chavycha
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East Cape beaches
We've been on the East Cape for the past five weeks. I was really excited to get down here after reading about the roosterfish, sierra, and jacks
that could be caught off the beaches. Yeah, a little early for roosters, and a little late for sierra, but I'd been told that there would be some
around.
We came from Asuncion, where the fishing was fair to good. Lots of good shore fishing, and some luck from the kayaks too. Much better than I had
expected for January.
First off, the weather, since it's been the most important factor in terms of fishing for me. This is a windsurfing area in the winter for good
reason. There's a lot of wind. Most days it has been relatively calm in the mornings until about 10am, and then builds to a hefty breeze (cough, gale,
cough) in the afternoons. The wind is predominantly from the NE or E which is a pretty awful wind for flycasting, either right in your face or
quartering into your right side. Yuck. We have had a couple of days when it's been calm all day, and a couple where it's blown all day. The last
couple weeks have been better wind-wise, with a good window in the morning most days and settling down in the evening, too.
There are lots of long stretches of beach where you can walk and look for fish. This works best when there's little or no wind. You can see the fish
working bait, and then you run/walk/trip and fall on your face towards them. The first couple of days I was here, I beat myself up pretty well with
walking. Sloped beaches are pretty tough on knees and ankles. I'd heard about the razor-sharp sand - I haven't had any problem and have been barefoot
the entire time. Your mileage will vary, as it is coarser than most sand.
Most days, I've brought an 8 weight fly rod, a steelhead-sized spinning rod, and my gear bag. When the wind comes up, it's absolutely futile to try
to fly fish. I'm a good caster, but throwing into a 25-30mph wind and steep wind chop just isn't fun. I am REALLY glad I brought the spinning rods
with me this trip. Even on the calmer days, I've been using the spinning rod to search, and the fly rod when I start finding fish. The fish are few
and far between, and I can cover a ton more water with the conventional rig.
To that point, there have been VERY few fish near-shore, as there has been little bait around. Most of the local pangueros aren't even bothering to go
out, and no one is selling bait. I have seen a few small schools of mullet and sardines, and where I've found those, I've found active fish.
In the course of five weeks of fishing, on average a few hours a day, I've caught a couple of small roosters, about a dozen jacks, a few needlefish, a
couple triggers, and a bunch of lizardfish. My girlfriend has fished some as well, with the same mixed bag of fish. There have been a LOT of long
walks on the beach... and no fish. Even the best days have been just a few fish sighted and caught. I have not caught, or seen anyone catch from the
beach, a single sierra or dorado.
The best lures have been 3/4 and 1oz krocodiles and topwater zara-spook types. Tried soaking some squid but that just resulted in squirrelfish.
Fly patterns have been smaller clousers (2-3") in sardine colors. I have been fishing the 8 weight and an intermediate line most of the time, since I
haven't had a 10 weight up until a few days ago. Honestly, I haven't yet seen or tangled with anything on the fly that would require a 10 or bigger,
with the exception of one nice rooster. I expect that I may see some larger roosters and such in the next month that will make the 10 a better rod to
carry with.
It's been a fun few weeks, but it's pretty obvious that the fishery is just not happening. There isn't much activity from either fish or fishermen.
Since I'm here for a bit longer I have been able to pick and choose the days/times I go out. I'd be pretty bummed if I'd scheduled a week to come down
in February or March, and then had nothing but wind and crap fishing.
The pangas that have been going out of the local beach appear to be getting a few small dorado and occasionally wahoo / cabrilla. The reports online
I've seen are full of bravado, but their results are a bit thin - even when it's "off the hook" or "wide open" it looks like the pangas are getting a
couple fish here, couple fish there. Embellished advertising? I would theoretically be interested in chartering a panga, but if it's just going to
result in a couple of 12lb dorado after six hours of trolling, I'll save a couple hundred bucks.
Since this is my first time down here on the East Cape, I'm not sure whether it's a question of 'time of year' or 'you should've been here thirty
years ago'.
Anyhow, we're here for another couple weeks - with the exception of the poor fishing, it's been a very pleasant place to staycation. Lots of neat
stuff to see and do, and the people we've met have been great.
