I love Marina Vallarta, if you´ve never been there (here) the place is full of life and of course this is where the World Class Sportfishing Companies and crews are. As I walk around the Marina you can´t help but notice the ever vanishing Sportfishing boats from the slips. After more than thirty years Marina Vallarta has changed ownership and has naturally raised prices (slip cost) for boat owners, including the fishing boats already suffering from seven straight ¨depression¨ years. As a result fishing boats that were on the edge have left the industry or gone out of business. Boats that are still operational are searching for affordable options in La Cruz and Nuevo Vallarta Marinas, good luck. Some are biting the bullet, staying and paying. Raising slip cost are just one factor driving the cost of all water sports up, not just fishing boats.
As warm water moves in the sun hangs longer daily in the Tropical Skies of Puerto Vallarta. This churned, swirling water conditions can result in brown, coffee colored water as the sediment on the sea floor inside the bay gets churned up. Typically all at the same time, we have warm currents, cold currents and fish that are not interested in your trolled baits. That´s the bad news, the good news is; that will shortly be behind us. May brings stability, dominant summer currents and of course world class species, Sailfish being the first to arrive in thin numbers. For the last month, I´ve done my best to make this sound as positive as I possibly can and still keep the truth factor firmly in place.
Along with the change in seasons come water temperature swings. The summer currents don´t just take over, they mix in with winter currents and this creates a swirling affect which can make experienced captains pull their hair out. This is where even cheap electronics will tell you the water you´re in is either warmer or cold. When you can´t see or find fish, trolling in the warm streaks and currents greatly improve your chances. Cheap boats, no equipment, no fish, it´s that easy. This is nothing new, having an experienced captain with a full bag of tricks (lures and baits) as well as a radio and electronics to me are basics clients should not have to ask about or for. Better boats will already have them in an effort to win your future business. Fly by the seat of their pants type boats and owners will find fish, but it´s luck so keep this in mind, it will ultimately help your cause.
Spring Fishing has its own special challenges. It´s actually a transition period where winter currents turn into summer currents, which means swirling currents. This mixes up the sediment on the sea floor bottom, which in turn means dirty, coffee colored water. Fish hate this, it would be like walking around breathing through an open mouth behind a soot spewing buss! The currents pushing this sediment up from the bottom is normal, but not welcome. Bait fish, just like normal fish, don´t like this nasty tasting water so they leave. So all of a sudden we have breeding fish leaving the area due to cold, nasty water. It normally takes about three days for these types of conditions to settle down. For now Jack Crevalls are the dominant species and will stay in areas other fish won´t. Like I said, challenging…
Spring has sprung and love is in the air, or rather water where fishing is concerned. Conditions are challenging with swirling currents, rapidly changing water temperatures and an over abundance of bait. The Seasoned Captains with electronics have the edge with water temperatures fluctuating from 69 degrees to 74 degrees with the warmer water being the better the fishing. This may all sound strange, but for the locals we know what spring means. The fishing is actually fairly good, but again, it´s gonna be work amigo.
It had to happen, spring is here and love is in the air, or water when we´re talking about our gilled friends right now. That´s right folks, even fish succumb to the laws of nature. If that isn´t enough the water is streaky with cold and warm areas all over the place. Plenty of bait, more than you would believe possible which is not a positive right now. The ¨up side¨ is there are fish everywhere. Bait is abundant to the point I can´t remember the last time there was so much bait in the area and I mean at all the fishing grounds. The ¨down side¨ love is in the air and the last thing they´re thinking about is their stomachs. I’m afraid you´ll find the fish have decided that chasing ¨tail¨ is more important that chasing your bait! Fear not amigo, you can catch fish for sure, but you have to be at the right place at the right time. The window of opportunity is small as these fish come up to feed on three inch Sardines taking ¨ a quick bite¨, then they´re gone, back to chasing ¨tail¨.
Water temperatures have returned to 74 degrees, not a bad thing, and the fishing is great, but only if you hit the bite. Which of course means we know the place, we just have to be there at the right time which of course now is mid afternoon with a full moon. As the moon fades like it is now, there will be a morning bite. The full moon was causing problems this past week as fish were using the light of the moon looking upward to zero-in on the baits. As far as winter fishing goes, it´s still great, but the summer species may be harder to find until the water warms up a little. Since it´s spring, that won´t be long.
As the northern states and Canada seem to be under Freezer like conditions, we´re seeing warmer than normal weather as El Nino begins to raise its head with Pacific water temperatures well above the 70 degree range as water temperatures remain about 79 degrees. This is very comfortable for Marlin, Yellowfin, Dorado and of course Sailfish. Winter species are mixed in as well with Jack Crevalls, Snappers, Needle fish and of course Sierra Mackerals. It´s mixed up out there for sure. The upside, there are fish everywhere and they´re waiting for you to come out and play!
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The fishing has been great, but it´s anything but automatic. With the bluest of blue water conditions, visibility for baits is as good as it´s going to get. Water temperatures hovering around 80 degrees are perfect for species like Yellowfin Tuna, Marlin, Sailfish and Dorado. We never see these fish in predictable numbers in February or March. But that is not the case right now. Corbeteña this week had 300 lb Yellowfin Tuna just off the rock about ten miles to the north. El Banco is alive with 50 lb Dorado and Black Marlin in the 450 lb range. Sailfish all over the place north of Punta Mita about ten miles. It´s just a mixed bag and depending on the day anything is possible, even the seemingly impossible like Monster Yellowfin Tuna.
