July Fishing Explodes with Sailfish and Dorado at El Morro

                        July Fishing Explodes with Sailfish and Dorado at El Morro   

by: Stan Gabruk owner of Master Baiter´s Sportfishing & Tackle

For the last three weeks it´s been all about ¨Bait, Bait, Bait¨ with perfect conditions, purple blue water, perfect water temps and ultimately Nada, Nada, Nada or in English, Nothing, Nothing, Nothing would take a bait. Talk about a monster frustration, there was fish everywhere, maybe not the exact species we would ask the fish gods for, but no shortage of fish. The past weeks were about as close as a ¨cookie cutter¨ report from the previous week as you can get. I continually spoke of how ¨Any Day Now¨, and of course it didn´t come. Well I am happy to report things are changing for the better. We´re finally past the midpoint of July which is a milestone for our world class fishing. Breeding season is finally over, migrations are still happening, but soon that will stop also. For now we´re bursting with Sailfish and Dorado in the 25 to 30 lb range. They`re taking bait and they´re not shy about it, that´s great news, but there is some really weird stuff happening as well.

As we enter the early weeks of the 2014 Fishing Tournament season we´re seeing less than exciting action at El Banco and Corbeteña. Marlin Sightings, few strikes. Blue Marlin mostly in the 250 lb range, but they´re sparse at best. With massive amounts of bait, perfect conditions and few boats heading this direction we can safely say this is not the place to be for the moment. The good news is you can save your fuel dollars and get plenty of action closer in. It´s still early in our fishing season to get excited about missing fish, but the expectations are high for what will be coming in hopefully soon. Plenty of 35 lb Skip Jack Tuna, perfect for bait are here for the taking. If Targeting Marlin, this is the perfect bait to use. Great tasting, machine gun hook-ups, you´ll have a fun day, but really, you don´t spend the kind of money on fuel these days for Tuna of this size. But then again, if looking for fun and money is not a concern, take a tour and hit El Morro or the point of Punta De Mita on the way back in. A fun time is guaranteed for all.

Once again this week Sailfish and nice sized Dorado between 20 and 30 lbs are not disappointing. Where you might ask? El Morro is the place to be. We don´t always speak much of El Morro, just six miles south of the Marietta Islands this is an area that is not ignored by the saltier captains in Puerto Vallarta (PV). Many times you can come across ¨up currents or upwelling’s¨ in the area and for some reason this will attract fish and keep them here. For now, we´re very happy to have Sailfish in the area. Many times they´ll be hanging out near the point or off the Marietta Islands. Now six miles is not a huge distance but when ¡t comes to local fishing, many times when the Marietta Islands are on the slow side, El Morro will have action. The lesson here, don´t forget about this location or you could miss out. Keep this in your back pocket for future reference. Rooster fish will many times hang around this area for the same reason, upwelling’s and plenty of food in the water. Figure on about an eight hour day and you´ll come back with a full fish box. Just remember to always throw the females back, full of eggs, you wouldn´t want to diminish the populations when throwing the females back will insure future fishing for future generations.

The Marietta Islands seems to be on ¨hold¨ for the moment. If you find yourself in the area there are millions of Needle fish, commonly called False Marlin, they´re long, skinny, they have a ¨bill¨ and are great fighters. They taste great if you know how to prepare them. Bonito, Skip Jack Tuna and other sparse pickings are here as well. All and all, El Morro is the better choice, or…

The Lemon Sharks are still between the Marietta Islands and Punta Mita off Anclote. They´re something we don´t normally plan on, but they´re still here. White meat fish, small though, about three to five feet, perfect for Shark Steaks. They won´t be here much longer and frankly I am surprised they´re still hanging out. So if you have ever wanted to target shark, now is the time.

Hit the point of Punta De Mita (Spanish for ¨lookout point¨), Sailfish and Dorado are still taking bait as fast as they can. About eight to ten miles off the point you´ll find them feeding on massive bait balls. Dorado are here as well and presently a dead Whale carcass floating here with many smaller fish are feeding on, including 30 lb Dorado. While it´s sad to see a dead Whale, this is nature and the cycle of life continues. Word is out about the dead Whale, so don´t expect to be the only one looking for an easy catch.