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DJL
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Inshore/onshore gillnetting has been an issue . Populations of everything are down ...
Because you can't see 'em , doesn't mean they're not there - try a fast sinking shooting head w/ a thin mono running line ,fish the deeper beaches
(such as Punta Arena/El Faro) , stick with the smallest flies you have .
N/NE wind ?? You must be a Left-Hander . The North wind is usually the ONLY one I can fish in , since the South wind blows flies/lines back into my
Right side .
Try first light (Purple light) - Lots of different fishes will come in close .
Good luck !!
D.~
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chavycha
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Thanks for the tips and well wishes! Haven't tried flies deep at those locations, though have pitched some hardware with limited success (couple of
jacks).
I'm a righthander - most of the beaches I've been fishing face almost due North, those between Buena Vista and the marine park boundary. Thus the NE
or E wind are quartering into my right side (with surf to match) . There have been relatively few days of true N wind.
I've hauled myself out of bed early a few times. Not much better, though you're right that there seem to be more fish in close / on the surface at
that hour.
Interesting to hear about the netting. Saw a few guys dropping gillnets from the shore for sierra a few weeks ago and wasn't sure if that was allowed
or common practice.
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DJL
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Try South of the Marina in La Ribera (Use the 10 wt. , as the Jacks and 'Roos there run BIG , and there are lots of Rocks) , the Rocky areas around
Punta Colorada , Punta Arena , and El Rincon - with the exception of El Rincon , all of these spots offer a little shelter from El Norte' .
Tiny , 'Pinhead' Sardina are all I ever see anymore (1/2-2 inches , max) . Halfbeaks (local call 'em Ballyhoo) are common and my first choice to
duplicate . Try skinny Clousers , #2 , no more than 2 1/2 inches long , Greenish/Blue Backs . Small Pink or Tan Gotcha Bonefish flies do very well ,
also . On the deeper beaches , concentrate on getting to the bottom of the first trough , it isn't a long cast .
The netting is mostly being done under permits out of Sinaloa . The locals are peeed , and I don't blame them a bit .... it WILL kill-off the beach
fishery there , sooner or later .
D.~
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Martyman
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3/4 & 1 oz kastmasters seem a little small to me. Do you have any 2 or 3 oz ones?
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RnR
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Yep, there is a reason that you are seeing so many windsurfers and kiteboarders around. The east cape is WINDY in the winter. That's why they are
here. They travel from all over North America to spend the winter here because the wind is so dependable.
December through March is the windy season. Better than 25 days a month of 15 knot winds.
April drops to about 10 days. The windsurfers start their annual migration north.
May through August, most days are non-windy.
Oct/Nov the wind starts to ramp up and the windsurfers start their annual migration south again.
And another hint: The La Ventana/El Sargento area has even more windy days in the shoulder seasons than Los Barriles.
Stick it out for another month or so and the fishing will improve. Now, if you can just find a beach away from the gillnetters.....
[Edited on 3-14-2014 by RnR]
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Osprey
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The gillnetters were out in force last night and got all the bait from around the jetties at the marina at La Ribera. They should have tried their
luck today because the bonito that disappeared from the bottom, came up to form huge boils that stretched for a mile or more out about 3 miles from
shore.
Full moon, water temps, don't know but we tried everything from Rancho Leonero to Cabo Pulmo with no luck on lures and good but dead ballyhoo, bonito
and mackerela. Did catch and release a world class Pacific Gar that's probably going to give me nightmares tonight.
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gnukid
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Might need to move around a bit, up in La Paz off tecolote has been excellent with groups of rooster fish in the hundreds and yellow tail just off the
beach at 20-25kilo. The wind is not so strong up there or try Ensenada de los Muertos only about 2hours drive up the coast on the dirt road or you can
drive the main road through san antonio to san juan de los plannes.
If you want to stay in LB maybe try a panga off Punta Pescadero early.
Have Fun
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dtbushpilot
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East cape is fished out, has been for a while. Gill netters and over fishing by the sport fishing fleet have ruined it for everyone. I think I will
move to Costa Rica before the gill netters and sport fishers find about the bounty down there....
