Shore Fishing, Rules, Lures, and Misc.

Got a PM from another Gringo from Loco Gringo.com. Here is his message and my answers. I hope they can be helpful for you all:

Jim,
i checked out your blog, nice job! not crappy, informative! i just have some questions. am i correct in thinking that i don't need a license to shore fish? i'll be at the crt from july 9th to the 18th. i understand that up the beach (towards cancun) i could fish, away from the resort. i understand that crt is the only open hotel on that beach for quite aways. my plan( an i'm not sure if it's correct) would be to bring down a medium rod with some fresh water smithwicks and rapala jerk baits of different depths along with some 12 to 20 pound line and some heavy leader. i have no idea if this would be sucessful but what the hey. got any ideas? also i would be interested in going out for one of those 3 hour tours with francisco.(not gilligan?) whats a ball park price for that? is it per person or for the boat. i am strictly a catch and release guy normally so if that helps the price thats cool, but a fresh mahi mahi or grouper dinner might sway me. any other info would be great. thanks for your time and effort.
--Zydecorich

I replied:
Hi Zydecorich,
First, let me address the license issue. This came up a little while ago in a thread on LocoGringo. Here is a link to it, I think you will find if very helpful: http://forums.locogringo.com/forums/tm.asp?m=511611&mpage=1&key=fishing%2Clicense&#511611
For me, the clearest part of this thread came from a poster called stimulator. He explains, "A Fishing License: is required for any individual, regardless of age, who wishes to fish in fresh or salt water in Mexico. This rule applies to all people fishing out of boats or fishing underwater while skin diving. A Fishing License is not needed when fishing from land."
That said, I cannot vouch for the veracity of this or any other statements in the Locogringo forums, but it sounds pretty good and it has been my experience that it is most likely accurate. Even though earlier in the thread it talks about your guide charging you for a license, I haven't had that happen either. They either don't worry about it, or they add it in to the price. Pesca Maya fishing lodge (the service I use for flats fishing down in Ascencion Bay) even states on their website that they need to charge you for a license, but I have yet to be charged for one.

Now, onto a guide. Out of Akumal, the going rate is about $150 US, non-negotiable for the boat, not per person. You can fit 4-5 people in the boat but 2-3 is a little more comfortable. A tip is customary and appreciated. As for catch and release--just make sure you make that clear before you catch your first fish. Any billfish (sailfish or marlin) are a mandatory catch and release. Expect your guide to want to keep anything else unless you specify ahead of time. Fish that we would usually not eat in the US (like barracuda) are considered to be excellent table fare in that area. Ciguatera poisoning does not seem to be an issue with the fish in and around the reefs of the Mayan Riviera. Also, you can always send fish home with your guide. The catch can sometimes act as secondary income for the guide as he can sell it to a market or simply use it to feed the family. If you do book with Francisco, tell him I sent you and tell him hello for me. He is a great guy and he knows a TON about fishing around there. Also, let him know what you want to do, if you just want to troll for pelagics or barracuda or if you want as close to a sure thing as there gets in fishing and bottom fish an off-shore reef for grunts, triggerfish, snapper, etc. (a great option if you want some fresh fish for dinner) An hour of this is typically enough to get all the fish you could want, then you could spend the rest of the time trolling. Now, since you will be there in July, there might still be a good number of mahi around so maybe you just spend the whole time trolling. Obviously, that would be up to you. Another consideration is asking to go out earlier. If there is anything negotiable, it is the time you leave. You can sometimes get some extra time by asking to go out earlier. Generally they just need to get back in time to be able to go back out again and have time for a full trip in the afternoon, so if you head out really early, there is a good chance you will still come back at the same time. That could mean that instead of taking your three hours from 8:00 to 11:00, you might go out at 6:00 and STILL get back at 11:00. No guarantee on that, but its a possibility. If they do do that for you, remember to take care of him come tip time.

Now, on to lures and such. I have personally not had a lot of success with plugs thrown from shore. The first problem is the wind and being able to cast out far enough. That is not to say that you won't have better luck. I am not sure how the beach will be where you will be. Where I stay, there is a lot of rock--very, very snaggy rock. The first year I spent much of my time snorkeling out to retrieve lost lures (for the record, I have yet to lose a lure nearshore that I haven't been able to swim out and find). A good bet for all inshore or nearshore species is the tried and true leadhead jig with a curly tail grub. I uses a 7' medium light spinning rod with 12lb fireline crystal with a 15 lb florocarbon leader and did well for lookdowns, grunts, snapper and even a bonefish (the highlight) and those were all from shore in the light surf just outside of the condo. Down the coast at Boca Paila, I used a little heavier gear and a bigger bucktail jig with a curly tail grub and caught a nice 20 lb ish Jack Crevalle (one of the funnest fish I have ever caught). One problem with plugs is that it seems that most of the fish nearshore tend to feed on mullusks and other prey that live on the bottom as opposed to other, smaller fish. Obviously that does not describe EVERY fish around there. I know one popular tactic that several of the guides I have used in Mexico have suggested is using a good sized popper or surface stick bait--like a skitter walk or a zara spook (walk the dog, you know) to target barracuda in the surf or just past the breakers (a nice option that is snag proof). If all else fails, make sure to bring some bobbers or casting bubbles and fish with bait. Pick up some shrimp or cut some chunk bait and let it soak. Myself, I'm not as excited about bait fishing, but to each their own. I should mention that in Ascencion Bay, the weapon of choice to target permit is fresh cut chunk of hermit crab on a size 4 to 1/0 octopus hook or 1/4 oz jighead. The bottom line is, plugs seem to be a little more effective offshore, trolling or casting from a boat as opposed to fishing from shore, but that could just be because of where I fish and could be totally different where you will be. I would just bring a nice mix of lures--but don't go overboard. The first year I went I brought the kitchen sink. WAY too much stuff and ended up using very little of it effectively.

Well, I have gone on and on. Hopefully I have answered your questions, but feel free to PM me if you have others. I am going to post our exchange on my blog. Thanks for giving me something to do for the last hour of work!
--Jim