The Orange Mouth Corvina and the Sea Trout are often confused. They look alike except the Sea Trout has a white inner mouth while the Orange Mouth is a more robust fish and actually has orange on the inside of its mouth. Both fish will readily take a well presented fly, and I find more Orange Mouth than Sea Trout. Both of these fish are excellent table fare and don’t have a fishy taste.
Spring is a good time to catch Orange Mouth, but you may want to do a gear check before you get on the water. Inspect your fly box, saltwater is hard on everything. Discard rusty and broken flies. Monofilament and fluorocarbon, the clear line that you attach the fly too ages out, it breaks down after being in storage at 100° temperatures for over 100 days. (A typical Arizona Summer.) A new spool of line is preferred to a day of fish break offs.
Before your first day at the Estuary make a few casts in the park on grass. It will give you the opportunity to get your casting arm in shape, and you can work on your double haul. The double haul gives you the distinct advantage of being able to cast further and more accurately. I got my grandkids some casting lessons from a Certified Casting Instructor, and they have almost mastered the double haul. They are going to catch some fish!
Be observant, look for bait fish, then try to match the size and color, with Clouser, and Deceiver flies. Here is a tip for new fly casters who are usually short on gear. Most fly rods come with floating lines to start with. They are difficult to sink your Clouser or Deceiver fly. Try a Crease fly, it floats, gurgles, and pops. You will probably have more luck catching an Orange Mouth with that set up. At the first opportunity purchase a sinking fly line to match your fly rod.
The fishing will improve as the water warms up. Hope to see you on the water soon. Vince Deadmond can be reached at vincehasgonefishing@outlook.com and at 480 818 1796.
