SHORE CASTING TRIP AT PUERTO PENASCO YIELDS ZERO FISH

Jan. 6, 2006, Ryan Jenkins, Sandy Beach, Puerto Peñasco (Rocky Point), Mexico Shore Fishing Report:

We arrived in Puerto Penasco to bring in the New Year at about 9:00 PM on Friday, December, 30th. We setup our camp at Sandy Beach, just west of Puerto Penasco and started hanging out by the fire. There was a boat with no lights on that appeared to be netting not far off shore. Fishing probably wasn't going to be that great due to this. Well, we caught the following fish during the entire weekend. Halibut 0, Spotted Bay Bass 0, Pompano 0, Corvina 0, Trigger Fish 0, Leopard Grouper 0.

We did fish a rocky area for about half an hour and I managed to get one massive bite that immediately broke me off in about 5 foot deep water. I was using a silver colored crankbait on 6 pound test line. I had no chance on what ever it was. I then threw on a piece of squid and caught the only fish of the weekend, a Gulf Opaleye of about one pound.

There were lots of dolphins and what we believe to be pilot whales working about 100-200 yards off the beach. There were some mullets working the water over pretty good and a couple of diving birds too, just no fish that wanted to take a hook and line from shore.

At least I didn't get skunked!

I used artificial lures for all but maybe three casts, one of which resulted in the Gulf Opaleye. I like 2-inch silver spoons, the cheap ones I believe they are made by North Bend or something like that. I use crankbaits and jerkbaits from Matsuo and Rapala. I really like two particular crankbaits that I feel to be the best down there:

Matsuo "Shallow Seeker," UPC code 91791-54641.

Rapala "Husky Jerk," UPC code 22677-08598.

I catch more on those two crankbaits then all others combined. They are just as good as the spoons but you can't cover as much area with them because they don't cast as far. Buy lots because you will lose a lot of them. In fact the huge bite that broke me off was on a Shallow Seeker, probably a nice leopard grouper out there somewhere with one stuck in his lip!

Puerto Penasco water was chilly. I don't carry a thermometer but I would say low 60s. It was cold enough that I didn't go snorkeling. I am too old for that cold stuff!

The weather on Saturday was overcast and about 70 degrees.

On Sunday it was about 80 with beautiful sun all day long. There were about 1 foot high waves on part of Saturday but the rest of the time it was water skiing water, like glass! The water was very clear and we could see quite far into the water from shore. Probably would have been 25-40 foot visibility had I gone snorkeling. It was some of the clearest water I have seen down there.

There was some green algae growing on the rocks in areas and I am sure that it was doing it's part in filtering out some of the nutrients to make the water quality better. Of course the fact that I saw so much of the algae leads me to believe that there must have been a large nutrient bloom in the water recently...pollution?

(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.