Catch a fish on almost every cast just an hour south at Santo Tomas (and beyond)
Fishing this year has been impressive, and a lot of different fishing stories have been shared lately around town. Most of the stories involve trips out with local charter boats from the Rocky Point Marina or Cholla Bay, and you may have seen people casting from the shore on Sandy Beach. You don’t often see people pulling in hordes of fish from Sandy Beach however, possibly because it is at the top of the gulf, and it gets so much human activity, stirring it up. Every once in a while, you’ll see a kayaker pulling in a little trophy but not often. For more impressive surf fishing, many anglers are heading around the bend to the south. If you drive about an hour southeast on the Coastal Highway there are several turn-offs to the west where surf casting enthusiasts have been pulling in lots of Pompano and Corvina. May through June is the best time with some claiming October is also good. One local expert down south, is a full-time resident of the beachfront community of Santo Tomas. He says that at times when the fish are running, they catch a fish on almost every cast, with his particular record of 23 casts and 23 fish using a 1 1/2-ounce “Crocodile Spoon”… (I did not have such luck.) Others did confirm his story and shared their excitement for the seasonal success. On average people are catching 2 to 5-pound fish from shore with an 8 pounder being about the biggest this year. There are a few people that fly fish for the Corvina. It is said to be the number one ocean fish for fly fishing enthusiasts and the Pink and White Clouser Minnow is the preferred fly along this stretch of beach. Certain conditions are paramount to a plentiful bounty as well as the use of the right gear. Seasonal timing, as mentioned above, is important especially for Corvina, but there are fish out there all year-round. Pompano are caught year-round. The optimal tide conditions are said to be as the tide is approaching peak high tide. Ideally you want to start about an hour and a half before the high tide and fish until a half hour after the highest daily tide. The Corvina like to chase the Minnows into, and along the dune channels that are pushed in by the advancing high tides. A lot of these channels that parallel the beach are found just offshore along the beaches of Santo Tomas. You can often see where they are by watching where the homeowners and our regular renters are fishing along the beach. Regular anglers staying there will actually scope the beach at low tide to note the ever-slight alterations of the channels in preparation for the next day’s surfcasting adventure. When referring to “Santo Tomas Beach” it is important to note that this refers to what is actually about 30 miles of pristine Sandy beaches from Punta Jaguey on the north to Desemboque on the south. It is also worth noting that with enough notice, renters and owners at Santo Tomas can have their fish prepared for them at the restaurant right there in Santo Tomas… If you don’t catch fish, they can take care of you too.
If you want to catch bigger fish, then you need to go out and south of Rocky Point about 50 miles. Few local charter boats go out that far from Rocky Point Harbor or Cholla Bay but there are a couple. Some of the local representatives may say they catch big fish but ask at your resort. (I know Casago front desk people are informed as I’m sure some others are as well). The typical charter company takes you to spots about 15 miles out where you catch a lot of smaller rock bass and triggerfish. Currently I am aware of two Fishing Charter companies that are worthy for the bigger fish. They are Fish On out of the Rocky Point Marina and Arturo’s Fishing Charter out of Puerto Lobos. Both of these companies will put you on big fish. Fish On works out of the Rocky Point Marina which is right there in town. Arturo’s Fishing Charter is a shy two-hour drive south but a notably shorter boat ride to the big fish. Arturo’s Charter is just south of the Santo Tomas beaches mentioned above and known by the Santo Tomas regulars. I know a lot more about the success of Arturo’s Charter as I fish out of Santo Tomas often, and Fish On is a relatively new company to Rocky Point. I’ve heard Fish On is great, and I will write more about them after I personally go out with them…(hint intended).
Both of these Fishing Charter companies have websites on Facebook.
