If you’ve been fishing in Puerto Vallarta back before 2007 you remember when heading out to Corbetena was thrilling. It would get your heart pumping as you drop baits coming on to the “rock”. You didn’t know what you were going to catch, but you knew it was going to be big, powerful and draining.
Those that take the challenge of the possibility of not catching fish understand it’s not an exact science. This week the deep water locations of Corbetena and El Banco have changed a little, not that you’d notice! Corbetena is back to seeing Yellowfin Tuna anywhere from 40 to 75 lbs and they’re taking bait! Sailfish are a little thing as are Marlin in the 500 lb range, both blue and black. Dorado are in the 20 to 40 lb range, but they’ve been taking green runners, keep that in your back pocket when heading out. El Banco, forget about it.
Normally at this time of the year you can have a mixed bag. Some weeks can be affected by passing Hurricanes, or rain storms that bring dirty water to the area for days. Then of course these fish have their own ideas of where they want to be so finding them at times can be difficult. We have the basic fishing grounds, but what happens when they’re not where “they’re supposed to be”. This is the case right now, fish are out there, but they’re being a little weird. Bite is a moving target, Baits are plentiful and many times ignored. Weird baits may work, regular baits may not. Late Afternoon bites can throw a monkey wrench in your day if you’re coming back in too early and of course it never hurts to be lucky.
. We’ve seen a few Hurricanes and a few more tropical storms close to the Bay of Banderas and it takes its toll on fishing. But it has been a few days now and things are returning back to normal a little more each day. We’ve also had some heavy rains as a result of these systems forming and moving through the area. Having said that the water is blue and beautiful outside the bay. Fishing always has its challenges but there are fish to be had and somebody is going to get them, it might as well be you amigos.
Summer has arrived in all its glory now. It’s warm, normally around 90 to 100 degrees daily. Humidity is unbearable for those from a drier climate running normally over 80 percent. It can be unbearable at times. Puerto Vallarta is for all practical purposes a “Fish Bowl” that holds humidity. With a little pressure from a microscopic system will cause rain daily. Sometimes those tiny “systems” can be a bit of a problem as fish in the area will feel this pressure in the water! When this happens the fish will move out. We’ve seen some of this the past week. Having said that, the fishing is still great, but you will come back empty handed if heading out past the Marietta Islands. With blue water conditions and plenty of bait in the area, this will be short lived.
Writing a fishing article weekly is like aiming at a moving target. We all know what the fishing was like yesterday is not really an indication for what will happen tomorrow in conditions like we presently have. Now the fishing in Puerto Vallarta is never anything but good. But, if you’re looking for Moby Dick, He’s out there, but he’s not in the bay. Last week things got hot, then cold, then hot again. It’s very difficult to get a feel for fishing this year, it normally is right after an El Nino, but that’s not to say fishing is bad. In fact the fishing is great, but if you’re targeting a specific species or area, you could be disappointed. If you are inclined, multiple days fishing will always pay fish dividends… Those with high expectations of specific species can be disappointed at times. Those looking to have a fun time and be happy with what hits your bait, then you’ll have a wonderful time.
Welcome back to another week of exciting fishing. We’ve seen several weeks where the fishing has gone from great to terrible, then back to great again. Now I can’t say the fishing is “great” but I can say it’s very good. The conditions are hard to beat right now, it is warm and humid but that’s to be expected especially at this time of the year. We’ve seen some swings as to “hot and cold” fishing, again that’s normal. One thing that is keeping the fishing good is the amount of Sailfish and Dorado available for the last week or so, this makes the fishing good. Now if Corbetena or El Banco would get their act together then maybe we could call it all “Great”.
Well we’re smack into August now, the water temperatures are about where they should be, plenty of bait and seas have been surprisingly calm. It’s summer fishing and we’re looking at the major species of Yellowfin Tuna, Marlin and Dorado surprising sparse and fickle. Yes there are crazy amounts of bait in the bay, but that many times can be a problem. Recently with all the bait in the bay and surrounding area the “locals” have been hitting dead baits. So it all can make your head spin trying to develop a game plan, but then again, when was a “fish” ever predictable?
One thing about world class fishing is “you never know what you’re going to get” to quote Forest Gump. This week we’ve seen El Banco just stop performing, don’t waste your time. Yet we see Corbetena continue to be its reliable self. Water is super blue and there is plenty of bait in the area so the fishing is great, not perfect, but what is?
These are the kind of “cookie cutter” reports I like. Fishing can be such a roller coaster that what was happening yesterday is no guarantee it will happen today. As we enter the best time of the year for Sportfishing in one of the best fishing grounds in the world you should have high expectations. World class species you expect running in the larger ranges size wise. Yellowfin Tuna, Dorado and Sailfish is a sportsman dream and on many an Anglers buck list. For now those heading to the deep water locations of Corbetena have the opportunity to boat a Black Marlin over 500 lbs, but we’ve seen over 700 lbs the last few days or so. Blue Marlin are also large running 500 lbs and are all over these two areas.
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