Just kidding, fishing will be off the charts in a couple of months, stick around or come back then and you will find what you're looking for......dt
"Life is tough".....It's even tougher if you're stupid.....
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tiotomasbcs
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Time of the year and should have been here twenty years ago! Experience is a good teacher. Most fishing books describe the windy months and warm
water times of the year. I'm gearing up for the SOC as the Pacific is getting windy and a little fog has been offshore/onshore. As usual, good
advice from some experienced locals. Tio
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gnukid
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secret tuna canyon ...
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Cardon Man
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| Quote: | Originally posted by dtbushpilot
Just kidding, fishing will be off the charts in a couple of months, stick around or come back then and you will find what you're looking for......dt
|
That's true. The down side from a shore fishing perspective is that the shore fishing pressure goes way up come May.
There's no doubt that gill netters are having a negative impact on East Cape shore fishing. Sierra fishing from shore is flat out not good most days.
Snapper from the beach is marginal at best. And flat iron herring populations are nothing like they were in years past.
There's still some really good fishing that happens but it should and could be a lot better.
There is virtually no enforcement. It's common to witness illegal gill netting and nothing is done about it. Why locals don't pour acetone on those
illegal nets is beyond comprehension.
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DJL
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| Quote: | Originally posted by Cardon Man
| Quote: | Originally posted by dtbushpilot
Just kidding, fishing will be off the charts in a couple of months, stick around or come back then and you will find what you're looking for......dt
|
That's true. The down side from a shore fishing perspective is that the shore fishing pressure goes way up come May.
There's no doubt that gill netters are having a negative impact on East Cape shore fishing. Sierra fishing from shore is flat out not good most days.
Snapper from the beach is marginal at best. And flat iron herring populations are nothing like they were in years past.
There's still some really good fishing that happens but it should and could be a lot better.
There is virtually no enforcement. It's common to witness illegal gill netting and nothing is done about it. Why locals don't pour acetone on those
illegal nets is beyond comprehension. |
Most Gillnets on the E.C. are legal , under permits issues out of Sinaloa . The crowds that run the beaches starting in May in the area are mostly
folks chasing Roosterfish , a species (along with a mess of others) that is being depleted by the netters . Nets HAVE been destroyed , and permits
have been revoked a few times , the chinchorros just re-apply , pay/grease the idiots that issued the permits in the first place , and start over
again .
I've been down there nearly every year since 2005 and populations of everything are down , sometimes way down .
It's only a matter of time before something more drastic happens .... the locals are that irate about the problem .
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mulegemichael
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you are probably already doing this but.....be sure and be on the beach before daylight and start fishing when you still can't see anything...throw a
big hookless popper with a foot of leader and a dual hook hootchie...quit fishing when the sun's been on the water for an hour....trust me.
dyslexia is never having to say you\'re yrros.
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Cardon Man
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| Quote: | Originally posted by DJL
Most Gillnets on the E.C. are legal , under permits issues out of Sinaloa . |
There's also poachers who run gill nets from the beach with no permit at all. No reason why these types of poachers don't get shut down.
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UnoMas
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Try fishing at night for the nocturnal feeders and the best table fare, grunts, croakers and pargo. Use a double hook set up with weight on bottom. I
use shrimp and bait about the size of the end of your little finger, squid and cut bait will work just not as well IMO. Look for a sandy area close to
some rocks, many fish hold in the rocks but you will be tying gear on constantly and retying at night is no fun. Best on incoming tide and don't over
throw the fish, they feed in the surf. Good luck!
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chavycha
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Thanks to everyone for the info and advice! Sounds like I'm doing most things right; looking in the right places, right times of day. That's
reassuring.
Will try some larger spoons and the hootchie rig menitoned above. I don't feel like it's been a tackle issue, as when I've seen fish, I've caught
them (or at least had them interested) but who knows.
I knew that the fishing and weather would be less than optimal during this time period. Did not realize, though, that there would be a nearly
complete lack of fish on the beaches around La Ribera.
We did drive up to Los Muertos on Friday afternoon and found some fish. Pretty area too.
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