Now is my favorite time to visit Puerto Peñasco. The fishing is good, the weather is excellent, so many good cantinas you can’t possibly visit them all. I keep an RV at Playa de Oro Trailer Park on Mirador Beach. Good neighbors, great view, and I can launch my kayak from the beach. Peñasco has 50 miles of beach you can fish from Cholla Bay to La Pinta, the second estuary. Several places to eat, drink, listen to music, and socialize within walking distance to the RV Park.
If you don’t do camping, the park has rooms to rent. The Coastal Elegante Hotel has been refurbished and is quite nice, across from Manny’s. If you are used to San Diego prices, Puerto Peñasco is a bargain! If you don’t like the beach, there is golf, tourist shopping, Sea-Doo and quad rentals. You can go for a banana boat ride or a sunset cruise, and there is a casino. December and January can be good for whale watching; local captains run charter boat trips.
Don’t forget your fly fishing gear. The fish are plentiful, strong, and willing to take a fly that looks like a baitfish, shrimp, or a crab. The preferred fishing set up is a 9-10 foot 8-weight fly rod, rigged with a 300-400 gain sinking fly line. Saltwater is buoyant, and a sinking fly line will get your fly down where Señor Fish lives. The catch of the day can be quite varied; I have caught 40 different species of fish in Peñasco. Generally, you can expect to catch Orange Mouth Corvina, Trigger, Grouper, Cabrillia, Grunt, Bonefish, Flounder, and the occasional Mexican Barracuda during the winter months.
November is always a good month; December and January can cool off, but the days are usually sunny and quite pleasant to be in a kayak enjoying the Sea of Cortez. Last winter was unusually warm; the fish were more active and stayed home. I was a happy camper! Hope to see you on the water soon!
Contact information for Vince Deadmond: vincehasgonefishing@outlook.com and 480 818 1796.
