major Mexican sportfishing areas. Vacation travel articles, fishing maps and seasonal calendars, and fishing related information for Rocky Point may be found at Mexfish.com's main Rocky Point (Puerto Penasco) page.