Once again Paradise had another wonderful week when it comes to Tourism and of course fishing in our world famous fishing grounds of Puerto Vallarta. We are seeing some increases in water temperatures which is good for the cause of course, but the currents are swirling and the warm water can be hard to find. If you can find a warm streak, then you‘ve got fish, if not, then best wishes! We’ve been waiting on summer and the larger game fish to arrive which is like watching a clock, it will never move until you look away. With the warmer water we are starting to see some of the cold water species like Jack Crevalls and Sierra Mackerals, stables for us during the winter, move out. There are still some of them around and some in good size ranges, but this is their last hurrah and will be gone before June arrives! These welcome changes are painfully slow for a guy like me. But this is normal and right on time. With the moves upwards in water temperatures we are seeing some positive signs which mean the larger fish like Sailfish and Striped Marlin will be heading our way soon, but not soon enough for me!
It’s still about Rooster Fish and Snappers when it comes to fishing in Puerto Vallarta right now. If you are heading out to the deep water locations of El Banco or Corbeteña, you’d be better off fishing at the Marietta Islands or El Morro. Rooster fish and Snappers have been ranging in the 20 to 70lb range. Those heading out for less than eight hours expecting fish will find very small game fish to choose from at best. Jack Crevalls are being seen less and less, but I did see some today when sailing, should have had a pole with me… But Jacks like cold water, but the water is warming up ever so slightly day by day. So they´re moving out and they have saved many a day fishing for clients and kept my guaranteed charters happy!
Here in Puerto Vallarta we are in a holding pattern. It’s not quite winter fishing and we’re still waiting on the summer, but none the less the fishing is still great if you can find the time and money to head out to the Marietta Islands. If you do find yourself there you will come back in with something for the dinner table. Blue Water and favorable water temperatures are still about the same as last week and basically little has changed. The days are still great and the seas have been smooth for those sea sick types. There is plenty of bait fish in the water now. Flying fish, Marlins favorite food, have turned up and is a sign of positive currents from the south. The conditions couldn’t be better for fishing, we just need the fish now!
Well spring break has come and gone as we say good bye to the thousands and thousands of young visitors that safely enjoyed Puerto Vallarta. Spring is in the air and summer is around the corner. The water temperatures are inching up daily and the water is clear and green for the most part. We are waiting for the Sailfish to show up and there have been tons of sightings, but no hook-ups I can speak of except the freak occurrence. But the Islands of El Morro and the Marietta Islands are still and luckily for us, the place to be! Snappers, Rooster Fish, Sierra Mackerals and more are the predominant species at the moment, but that is today, it can all change before you finish reading this!
People ask me all the time when the fishing is best in Puerto Vallarta. That is always a moving target because everyone wants a little something different. My standard answer is Mid July to the second week of January. But for some reason people seem to take that as if the fishing is bad any other time. This of course is not the case, but we do know up front that January, February, March and early April are not Billfish months. But we´re in March now, the water is warming up daily, we have seen Sailfish fifty miles out at The Bank or El Banco in Spanish. There is still plenty of bait in the bay, the water is clearer and bluer every day. Spring is right on time this year with the weather conditions coming in line with expectations and water temperatures moving into the range summer fish prefer! Yes Amigos if you are into fishing, then this is the time of year when things will change for the better. Larger, more abundant gamefish are already here, time to think about your summer fishing trips!
It seems at times that all I do is rewrite what I said the week before and I guess that is normal when your primary subjects, fish in this case, don´t change habits drastically in the winter. Normally for February the sailfish are still here and we´ll see Dorado in diminishing numbers and smaller as time passes. In March we see the water temperatures normally warm up a bit. After a La Nina year I have no clue what to expect. But remember this La Nina Year came after an El Nino year which is hot water temps. Now that we are hopefully moving into a normal current pattern we are seeing warm water species move back in to the area. The fish I am talking about here are primarily Needle Fish. Just as we see the Sierra Mackerals and Jack Crevalls indicate that water temperatures have cooled down come the end of winter in to fall. So it looks like we will see an early spring this year is this is any indication.
Bait, Bait, everywhere there is bait. May not seem like a bad thing, but when there is too much bait in the water, why would a fish pay any attention to what you are presenting to them? Such is the case this week with plenty of nice sized game fish at our world famous fishing grounds. Jack Crevalls, Snappers and the reappearance of Rooster fish, but don´t get excited, it´s not a piece of cake out there right now.
One of the places I don´t write much about is El Morro. Located about ten (10) miles south of the Marietta Islands, El Morro is one of those locations that can be dead for extended periods of time and then just explode with action. One reason is the bottom of the bay in that area works to produce upwelling’s that contain all sorts of organic materials that have settled on the bottom from the summer months. This is a little known area that a new comer would not know of unless a local told him about it.
One thing we always want to know as fisherman is what it the bait fish situation. There are times when there is too much bait in the water. At those times it is impossible to get fish to pay attention to your bait, no matter how you are presenting it.. Other times there is not enough bait and the fish move on… Right now we are a little heavy on bait, but other areas around the area are also heavy on bait. And when the ¨getting is good¨ why move on, it won´t be any ¨greener¨ down the road! In the bay there is plenty of bait to attract fish, so that is not our problem right now. Our problem is getting them to come in our direction. Of course we will be waiting for them, but for now it´s best to focus on what is at hand and available. So nobody should be expecting to catch Moby Dick inside 75 miles. If anyone tells you otherwise, walk away….
Two weeks ago I turned away more people than I care to think about with the truth about what the actual conditions were in the bay. Four hour trips, unless you like checking out sea life and whales, was pretty much a waste of your time and money. Same for Six hour trips and even the eight hour days were coming in at times with empty fish boxes. But as the warmer water is working its way back into the area we have seen the normal players like Jack Crevalls return in a big way. Tons of smaller Red Snappers, Pompano and several larger Rooster Fish and the list goes on. One thing for sure, there is no reason now to hold back. Even the four hour trips are averaging 10 to 15 fish or all types.