 Inside the bay we´re seeing some strange things. Primarily the presence of Spanish Mackerals and Jack Crevalls! Both are winter current arrival indicator species, so you may ask why they´re in the area when we have very warm water (84 to 86 degrees). Well your guess is as good as mine, but they´re taking bait and they´re great for arm burning action without having to go the distance to leave the bay. In front of Yelapa there are Football Tuna up to 45 lbs, they´re taking bait as well, but you could spend the whole day there and only get one or two strikes. If in the area, run Goggle eyes with skirts and you can most likely have Sashimi tonight. If you´re around the river mouths there is always the possibility of Robalo, Snook in English. White meat fish, very flavorful and close in, worth a shot, don´t forget to discuss this option with your captain if heading out in the bay. In the northern part of the bay there have been reports of Sailfish hanging around the La Cruz Marina, so the bay is wide open, the only thing missing is you. We´re not seeing the normal amount of rain here in PV so the Trash Line is is not there. More rain will change all that, but until then don´t spend time looking for it. Another result of El Nino, no rain, seems strange I know.

It´s been all over the news, El Nino is here and we have to deal with it. Strange things can happen, things like winter species (Jack Crevalls and Sierra Mackerals for example) can show up chasing bait. For now Cabo is seeing a surge in Blue Marlin and Dorado along with Sailfish. The currents from the south are out unusually far. A few years back with the last El Nino we saw this same phenomenon which is the primary reason Cabo should have a great fishing season this year. Normally the warm summer northern currents will come up and push through about thirty to sixty miles out from the PV shoreline. When El Nino hits this moves the warm currents out anywhere from seventy five miles to over a hundred miles. Cabo is only 350 miles north or so from Puerto Vallarta, but the direct path of these currents as they roll down the coast. This will bring pelagic species directly to the area off Cabo. It just slams into the Cabo area as these same currents continue northward. There have been reports of nice sized Yellowfin Tuna in San Diego, another indication of El Nino currents. I also remember the last time we had currents like this they reported Sailfish in the Puget Sound area in Seattle, super strange for sure! What´s the point of all this information that seemingly has nothing to do with Puerto Vallarta Fishing? Well with the layout of the land or sea in this case, we expect the area between Cabo and Puerto Vallarta to ¨back fill¨. Once these pelagic find fast food in abundant bait, they´ll hang-out in the area. So we may have a bit of a wait for Yellowfin Tuna and Black Marlin, but the fishing is great right now, no complaints. Somehow we still do, so let me be the first to appreciate the species we have and suggest ¨Fish are where you find them¨. If coming to Puerto Vallarta, plan on a four to eight hour day fishing, you´ll have a great day, it won´t break the bank and you´ll have a memorable day with good friends and family. An experience you´ll never forget.

For the last few years the economy has been the biggest challenge to get over here in PV. Few boats are heading out to the deep water locations, but as school ends we´re seeing the return of long term visitors to Marina Vallarta. Located just a scant mile from the airport, Marina Vallarta is one of the top ten private Marinas in the world. With fifteen restaurants alone, you can find cheap food to elegant dining.  But you won´t see a boat, water or even a sign indicating how to find the Marina in PV. Blocked by condos and buildings,  I know, ñklyou won´t know Marina Vallarta is hereunless you´re ask where it is! it´s amazing, but if you´re in town, tell a taxi Driver you want to see Marina Vallarta, he´ll drop you off in front of million dollar yachts right on a beautiful boardwalk. The light house is a great place to have a cold one and enjoy the best view in Marina Vallarta. If you´re lucky enough to be in the light house and see a thunder / lightning storm, you´ll catch the beauty of nature and have an experience worthy of sharing with friends, you may even see someone famous inside as well. As you enter Marina Vallarta from the street,  at our famous Whale Statue, turn down the street StarBucks is on, at the end of Restaurant Row you´ll find Marina Vallarta, the best kept secret in PV. After visiting the largest concentration of restaurants and shops in the north end of town, look for Master Baiter´s Sportfishing and Tackle at the southern end of the Marina next to Victors Café Te Cuba between docks A and B. We´d love to see you and who knows, maybe even get you out fishing. Mention you read my articles and we´ll give you a nice discount off the listed price. One of the perks of reading this labor of love. Be warned, if you ask the pirate ¨promotors¨ they´ll tell you I´m dead, out of business and who knows what else, but we´re alive, doing well and looking forward to making a new friend or two!

Until next time don’t forget to kiss your fish and remember at Master Baiter’s Sportfishing & Tackle “ We Won’t Jerk You Around”!

Master Baiter´s has changed locations in Marina Vallarta between docks A and B on the boardwalk. Email your Questions to me at: CatchFish@MasterBaiters.com.mx  Web page:  www.MasterBaiters.com.mx , Local Phone at: (044) 322 779 75 71 or if roaming: 011 52 1 322 779 75 71 cell phone direct Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Master-Baiters-Sportfishing-Tackle/88817121325 The trade name Master Baiter’s ® Sportfishing and Tackle is protected under trade mark law and is the sole property of Stan Gabruk.