Finally, Puerto Vallarta Fishing Returns

August 1st, 2026 fishing report from Master Baiter’s Sportfishing & Tackle

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Welcome to Puerto Vallarta’s high season for fishing. Soon we’ll be posting information on many of the local fishing tournaments. We wait all year for the time of the year when air temperatures increase drastically and are in the low 90’s (degrees) along with the rising humidity. We’re also seeing our seasonal rains finally coming in on a regular basis. What does all this mean, we have world class fishing at all our fishing grounds with Sailfish numbers increasing. Blue and Black Markin anywhere from Corbetena to El Banco. Dorado from the Marietta Islands to Punta Nayarit with blue water and almost perfect fishing conditions. If you have the time and the money, we’ve got that bucket list fish you’ve waited your whole life to catch, maybe two!

You may have noticed that I’ve been posting these articles about twice a month. That’s because there hasn’t been that much to write about and what there was, wasn’t changing much. But that was then, we’re in a completely different mode right now. At Corbetena we’re seeing Blue Marlin in the 350 lbs and up just north of the rock. Probable Dorado in the 20lbs. range, Probable Sailfish in the area as well. Why am I saying probable, well there are Dorado near the channel just east of the Marietta Islands and that means Dorado can be anywhere now. Remember, fish move! The water is still warmer than we like, but the water is blue and there’s plenty of bait in the area. So as the fish are moving, the entire area between El Banco and Corbetena will be, if they’re not already, fertile fishing grounds. And, it’s best to have a full fuel tank and a good radar system to see birds on the screen. Another thing to be aware of, with the warmer water temperatures, your sounder will tell you what the water temperatures at the different depths and where you’ll find Yellowfin Tuna. Something to think about.  

Looking at the eight-hour duration distances fishing has a pulse again. Sailfish are off the point of Punta Nayarit at the four miles mark. Dorado around 20 bs. are off the backside of the Marietta Islands on the channel which is about 6 miles east of the islands and extends into the bay near Los Arcos. There are also Snappers there as well. Throw in the normal players of Jack Crevalles, Skipjack Tuna with Bonito and you’ve got some action that wasn’t there last week. The water is blue and the fishing grounds are deserted. There should be Sailfish in the area as well, so keep that in mind. There are still some Sardines in the area, so Roosterfish could be near their normal hangouts.

Inside the bay, the short day “trippers” are getting their monies worth. Four hours are still not recommended, but there are nice sized Jack Crevalle’s at 30 lbs. running around the Nuevo Vallarta Area, a four-hour duration / distance. Sailfish of smaller size have been boated near Los Arcos area. Throw in Bonito, Skipjack Tunas, smaller Snappers around the structure and rocks for the dinner plate. And of course, we’re finally seeing larger Dorado in the 15 to 20 lbs. range and they’re hitting live bait and lures. Rooster fish maybe small, but there have been some larger ones boated at about 25 lbs. off Punta Negra or where the hotel Garza Blanca is located. For this reason, I suggest six hours and you’ll have access to a full range of these species with plenty of arm burning action.

With all the rain we’ve been having, we’re finally seeing a trash line in the bay. Now you want to find the mature trash line which will be a bit farther in the bay and more productive. With that you’ll find Dorado for the most part. You’ll also find some dirty water near the shoreline, don’t be alarmed, normally it’s pretty shallow and an experienced captain will use a planer to get baits below the dirty water where the smaller bait fish are feeding on the organic matter. It’s a little secret of how to find some fun action unexpectedly. Water temperatures are still in the 89 degree or warmer range, but we have some strange currents and the cooler water will be farther out. There is plenty of bait in the bay, and lures are working as well. Dorado mimic lures with green and black designs are a good place to start. But like always, live bait is king. The bite strangely enough is still around 09:00, but we’ve been putting clients out at 06:30 so they can try and get some Sierra Mackerel’s before heading out to your primary fishing grounds for the day. The late or afternoon bite is about 14:00 or 2:00 p.m.

Until my next report, don’t forget to kiss your fish!

One last thing, recently there has been a lot of news articles about Puerto Vallarta in the interest of public safety in Canada and the U.S.A. I have to say I’ve never seen so much fear mongering in my life. We’re all scratching our heads about the “out and out lies” they’re pushing. Yes, we had one day, 1 stupid day where the local bad guys created some chaos that happened on a Sunday. By Monday morning all the “chaos” was long gone and people were going to work and living their lives like normal people do in Puerto Vallarta. But I got another phone call today, they were telling me the mainstream press in north America is running an endless loop with AI making it all worse. Well, I had to put a video together because even my long-time clients and friends think it’s dangerous here in PV, it isn’t. If you’d like to see the video I posted, nothing fancy, but it addresses the issue. Here’s the link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t6MWHVjlR8U   

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Written by Stan Gabruk

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